There are so many hardware instruments to choose from you can’t decide which one to buy? Start with the Korg Monologue. Even with its simple layout and architecture, it is a cracking little synth, with plenty of character, especially from he sequencer component.
We must also comment the Novation Peak. According to Andy Jones, “It is full to the brim with features and options. The sound this thing makes can be totally analogue if you want it to be and totally off the wall, too. Novation has almost managed the impossible with Peak, cramming so many features into it. It’s years of creativity in one box.”
Read more about this here: http://www.musictech.net/2017/12/gear-of-the-year-2017-the-best-hardware-instrument/
Archives for December 2017
Fantastic Freeware 2018: The Best Freeware Synths
It’s almost 2018 so here is a roundup of some of the best freeware synths that you can download to kick off the new year.
Topping the list is the TOGU Audio Line Noise Maker is a three oscillator wavetable synth with up to six voices and a stack of great effects – reverb, delay and bitcrusher which that lift its sounds well above most. The U-He Triple Cheese uses various forms of comb filter as its synthesis source which means it sounds a bit different from most of what you’ll find out there. The Green Oak Crystal was originally released in 2002, its developer has kept it up to date, so it runs in more modern DAW setups.
See the complete list here: http://www.musictech.net/2017/12/fantastic-freeware-2018-7-best-freeware-synths/
Gear Of The Year 2017 – The Best Eurorack/Modular
As the year is coming to a close, Electronics Tonestar 8106 is named as the best Eurorack/Modular for the year 2017. Tonestar 8106 is a full synth voice based on a Roland filter, specifically the Jupiter-8/Juno-60 and 106. The Tonestar 8106 shares many similarities with the Tonestar 2600. It’s the same size and layout, with a few little tweaks.
Unlike some stripped-down modules of this kind, the Tonestars are very generous when it comes to envelopes. There are two: one a fully fledged ADSR strip and the ARP design, allowing for a certain flexibility of routing.
Read more about this here: http://www.musictech.net/2017/12/gear-of-the-year-2017-the-best-eurorackmodular/
Wide Blue Sound's Orbit & Eclipse
Orbit and Eclipse are Kontakt Player libraries which blend or morph between a range of source samples. Created by Wide Blue Sound, Orbit offers a more subtle approach than Eclipse’s darker and more aggressive blend.
Both libraries work with Kontakt Player which is a free version of Native Instruments Kontakt capable of hosting sample libraries. Wide Blue Sound have given the two eye-catching interfaces; Orbit a blue-green space scene GUI, complete with moon-cycle buttons and nebula backgrounds. Eclipse is very similar in appearance and layout, but is styled red-orange and has a stronger appearance.
Read more about this here: https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2017/12/05/wide-blue-sound-orbit-eclipse-review/
Plugin Boutique’s Exclusive FabFilter Pro-L 2 Videos
FabFilter has announced the release of the update to the Pro-L limiter plugin, FabFilter Pro-L 2. Features include limiting algorithms, a new true peak limiting mode, extensive standards-compliant loudness metering and surround support.
The update has a complete support for surround audio with flexible channel linking more versatile in multi-channel scenarios, while the sound quality is even higher than before with up to 32x linear-phase oversampling. DC offset filter ensures that Pro-L 2 is the solution to any mastering challenges.
Read more about this here: http://www.musictech.net/2017/12/exclusive-videos-fabfilter-pro-l-2/