orph has released Alias, an effect plugin for macOS and Windows that adds the artefacts of old samplers, tape machines, VHS players, vinyl records and CD players to a signal.
Here’s what they say:
The result is the sound many of us grew up with: a cassette copied a few times too often, a record that has been played a lot, a CD that skips. Alias reproduces those faults as separate, adjustable stages instead of one fixed effect. There is no generative AI in the plugin, and it does not suggest or generate settings.
A signal passes through 1 of 4 vintage sampler character, then through a tape setting, then through 11 parameters, each of which adds one kind of wear or crushes the bit range.
The 12 tape settings are matched in level, so switching between them changes the tone and not the loudness. The wear is generated from a seed that is stored with the session, so a project sounds the same when it is reopened.
Main Features
- Inspired by four sampler characters, three variants each:
- E-mu SP-1200 at 12 bit and 26.04 kHz.
- Akai MPC60 and MPC3000, Akai S950 at 12 bit.
- Ensoniq Mirage at 8 bit.
- Four tape states, three variants each, twelve settings in all, from a clean studio reel to sticky shed tape.
- Bit: word length from 16 down to 4 bit, following the loaded sampler character.
- Error and Conceal: CD read errors from one sector up to 250 ms, with the player’s interpolation across the gap. Adjust time sync as well.
- Generation: up to eight copy generations.
- Dropout: oxide loss in events of 8 to 90 ms.
- Speed: half or double tape speed.
- Vinyl: platter at 33 1/3 or 45 rpm/ warped mode.
- Flow: wow, flutter and clock jitter.
- Width: treble off the side signal, azimuth up to 40 microseconds.
- Hiss: ten recordings from reel, cassette, BETA, VHS, dolby etc. at minus 30 dBFS RMS.
- Space: spring, plate and 12 bit reverb.
- FACTORY: one click changes randomly the parameters.
- Seeded wear, stored with the session and repeatable across renders.
- Host tempo sync: the Error grid follows the transport.
- 32-bit float from 44.1 to 96 kHz, mono or stereo, 42 automatable parameters.
Pricing & Availability
Alias is available now for macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU plugin formats. The price is $39 / €39 including tax. A demo runs for seven days and is available at the Alias product page.
A bundle with MONOCHORD, the chord instrument from the same developer, costs €139 instead of €178. Click here for the deal.
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