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Caelum Audio’s Toyphonic Micraliser is the plugin nobody asked for. This hilariously bad mic modelling plugin is free for International Joke Day.

1st July marks International Joke Day (who remember?) and plugin developer Caelum Audio is celebrating the occasion with the release of a hilariously – and deliberately – bad plugin that the company promises will “transform your music into something only a toddler could appreciate”.

Toyphonic Micraliser is a mic and speaker modelling plugin that emulates the tinny and unpleasant sound of cheap and undesirable gear. Imagine a children’s toy microphone that your three-year-old accidentally dropped in the bath run through a budget Bluetooth speaker, and you’ll get the idea. As Caelum Audio puts it, “if your singing sounds like a dying cat, this finally kills the cat.”

The plugin’s “ultra-realistic, precision-tuned” mic and speaker modelling is based on “painstakingly captured” impulse responses that can be shaped via Size, Attack and Decay controls, and there’s also a Quality control onboard that introduces an appropriately nasty-sounding bitcrushing effect.

For a free plugin that’s intentionally poor, Toyphonic Micraliser actually offers plenty of modulation options, including an LFO with four waveforms, a 64-step motion sequencer and envelope follower, all of which can be assigned to eleven destinations. “Just because your music is flat and boring doesn’t mean the automation has to be too,” explains Caelum Audio.

A selection of 15 “locally sourced and organic” presets are available – included, Caelum Audio says, “so your AI-reliant selves don’t have to think beyond the blinking and breathing part of your day” – and a randomize button instantly generates new presets by randomizing the plugin’s controls.

While Toyphonic Micraliser doesn’t sound great – it does have some potential as a tool for lo-fi sound design, if that’s your kind of thing. “We cannot be held liable for any personal threats or harm you may encounter upon being encouraged to sing into the Toyphonic Micraliser,” warns Caelum Audio. “You should have known better, you silly sausage.”

Toyphonic Micraliser is available now for macOS, iOS and Windows in VST3/AU/AAX/AUv3 formats. Find out more on Caelum Audio website.

AudioKit Pro has released AudioKit Synth One J6, a professional-quality iOS synthesizer that they built as a labor of love.

Here’s what they have to say about it:

“We built Synth One J6 for people who are often left out. Many students and aspiring artists have mobile devices through schools or other programs, but those devices cannot install paid apps. We wanted to change that. With Synth One J6, anyone can explore, learn, and create music right away.

The interface is intuitive and welcoming. Each function has a dedicated slider or knob, making it simple for beginners and deep enough for pros. You’ll find arpeggiators, sequencers, lush reverbs, tape delays, warm choruses, and over 400 inspiring presets created by talented sound designers worldwide.

Built by volunteers who deeply value music education and accessibility, this app ensures everyone, from classrooms to community programs, can start creating music instantly.”

Features:

• Completely free – nothing to buy
• 400+ Presets
• Control it with a MIDI Keyboard, MIDI Learn to map your controls to the app
• FX: Glorious Reverb based on Sean Costello’s code (Valhalla plugins Plug-ins), Analog Tape Delay, Chorus, Crush, and more.
• 3 LFOs, over 60+ possible destinations, almost everything can be modulated. LFOs can even modify other LFOs
• Dual Assignable Touch Pads, manipulate FX in real time
• Classic Arpeggiator & Vintage Style Step Sequencer
• ADSR for Amp & Filter Envelopes
• Works as a Plug-in Instrument in GarageBand and Logic for iPad

AudioKit Synth One J6 is available now as a free download.

They say it’s ‘Amazing, awesome & free’. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments!

Droid Resonator is a free, browser-based synthesizer, built with HTML/JS/CSS and Tone.js.

It features 6-voice polyphony, with 3 VCOs/voice, MIDI support, an oscilloscope and more.

Features:

• 3 VCOs with waveform/octave selectors & mix control
• 6-voice polyphony (you can play chords!)
• AMP and Filter envelopes
• Lowpass filter with cutoff & resonance
• LFO for filter modulation
• MIDI keyboard support (with chord recognition)
• Note latch mode for droning goodness
• Real-time oscilloscope
• Clean, single-screen interface with fullscreen mode

Give it a try. Apparently, it worked best with Chrome. If you give it a try, leave a comment and share your thoughts on it!