Sandman Pro - Unfiltered Audio

Absolutely amazing tool to morph and transform sounds into something completely different. The modulations take everything to the next level!

Since its release, Unfiltered Audio's Sandman has wowed mix engineers, sound designers and DJs alike with its slice-and-dice genius. A delay plugin with a severe narcoleptic bent, Sandman uses its Sleep mode to freeze its delay buffer to create stunning loops and grains that can be re-pitched, down-sampled, played in reverse, dirtied with noise and modulated — transforming and mutating sounds beyond all recognition! Using very short delay times, the shape-shifting Sandman alternately becomes a flanger, stutter generator, wavetable synthesizer or percussion resonator. But Sandman also excels at producing traditional echo and stereo ping-pong effects, providing delay times ranging from slapback to longer than a coffee break.

Never satisfied for long, the mad scientists at Unfiltered Audio have pushed Sandman's versatility up several notches. The new Sandman Pro adds seven new delay modes — each fitted with its own set of adjustable controls — that greatly expand its sonic palette while driving maximum delay times to a staggering 16 minutes. Use Classic Tape mode to lather echoes, loops and grains with virtual tape saturation, wow and flutter. The artifact-free Multi-Tap mode gives you a whopping 16 simultaneous delay lines to bless vocals and guitar solos with mammoth doubling and stadium-size echo effects. Use the ultra-smooth Reverse mode to produce click-free, haunting reverse echoes. Unlike with using other delays, you can modulate Sandman Pro's delay time in Modern Instant mode without producing audible pitch artifacts—great for cleanly transitioning vocal effects from doubling to echo trails at the end of a phrase. Use the dual-mono Pitch Shifter mode to create vocal harmonies, classic shimmer effects, metallic textures and more. Or use Glitch Shifter mode for funky pitch shifting that sounds, um, just plain wrong! Not messed up enough? Modulate the Sleep button in No Echo mode for crazy stutter and glitch effects. Sandman Pro can sound squeaky clean, severely damaged or anything in between.

But there's more. Sandman Pro includes Unfiltered Audio's flagship modulation system, and as of version 1.1, there are now eight different types of modulators, including a special modulation mode for seamless integration with the ROLI Lightpad control surface. Every one of Sandman Pro's controls is automatable using Unfiltered’s freely assignable LFOs. Not getting the patterns you want with sine-based LFOs? No problem – you can also modulate parameters with a full blown step sequencer – another new feature in v1.1.

The range of tones and textures that the Sandman Pro can achieve is truly limitless. Using high feedback levels, the new diffusion network layers reverb with your echoes and multi-tap delays. And with stereo delays, you can offset the left and right delay times and apply cross-channel feedback to create intricate polyrhythmic ping-pong echoes and phase-y Sleep-buffer loops. Reverse the Sleep buffer to transform grains with backward envelopes. Or lock the length of the buffer and adjust its start and end points to change the grain's pitch. Built-in lowpass and highpass filters sculpt your mad creation's timbre, while the new Soft Clip function adds analog-style saturation. M/S mode works with the Width control to blend mid and side channels in left- and right-channel outputs, transforming Sandman Pro into a mid-side encoder. M/S Width control adjusts the wet signal's stereo field from mono to stereo to super-wide stereo.

Brimming with new features, from beautiful to bizarre, Sandman Pro is the indisputable Swiss army knife of the delay world.

FEATURES

•Seven new delay modes: Classic Tape, Modern Instant, Pitch Shifter, Glitch Shifter, Multi-Tap,Reverse and No Echo
•Produces an unparalleled variety of time-based effects, including flanging, phasing, chorus, ping-pong delays, 16-tap delays, automatic double tracking, reverse echoes, reverb, pitch shifting, harmonizing, granular synthesis, percussion resonator, stutter generator, glitch effects and many other effects that defy description
•Delay times range from 5 ms to a whopping 1,000 seconds when used in conjunction with Sample Rate reduction
•Sleep buffer can be reversed, re-pitched, down-sampled, trashed with noise, modulated and shaped with built-in lowpass and highpass filters
•Every control—including the Sleep and Kill (panic) buttons—can be automated
•Unfiltered Audio's flagship modulation system provides eight freely assignable and fully automatable modulators, including the new Step Sequencer and ROLI Lightpad module, with intuitive drag-and-drop patching to each and every one of Sandman Pro's controls
•Left and right channels can have cross-channel feedback and filtering applied and their delay times linked, offset or independently adjusted
•Feedback, X-Feed and Diffusion parameters to create thick delay tails or even reverbs
•M/S mode outputs Mid and Side signals on left and right channels, transforming Sandman Pro into a mid-side encoder
•M/S Width control adjusts the wet signal's stereo field from mono to stereo to super-wide stereo
•Soft Clip function provides analog-style saturation at Sandman Pro's inputs and outputs
•Waveform display shows the effect of your control tweaks in real time
•Newly added features provide seamless integration with the ROLI Lightpad control surface, for an unparalleled level of real-time control.

Cinematique Marble - KONTAKT

Very very nice Kontakt instrument for creating patterns via two sequencers. Incredibly useful for the cinematic , ambient genre and has a ton of presets loaded which are very easy to tweak. Enabling one to completely change them into something else very quickly. The sound pallette is excellent including the percussives/drums.  Requires the Full version of  Kontakt 


WHAT IS MARBLE?

MARBLE is a creative music tool - it is an extremely versatile instrument, modern and inspiring. By coming up with two parallel sound slots equipped with an "open" sequencer, real-time sound shaping and loads of acoustic and synthetic sound sources MARBLE tries to find new approaches to music production.

MARBLE covers a wide range of musical components and offers an enormous number of possibilities and options. About 900 presets are surely demonstrating that. You have single sounds, tonal textures, rhythmical figures, drum beats, ambient patterns, moving spheres, percussion loops etc. There are endless ways you can use MARBLE.

Ok, but what is it basically about?

MARBLE is technically a two track 16 step sequencer with the ability to edit every single step in terms of volume, pan, flter, tune, drive, reverse etc. To sum it up, you have eleven parameters to chose! In order to feed these two tracks MARBLE provides 63 different sound sources, some of them are providing up to six times round robin with several dynamic layers (see list below).
Marble is fully chromatic. It is not just a one key trigger machine. You can play the sounds in every key or as chords.

But if that was not enough, MARBLE gives you the opportunity to shape the entire sound in real-time. You have 13 effects at your fingertips which can be manually adjusted in 127 steps. To recall these effect settings just use the Marble - or the Modwheel – which runs through all 127 steps. You can now shape your sound in real- time at your own requirements.

THE MAIN FEATURES

1. THE CORE - THE 'OPEN' SEQUENCER

The base of MARBLE are two parallel sound slots or tracks, each equipped with an 'open' 16 step sequencer. 'Open' means that you can determine and define every possible sound parameter for every single of the 16 steps. In detail it is possible to separately change the values for 12 (!) functions for every step of both sequencers. You can change the velocity, the note length, pan, tuning, the playing-direction, the shape, filter, LFO stutter, reverb, delay and the time shifting in both directions.

MARBLE is fully chromatically playable. It is not just a one key trigger machine. You can play the sounds in every key or as chords, but it is also possible to „lock“ the tuning, which lets you easier play drum beats or rhythmical patterns.

2. CONTENT AND SOURCES


MARBLE is a creative music tool - it is an extremely versatile instrument, modern and inspiring. By coming up with two parallel sound slots equipped with an "open" sequencer, real-time sound shaping and loads of acoustic and synthetic sound sources MARBLE tries to find new approaches to music production.

MARBLE covers a wide range of musical components and offers an enormous number of possibilities and options. About 900 presets are surely demonstrating that. You have single sounds, tonal textures, rhythmical figures, drum beats, ambient patterns, moving spheres, percussion loops etc. There are endless ways you can use MARBLE.

Ok, but what is it basically about?

MARBLE is technically a two track 16 step sequencer with the ability to edit every single step in terms of volume, pan, flter, tune, drive, reverse etc. To sum it up, you have eleven parameters to chose! In order to feed these two tracks MARBLE provides 63 different sound sources, some of them are providing up to six times round robin with several dynamic layers (see list below).
Marble is fully chromatic. It is not just a one key trigger machine. You can play the sounds in every key or as chords.

But if that was not enough, MARBLE gives you the opportunity to shape the entire sound in real-time. You have 13 effects at your fingertips which can be manually adjusted in 127 steps. To recall these effect settings just use the Marble - or the Modwheel – which runs through all 127 steps. You can now shape your sound in real- time at your own requirements.

In order to check Marble before purchasing...


THE MAIN FEATURES

1. THE CORE - THE 'OPEN' SEQUENCER

The base of MARBLE are two parallel sound slots or tracks, each equipped with an 'open' 16 step sequencer. 'Open' means that you can determine and define every possible sound parameter for every single of the 16 steps. In detail it is possible to separately change the values for 12 (!) functions for every step of both sequencers. You can change the velocity, the note length, pan, tuning, the playing-direction, the shape, filter, LFO stutter, reverb, delay and the time shifting in both directions.

MARBLE is fully chromatically playable. It is not just a one key trigger machine. You can play the sounds in every key or as chords, but it is also possible to „lock“ the tuning, which lets you easier play drum beats or rhythmical patterns.


2. CONTENT AND SOURCES

In order to feed the 2 sound slots MARBLE provides a lot of exciting and organic sound sources. Beside some highlights of our current Cinematique Instruments library we have specially recorded plenty of new sounds and instruments such as a complex Gretsch jazz drum kit, a bass, a marimba, the pizzicato notes of a cello trio, a flute - thanks to powerflute.ch, several modern and classical synths, a gran cassa, miscellaneous tiny skin percussions, shaker, lots of fx and glitch sounds and much more. (below you fnd the entire list). Most of the sounds are existing in several round robin variations - up to 6 - and several dynamic layers - up to 8. Each sound covers a key range of minimum four octaves from C1 to C5. There are over 2,500 single sample sounds.

3. A NEW PATH - REAL-TIME SOUND SHAPING

MARBLE provides a new and absolute unique feature: Real-time Sound Shaping. After having created a sound in the sequencer area with all the extensive possibilities - see under 1 -, the entire sound of MARBLE finally passes a complex effect matrix. This effect matrix includes various effect such as low- and highpassfilter, distortion, compression, frequency rate, random generator and much more. By means of slightest changes of these effects MARBLE achieves amazing results and gives an exciting vitality and complexity to all the sounds or patterns. And guess what? This works in real- time.


4. FREEZE IT.

Imagine you like to play the guitar or piano while MARBLE is running, just enable „Freeze“ and MARBLE will play without holding a key in an endless mode. This is an excellent feature for those who are going to use MARBLE in a live situation or as the starting point for a new music composition in order to add further instruments.


SOUND LIST:
Tonal sounds/ natural and organic: E-Bass (Single Notes) - Telecaster Single Notes - E Guitar Harmonics - Cello Trio Pizzicato - Flute Staccato (coming from powerflute.ch) - Marimba (recorded in a concert hall) - Vibraphone/ Metallophone - Kalimba - Alto Glockenspiel - Glas Bowl - E-Piano (coming from K101)

Synth: Pure Sinus - Pure Saw - 80s Typical - Classical - Korg MS20 Elektro Bass - Modern Bass - 808Tom - Analog Vibraphone - Analog Flute Synth - Insomnia - Magnolia

Drum Kits: Gretsch Jazz Drum - BeachTowel Drum - Electro Drums - Domestic - Bungalow - 80s DrumBox - Glitched - Korg MS20

Percussive: Set of Glitch Sounds - Processed Bass Drum - Set of Bass Drums - Bongos - Grancassa - Set of Handclaps - Tiny Skin Handdrum - Tom Toms - Shaker - Dead Guitar Strokes - Muted Metal Plates - Metal Salad Bowl - Sea Container - Spokes - FX Set

Pads & Textures: Ambient - Sinus 60Hz Granular - Calm, Noise Frame - Stretched Metal - NoiseSwimmer - Bowled Texture - 50s Orchester Stretch - Feedbacks - Noise & Digital Dust - Guitar Cloud - Crackle & Bell - Dr Mabuse

Marble requires the full version of Kontakt 5.3 or higher.
For more details please read the manual.

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Thorn - Dimitri Sches

Excellent sounding synth similar to Diversion but much lighter on CPU power. Excells at sequential and glitched out sequences but Thorn is excellent sounding across the board. A tad heavy on the reverb and delay effects on many of the presets, and take note ( you will have to increase it ) of only four voice polyphony when trying to play chords!!


Dmitry Sches Audio Software has released Thorn, a spectral synthesizer instrument that was designed to be easy to use and deliver awesome sound.Thorn is straightforward, while providing advanced sonic control at the same time. It features an intuitive workflow and high quality processing modules.
Being light on the CPU, Thorn is ready to be put at the heart of your mix, in any genre of modern electronic music production.
Thorn offers 3 oscillators that utilize spectral synthesis method. This gives you control over all harmonics involved into the generation process of your sound. The oscillator provides sets of spectral and real-time effects to shape harmonics further. Of course FM, RM, PWM, Hard Sync implemented too.
Sound sources organized as spectrum tables of 16 frames with ability to edit and morph harmonics. The spectral synthesis gives ability to “post-process” all the generated harmonics with a special filter to colorize the output.
Two multi-mode, analog modeled filters with sensitive saturation stages available to charge your sounds and make it shine through the mix. There are 9 high quality effects, 3x ADSR envelopes, 3x LFOs, 2x multistage envelopes at your service in Thorn. 16-step flexible arpeggiator with MIDI output to generate rhythmic sequences available as well.
Additionally, Thorn provides a grid-based Glitch sequencer for maximum fun. Chop your sounds with the sequencer to get modern glitchy, stuttering effects.Features

Thorn offers 3 oscillators that utilize spectral synthesis method. This gives you control over all harmonics involved into the generation process of your sound. The oscillator provides sets of spectral and real-time effects to shape harmonics further. Of course FM, RM, PWM, Hard Sync implemented too.
Sound sources organized as spectrum tables of 16 frames with ability to edit and morph harmonics. The spectral synthesis gives ability to "post-process" all the generated harmonics with a special filter to colorize the output.

Two multi-mode, analog modeled filters with sensitive saturation stages available to charge your sounds and make it shine through the mix. There are 9 high quality effects, 3x ADSR envelopes, 3x LFOs, 2x multistage envelopes at your service in Thorn. 16-step flexible arpeggiator with MIDI output to generate rhythmic sequences available as well.
Additionally, Thorn provides a grid-based Glitch sequencer for maximum fun. Chop your sounds with the sequencer to get modern glitchy, stuttering effects.

Quatromod - Audiodamage

Another excellent deceptively simplistic plugin utilizing 4 oft used effects which once again are really effective and top notch!


Take our classic Liquid through-zero flanger, Fluid multi-mod chorus, Vapor diffusion chorus, and FreqShift frequency shifter (from our Eurorack hardware line) and put them all in one plug-in, and you have a true powerhouse of stereo-insert modulation.

FLANGER: The through-zero flanger mode is our Liquid plugin in all its glory, with Haas Effect "Offset" control and invertible feedback for extra widening.

CHORUS: The chorus mode, based on our original chorus product, Fluid, later extended in to the Dimensions module for Eurorack, has six delay lines modded at different rates for one of the thickest stereo choruses available. The DIM-D mode does what you'd expect, changing the topology to match that venerated box, but with all the control of a modern chorus.

DIFFUSOR: Our Vapor plugin, recreated here as the Diffusor mode, is essentially the diffusion block from a reverb, rewired to act as a chorus. The secret snare weapon of many a producer, this mode is an unique effect that will reward experimentation.

FREQSHIFT: One of our most popular Eurorack-format hardware modules, here thoroughly reworked for the DAW context. Once you use this mode in a slight upwards shift on pads, and you'll never use anything else.

Available for nearly all modern plugin formats, QuatroMod is a convenient one-stop shop for all your modulation needs. With a vector-based resizable user interface, Retina- and 4K-capable scaling, and a platform-agnostic preset mechanism, QuatroMod will quickly become your go-to mod plugin.

 

EOS2 - Audiodamage

One of the best, if not THE best reverb plugins out there.Not surprising as this comes from the makers of Valhalla which are also some of the finest reverbs to be had. This one though, unlike some of the those, has a much more simpler interface and just a sprinkling of presets which is just fine to get you tweaking more, and everything comes across as just plain  easier to use in my opinion. The overall sound is just spot on , EOS  reaks quality. The infinity mode is cool by the way! A MUST have!!

Eos 2 is a massive update our Eos algorithmic reverb. With an all-new entirely procedural GUI (featuring full Retina and Windows HiRes compatibility), a new cross-platform preset mechanism, a new reverb algorithm, the addition of crossover controls, the addition of VST3 versions, and a ground-up rebuild for future-proofing, Eos 2 is a worthy successor to our all-time best-selling plugin.

Eos consists of four high-quality custom-designed reverb algorithms, made with the modern production environment in mind. Three different plate simulators and our own Superhall algorithm give you a broad palette of reverb, and the easy-to-understand interface makes adjusting the algorithms to suit your track incredibly simple.

Want a traditional dark plate reverb? Eos can do that. How about a short, dense room sound for your drum buss? Not a problem. But where Eos really comes in to its own is when you drop Superhall on your piano or synthesizer tracks. The incredibly long modulated hall sounds of Eno-style ambience are where Eos thrives, something that is not possible with convolution 'verbs

Maschine 2 - Native Instruments

Not one of the most intuitive  but Maschine remains a real leader in it's field.Although  mainly used as a plugin to your DAW, with the recent updates it is now becoming closer to a fully fledged DAW in itself. The recent additions of a bass synth and the isomorphic keyboard brings it ever closer to the likes of Abletons Push2. With the Maschine Jam hardware this is really a great music making combo!!  


POWER OF SOFTWARE
The included MASCHINE 2 software is exploding with cutting-edge technology. Improved browsing, arranging, and sampling, plus a new mixer, plug-in strip, and exclusive drum synths. Get ready for the most responsive, fluid, and musical beatmaking experience ever.

MASCHINE 2.6.8 WITH NEW BASS SYNTH
MASCHINE 2.6.8 introduces a monophonic, internal bass synth exclusive to MASCHINE.

MASCHINE 2.6.8 introduces a new monophonic bass synth plug-in. Design and shape rich bass tones with intuitive, fun, and fully-automatable controls directly from the hardware. Morph seamlessly from sine to saw to square – and all spots in between – to create your own unique sound. Or load any of the presets to get bass tones for any genre, including booming sub-bass or dripping acid. Unleash the full power of the bass synth with MASCHINE JAM to program classic acid glides directly from the hardware.

PLAY HARMONIES ON JAM IN ISOMORPHIC KEYBOARD MODE
MASCHINE 2.6.8 also introduces an isomorphic keyboard mode to easily play harmonies and melodies on the MASCHINE JAM 8x8 grid. In this mode, the notes on the keyboard are only the notes from the scale. Each chord also has its own hand shape – regardless of key – so you don’t need to know musical theory to play with perfect pitch. Plus, it’s easier to learn and play than on a traditional piano. Learn the shape for a chord in one key, and use the same shape in another.