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Universal Audio launches Verve Analog Machines saturation effects, and makes the ‘Essentials’ version free until April 30.

Universal Audio has announced two new plugins that each have a number of retro saturation effects – or Machines – included. Verve Analog Machines is the headliner but the support act, Verve Analog Machines Essentials, might be the main attraction as it’s free until the end April.

With Verve Analog Machines you get 10 ‘Machines’, saturation effects of various colours that give creators everything from “subtle tape warmth and hi-fi tube saturation to full on distorted textures and more”.

The cut-down Verve Analog Machines Essentials includes four Machines but is just $99. It is free until April 30.

The fuller Verve Analog Machines features controls like Drive, Tone, and Tape Warble. The Machines are all analogue in nature (although obviously digital in delivery), all utilising the same kind of component level modelling employed in the rest of UA’s plugins.

The 10 Machine effects are Sweeten (reel-to-reel tape machine), Edge (analogue console), Glow (harmonics via a tube preamp or channel strip), Warm (older tape machine), Thicken (lo-fi tape), Vintagize (old tape), Distort (driving analogue preamp), Overdrive (fuzzy tape tone), Fire (searing analogue tape), and finally Sputter (broken distortion).

Verve Analog Machines Essentials is all of the above but with just four machines and has just the Drive control included (so no Tone or Warble).

“We really want people to get creative with true-to-life analogue tones,” says Ryan Wardell, UA’s Director of Software. “Verve Analog Machines gives music producers and beatmakers a sleek, fun collection of machines to experiment with everything from gentle warmth to sonic obliteration.”

You can get Verve Analog Machines on the standard UA subscription ($19.99/month or $149/year) which gets you close to 40 UAD Spark plugin instruments and effects, most of which are pretty amazing.

Or buy it for a one off fee of $99 until the end of April, or download the Essentials version now for free while you can. Get it now! You can do that, and grab more information on both Verve Analog Machines bundles here.

Sound designer Ian Dixon has introduced 1970s String Machines Collection for Korg Modwave, a new sound library that features classic string synth sounds.

The sound library is compatible with the Korg Modwave, Modwave MkII, Modwave Rack, and Modwave Native. Best of all, it’s available as a free download.

What Dixon has to say about it:

“This collection recreates the classic sounds of the Solina String Ensemble, Korg Delta, Korg Trident (a multi-instrument machine with a string section), Roland VP-330 (with Human Voice Choir sound), and Elka sounds.

There are over 40 performances and programs enabling you to recreate the string sounds of Jean-Michel Jarre, Pink Floyd, and Vangelis. There are string sounds, vocal sounds, and even Celeste and the occasional brass sound.”

1970s String Machines Collection for Korg Modwave is available now as a free download.

Audio plugin developer Spectral Devices has announced that they has ceased operations and made its three plugins available as free to download:

“After careful consideration and deliberation, we have made the difficult decision to cease our company operations. This decision was not made lightly, but we believe it is the best course of action for the future of our organization.

However, we are pleased to announce that we will be making our software available for free downloading to our loyal clients and users. We understand the impact that our tools and products have had on your operations, and we want to ensure that you continue to have access to them even after our closure.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to each and every one of our clients for your support, feedback, and loyalty over the years. It has been an honor serving you, and we are proud of the accomplishments we have achieved together.”

The three plugins available as free downloads at their website:

• Spacer – a modular creative effects station. Spacer has five effects modules which can be linked in any order, but are also designed to work as independent processing stations in their own right. S
• Pancz – an audio plugin equipped with a powerful multiband transient shaper, clipping tool, precise waveform analyzer and additional tone manipulation effects.
• OCS-45 – Simulate real life cassette tapes and add a lo-fi, vintage feel to your sound.

The first (now free) plugin is Spacer, which is a multi-effect with five modules – Reverb, Convolution, Grain Reverb, Delay and Grain Delay – which you can place in any order. You can use them independently or in combination and the plugin is, Spectral says, especially good for creating “dreamlike overtones, shifting soundscapes or contemporary ambiences”.

It was the most expensive plugin in Spectral’s range, originally retailing for $119.

Pancz is a multiband transient shaper with a UI that displays your audio and lets you shape its impact. It includes a limiter, and other controls allow you to add presence and air. This one originally sold for $75.

Finally, Spectral OCS-45 is a cassette emulation plugin that lets you choose from four tape types (Ferric, Chromium, Ferrichrome, Metal). You also get four Noise models, five distortion types and 80 presets in a very decent plugin that originally retailed for just $15.

All three plugins (worth over $200) can be downloaded after you sign up for the Spectral Plugins newsletter here. We wish the developers well and thank them for their generosity.