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Michael Britt Kemper Grab n Go Rig Pack

By
Bryan
-

Michael Britt is by far one of the most prolific proponents of the Kemper Profiler. Taking that love a step further and combining it with his access to countless prized amplifiers, he is one of the top guys when it comes to Profiling the amps as well. His new Grab n Go Rig Pack is sure to be another staple in your collection of rigs.

What do you get the guitar player who has everything? And by everything… I mean a Kemper. Because he/she already has access to thousands of free rigs on the Kemper Rig Exchange in addition to all of the free Kemper Rig Packs available and probably has some commercial profiles already. I know I have more profiles than I’ll ever need. But that doesn’t stop me from trying to “beat” some of my best ones, so I keep profiling and learning and getting new tools/toys to help me in my quest for the best guitar tone of my life.

Since I last posted here I have profiled lots more amps, not really thinking about trying to make a new pack, rather just stumbling upon amps that I wanted for my own arsenal. Around that same time I realized that when I’m playing around the house, checking guitars (I tend to work on my guitars a lot, changing pickups, etc.) and just plugging in to noodle, I usually just plug straight into a small combo. I like having reverb built in so that I don’t have to hook up a pedalboard. I have a lot of bigger amps, most of them too loud for my little office, so over the last couple of years I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect small combo to keep at home. I’ve gone through quite a few of them in that time. I had the 65 DRRI for a while and it was ok, but I preferred the normal channel tone-wise but it didn’t have reverb. I swapped that for a 68 Custom Deluxe RI and it worked for a while. I had my 3P Extra Spanky and it was nice too but wanted something that sounded bigger than it was. I’m super picky and probably too critical of my own tone. There. I said it. There are days when I think nothing I have sounds good. I’m not sure if it’s ear fatigue or if I just spend too many hours critically listening to guitar tone that my ears pick out everything that annoys me.

So, these two things were happening at once. I was looking for a small combo and I was just kinda profiling and collecting stuff to use in our live shows and stuff. About a month and a half ago I started trying to figure out what to do with all of these new profiles because some of them were just too good not to share, and the idea that came out was The Grab n Go Pack. Although I use the Kemper for all of my live gigs, I go see bands around Nashville and have my little dreams of playing in a little cover band around town for fun. Sometimes, when you have only minutes to set up, the grab n go combo amp looks really appealing in its finite simplicity. So I thought it might be fun to just compile a bunch of profiles of mostly-smaller combo amps (and a couple small heads) for those players who are accustomed to just grabbing a small pedalboard and a small amp.

Thus The Grab n Go Pack was born. I think the amp profiles that really cemented the pack for me is “Stinky.” Stinky is my nickname for a Fender Princeton Recording Amp that I picked up in a local store a few months ago. I’ve always liked Princetons and am always on the lookout for a good one. The Princeton Recording amp was only made for a few years and has some features that you won’t find in most other Princetons. At its core, it’s just a blackface Princeton circuit, although pc-board construction for cost. But it also has a built-in attenuator, compressor, and overdrive circuits. While those are kinda cool for my home office playing, they weren’t that valuable in the profiling process. But lo and behold, Stinky was a world-class champion at profiling. The cleans sounded just as you’d expect a Princeton to sound and the tone was so even that I think it ranks right up there with my all time favorite clean tones and I’ve been incorporating them into our live show for the past month or so.

The real surprise (although it really shouldn’t be) is how well Stinky took gain pedals. Every pedal I threw at him sounded fantastic, not too boomy, not too bright, not too harsh, etc. He was the mama bear of small combos. They turned out so well that profiles of my homemade Nobels clone-boosted Stinky have replaced one of my Marshall tones in my big rock ballad solo in our live show. Who woulda thunk little Stinky had it in him? It just goes to show that there is always more to learn.

So with Stinky as the anchor of my new Grab n Go pack, I started filling in with some other amps that one would expect to grab and run out the door to a local gig: Fender Blues Deluxe, Peavey Classic 30, and 68 Deluxe Reverb. Then I started upping the ante with some boutique entries into the small amp rodeo: Carr Lincoln, Dr Z Maz 18 Jr, Matchless Spitfire, Red Plate Tweedy Verb, and ÷13 EDT. The TownCar (Lincoln of course) was a big surprise. Based on a vintage Vox AC10, it covers a lot of ground and the gain channel is super fun. The ÷13 EDT has a great blend of American amp tones with the high end chime of a HiWatt or early JTM45. The Spitfire profiles are spooky in their dynamic realism. I don’t know how anyone can play on the Spitfire profiles and believe that it’s some sort of digital recreation. I am still finding new favorites as I go along trying them out in place of my tried-and-true rigs in our live show.

Granted, these amps probably aren’t for all types of music, especially metal or really high gain stuff, but for everything from great pedal-platform clean tones to classic rock, there’s something in here that should cover most any gig.

So, speaking of gigs. Since I began making profiles, the Kemper has added a ton of features. When I began with my Kemper, there was no Remote, therefore the Performance mode didn’t make a lot of sense to me. After the Remote came out, it made perfect sense. And there was no Morphing back then. So, as I’ve incorporated all of these new aspects of the Kemper technology, I’ve finally decided to include those into this new pack. What does that mean?

It means I’m making sure that Remote pedal button assignments are already programmed for ease of use. You can always add your own effects but I include my stock “pedalboard” of basic stomps and fx. I’m also including a few of banks of Performance slots for an even easier plug-n-play experience. Based on lots of reading and conversations with folks about how they use their performance slots, I’ve created some basic, extremely usable performance slots to cover a gig as well as some song-specific presets to either use or to use as guides on how to program some fx. Most of these rigs also utilize the morph function on the Remote for solo boosts, etc. It’s basically catching up to how I’ve been using my Remote and Performances live over the past year or two. I know that tone is subjective and everyone has their own way of tweaking rigs, but I just thought I’d share my personal taste in how I lay things out in case it helps anyone else.

The new Grab n Go Pack has over 90 individual amp profiles of 13 different amps, 3 banks of Plug-n-Play Performance Slots and 3 banks of song-specific Performance Slots, covering everything from Country to Classic Rock, with a nod to my hometown of Nashville’s live music home, Broadway. I know it’s hard to justify spending money on more rigs when you already have thousands at your fingertips but there is hopefully something for everyone in this pack. Buy it for Stinky if nothing else. Or the Spitfire. Or the EDT. And I didn’t even mention the 100w Super Sonic Twin.

Thanks for reading and thanks for the support!

Price: (Reg) $39.99 (Until July 1, 2018) $29.99

For more information visit https://mbritt.com/product/grab-n-go-pack/

Softube Weiss Deess Plugin

By
Bryan
-

A good, easy-to-use De-essing plugin can be hard to come by. Softube has released their version with the Weiss Deess.

Whether you’re trying to tame sibilance in a lead vocal, rein in a sharp-sounding hi-hat, or reduce harshness while mastering, a truly great de-esser is as elusive as it is essential.

Now, with a combination of the highly-prized sonics of the Weiss DS1-MK3 – the go-to digital hardware de-essing unit used in top mastering studios the world over – and a totally modern and focused approach in design, Softube is psyched to announce the Weiss Deess Plug-in. Stop searching, start succeeding – this is the de-esser.

Here are six reasons why…

It has two completely independent bands. Most de-essers have one.
It has a variety of filter shapes and excellent band-width control, allowing you to home in on precisely what you need to deal with, without collateral damage.
It has unparalleled visualizations. A large, colorful, and intuitive display shows FFT readouts as well as your filter shapes, so you can clearly see what effect you’re having on your signal.
The faceplate GUI is uncluttered, focusing on giving great visual information, but a side-menu allows control over everything. And we mean everything; ratios, attack and release times, knee settings, make-up gain and more.
A low-latency mode allows you to de-ess in tracking, saving the tedium in the mix of what can often feel like a non-creative editing task. Nothing beats getting it right on the way in.
Lastly, and most importantly of all, the Weiss algorithms, code-ported from the gold-standard DS1-MK3 unit, provide the best sounding de-essing in the world. Your work will sound better if you use this than it will if you don’t. It’s as simple as that.

Visit the Weiss Deess product page to find out more.

Price: $199.00

For more information, visit https://www.softube.com/index.php?id=weissdeess

Review: Warm Audio WA-47Jr FET

By
Bryan
-
Warm Audio WA-47 Jr. FET Rundown
4.5 / 5 Reviewer
Buy: $299.00
Pros
- Incredible value for money
- Very durable (yes we dropped them)
- Doesn't have the harsh upper frequencies other mics in this price range have
Cons
- Lacked a little body in the low-mids but nothing EQ and Compression won't fix.
- I wish it looked like an original FET 47 (I'm grasping for cons on this one)
Summary
Pound for pound, this mic can't be beat by many mics in (and even above) its price range. The WA-47 Jr FET is as versatile as it is durable.
Rating

Warm Audio have already made quite a big splash in the recording gear industry with their renditions of classic hardware and mics. Now they take on one of my favorites with WA-47Jr FET, their version of the ubiquitous Neumann FET 47. This mic is a workhorse, a transformerless version of the famous U47. While the FET’s tubed bigger counterpart ruled the vocal realm with such greats like Frank Sinatra swearing by them, the FET 47 holds its own, often used on everything from vocals to kick drum. To honor that heritage, we put Warm Audio’s version through its paces in our latest review.

As we’ve discovered with other Warm Audio gear, the price does not always reflect the quality. These guys really do push the envelope of value on a lower price point. Their hardware somehow still utilizes high quality components but doesn’t break the bank. This mic is no different. It features a custom designed K47 capsule that matches the same frequency response as the original, Toshiba FET’s, Wima film capacitors and Panasonic electrolytics. And while the circuit has been changed a little to reflect modern manufacturing specs, Warm Audio claims the sonic result still reflects old style topology.

While the overall design is similar, a few changes were incorporated. The Neumann FET 47 came with one polar pattern, a 6dB pad, and depending on the model, either a 140 or 200Hz high pass filter. Warm Audio’s version upgrades the polar pattern to the standard 3, a 10dB pad and a slightly less 70Hz high pass. After all, I’d rather just pull the rumble out of a track than cut as deep as the original FET 47, but the option between the two would have been worth a few extra bucks on the price tag.

As far as looks go, it does not look like the FET 47 which is slightly disappointing considering its bigger brother the WA-47 looks very similar to its counterpart. I’m sure that was a cost savings decision, and this doesn’t affect the sound quality in any way. The looks are no slouch by any means and the mic comes standard with a padded bag, shock mount (with extra suspension bands) and a smaller mount for tight spaces.

With the technical part out of the way and Everything Recording’s studio completely dismantled due to a move, I sent our pair of WA-47Jr FETs with a close friend and fellow producer / engineer Philip Mosley. Since he regularly finds himself in different studios any given day, he would be the perfect guy to run these mics through their paces. Lucky for us, he came prepared for the review with audio. I’ll let him take over from here.

Take it from Hank by Kolby Cooper
Tracked in AudioWorx Studio in Palestine, TX
Mixed by Austin Deptula
Drum OHs 47jr – Neve VR pres
Acoustic: UTA mic pre-TubeTechCL1B-Maag Air EQ
Vox 47jr – Vintech 473 – Distressor


I used them on drum overheads, acoustic, and lead vocals on this song.

I found these mics, especially on vocals, to be very neutral, not overly bright like modern mics in this price range are. I did find them lacking just a bit of body in the low-mids, however, when I ran it through a tube tech compressor, it added a bit of warmth on the low mids and a nice shimmer on top. I also dipped a little out at 700Hz, just to pull out a little bit of upper mid frequencies that were bothering me. Although I wouldn’t compare these microphones directly with a fet47, I feel like they are more versatile and pleasing on any source that already sounds good.

Of course, as with any other decent mic, if the sound source is bad there’s not much you can do about that. Funny enough, on the third day of tracking with these mics, I dropped one from about 4 feet up and it landed on concrete. It did dent the screen around the capsule a little bit, but the microphone has worked ever since. These microphones a rugged and well made for sure.

Dead End Road by Colby Keeling
Tracked in Sound Emporium
Mixed by Austin Deptula
Vox: 47jr – API 3124 – 1176

On this particular artist, we used the microphone on lead vocals.

As with the previous track in the review, there was a lack of low-mids that I really wanted to hear. When I put it up against a TLM 67, there was a bit more mids with the 67, but not necessarily enough to justify the big price difference between the two. Even though the 47jr isn’t a direct comparison to the 67 and I found the 67 was more pleasing on the top side, the difference wasn’t anything that I couldn’t get without a little compression and EQ – and not much at all I might add. After EQ’ing the vocals with a little mids, I was happy with the sound that I got.

Overall, like everything Warm Audio, you can’t beat what you’re getting for the money. Coming in right at $300.00, a stereo pair would easily fit into the mic locker of home and professional studios alike. And from the sound of it, they can fall out of the locker too and still work.

A special thanks to Philip Mosely for putting the mics through their paces, Austin Deptula for allowing us to show off his incredible mixes, and Kolby Cooper and Colby Keeling for letting us use their music.

For more information of Philip Mosely visit his Facebook

For more information on Austin Deptula or to use him for a mix, visit him on his SoundBetter Page

For more Kolby Cooper music, visit his Facebook

For more Colby Keeling, visit his Facebook

Softube Tube-Tech Complete Collection

By
Bryan
-

We love Softube’s Tube-Tech Classic Channel (Review Here) and Softube has updated all Tube-Tech plugins with a fresh new look, added features and upgraded sound. The new Tube-Tech Complete Collection contains the plugins from the Classic Channel as well as the MkII versions.

As long ago as 2006, Softube began work on what would become the definitive plug-in representations of Tube-Tech’s best and most highly-prized units.

The PE 1C ‘Pultec’ Program Equalizer, inspired by a classic tube-driven passive EQ design conceived as long ago as the mid-1950s, and still revered in top studios today.

The ME 1B Mid-Range Equalizer, designed as the perfect partner to the PE 1C, aiming with charm and authority at the vital body of mid-range frequencies.

The CL 1B Optical Compressor, which, in an increasingly clinical digital world, is an oasis of smooth and dignified character; personality; color; providing pleasingly versatile dynamic control of everything from bass and vocals to drum groups and the mix bus.

Not to mention the Classic Channel plug-in, which combined all three units into a singular and very special channel strip.

All four plug-ins had the distinctive and appealing blue faceplate, and just the right blend of simplicity and flavor to make them firm favourites with artists and engineers across genres and generations. And now they have been ‘re-mastered’ to look and sound even better.

More than that, though;

For the first time ever, the two EQs exist in a single plug-in GUI, giving the complete intended workflow immediately and intuitively.

The CL 1B Mk II compressor features new sidechain low-cut filtering, and a parallel blend knob.

On top of the new features in the CL 1B, the Classic Channel Mk II now has mid/side processing capabilities.

New organization of the range means that for prices matching the original individual plug-ins, you can now buy or upgrade to one of three ‘collections’, which include the appropriate legacy versions along with the better-than-ever re-mastered plug-ins.

Price: $449.00

For more information, visit https://www.softube.com/buy.php

Spitfire Releases FREE Labs Instruments

By
Bryan
-
Spitfire Audio is proud to launch LABS — an infinite series of software instruments, free and easy to use; made by musicians in London for anyone, anywhere — with the popular Soft Piano and a new Strings library available as of May 31.
Ever-expanding British business Spitfire Audio has become a formidable force in the wonderful world of sample libraries and virtual instruments by virtue of its dedication to the art of recording and musicality. Company collaborations with the likes of Hans Zimmer and Ólafur Arnalds offer detailed recordings used by composers and music producers alike — albeit with no expense spared in their creation. From full orchestras to synthesisers, pianos to percussion, Spitfire Audio has recorded, in depth, the best players and instruments in the world.
While the company continues its collaborations with the world’s best composers, producers, engineers, and studios to create detailed and realistic recordings of instruments and sounds for use in computer-based music production, LABS lets loose a new series of tools that retain that dedication to quality but altogether remove the barrier to entry by offering a simplistic solution to music-making — instantly-playable, great-sounding instruments, all at no cost!
Commencing with the popular Soft Piano — based around a felted piano (originally recorded in October 2008 by Nick Taylor at Air-Edel Recording Studios in Marylebone, central London using two Schoeps CMC 5/U microphones with MK4 capsules that are still there to this day) — and Strings — a new string ensemble (recorded in October 2017 at Spitfire Audio’s London HQ, where one of the microphones used was a BBC AXB1, an iconic 1940s-vintage ribbon microphone featuring balanced wiring produced by the BBC and Marconi that became an interface metaphor for sound recording), these software instruments are free to install and easy to use. Ultimately, both work within a dedicated (AU-, AAX-, and VST-compatible) plugin possessing a strikingly simple user interface, invented in collaboration with UsTwo, one of the world’s best design and user-experience agencies (also responsible for making Spitfire Audio’s award-winning HANS ZIMMER STRINGS spectacular string sample library so simple to use)… because creativity shouldn’t be complicated.
Creatively serving as the sonic exploratory arm of Spitfire Audio, new LABS libraries will be released every month. Music makers may expect key traditional instruments alongside more experimental discoveries along the way; made by musicians in London for anyone, anywhere.
As such, Spitfire Audio clearly continues to stay true to its ethos of using live performances where possible, but when up against time and/or budgetary constraints, its innovative virtual instruments and sample libraries — LABS included (in the latter scenario, obviously) — are always the next best thing. That said, by paying performers and collaborators royalties, Spitfire Audio admirably assists with sustaining a phenomenal part of our musical heritage while championing innovation within it. Indeed, the LABS tagline says it all: Let’s all become something.
Feel free to join the LABS programme — an infinite series of software instruments, free to install and easy to use, delivered straight to your inbox — by creating an account here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/labs/
Watch the LABS trailer video for Soft Piano here: https://youtu.be/Dssamz-3o2Q
Watch the LABS trailer video for Strings here: https://youtu.be/fqXIzuO-hng

Tone2 Icarus Updates to V1.6

By
Bryan
-

Icarus is another great tool from Tone2. Now it gets even better with

The update to v1.6 is a big update, which is available for free. It includes new resynthesis modes, additonal effects, a better user interface, enhanced sound and a large number of new features. Icarus 1.6 is downward compatible with all previous versions. All existing song projects and patches can be loaded without any further steps necessary. They will benefit from the enhanced sound quality.

New features:

  • IMPORT SAMPLE->’Resynthesis smart pitch snap’ drastically enhances the sound quality of the resynthesis function. You can select a wav file and it automatically creates a synthesizer patch which syncs to BPM.
  • IMPORT SAMPLE->’Resynthesis of melody’ is a groundbreaking feature. It can import complete phrases or melodies in wav format. It automaticaly programs a patch that sounds very similar to the original. It reprograms the melody in the arpeggiator. Futhermore it creates a wavetable with the harmonic content of the patch. The patches can further be tweaked, time streched or modified.
  • IMPORT SAMPLE->’Resynthesis with dynamic pitch’ can import a wave. It automatically creates a patch which sounds similar to the original one. This mode does aly analyse the pitch information of the patch and programs the STEP lfo with a pitch envelope.
  • IMPORT SAMPLE->’Beat slice drumlop’ cuts a sample into 16 or 32 waveforms and creates a patch with plays a BPM synced loop
  • New effect: ‘Reverb Gated’ which syncs to the BPM rate. It works best for drum sounds or arpeggiators
  • New effect: ‘Reverb Gated Echo’ is Gated Reverb with a delay which syncs to BPM
  • new effect: ‘Reverb Reverse’  which syncs to the BPM rate
  • new effect: ‘Reverb Decay’  which syncs to the BPM rate
  • The patch browser shows a scrollbar if more than 26 categories exist
  • ‘Shift notes up’ shifts the notes in the arpeggiator one halftone up
  • ‘Shift notes down’ shifts the notes in the arpeggiator one halftone down
  • ‘rotate 1 slot left’ rotates the notes in the arpeggiator
  • ‘rotate 1 slot right’ rotates the notes in the arpeggiator
  • The morph kob now shows the number of quantized steps
  • The wavetable editor shows a large slider with a grid if modifiers with ‘value’ are edited
  • Osc->Tool ‘Resynthesis smart snap’
  • Wavetable editor->Spectrum->’Sort by brightness’ sorts waveforms by their harmonic content. It can be used to create wobbles
  • Wavetable editor->Resynthesis->’Resynthesis smart snap’
  • Wavetable editor->Mix->’Fade in’
  • Wavetable editor->Mix->’Fade out’
  • Wabetable editor->Phase->’Rotate’ shifts the phase of all selected waveforms
  • Added some tooltips to the wavetable editor
  • Create a random arpeggiotor pattern with TOOL->’Init random octaves’
  • Create a random arpeggiotor pattern with fifths with TOOL->’Init random fifths’
  • Create a random arpeggiotor pattern with a random interval with TOOL->’Init random interval’
  • 52 additional patches

Enhancements:

  • Slightly enhanced sound quality of ‘Import Sample’->’Create patch: Resynthesis…’
  • More smart path selection on PC for loading/saving
  • Enhanced performance of some knobs, especially the LFO sends
  • The knobs MORPH, FADE, WAVE, PHASE do not longer switch the LFO
  • A hand symbol is shown for text-style parameters which can be altered with the mouse
  • Enhanced sound of ‘Reverb Medium’, ‘Reverb Real’, ‘Reverb Trance’ especially for for small sizes
  • Enhanced sound of ‘Formant Cross’ morphmode
  • Enhanced sound of ‘Vocoder’ morphmode
  • Slightly enhanced sound of ‘Reverb Big’ and ‘Reverb Infinity’ with reduced low frequency rumble
  • Wavetable editor is more easy and comfortable to use
  • Undo function now also works with arpeggiator, fx tool, matrix tool, eq tool and filter tool menu
  • Reduced a click when routing a saw lfo to WAVE
  • Better default effect settings for Ensemble, Reverb Dark, Delay Fat, Delay Pingpong, Delay Diffuse, Delay Band
  • ‘Create random patch’ gives better results

Bug fixes:

  • Modulation depth of knobs could have been incorrect if matrix target was switched

  • Removed wrong up/down arrows in the STEP LFO

  • Fixed a compatibility problem with recording automation in some hosts

Price: €149 / $179

Supported platforms: Mac OSX 10.5 or higher, Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10
Supported plugin formats: 32 bit VSTi, 64 bit VSTi, 32 bit AU, 64 bit AU, Standalone for PC

Link to the product pages (English, German, French, Japanese):
https://tone2.com/icarus.html

Townsend Labs Adds New Mics to Sphere Mic System

By
Bryan
-

The Townsend Sphere L22 is the O.G mic system that captures many of the otherwise unobtainable vintage and modern microphones in one system. The plugin has been updated to include 9 new models.

We are happy to announce version 1.2 of the Sphere plug-in for native and UAD-2 systems. It’s a free update, and the big news is that it includes nine new microphone models—bringing the total count of included models over 20. This means Sphere can be used in even more recording situations, and you get access to the sound of a mic collection worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

LD414 Brass: The original 414 with a brass-ringed CK12 capsule is one of the greatest studio mics of all time. The mic can be a fantastic choice for drum overheads, snare drum, and acoustic guitar.

LD414 Nylon: In the late 1970s, AKG switched to a new capsule with a nylon mounting ring in the 414. While many people prefer the sound of the older CK12 capsule, the nylon version has a more neutral response which can work well on many sources.

LD-414US: One of the most ubiquitous condenser microphones of all time. The mic uses essentially the same nylon capsule as the later production 414 EB, so the sound is quite similar although a bit more neutral.

LD-414T2: Based on a newer 414 variant that was designed to recreate the sound of the old CK12 capsule but using a modern nylon style capsule. This was one of the first 414s that used a transformerless circuit.

LD-67NOS: In 1991, a limited production U67 was released, made from new-old-stock parts that had been discovered. In theory, these mics are the same as the earlier versions, but in practice they sound distinctly different.

LD-87TK: Based on an 87 with the famous Tracy Korby modification. The modification extends the 87’s response at both the low and high end, giving it a more modern sound but without accentuating sibilance.

RB-77DX Satin: One of the most iconic microphones of all time. Countless musical legends, such as Bing Crosby, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Johnny Cash, have been recorded with a 77.

RB-77DX Umber: The 77DX is known for having a wide manufacturing variability, so some of these mics sound quite different from each other. The RB-77DX Umber model is substantially darker and smoother than the RB-77DX Satin model.

DN-7: Famously used to record Michael Jackson’s vocals on the album Thriller, the DN-7 is based on a dynamic microphone which holds its own with some of the best condenser mics ever made. The model is based on the discontinued “A” version.

 

For more information, visit https://townsendlabs.com/products/sphere-l22/

 

 

IK Multimedia UNO Analog Synth

By
Bryan
-

With analog synths making a huge comeback in music, film, and just about everywhere else, it’s nice to see IK Multimedia take a shot with UNO. This ultra-portable synth comes packed with all the great features of analog synth as well as battery powered for on-the-go applications.

IK Multimedia proudly debuts its premier hardware synthesizer, UNO Synth. Designed for everyone interested in rich, true analog sound, this new monophonic synth offers a wide sound palette and easy programmability in an ultra-portable, battery-powered format for on-the-go music creation, live performance or studio recording – all at an affordable price.

The ultimate real analog synth for everyone
IK Multimedia combined its more than two decades of experience in software and hardware development with the expertise of Italian boutique synthesizer maker Soundmachines and IK’s synth guru Erik Norlander (one of the brains behind acclaimed synth designs including the Alesis Andromeda). The result is a no-compromise instrument that delivers massive analog sound along with hands-on programmability and advanced features.

UNO Synth delivers everything from classic to modern sounds to create music in any genre. First-time synth users get instant gratification from this easy-to-use instrument – 100 presets and an easy-to-play keyboard with selectable scales and an arpeggiator make UNO Synth the perfect gateway into the synthesizer world. Experienced pros will also love its rich sound and easy portability.

Great sounding true-analog audio path
Beneath its miniature exterior, UNO Synth packs a powerful synth engine with professional sound and a full analog audio path on par with more expensive synthesizers. It includes:

  • An all-analog audio path with 2 VCOs, noise generator, resonant multimode VCF and VCA
  • 2 independent VCOs with Saw, Triangle and Pulse waveforms with continuously variable shape including PWM of the square wave plus a separate white noise generator
  • A 2-pole OTA-based analog resonant sweepable multimode filter (LP/HP/BP) with overdrive
  • 7 LFO waveforms (Sine, Triangle, Square, Up Saw, Down Saw, Random and Sample-and-Hold) to modulate Pitch, Filter, Amp and continuous oscillator wave shapes including PWM

This highly flexible engine excels in producing the rich, warm, punchy, deep bass sounds that are the core of a high-quality monophonic synth, and brings a wide sonic palette of leads, drones, arps, sequences, sweeps and effects.

While UNO Synth is monophonic, its two independent oscillators can be tuned differently to generate interesting pad-like interval sounds and octaves. Pulse width modulation of each oscillator offers advanced modular-style timbres from classic synths.

The pure analog filter brings all the warmth, depth and fatness expected from a real analog synth. The multimode resonant filter can be used for subtle tonal modification or screaming, aggressive resonant sweeps. The filter can also be modulated with the filter envelope, LFO and performance buttons.

Ease-of-use with powerful programming
UNO Synth comes with 100 grab-and-go presets (80 fully rewritable), making it ready to play out of the box. Each preset also includes an associated arpeggio and sequence for even greater musical expression and sonic power. This makes it easy for everyone to find the perfect sound fast, for a productive and enjoyable experience.

More than 40 onboard controls are available on the top panel to give real-time access to synth engine parameters, for immediate sound sculpting capability with no deep menus to scroll through. For added control, a Mac/PC editor is also available.

The UNO Synth’s generous 27-note onboard multi-touch keyboard offers over two octaves of sound control as a chromatic keyboard or as a predefined scale keyboard with 13 available scales. The built-in arpeggiator with 10 arpeggio modes and a 4-octave range offers even more creative possibilities for keyboardists and non-keyboardists alike.

The UNO Synth keyboard also doubles as a step-edit control for its built-in, 100-pattern sequencer. Sequences can be programmed in real-time or in steps (with modulatable synth parameters per step), making the UNO Synth sequencer among the most powerful in its class.

In addition to a built-in delay effect, five instant performance modulations are also available (Dive, Scoop, Vibrato, Wah and Tremolo) for added real-time playability and instant dynamic expression during performances.

Ultra-portable, battery-powered, for on-the-go music
UNO Synth’s ultra-compact dimensions make it among the smallest monophonic synths available. Its light weight (only 400g) and battery power (4xAA included) or USB power-supply (for battery power banks) give musicians the freedom to make music anywhere.

Use it standalone, with other gear, or with a DAW
On its own, UNO Synth can be used to make music whenever and wherever inspiration strikes. The built-in audio input also allows for daisy chaining other external audio devices (like drum machines) with no additional mixer, for a small footprint and extreme portability.

MIDI IN and OUT enables connection to a master keyboard or any MIDI gear for use in a live or studio rig as a sound module. Via USB MIDI, UNO Synth also conveniently integrates directly with a DAW running on Mac/PC computers or mobile devices, without additional hardware interfaces.

Made in Italy
UNO Synth is proudly made in IK’s own Italian manufacturing facility, to ensure the highest quality standards. Like the majority of IK hardware products, UNO Synth is built using a combination of IK’s state-of-the-art, automated mounting machines and test systems, and fine, renowned Italian craftsmanship.

Pricing and availability
UNO Synth is available now for pre-order with free shipping from the IK Multimedia online store and from IK authorized dealers worldwide for the affordable price of only $/€199.99*, with shipping scheduled for July 2018.

* Price excluding taxes

For more information about UNO Synth, please visit: www.unosynth.com

To see UNO Synth in action: www.unosynth.com/video

Elysia skulpter 500

By
Bryan
-

With a lot of great manufacturers making very good, high quality replica’s of past hardware, it’s great to see a company tackle an original.

Elysia has a great track record of making audio tools that are both practical and creative. Just look at our review of the Alpha Compressor Plugin from Way back (Link Here). The skulpter 500 could just be the new addition preamp(s) we need over here at Everything Recording HQ.

skulpter can render final product results straight off of the pre, which is crazy considering how few knobs it has. I think we’re going to have to get one or two of these and test drive them.

The skulpter 500 is the ultimate recording front end. Its audiophile preamp is based on single resistors controlling a fully discrete Class-A amplifier capable of complementing any microphone with a remarkably true and natural sound. If additional mojo is needed, two variable saturation/filter stages and an intelligent onboard compressor make voices and instruments sound like a finished record right from the start.

Whether clean or colored, the sonic bliss does not stop at your mic locker. The skulpter 500 provides a balanced DI input with significant headroom, so just about any signal coming from guitars, basses, synths and effects will benefit greatly from the skulpter 500’s pristine amplification and versatile processing qualities.

Way more than just a preamp, the skulpter 500 is a complete recording solution – everything you’ll ever need in front of your DAW.

• 100% Discrete Class-A Topology
Pristine audio path and signal processing.

• Audiophile Gain Staging
Natural and incredibly detailed sound.

• Dual Sound Shaper
Mojo machine with filters and harmonics.

• Intelligent Onboard Dynamics
Smart controlled musical compression.

• Variable Low Cut Filter
Flexible low frequency clean up.

• Balanced DI
Instrument input with massive headroom.

• Multifunction Meter
Level, gain, compression and clipping.

• Stepped Controllers
Exact and repeatable settings.

Price: $879.00

For more information, visit https://www.elysia.com/hardware/skulpter-500/introduction/

Native Instruments TRK-01 for Kick and Bass

By
Bryan
-

In just about any genre of music, the low end can be the toughest to nail down. Native Instruments has released a new tool to make getting the final product even quicker.

Low end forms the foundation of almost all electronic music, so getting great kick and bass from the start makes all the difference.

TRK-01 is a creative kick and bass instrument that marries innovative sound design, sequencing, and modulation, with classic mixing techniques, so you always write solid, exciting kick-bass combinations.

Get your new tracks rolling quicker and sounding bigger than ever before – start with TRK-01.

Available at the NI Online Shop now for just $99.

For more information, visit https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/synths/trk-01/

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