Bedroom Producers Blog has introduced BPB 64, a freeware Commodore 64 virtual synthesizer for Mac and Windows.
BPB 64 is a sample-based freeware Commodore 64 virtual instrument. The included patches were sampled from three different Commodore 64 units. Audio was recorded directly from the SID chip without any additional processing.
A MSSIAH cartridge was used to program the synth patches and to trigger the sampled Commodore 64 units via MIDI.
BPB 64 includes 37 presets, covering bass sounds, leads, pads, and ‘authentic’ C64 arpeggios. The user interface features a filter, an ADSR envelope, four built-in effects (chorus, reverb, delay, distortion), and modulation.
Isla Instruments let us know that the S2400 Sampling Drum Machine is available again, after almost a year of being out of stock.
“Everyone knows how difficult it is to source microchips and parts these days, so it’s rare for us to have stock, but right now there are still some units left from the last pre-order batch. They are ready to ship,” they note. “It may be the last chance to purchase for some time.”
Isla Instruments calls the S2400 “The spiritual successor to the greatest drum machine the world ever saw.” It builds on the classic design of the E-Mu SP 1200, one of the most iconic sampling drum machines ever created.
4trak don’t just emulate the sound of tape, but also the tape machine’s workflow and functionality.
This new Max for Live device fuses the workflow of cassette tape recorders with the convenience of a modern DAW. And that’s exactly what the creators of 4trak, a new Max for Live device, were hoping to achieve with the development of their new software tool for Ableton Live.
“We love all things analog, both in the music creation process and for listening formats,” the plugin’s creators write. “As creators ourselves, we wanted the sound and workflow of playing with audio on a hardware tape unit but with the convenience and expanded functionality of working in the box.”
4trak, released by Inner Ocean Records and developed by Peter Bark and Woulg, is an M4L device that essentially puts a Tascam Portastudio inside Ableton Live, and then some. The device is both a 4-track recorder and a looper, and delivers all the tasty tape emulation effects you’ll find in other tape-inspired plugins.
In addition to the recording, looping, and overdub functionality you’d expect, 4trak is equipped with controls for speed, pitch, and reversing, while each track is outfitted with its own compressor. The device can be synced with Ableton’s tempo and transport controls or operated independently.
Parameters such as loop length, playhead position and playback rate for each track can be modulated independently, meaning that once Live’s LFOs get involved, things can get pretty experimental. 4trak comes bundled with a custom-made sample pack designed to be used with the plugin.
Some might question the logic behind a plugin that reproduces technology from decades ago inside a DAW that’s largely superseded that technology. But aside from its ability to recreate one of the most popular home-recording set-ups in history, 4trak is a pretty full-featured musical sketchpad that’s great for quickly and easily laying down ideas in Live or jamming out loop-based improvisations.
