Friday 22 December 2017

Red Room Audio applies colourful brushstrokes to inaugural sampled VI library lineup releases


Passionately-crafted virtual instruments developer Red Room Audio is proud to announce availability of its inaugural sampled virtual instrument library lineup — comprising the flagship PALETTE - SYMPHONIC SKETCHPAD set of orchestral instruments; PALETTE BRUSH PACK 01 – MELODICS, 17 inspiring melody-carrying orchestral instruments; PALETTE BRUSH PACK 02 – ORCHESTRAL FX, an extensive collection of cinematic aleatoric effects for strings, brass, woodwinds, and choir; and PALETTE BRUSH PACK 03 – RUNS & ARPS, the most complete set of orchestral runs and arpeggios available anywhere; plus SNAPS CLAPS SLAPS STOMPS & SHOUTS, a 24-piece mixed choir performing a variety of vocal and body effects packaged with some fun GUI (Graphical User Interface) features freebie thrown in for good measure.

Red Room Audio’s inaugural sample library lineup, PALETTE, is a series of NKS™ (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD) supporting thematic professional orchestral and cinematic virtual instruments for Native Instruments’ industry-standard KONTAKT platform — including the free KONTAKT PLAYER — aimed at songwriters and media composers. It was recorded in a dedicated hall with world-renowned performers by a passionate and experienced sample-making team. Truly a dream come true for its creators, the company collectively hopes that this expansive set of scoring tools truly inspires its users to write some significant music. An awful lot of content went into its creation, so it made sense to break it down into individual products.

Watch Red Room Audio’s official product trailer for PALETTE - SYMPHONIC SKETCHPAD
 
PALETTE - SYMPHONIC SKETCHPAD contains the building blocks to quickly and easily bring cinematic ideas to life. Lending a helping musical hand, an additional set of so-called BRUSH PACKS bring detail and compositional colour to the bigger picture by focusing on deeper and more specific scoring elements such as orchestral effects, percussion loops, or true-legato melodic ensembles, enabling users to easily choose the tools needed for the job in hand without getting bogged down with those that are not needed. Whatever way users choose to work, with all PALETTE instruments being performed by the same musicians recorded in the same hall by the same production team, they complement each other perfectly.

Watch Red Room Audio Owner/Designer Dickie Chapin’s
PALETTE - SYMPHONIC SKETCHPAD
 
PALETTE - SYMPHONIC SKETCHPAD is a flagship (24 GB-plus) library featuring Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, Choir, and Percussion patches. Piano, Harp, and even a set of modern Trailer Tools plus Synth patches all add to the lengthy list of essential writing tools. The orchestral ensembles offer a nice variety of articulations, including four kinds of short notes, as well as trills, tremolo, pizzicato, and other deeper techniques. Three dynamic layers were recorded with up to seven round robins, while further flexibility abounds courtesy of two different (Chamber and Full) ensemble sizes, so users can go all out epic or as intimate as the musical mood may take them. And, as is the case with the entire PALETTE lineup, all players were recorded in standard orchestral seating positions with three microphone perspectives — CLOSE, DECCA (Tree), and HALL. However, since the room is spacious yet fairly dry, with only a 1.2-second tail, users can easily blend anything with other libraries using their favourite reverbs without being restricted to the sound of only one specific hall.

Watch Red Room Audio Owner/Designer Dickie Chapin’s
PALETTE BRUSH PACK 01 – MELODICS video run-through

The concept behind PALETTE BRUSH PACK 01 – MELODICS is simple: studying the scores of several favourite classical and modern film music composers, admittedly a most enjoyable exercise, ended in 17 of the most evocative melody-carrying combinations and instruments as a result — recordings of a soaring violin section playing octaves, regal trumpets with horns, playful flutes and piccolo, creepy bass clarinet and contrabassoon octaves, a gigantic and downright frightening low strings and low brass ensemble, and more besides. But equal emphasis was placed on soloists since they are so often used to deliver a melody, so six of those were recorded as well. With 16 of the 17 instruments in PALETTE BRUSH PACK 01 – MELODICS have true legato — Trombones &Tuba being the exception, many melodic bases are covered.

Watch Red Room Audio Owner/Designer Dickie Chapin’s
PALETTE BRUSH PACK 02 – ORCHESTRAL FX video run-through

PALETTE BRUSH PACK 02 – ORCHESTRAL FX is an aleatoric effects virtual instrument for media composers and songwriters. Red Room Audio feel fortunate to have worked with three outstanding composers from around the globe — namely, George Strezov, Jongnic Bontemps, and Tristan Noon — who collaborated to orchestrate a slew of useful effects for strings, brass, woodwinds and choir in six categories: Short, Long, Sting, Texture, Rise, and Fall. Many were recorded by all four sections, so easy layering is a given. Get this, though: in total there are over 2,400 unique performances — perfect for providing instant musical drama, emotion, character, and life. Load up one of the four section patches and keyswitch through the categories to perform individual samples from a keyboard controller. Creativity flows forth with the powerful FX Builder patch, allowing users to browse, select, and layer up to four effects with controls to adjust their volume, pitch, and timing.

Watch Red Room Audio Owner/Designer Dickie Chapin’s
PALETTE BRUSH PACK 03 – RUNS & ARPS video run-through
 
 
PALETTE BRUSH PACK 03 – RUNS & ARPS is the most in-depth virtual instrument for real recorded (not scripted) orchestral scales and arpeggios ever assembled! According to Red Room Audio, there was simply no better way to capture the emotion and subtle nuances of these unique articulations than to record them in their entirety — versus trying to cleverly combine samples to produce artificial phrases. Pushing the boat out, both strings and woodwinds ensembles were recorded playing scales in six primary modes — Major, Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, Whole Tone, and Chromatic, each with up to 13 variations. There are also 20 kinds of arpeggios in four modes — Major, Minor, Diminished, and Augmented. Every run/arp has two round robins, can be performed in every key, and can sync to the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) host’s tempo, totalling over 1,600 performances!

Watch Red Room Audio Owner/Designer Dickie Chapin’s
SNAPS CLAPS SLAPS STOMPS & SHOUTS video

PALETTE puts colourful brushstrokes at the fingertips of any Mac (OS X 10.9 or higher) or Windows (7 or later) user wishing to convey compositional creativity. Changing course from a musical perspective, Red Room Audio altruistically rounds out its inauguration with a fun freebie: SNAPS CLAPS SLAPS STOMPS & SHOUTS is a vocal and body effect virtual instrument for the full version of KONTAKT. As such, it samples a 24-piece mixed choir performing exactly what the title suggests — various snaps, claps, chest and knee slaps, stomps, and 12 shouted words all at a single (loud) dynamic with up to 12 round robins. Recording the men and women separately for the shouts, users of course can layer them as they see fit for plying their trade. As a self-confessed huge fanboy of virtual instruments himself, who better to throw caution to the wind than Red Room Audio Owner/Designer Dickie Chapin, concluding, “I promise to put passion into every Red Room Audio product, because…  who knows, maybe you are pressing that key for the very first time.”
PALETTE - SYMPHONIC SKETCHPAD can be purchased and digitally downloaded (as a 24.2 GB library totalling 54,480 samples in 24-bit/44.1 kHz NCW lossless format) directly from Red Room Audio for a time-limited introductory promo price of $249.00 USD until December 31, 2017 — rising thereafter to $299.00 USD — from here: https://redroomaudio.com/product/palette-symphonic-sketchpad/
PALETTE BRUSH PACK 01 – MELODICS can be purchased and digitally downloaded (as a 26.4 GB library totalling 90,793 samples in 24-bit/44.1 kHz NCW lossless format) directly from Red Room Audio for $199.00 USD from here: https://redroomaudio.com/product/palette-bp01-melodics/
PALETTE BRUSH PACK 02 – ORCHESTRAL FX can be purchased and digitally downloaded (as a 17 GB library totalling 14,628 samples in 24-bit/44.1 kHz NCW lossless format) directly from Red Room Audio for $199.00 USD from here: https://redroomaudio.com/product/palette-bp02-orchestral-fx/
PALETTE BRUSH PACK 03 – RUNS & ARPS can be purchased and digitally downloaded (as a 2.2 GB library totalling 4,812 samples in 24-bit/44.1 kHz NCW lossless format) directly from Red Room Audio for $199.00 USD from here: https://redroomaudio.com/product/palette-bp03-runs-arps/

SNAPS CLAPS SLAPS STOMPS & SHOUTS can be digitally downloaded (as a 185 MB library totalling 720 samples in 24-bit/44.1 kHz NCW lossless format) directly from Red Room Audio for free from here: https://redroomaudio.com/product/snaps-claps-slaps-stomps-shouts/ (Note that SNAPS CLAPS SLAPS STOMPS & SHOUTS only works with the full version of KONTAKT, version 5.6.8 or above — not KONTAKT PLAYER.)
About Red Room Audio (www.redroomaudio.com)
Red Room Audio is a developer of passionately-crafted virtual instruments for songwriters, composers, and sound designers. Based in Los Angeles with staff and contributors around the globe, its mission is to create inspiring tools that make it easy for its users to turn their musical ideas into art. Owner Dickie Chapin formed the company in 2017, having first discovered the joy of sampling some 30 years earlier courtesy of a heavily-used Ensoniq EPS (Ensoniq Performance Sampler), one of the first few affordable samplers on the market, before ultimately progressing to designing GUIs and web graphics for several virtual instrument developers as a freelancer. In 2014 he accepted a position as Project Director and Creative Lead at acclaimed audio software creator Impact Soundworks and presently professes to still getting “…the same rush out of discovering and playing virtual instruments as I did when I pressed the keys of that old Ensoniq sampler.”
© 2017 Red Room Audio

Monday 18 December 2017

Dialog Audio advances MP3244 synchronisation and modulation plug-in with welcome V2.0 update

Specialised performance tools developer Dialog Audio is proud to announce availability of an advanced (V2.0) update to its inaugural Modulation Processor (MP3244) audio software plug-in — primarily designed for synchronising and modulating hardware synthesizer parameters within a DAW (digital audio workstation).
Launched last year to widespread critical acclaim — “MP3244 is the missing link to synchronise all of your analogue and modular synthesizers to a host application,” announced a suitably impressed commentator, the modular structure of the plug-in question allows adventurous users to create miscellaneous modulations that can then be sent to any synthesizer parameter or other audio hardware. However, depending on any given user’s audio hardware setup, several connection possibilities are available when working with MP3244 — MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) input-endowed equipment can be controlled via MIDI CC (Continuous Controller) messages or MIDI SysEx (System Exclusive) messages, while an audio interface (if DC-coupled) or a MIDI-to-CV converter can be pressed into play for audio gear that can be controlled via CV (control voltage).
The modular structure of MP3244 allows users to precisely tailor modulation signals to specific hardware setups, giving owners of those setups the freedom to flawlessly integrate their classic or modular synths into their DAW environment — with all the convenience of tempo and host synchronisation that is now expected from plug-ins, in other words, while MP3244 can also be used to modulate software synthesizers and audio plug-ins directly within a DAW to provide extended modulation possibilities.

Watch Dialog Audio’s informative introductory video of MP3244

 

Perfected further still with the timely introduction of V2.0 of MP3244, Dialog Audio takes an advanced concept — already a plug-in quite unlike any other in existence — and makes it even better, thanks to a whole host of new core features as follows:

* AU (Audio Unit) instrument format added
* AU MIDI FX format added (for Apple Logic users to easily load the plug-in within an external modulation track to modulate MIDI CC and SysEx gear)
* MIDI CC and SysEx value output range can be set manually (to fit the value range of the receiving device — from 0 to 100, for example)
* Support for SysEx checksum calculation added (to control synthesizers requiring a checksum to handle messages via one of three methods — normal, which sends the seven least significant bits of the calculated sum; complement, which subtracts the seven least significant bits of the sum from 128 for use with some Roland synths, for example; and XOR, a bitwise Exclusive OR on all parts of the sum)
* Save and load presets from directly within MP3244
* LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) Ratio option added for custom RATE control (such as 7/8)
* New X-FADER module added (allows users to mix and fade between two signals, the output of which can be controlled via a control signal)
* Advanced integration with Sequencer Processor (SQ4) — Dialog Audio’s upcoming tool for modulating audio gear parameters with a sequencer approach, as implied by name — to load the partner plug-in within MP3244 to enable even more modulation signal options
* General UI (user interface) improvements

To partly paraphrase another popular song — one that has been named one of the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century by National Public Radio — that has stood the test of time, MP3244’s raison d’ĂȘtre remains… same as it ever was — but better! Indeed, it has come a long way since starting out as a novel way of fulfilling a very specific need: “Needing to get a filter to modulate synchronised via SysEx from a host application was the basic idea behind its development,” divulges Dialog Audio founder Julian McDole.

The latest version (2.0.0) of Modulation Processor (MP3244) can be purchased and downloaded — for Mac OS X 10.7+ (AAX/AU/VST, Universal Binary) or Windows (7, 8, 10 AAX/VST, 64-bit/32-bit) — directly from Dialog Audio for $49.00 USD (including VAT) from here: http://www.dialogaudio.com/modulationprocessor/ (Note that MP3244 runs in demo mode until a valid Software License Key is entered; during demo mode the plug-in will intermittently stop processing and preset loading is permanently disabled.)

About Dialog Audio (www.dialogaudio.com)
Dialog Audio focuses on the development of hitherto unheard of specialised performance tools to enhance audio production, composition, and music-making from within The Dialog Audio Laboratory, a creative space occupied by a group of people passionate about music and research, sharing their knowledge in different areas of science.
© 2017 Dialog Audio

Friday 15 December 2017

"STA Claus" comes to town thanks to Audified’s feel-good festive promo pricing on STA Effects processing plug-in bundle

Audio software and hardware effects developer Audified is proud to announce a festive feel-good pricing promotion on its critically-acclaimed STA Effects — an already affordable summing tube processing plug-in bundle based around its proprietary STA (Summing Tube Amplifier) technology from which it takes its name — equating to an attractive 62% discount running from December 15.
 ‘STA Claus’ is, indeed, coming to town, lighting up the festive studio season with warming tube-driven sounds at a heart-warming discounted price of only $49.00 USD — unmissable as a 62% saving over its MSRP of $129.00 USD! Technically, the namesake STA technology that the STA Effects bundle of summing tube processing plug-ins benefit from features two signal paths — one processed by modulation or spectral change, the other remaining unprocessed. Ultimately, those two signals are mixed via vacuum tube circuitry models, making more ordinary-sounding effects like flanging or phasing sound exceptionally extraordinary with warming audio attributes like no other!
On that very note, all six STA Effects plug-ins — including the self-explanatory STA Chorus, STA Delay, STA Enhancer, STA Flanger, STA Phaser, and STA Preamp — perform pleasingly to the ear, enabling a beautiful balance of flexibility and familiarity for discerning DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) users, thanks to several superb-sounding saturation characteristics available at a painless press of an associated virtual button: P (Presence — higher amount of mid-high frequencies to better cut through the mix), V (Vintage — smoother highs and more even harmonics), B (Brown — an almost flat frequency response with only light high-frequency rolloff and attractive higher harmonic punch), W (White — higher amount of higher frequencies with balanced ratio between the even and odd harmonics), and L (LoFi — less low and high frequencies).

 STA Effects can be seen and heard in an informative introductory video

Fortunately, Audified’s attractive pricing promotion makes STA Effects an even more merry purchasing proposition for festive music-making. Merrier still, anyone about to purchase Audified’s acclaimed MixChecker, U73b Compressor, U78 Saturator, or RZ062 Equalizer plug-ins — perhaps the self-explanatory Studio Bundle or Live Guitar and Bass Bundle, even? — should seriously think about doing so sooner rather than later since all such purchases come complete with STA Ehancer (also included in STA Effects) for free during the aforesaid attractive pricing promotion. What better way to see in the New Year, then, than with some seriously-discounted new audio effects!

All six STA Effects are available to purchase as a bundle — running as AAX, VST3, and VST2 plug-ins on Mac (OS X 10.9 - 10.13) and PC (Windows 7 - 10) and AU on Mac — at a seriously-discounted ‘STA Claus’ promo price of $49.00 USD from December 15, 2017 through to January 1, 2018 (returning to its MSRP of $129.00 USD thereafter) from Audified’s online shop here: https://shop.audified.com/collections/products/products/sta-effects

STA Effects is directly downloadable (alongside a demo version) from Audified here: http://services.audified.com/download/STA
 
About Audified (www.audified.com)
Audified is the premier brand of privately-owned Boskovice-based DISK Multimedia, s.r.o. in the Czech Republic, created to develop specialised audio applications, as well as handling the company’s high-end hardware product portfolio. Pioneering the development of audio applications for live (realtime) performance, as well as developing the first audio effects plug-ins for Apple’s Mac OS X, the company created some of the first plug-ins for Power|Core, TC Electronic’s hardware-accelerated DSP platform, prompting the Danish developer’s then-PR Manager Thomas Valter to comment, “Our two companies have been working closely together on various projects, and we are very satisfied with the products that have been a result of our cooperation.” Consequently, the company returned to its host application and audio effects developmental roots in 2007 by branding itself with the Audiffex appellation to resourcefully reflect that directional change with an award-winning array of innovations, including MixChecker — a must-have mixing assistant plug-in that transforms studio monitors into classic reference monitors or one of several consumer devices to instantly improve mixes. Moreover, Audified is not just a for-profit business, however; its parental company clearly cares about the future of audio software/hardware development, developing partnerships with both Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Arts (JAMU) in Brno, Czech Republic — realising a research project to bring modern audio engineering technologies to music education, and also Brno University of Technology, one of the Czech Republic’s leading research and teaching institutions — working with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication Technologies on scientific projects. Participating in organising entry exams and teaching at these highly-respected higher education establishments has helped establish the first specialised studies of audio engineering in the Czech Republic. In keeping with spreading the (audio engineering) word, Audified has helpfully seen fit to recently release a range of free plug-ins, available from here: http://shop.audified.com/collections/products/free#tags 

© 2017 Audified

Spitfire Audio celebrates tenth year in business by announcing associated ALBION ONE orchestral sample library update

Spitfire Audio is proud to announce availability of ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION — effectively celebrating its tenth year in business by refreshing and rebadging its ALBION ONE epic composer toolkit flagship as an updated edition, expanded beyond the British music technology company’s relatively recent ‘ONE’ re-recordings of its initial ALBION ‘legacy’ sample library release thanks to a new UI (User Interface) design, NKS™ (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD) support, 15 new Albion Orchestra patches, punchier mixes of Darwin Percussion, plus 63 new Stephenson’s Steam Band sounds and 67 presets personally created by Spitfire Audio co-founder and composer Christian Henson himself alongside 78 new Brunel Loops recordings across 8th, 16th, and 12th rhythmic patterns. 

ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION encompasses everything needed to make music for film. A 109-piece orchestra accompanied by a thunderous cinematic percussion section beats at its musical heart. Helped along still further with warp-able Brunel Loops designed by award-winning music makers — including plentiful presets from Spitfire Audio co-founder and composer Christian Henson himself, plus Stephenson’s Steam Band — a unique and dynamic orchestral synth section also housed within Spitfire Audio’s fully tweak-able eDNA (electronic DNA) engine, it is little wonder that ALBION ONE established itself as Spitfire Audio’s most renowned orchestral sample library like nobody’s business! But because the original ALBION concept was so simple — squeezing everything needed to score a film into a single, unified product — perhaps this should come as little surprise.
Since a large orchestra is at the compositional core of most film scores, Spitfire Audio set about capturing something special to place at ALBION ONE’s musical heart. Collectively convinced that in order to create a first-rate film-scoring tool they should go to where the best film scores are recorded, London’s legendary AIR Studios founded by Beatles-producing genius George Martin more than made the grade. Indeed, its Lyndhurst Hall has been the recording room of choice for Hollywood directors for decades, with notable scores to countless blockbusters being recorded there, including Hans Zimmer’s Interstellar, Danny Elfman’s Justice League, as well as the Harry Potter phenomenon, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Lord Of The Rings, and many more besides. Spitfire Audio’s own ALBION ONE orchestra was recorded by award-winning engineers using rarefied microphones through Neve ‘Montserrat’ preamps, the world’s largest Neve 88R large-format console, and onto pristine two-inch tape before being converted with top-of-their-class Prism A/D (analogue-to-digital) convertors at 96 kHz — no expense spared to capture everything exactly as it would be for the movies.

 Watch Spitfire Audio’s persuasive promo video for ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
 
Musicality and technicality, of course, go hand in hand. Having assembled 109 of London’s finest players already well versed in Oscar-winning film score sessions and major global concert performances, Spitfire Audio’s ALBION ONE production team then captured them performing a range of techniques — long notes, short notes, tremolos, pizzicatos, and so on — across a range of notes, and also by section (Brass Low, Mid, and High; Woods High and Low; and Strings) to ultimately provide its users with the flexibility to program or perform their own orchestral compositions with an abundance of control options. As such, Spitfire Audio’s acclaimed ‘legato articulations’ (which combine adjoining samples to magnify musicality) and ‘runs’ (where a single note triggers the recording of a section playing phrases) play an integral part in making ALBION ONE sound so realistic. Furthermore, four mic positions — C (close), T (tree), O (outriggers), and A (ambient) — are available to load and mix to suit the type of music being composed and the scale that the composer wants to achieve. Spitfire Audio also provides an ‘ostinatum’ designer to allow adventurous users to instantly create exciting, tense, or action-packed passages.

 Watch Spitfire Audio ‘composer in residence’ Oliver Patrice Weder’s
ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION ‘In Action’
 
Percussive, rhythmical accompaniment also adds to most films scores, so, similarly, ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION encompasses everything needed to build a scoring backbone with its Darwin Percussion section spanning gentle undertones to full-scale mega hits. Hi sticks to low taikos and toms, plus newly-added, supercharged Easter Island hits — some in sections, some solo with a dash of blockbuster-style hyped percussion thrown in for good measure — are all recorded at AIR Lyndhurst Hall, with engineer extraordinaire Jake Jackson’s magical mixes packing a perfect punch.

 Watch Spitfire Audio ‘composer in residence’ Oliver Patrice Weder’s
ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION ‘unboxing’ video
 
Percussive enhancement of an altogether different kind continues courtesy of Brunel Loops, a module based on Spitfire Audio’s eDNA engine. Having captured hundreds of raw and warped loops from original recordings made at Spitfire Audio’s own studio facility, featuring percussive heavy-hitter Paul Clarvis (Spectre, The Dark Knight, Star Wars, Harry Potter) playing a collection of unrecognisable relics, it is the perfect tool for sound-mangling mayhem. More meaningfully, Brunel Loops allows two input sources to be warped, sequenced, effected, and blended. And all in sync. So the possibilities for creating unique and distinctive loops are almost boundless. Better still, Stephenson’s Steam Band takes ALBION ONE’s orchestral material and pushes, pulls, stretches, and squishes it beyond recognition using everything from priceless vintage outboard to cheap guitar pedal processing — perfectly bridging the electronic and orchestral realms as an easy-to-use, go-to tool for creating unparalleled pads and extraordinary effects.

Watch Spitfire Audio Director Paul Thomson’s video walkthrough of
ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION’s Albion Orchestra
  Watch Spitfire Audio Director Paul Thomson’s video walkthrough of
ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION’s Darwin Percussion section

What better way to celebrate Spitfire Audio’s tenth year in business as a British music technology company producing high-quality virtual instruments and sample libraries, then, than with ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. Perfect for first-timers and established composers alike, this industry-standard product is the perfect place to start a film scoring journey to glory. Getting there clearly could not be more musically adventurous, as Spitfire Audio co-founder and composer Paul Thomson testifies: “Everything you need to write epic film music in one box — from roaringly loud to really subtle and quiet.”

Watch Spitfire Audio Director Paul Thomson’s video walkthrough of
ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION’s Brunel Loops section

Watch Spitfire Audio Director Paul Thomson’s video walkthrough of
ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION’s Stephenson’s Steam Band section

ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION can be purchased and digitally downloaded (as 87.3 GB of uncompressed .WAV files, featuring 47,233 samples) for a time-limited introductory promo price of £299.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$349.00 USD/€349.00 EUR (inc. VAT) until January 11, 2018 — rising thereafter to an MSRP of £399.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$449.00 USD/€449.00 EUR (inc. VAT) — from here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/albion-one/
(Existing ALBION ONE owners automatically receive ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION for free while ALBION ‘legacy’ owners can cross-grade now for £99.00 GBP/$99.00 USD/€99.00 EUR.)

ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION needs Native Instruments’ free KONTAKT PLAYER (5.6.8) — included in the purchase — to run as a fully NKS™ (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD) supporting plug-in instrument for Mac (OS X 10.10, 10.11, or macOS 10.12 — latest update) or Windows (7, 8, or 10 — latest Service Pack, 32/64-bit), while Spitfire Audio’s free Download Manager application allows anyone to buy now and download anytime.

For more in-depth information, including several superb-sounding audio demos, please visit the dedicated ALBION ONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION webpage here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/albion-one/
 

About Spitfire Audio (www.spitfireaudio.com)
Spitfire Audio is a British music technology company producing high-quality virtual instruments and sample libraries. The company collaborates with the world’s best composers, producers, engineers, and studios to create detailed and realistic recordings of instruments and sounds for use in computer-based music production. Prominent collaborators include Hans Zimmer, Air Studios, Eric Whitacre, and many more.

© 2017 Spitfire Audio Holdings Limited

Antelope Audio ships DISCRETE 8 and DISCRETE 4 mic preamp interface and mic modelling bundles

High-end professional audio equipment manufacturer Antelope Audio is proud to announce that it is shipping its rack-mount DISCRETE 8 Thunderbolt™ USB Interface with 8 Discrete Mic Preamps and desktop DISCRETE 4 Thunderbolt™ USB Interface with 4 Discrete Mic Preamps alongside its equally-groundbreaking EDGE and VERGE modelling microphones as accordingly priced bundles with four famous microphone emulations already available (and many more to follow suit).
Antelope Audio’s rack-mount DISCRETE 8 Thunderbolt™ USB Interface with 8 Discrete Mic Preamps puts a whole new level of sound quality and performance power into the hands of project studio owners and mobile recordists alike. As implied by name, it comes complete with eight console-grade six-transistor discrete microphone preamps; 121 dB dynamic range conversion; and rock-solid, fourth-generation 64-bit AFC (Acoustically Focused Clocking) technology, together with Antelope Audio’s acclaimed Real-time FPGA FX, modelling iconic gear from BAE, Grove Hill, Graf Audio, Lang, and more (for use in the EasyPanel software or any DAW directly, thanks to Antelope Audio’s AFX2DAW plug-in which will soon allow up to 16 channel strips of those Real-time FPGA FX models). Moreover, being based on Antelope Audio’s AFX platform — a rapidly expanding hardware modelling engine — enables DISCRETE 8 to add Accusonic microphone and preamp models (maintaining the advantages of digital control and repeatability of gain levels, guitar amps, and transformer and tube effects alongside a huge selection of classic vintage gear to its recording roster.
Similarly, the desktop DISCRETE 4 Thunderbolt™ USB Interface with 4 Discrete Mic Preamps was developed after Antelope Audio undertook extensive research into illustrious microphone preamp circuitry, applying its famed FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) engine effectively to transform its already big-budget-sounding Accusonic preamps into several classic models. Moreover, this takes place in real-time with an authentic response that truly sets it apart. As is the case with its DISCRETE 8 bigger brother, DISCRETE 4 was designed to work with any microphone, yet really shines when working with Antelope Audio’s own EDGE and VERGE modelling microphones — hardly surprising since they were designed to exclusively match the discrete preamp architecture of both audio interfaces.
Indeed, several microphone emulations are already available for use with the EDGE modelling microphone, itself featuring dual edge-terminated capsules for a smooth/natural sound, reproducing the expressiveness and character of costly classic microphones — albeit without excessive expense.

BERLIN 47 FT allows owners of Antelope Audio’s DISCRETE 8 and DISCRETE 4 to authentically access the sound of one of the most popular microphones in the history of audio recording. This emulation encapsulates the wide dynamic range and meticulous attention to detail of the hardware original. As such, it is perfectly suited to capturing vocals, acoustic instruments, and also more aggressive sound sources, such as kick drums.

BERLIN 67 carries with it the true sound of an iconic tube condenser microphone with multiple (cardioid, omni, and figure eight) polar patterns, popularised as a result of its signature sound and adaptability. Following in those flexible footsteps, BERLIN 67 is a powerful, multi-purpose tool that is a must-have for any studio setup.

BERLIN 87 is the go-to microphone when it comes to recording brass sections, guitars, overheads, piano, percussion, strings, and vocals. Having helpfully transported the Seventies-vintage classic from the good old days to truly 21st Century studio setups, there’s almost nothing that BERLIN 87 cannot capably handle. Since studio pros cannot live without the German original, isn’t it about high time that DISCRETE 8 and DISCRETE 4 owners got in on the recording act as well?
 Watch Antelope Audio’s informative introductory DISCRETE 8 video

Last but (soon to be) not least, ever wondered what lies behind those silky, smooth vocals on your favourite records? Chances are that it’s the same Japanese microphone classic that Antelope Audio modelled its TOKYO 800T after. After all, the vintage tube mic in question is a top choice for many masters of vocal recording. With a super-low noise floor and extreme sensitivity, it’s also a perfect fit for recording acoustic guitar sessions.

Soon to become available are several more microphone models for EDGE as well as a notable number of classics for VERGE — visibly differing as a small-diaphragm condenser (back electret-type) modelling microphone suited to both nuanced accuracy and high SPL (Sound Pressure Level) recording. Also exhibiting excellent performance in its own right, VERGE can capably take on the character and personality of the world’s best small-diaphragm condensers and electrets.

 Watch Antelope Audio’s informative introductory DISCRETE 4 video

Even more is to come, courtesy of those trailblazing microphone emulations eventually working through the EDGE and VERGE modelling microphones when paired up with other members of Antelope Audio’s growing family of Thunderbolt™ and HDX audio interfaces. Right here, right now, though, the rack-mount DISCRETE 8 Thunderbolt™ & USB Interface with 8 Discrete Mic Preamps and desktop  DISCRETE 4 Thunderbolt™ & USB Interface with 4 Discrete Mic Preamps are already shipping and available as a perfect fit for the high-end professional audio equipment manufacturer’s microphone modelling technology.

Antelope Audio’s rack-mount DISCRETE 8 Thunderbolt™ USB Interface with 8 Discrete Mic Preamps is now available as an integral part of various bundles — namely, the DISCRETE 8 Basic Pack (permitting use of two channel strips with four instances of effects each from the Basic FX library featuring 50-plus Real-time FPGA FX models) for €1,295.00 EUR or DISCRETE 8 Premium Upgrade Pack (permitting use of eight channel strips with four instances of effects each from the Premium FX library featuring 50-plus Real-time FPGA FX models and up to 16 channel strips using the new AFX2DAW plug-in) for €1,995.00 EUR. Alternatively, the DISCRETE 8 Premium Upgrade Pack is also available additionally bundled with one EDGE modelling microphone, six VERGE modelling microphones, and a Mic Emulation library for €2,995.00 EUR. For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated DISCRETE 8 webpage here: http://en.antelopeaudio.com/products/discrete-8/

Antelope Audio’s desktop DISCRETE 4 Thunderbolt™ USB Interface with 4 Discrete Mic Preamps is now available as an integral part of various bundles — namely, the DISCRETE 4 Basic Pack (permitting use of two channel strips with two instances of effects each from the Basic FX library featuring 50-plus Real-time FPGA FX models) for €899.00 EUR or DISCRETE 4 Premium Upgrade Pack (permitting use of four channel strips with four instances of effects each from the Premium FX library featuring 50-plus Real-time FPGA FX models and up to 16 channel strips using the new AFX2DAW plug-in) for €1,399.00 EUR. Alternatively, the DISCRETE 4 Premium Upgrade Pack is also available additionally bundled with one EDGE modelling microphone and a Mic Emulation library for €1,995.00 EUR. For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated DISCRETE 4 webpage here: http://en.antelopeaudio.com/products/discrete-4/


More info about Antelope Audio’s FPGA effects, including a full library list, can be found here: http://antelopeaudio.com/hardware-based-fpga-effects/
About Antelope Audio (www.antelopeaudio.com)
Antelope Audio is a leading manufacturer of high-end professional audio equipment, pioneering the adoption of atomic clock generators in audio master clocks through utilising CEO Igor Levin’s 25-plus years of experience in digital audio. Antelope was the first company to design a 1U 32-channel audio interface and a multi-channel portable interface with 12 mic pres. The company’s customers include many GRAMMY® award-winning sound engineers and some of the most renowned recording, mastering, and post-production facilities around the globe.

  © 2017 Antelope Audio

Thursday 14 December 2017

Eventide announces availability of Anthology XI as ‘everything’ bundle breakthrough

Recording technology trailblazer Eventide is proud to announce availability of its ‘everything’ plug-in bundle, Anthology XI.
Anthology XI includes all 17 plug-ins from Eventide’s acclaimed Anthology X bundle, but brings six of its latest and greatest hits to the creative collection. With the welcome addition of Blackhole, Fission, Tverb, UltraTap, MangledVerb, and 2016 Stereo Room, that’s 23 timeless tools that inspire, running the gamut from groundbreaking innovations like the TEC Award-nominated Fission — the first product to feature Eventide’s seminal STRUCTURAL EFFECTS method to split sound into its transient and tonal parts — to emulations of the trailblazing company’s legendary rack-mount effects. Everything.
 Anthology XI accesses all areas of Eventide’s evolution…

FX:

* Fission — split sound into transient and tonal parts
* UltraTap — rhythmic delays, glitchy reverbs, huge pad-like volume swells…
* H3000 Factory — load presets from the original H3000 or build your own
* H3000 Band Delays — eight, highly-customizable delays
* Octavox — eight voices of diatonic pitch shifting
* Quadravox — four voice, lower CPU footprint


Reverb:

* Blackhole — extraterrestrial reverb
* Tverb — Tony Visconti-inspired triple reverb
* MangledVerb — good reverb gone bad
* 2016 Stereo Room — classic SP2016 sound
* UltraReverb — DIY pro-reverb effects channel


Clockworks Legacy:

* H910 — original Harmonizer® and first digital effects processor
* H910 Dual — two H910s cunningly ganged
* H949 — deglitch, micro pitch, and randomized/reversed delays
* H949 Dual — two H949s cunningly ganged
* Omnipressor — comp/exp/limiter/reverse dynamics with side chain!
* Instant Phaser — world’s first studio phaser
* Instant Flanger — first faithful simulation of tape flanging


Utilities:

* UltraChannel — ultimate channel strip
* EChannel — simpler, lower CPU footprint
* Precision Time Align — precision sub-sample delay
* EQ45 — circuit model of the Urei 545 parametric EQ
* EQ65 — circuit model of the Urei 565 filter set


Anthology XI comes complete with more than 2,900 presets across the 23 plug-ins, many created by acclaimed artists and engineers like Dave Pensado, George Massenburg, Tony Visconti, Vernon Reid, Richard Devine, Joe Chiccarelli, Roy Hendrickson, Alessandro Cortini, Andrew Scheps, Erin Tonkin, Jonathan Schenke, Robin Finck, Chuck Zwicky, and Suzanne Ciani.

 Watch Eventide’s enticing Anthology XI video playlist here

Concludes Eventide Director of Marketing Communications Nalia Sanchez: “For over 45 years, audio pros have turned to Eventide for professional tools that inspire. Now everything — all of our effects — are in one big bundle that includes our latest and greatest hits. For example, there’s an authentic emulation of our H910, pro audio’s first digital effects box whose unique sound inspired all sorts of mischief. We meticulously modeled the analog subtleties, and the plug-in sounds like the original. And, while we’re committed to the authentic recreation of our legendary hardware, we’ll always strive to break new ground. Fission is the latest case in point. It’s nominated for a TEC Award, and, to quote one reviewer, ‘Eventide wants to change how you think about processing audio…’ True enough. Always have, always will.”

Anthology XI’s 23 plug-ins — available as AAX/AU/VST formats for Mac OS X 10.7+ and Windows 7+ (with no iLok dongle required) — represent a combined value of over $3,500.00 USD if purchased individually. The bundle can be purchased at an introductory price of $899.00 USD. Upgrades from Anthology X and from individual Eventide plug-ins are also available. Sale ends January 11, 2018. MSRP thereafter is $1,799.00 USD. For more in-depth info, upgrade pricing, and a fully-functional 30-day demo version, please visit: https://www.eventideaudio.com/promo/anthology_xi 
About Eventide (www.eventideaudio.com)
Since 1971, Eventide has remained at the forefront of recording technology. In 1975 it revolutionized the audio industry by creating the world’s first commercially available digital audio effects unit, the H910 Harmonizer®. Since then, its legendary studio processors, stompboxes, and plug-ins have been heard on countless hit records.
© 2017 Eventide Inc.

Wednesday 13 December 2017

Saal Digital photobook - quick video overview

Hi, in the recent past I've used the printing service of Saal Digital, Europe based printing company, to realize the Dcsi Production insignia on a PVC panel. you can see in this video here.

Few weeks ago I needed to realize a photo book pretty quickly, containing some pictures of random paintings of my father (a more than 6 decades long painter, now in retirement) and as their online printing service is very good I got the chance to test again their products .

Of course I've been again totally satisfied and as a little token of my gratitude here's a short video overview.

Please consider at the moment I took the picture of the photo book and shot this little video I had around only a tablet therefore the clip "is what it is" image quality wise.
But I reassure you the product itself I personally tested is of very good quality, as well as the service provided by Saal Digital.

Thanks for watching.

Diego - DCSI Productions

 


related links:

http://www.saal-digital.co.uk/
http://www.saal-digital.com/

http://callegaripainter.altervista.org/


Tuesday 5 December 2017

FabFilter releases FabFilter Pro-L 2 true peak limiter plug-in

FabFilter is proud to announce availability of FabFilter Pro-L 2, a major update to the Pro-L limiter plug-in. With four brand-new limiting algorithms, a new true peak limiting mode, extensive standards-compliant loudness metering, surround support, and many other new features, Pro-L 2 improves on its predecessor in every way while staying true to the original vision of unparalleled simplicity and effectiveness.

New limiting algorithms
 
FabFilter Pro-L 2 introduces four new limiting algorithms. Modern is the new ‘best for all’ algorithm that produces even better results than the Transparent and Allround algorithms from version 1. Aggressive is great for maximum loudness — well suited for EDM or rock music. Bus has been designed specifically for drums and limiting of individual tracks, while Safe’s goal is not maximum loudness, but to avoid distortion at all times.


True peak limiting and loudness metering

The new true peak limiting feature in FabFilter Pro-L 2 makes it extremely easy to hit a maximum true peak target. Just set the output level to the desired value, enable True Peak Limiting, and that’s it! Combined with improved true peak metering and extensive loudness metering that’s compliant with the EBU R128, ITU-R BS.1770-4, and ATSC A/85 standards, Pro-L 2 is the perfect fit for any loudness normalization job.

Advanced processing

Complete support for surround audio with flexible channel linking makes FabFilter Pro-L 2 much more versatile in multi-channel scenarios, while the sound quality is even higher than before with up to 32x linear-phase oversampling. New features like a DC offset filter, external side chain triggering for stem mastering, and a Unity Gain option ensure that Pro-L 2 is the solution to any mastering challenge.

Interface enhancements

The unique real-time level display is now even more effective with new innovative display modes, including an Infinite mode that shows all audio for an entire session. Moments of significant gain reduction are highlighted with peak labels to give additional insight in the limiting process. Last but not least, the interface has been carefully redesigned to be aesthetically pleasing with a perfectly optimized workflow.

Key features:

* Great transparent sound combined with maximum loudness.
* Eight sophisticated, carefully tuned limiting algorithms, all with their own character and purpose.
* True peak limiting.
* Up to 32x linear-phase oversampling to minimize aliasing and inter-sample peaks.
* Low CPU usage.
* Highly accurate output and gain reduction metering, including true peak metering.
* Extensive loudness metering with support for the EBU R128, ITU-R BS.1770-4, and ATSC A/85 standards.
* Various meter scale settings, including K-System support.
* Surround support, including Dolby Atmos 7.0.2 and 7.1.2 formats with flexible surround channel linking.
* Unique, highly-informative real-time level display, showing input, output, gain change, and loudness levels over time with key gain reduction readings and four different display modes.
* Optional DC offset filter.
* External side chain triggering for stem mastering.
* Unity Gain option to easily listen to the effect of the current limiting at unity gain level.
* Audition Limiting option to listen to the difference between the input and output signal.
* Adjustable Look-ahead, Attack, and Release settings to fine-tune the sound of the algorithms.
* Separate, freely-adjustable channel linking for both the transient and release stages.
* Professional dithering with three different noise shaping algorithms.
* Easy to set up for common limiting situations with the included factory presets.
* Adapts automatically to stereo, mono, and surround channel layouts.
* Full Screen mode for precise adjustments and insightful metering.
* Multiple interface sizes: Small, Medium, and Large, as well as a separate Compact mode.
* Retina support on OS X and High DPI support on Windows.
* GPU-powered graphics acceleration.
* Supports common Pro Tools hardware control surfaces.

FabFilter Pro-L 2 is now available for EUR 169, USD 199 or GBP 149, supporting both Windows and macOS in VST and VST 3, Audio Units, AAX, RTAS, and AudioSuite plug-in formats. Bundles with FabFilter Pro-L 2 and other FabFilter plug-ins are also available at: www.fabfilter.com/shop

Existing FabFilter customers can purchase or upgrade to FabFilter Pro-L 2 with very attractive discounts by logging in to their online user account at: www.fabfilter.com/myaccount

System requirements on Windows are either Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP and a VST 2/3 host or Pro Tools, or Mac OS X 10.6 or higher with Intel processor, and an Audio Units host, VST 2/3 host, or Pro Tools. Both 64-bit and 32-bit hosts are supported.


About FabFilter
Beautiful sound. Fantastic workflow. These are the foundations of FabFilter. Continually challenging and rethinking industry standards, FabFilter creates powerful audio plug-ins with superb sound quality and innovative interfaces. FabFilter was founded in 2002 by Frederik Slijkerman and Floris Klinkert, and is based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

© 2016 FabFilter Software Instruments