Minimal Audio has announced the release of a new free formant-shifting plugin, fittingly – but perhaps a little unimaginatively – named Formant. Promising “real-time formant-shifting with musical, transparent results”, Formant is a fast and simple tool for experimenting with different vocal characters in your productions.
A lightweight and stripped-back plugin with a basic XY pad interface, Formant is equipped with a built-in tilt EQ for brightening or darkening the tonal balance of the sound. Both this and the formant-shift can be controlled via the XY pad, and there’s a Mix slider underneath for adjusting the balance between wet and dry signals.
The Minimal Audio team tell us they’d like to offer music creators an “accessible introduction” to their take on vocal processing with Formant, and are currently working on an advanced vocal production plugin named Evoke, due out later this year. This isn’t the company’s first free plugin release: they’ve previously given away Rift Filter Lite and Squash, an OTT-style compressor.
So how exactly does formant-shifting work? The technique is best explained in terms of the human voice. A typical vocal signal, like all signals with an inherent musical pitch, comprises a fundamental frequency – the root pitch – and mathematically-related harmonic overtones.
Regular pitch-shifting will transpose the fundamental and related harmonics up and/or down while maintaining their relationship, resulting in an obvious transposition of musical key. Need to tune a C vocal up to a C#? Then pitch-shift it up by one semitone – easy.
A vocal’s formants, on the other hand, are its inherent spectral frequencies – unrelated to pitch – created by that specific vocalist’s vocal tract, mouth shape and other resonant characteristics. It’s why, for example, one singer singing at C3 will sound completely different to another vocalist singing the exact same note. In broader terminology, we usually refer to this as ‘timbre’.
The process of formant shifting, then, allows you to manipulate these formants (and therefore timbre) while maintaining pitch. At subtler values, this can be used to gently shift a vocal performance’s timbre up or down, while more extreme changes are often perceived as ‘gender alteration’ – think extreme, chipmunk-style shifts or house-style deepening effects.
And though we’re using the human voice to illustrate, all audio signals contain unique formant frequencies, making formant processing a useful tool for altering the timbre of any instrument.
Minimal Audio Formant is available now for macOS and Windows in VST/VST3/AU/AAX formats. Find out more and download the plugin over at Minimal Audio website.
Developer Oliver Greschke (Elastic Instruments) has updated Elastic OSC for iOS to add support for DX7-style FM synthesis.
Elastic OSC is an 8-voice polyphonic synth for iOS, largely based on the voice engines of the Mutable Instruments Plaits’ Eurorack module.
Update 1.1 allows you to import DX7 banks into the 3 OP6 engines (19–21). Each OP6 preset / DX7 bank consists of 32 DX7 sounds, which you can switch through using the Harmonics slider.
The update also includes a wide range of DX7 sound libraries, including classic DX7 presets, patches by sound designer Jexus and more.
New in Elastic OSC v1.1:
Added DX7 Bank and Wavetable Import: Import DX7 banks from one of the many online sources, create new ones via the Generator link, or edit your bank on the Plaits Sound Editor website
Added dozens of new presets from sound designer SOI and a new Artist Category for SOI sounds
Added Preset Compare feature: instantly switch between the current and original preset version
Improved preset saving: the current preset name now appears in the text field above the SAVE button, making it easier to edit
Bugfix: fixed audio hum/engine issue that sometimes occurred when opening the app
Bugfix: incorrect layout on iPad Pro with 13-inch screen
Improvement: knobs respond more sensitively now
Improvement: harmonics slider now has 32 steps for OP6 engines (reflecting DX7 preset switches) instead of linear values
Bugfix: Improved DX7 envelope behavior – the app now more accurately reflects the envelopes of DX7 presets. Some of your OP6 presets might sound a bit different, but they are now much closer to the original hardware sound”
We have known about the existence of Elektron’s Tonverk since leaked images of a prototype unit appeared online almost a year ago.
Today, Elektron officially introduced Tonverk, a new polyphonic multisampler and audio processor.
The Elektron Tonverk has eight audio tracks that can be used in a variety of ways. There are a further eight tracks for buses, sends, and mix. Each of the 16 tracks has its own sequencer.
Tonverk offers polyphonic stereo sampling, multisampled instruments, tracks within tracks, flexible routing, a kaleidoscope of effects and modulation, and the extended 256-step Elektron sequencer.
The Elektron Tonverk features three sound creation machines, plus another for MIDI.
Each audio track can work in one of three ways, making use of Elektron’s system of playback ‘machines’. The first of these is the Single Player machine, which lets users record and playback both mono and stereo samples polyphonically, with the ability to adjust sample length and playback behaviour, as well as set loop points and crossfading.
The second machine mode is labelled Multi Player, which allows Tonverk to create and load multi-sampled instruments that can be played back polyphonically. To make full use of this, Tonverk introduces an Auto Sampler function, which uses MIDI to automatically multi-sample hardware instruments.
The final audio track mode is called Subtracks. This allows each audio track to play host to eight individual monophonic sample players, each with its own sample parameters and sequencer track. This allows a single audio track to be used as a full drum kit or a means to layer monophonic ideas.
Audio tracks can also function as a MIDI track for controlling external gear.
Each of these tracks can make use of what Elektron describes as ‘a kaleidoscope of effects and huge modulation possibilities’. In practice, that equates to features including two assignable LFOs and two effect LFOs per audio track, an assignable envelope for each audio track, plus two LFOs for each bus/send track. There’s also a flexible mod matrix for routing pitch bend, mod wheel, breath control and aftertouch.
On the effect front, Tonverk has a total of 17 modules available across its various track types (options differ from track to track). Many of these are new for Tonverk, and feature enticing titles such as Infinite Flanger, Phase 98, Dirtshaper, Chrono Pitch and Supervoid Reverb.
In typical Elektron fashion, each of Tonverk’s tracks can be controlled using a deep and flexible step sequencing workflow. Tonverk’s sequencer can program up-to 256 steps per track and comes equipped with functionality including parameter lock automation, an arpeggiator, probability-based sequencing, per-track sequence lengths and micro-timing adjustments.
According to Elektron: “Whether you’re multi-sampling your favorite synth, crafting drum kits, routing things all over the place or sending sounds out and back in for further alchemy, Tonverk is made for expansive sound design and immediate play.”
With its ability to save fully-fledged multi-sampled instruments and multi-part drum kits, as well as its routing and sequencing tools, Tonverk looks like the closest thing Elektron has released to a true ‘DAW in a box’ system.
The obvious question is whether or not Tonverk is intended as a replacement for Elektron’s similarly-priced Octatrack. On paper, Tonverk looks a lot like an upgrade to the Octatrack’s eight-track design; keeping the stereo sampling but expanding it with new modes and internal routing options.
in addition, Tonverk lacks some popular Octatrack features such as its crossfader and, at first glance at least, appears to put less emphasis on live performance and more on studio functionality.
In terms of the Tonverk hardware itself, the rear panel features four balanced jack outputs, two balanced jack inputs, a stereo headphone output, and MIDI in, out and through ports. There’s also an SD card port providing expandable memory, along with two USB-C ports.
Tonverk can function as a class compliant USB audio device. There’s currently no word on compatibility with Elektron’s Overbridge software.
Tonverk will come loaded with a sound library containing single samples, multi-sampled instruments, drum kits and preset projects.
Here’s an overview of the Tonverk:
Features:
8 voices per audio track
4 × selectable machines per audio track:
Single Player
Multi Player
SubtracksMIDI (also selectable on the bus tracks)
8 × stereo audio tracks
4 × bus tracks
3 × send effect tracks
1 × mix track
1 × digital base-width filter per track/subtrack
2 × assignable LFOs per track
1 × assignable modulation envelope per voice
2 × assignable FX LFOs per audio track
2 × assignable LFOs per effect bus, send effect, and mix
Modulation setup per track for pitch bend, mod wheel, breath control, aftertouch
Step Edit
Extensive routing options
Diverse sound library (single samples, drum sets, multi-sampled instruments, and pres
MIDI track features:
16 note polyphony per step
16 × assignable CC controls
2 × assignable LFOs per track
Performance features:
2 × Trig modes
Tracks
Velocity
Keyboard mode with 36 different scales
Song mode
Chord mode
Sequencer features:
Up to 256 steps per pattern and track
Arpeggiator per audio & MIDI track
Polyphonic sequencing
Individual pattern length per track
Individual time scale multiplier per track
Parameter locks
Trig conditions & trig chance
Retrig (audio & MIDI tracks only)
Micro timing
Sequencer lanes
Effects:
Comb +/- Filter
Filterbank
Low-pass Filter
Multimode Filter
Infinite Flanger
Panoramic Chorus
Phase 98
Warble
Chrono Pitch
Frequency Warper
Compressor
Degrader
Dirtshaper
Daisy Delay
Saturator Delay
Rumsklang Reverb
Supervoid Reverb
Hardware:
128 × 64 pixel OLED screen
4 × ¼” impedance balanced audio out jacks
2 × ¼” balanced audio in jacks
1 × ¼” stereo headphone jack
48 kHz, 24-bit D/A and A/D converters
2 × USB-C port
MIDI In/Out/Thru with DIN Sync out
SD Card slot
Physical specifications:
Sturdy steel casing
Dimensions: W 286 × D 176 × H 63 mm (11.3? × 6.9? × 2.5?) (including knobs and feet)
Weight: approximately 1.85 kg (4.08 lbs)
100 × 100 mm VESA mounting holes. Use M4 screws with a max length of 7 mm
Miscellaneous
Class Compliant USB Audio
External Input mixer with routable outputs
3 year Elektron warranty
Included in the box:
64 GB SD card
Power Supply PSU-5
Elektron USB-C cable
Exclusive artwork
Tonverk is the first device of in Elektron’s latest platform and the say “certainly not the last”.
Check out the details and share your thoughts on the Tonverk in the comments!
The Elektron Tonverk is priced at $1,599 / €1,399/ £1,199. It’s currently listed as ‘out of stock’ at the Elektron site, but retailers are starting to list it for pre-order.
