We talk to Tom Cosm, the technical director of Kevin Parker’s Telepathic Instruments, about how they made their uber-popular Orchid synthesizer. Few recent synthesizers have had the success of Orchid, the debut release from Telepathic Instruments. It probably doesn’t hurt that the chord machine came from the mind of Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. It’s…
Writing a good bassline sounds simple until you actually have to do it. I know this problem well. You start with chords, drums, maybe a synth hook or vocal chop, and then the bass becomes the thing you add at the end because the track needs low end. That is how you end up with…
Kensuke Okumura (AudioBrain) has released MixBrain v2.5, a macOS mix assistant plugin system that analyzes the relationship between tracks in a session and suggests corrective and tonal moves. The update separates the system’s two processing modes more clearly and adds a free edition. MixBrain runs as two plugins working together. MixBrain Node is inserted on…
DSPTone has announced a number of updates to their plugins: ExoDelay ExoDelay is a Modulation delay, inspired by Ibanez digital delay pedals with own character Update 1.0.8 includes: Performance improvements (Improved CPU usage). Add DRIFT control (Spread modulation depth with positive/negative polarity). Presets updated for backward compatibility with DRIFT parameter. Price of plugin (VST3, AU,…
Sonimus has released S-Console, a console emulation plugin that models the channel preamp and summing busses of a British solid-state desk. It is positioned as the successor to Satson, the company’s earlier console plugin, and combines channel and buss processing in a single instance. S-Console is built around what Sonimus describes as an evolution of…
Parish Audio has released Vocal Smoother, a new vocal processing plugin designed to reduce harshness, sharp sibilance, and distracting resonances while helping vocals retain their clarity, presence, and natural tone. Vocal Smoother analyzes the incoming signal and responds dynamically as problem areas appear. Rather than applying a fixed tonal cut across the entire performance, it…
Moloko Instruments has released Luch, a free sample-based instrument for macOS and Windows. I absolutely love the organic sound here. Especially lately, when we are being bombarded with AI and vibe-coded tools that often feel anything but organic or human-made, something like Luch feels like a much-needed breath of fresh air. Luch is based on…
Unusable Engineering has released Binaural Modulator, a free spatial modulation effect for macOS and Windows. Binaural Modulator is basically an auto-pan plugin on steroids. The thing that makes it pretty cool is that it is built around a small room model, with a fixed listening point in the middle and one or two moving sound-source…