ONE-SHOTS
Mar 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Anthony Rivera
SONIC CHARGE µTONIC
PC-ONLY PLUG-IN INSTRUMENT
In the world of VST plug-ins, great ideas can be hindered by poor execution or an impractical interface. Then again, recent plug-ins such as Sonic Charge's µTonic affirm that innovation, interface and function can live together peacefully under the same roof. And the fact that µTonic was designed by Magnus Lidström, the man behind Propellerhead Reason's Malström graintable synthesizer, may also have something to do with it. At its core, µTonic is a VSTi 2.0 virtual drum-machine plug-in that synthesizes eight different tones, which can be played via MIDI keyboard, sequenced with your favorite software synthesizer or programmed with µTonic's included pattern sequencer. The interface is both attractive and efficient, sporting pop-up hints and obvious controls for each drum's oscillator, noise, mix and velocity settings. The accompanying drum-sound presets and rhythm patches are also nicely varied for those seeking instant electronic gratification. µTonic's sound is equally as impressive: Excellent electro, techno and experimental tones are readily available in µTonic's factory presets, and, of course, you can always create your own. µTonic's sequencer supports many types of swing and allows multiple patterns to be linked to create longer, more interesting patterns. My two wish-list items would be the addition of ReWire ability and availability for Mac users.
Product Summary
SONIC CHARGE
µTONIC > $69
At a glance: VSTi 2.0 drum synth with sequencer
Contact: e-mail microtonicsupport@nuedge.net; Web www.soniccharge.com
BIG FISH AUDIO CUT'N IT UP 3
SAMPLE CD
In Cut'n It Up 3, veteran producer John Tejada continues his tradition of blending trend-conscious beats with popular hip-hop and R&B instrumental and vinyl combinations. You'll find both loops and one-shot samples grouped into 99 individual song-starter folders sorted according to tempo and root-key information for easy searching. Each loop is provided in audio, Acidized WAV and REX2 formats, so they can be used in the sampler of your choosing. In addition to drums — yes, there is something here for everyone — Cut'n It Up 3 also features organ, guitar, piano, bass and other musical support to the main elements here, the boom and the bap. Tejada also supplies four additional folders full of vinyl scratching and turntable tricks, as well as separated construction-kit drum and percussion loops for mixing and matching loops as you like. Stylistically speaking, Cut'n It Up 3 explores much of what makes hip-hop hip-hop — 1.14 GB of coast-to-coast booty shake, in fact. You'll hear Neptunes swagger, Gang Starr pocket and plenty of daring syncopations dicing up these thoughtful, commercial grooves. Cut me out a big piece, yo.
Product Summary
BIG FISH AUDIO
CUT'N IT UP 3 > $99.95
At a glance: WAV, REX and audio sample CD
Contact: tel. (800) 717-3474; e-mail info@bigfishaudio.com; Web www.bigfishaudio.com
SOUNDHACK SPECTRAL SHAPERS
SIGNAL-PROCESSING PLUG-INS
SoundHack founder and creator Tom Erbe has been “working for the good of the community” for some time now. His SoundHack application and +decimate plug-in are both free and widely used. But with the release of Spectral Shapers, it's time for the brother to get paid. A mere $150 officially registers Erbe's four completely original frequency-sensitive effects plug-ins: +spectralgate, +spectralcompand, +morphfilter and +binaural. The first two plugs enable you to spread common tasks, such as gate and compression, to your choice of 513 frequency bands and then shape the threshold of each to your liking. This can be a useful sound-design trick or possibly a sonic Band-Aid. +morphfilter, like the name says, allows you to gradually slide from one custom filter shape to another. The fourth plug-in, +binaural, provides a fresh take on stereo positioning with ±180 degree widening and speaker-angle simulations based on LFO settings — imagine synchronizing the plug-in to your sequencer and looping the stereo movement of a given drum loop or sound effect. Overall, the plug-ins require a bit of practice and some good old-fashioned trial and error before the possibilities begin to unfurl. Still, this creative bundle offers an active interface with helpful Learn and Autogain functions, as well as dancing QuickTime-empowered visual spectra. And to think, I didn't even know my spectrum needed shaping.
Product Summary
SOUNDHACK
SPECTRAL SHAPERS > $150
At a glance: VST effects plug-ins
Contact: e-mail info@soundhack.com; Web www.soundhack.com
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