Supercritical Synthesizers has released OS 1.6 for the Redshift 6 synthesizer.
Firmware Update 1.6 introduces a new polyphonic sequencer engine and macros. The update also includes eight new factory presets designed to showcase the Poly Seq engine and macros.
You can view a preview of the firmware above. Below, see a demo of new presets made using OS 1.6:
The video demos a selection of factory presets showcasing the new SEQ:POLY sequencer and macros. All sounds and FX are from the Redshift 6 — no external effects or sequencers were used.
The update is available now as a free download.
Dutch audio developer Stryde Audio has introduced Swayed, a new software synthesizer that they say is “modeled after a famous 1989 synthesizer that combined FM synthesis with sample based synthesis” (Yamaha SY77).
The combination for FM synthesis and samples expands its synthesis capabilities far beyond what was possible with the better-known DX7, and allows for the creation of a broader range timbres, from realistic to synthetic.
Patch compatibility means you can access the vast library of sounds made for the original hardware, in the form of SysEx files that can be imported. Patches made with Swayed can also be loaded into the original hardware by exporting them as SysEx files.
Features:
FM Synthesis – Advanced FM synthesis module featuring 6 operators, 15 waveforms, up to 3 configurable feedback paths, and 45 algorithms.
PCM Synthesis – Waveform module that can play back multi-samples.
Digital Filter – FM and PCM elements can be shaped using a dual-resonant filter setup: one LPF/HPF and one LPF, both with 12 dB/octave slopes.
Modulation – Individual operator and sample volumes can be automated using envelopes. The same applies to pitch and filter cutoff. Additional modulation is available via 2 LFOs.
Effects – Choose from 44 effect types to give your sounds extra character. Including chorus, flanger, delay, reverb, and distortion. Effects can be routed in 3 different configurations.
Dynamic Pan – Select from 64 panning envelopes to create a rich, evolving stereoscopic sound field.
XLN Audio wants to put the fun back in drum processing.
XLN Audio has announced the release of DB-30 Drum Butter, a sibling to the much-loved RC-20 Retro Color plugin that’s designed to bring “identity and awesomeness” to drums.
Inspired by the fundamental idea that “drums should be fun”, DB-30 is equipped with six independent effects modules that XLN Audio promises can add punch and character to any drum part.
At the start of the chain, Boom Shack is a dual module that introduces both low-end weight (the boom) with a sub-bass boost and top-end texture (the shack) via 18 different types of noise that can be layered across your snares and hi-hats.
Shift is a pitch- and formant-shifting module that can be helpfully targeted at either the transient or sustain portions of a signal, while Space is a reverb module equipped with numerous reverb types covering everything from natural drum rooms to vintage hardware units.
The Compress module does what you’d expect, bringing punch, energy and dynamic control to your drum parts via six compressor modes (Punch, Warm, Glue, Gentle, Smack and OTT) that have been optimized for drum processing. Saturate delivers six styles of saturation, including emulations of tube amps, four-track tape machines and analogue consoles.
Finally, the More module puts a finishing touch on things by placing a waveshaper and a clipper on the output stage. Both More and Boom Shack are fixed in place at either end of the chain, but the other four modules can be reordered to achieve different sounds – think putting the reverb before the compressor for creative pumping effects.
Below the individual modules is DB-30’s Master Section, which gives you access to high- and low-pass filters, transient shaping and global control over input and output levels.
XLN Audio’s RC-20 Retro Color plugin is a hugely popular plugin that makes it quick and easy to introduce lo-fi character and vintage-style warmth to any sound source. With DB-30, XLN Audio is hoping to bring the same kind of “instant magic” to drum processing, throwing a little fun and inspiration into an aspect of the mixing process that can sometimes feel like a chore.
“Just like when you get a new distortion pedal it makes you want to play guitar, I wanted that same feeling for DB-30,” says XLN Audio’s Design Lead Staffan Ösp.
“Some people love getting lost in surgical adjustments, but I like to be given opportunities to explore. There’s something much more fun about Big Knobs and x-faders that blend two different things. It has led to a lot of (joyful) distraction in the development process.”
XLN Audio DB-30 Drum Butter is available for macOS and Windows in VST3/AU/AAX formats. It’s currently priced at $99, but the price goes up to $129 on April 30. Find out more on XLN Audio website.
