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Home Blog Page 63

Blue Yeti Studio

By
Bryan
-

 
Blue keeps raising the bar on one stop microphone solutions with the Yeti Studio. This USB mic comes with a professional grade capsule, great A/D conversion and even software to record and process your tracks. The Yeti can handle it all. Not only does it work for podcasting and voiceover work; Yeti can handle tracking of instruments of all sorts. You have a choice of selectable patterns, giving you endless applications for your recording needs.

Blue, a 20-year leading innovator in audio technology and design, today announces Yeti Studio, an all-in-one vocal recording system that combines the best-selling Yeti professional USB microphone with custom recording software from PreSonus® and advanced studio vocal effects from iZotope. Featuring custom, pre-set templates for voice-overs, podcasts and music, Yeti Studio provides the tools to easily record and produce with professional quality.
“Yeti Studio offers our legendary Yeti mic along with the tools for recording and producing in one easy-to-use system,” said Tommy Edwards, Director of Product Management at Blue Microphones.  “With the Yeti Studio, you can start recording instantly—no matter your level of experience—or immediately engage with the professional tools offered by the software to sculpt custom sounds and produce unparalleled vocal tracks.”
Yeti, the world’s most celebrated USB microphone, is perfect for professional recording of vocals, podcasts, voiceovers, interviews, musical instruments, field recordings and more. Yeti features proprietary condenser capsules set in a unique three-capsule array that provides exceptional sound quality and the versatility of four different recording patterns—cardioid for vocals and voice-overs, bidirectional for interviews, omnidirectional for the whole band, and stereo for separate left and right audio. Yeti also features a built-in headphone jack for zero-latency monitoring, and direct controls for headphone volume, pattern selection, instant mute and microphone gain.
Yeti Studio features PreSonus® Studio One® Artist Blue Microphones Edition recording software, which provides professional tools and intuitive workflows to ensure not only unmatched sound quality, but also seamless and hassle-free recording. Stack up multiple instrument and vocal tracks and create fully produced songs. Edit tracks on screen with ease, and even piece together multiple takes to craft the perfect vocal performance. Thanks to a 32-bit audio engine with exceptional sound quality, Yeti Studio makes it possible to produce professional recordings with amazing speed and precision.
Yeti Studio also includes iZotope Nectar Elements studio vocal effects software, making it easier than ever to enhance vocal tracks and achieve rich, studio-quality results. iZotope Nectar Elements features professionally designed vocal style presets tailored for a wide range of genres and applications. With easy-to-use controls, Nectar features 10 sophisticated vocal processors designed to add body and depth, control volume levels, fix pitch problems, reduce “ess” sounds, minimize room noise and more.
With custom templates for voice-overs, podcasts and music, Yeti Studio makes it faster and easier to start producing professional projects. Yeti Studio’s templates feature automatic track setup and dialed-in sound processing for professionally produced vocals and instruments. Easily record single-person vocals, multi-person interviews, dialogue, instruments and more with broadcast-quality results.

 
 
Achieve more productivity, more creativity, and more professional-level content with Yeti Studio, MSRP $149.99 (a $380 value!), now available at Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend and other authorized Blue retailers worldwide. For more information, visit www.bluemic.com/yetistudio.

Kush Audio Tweaker

By
Bryan
-

FINALLY… A company sends me a hardware posting. Usually it’s all software and I get it… software is easier to make and produce but C’mon companies, I dare you to send me some more hardware posts. I doubt any of them could come close to this little ditty right here though. Kush Audio makes great software (Pusher review HERE) but there’s something about physical knobs that just feel better than clicking and dragging. These guys have created a new compressor called “Tweaker.” Apparently you can have your compressor cake and eat it too!

Tweaker is an old soul with a post-modern brain. Its vintage, discrete VCA and bespoke detector are married to envelope-pushing controls that allow this box to be whatever you want it to be — smooth & polished or dark & filthy, subtle & delicate or fierce & explosive. 

To reach those heights, Tweaker expands the range and function of its traditional compressor controls, then breaks new ground with a radical and innovative ‘Sidechain Shaper’ section which allows you to select and shape what the compressor ‘sees’ and therefore how it responds—from simple HPFs to complex and flexible multi-shelving filters. This box creates a wider array of effects than any other compressor ever made; if you can envision it, Tweaker can deliver it.

Tweaker sports eight hi-torque, twenty-one step pots for precision matching and recall. UBK leveraged this design to give you his ‘analog presets’, which precisely emulate his favorite tricks from compressors as varied as the LA-2a, Distressor, API 2500, and even the absurdly eccentric Valley People Dynamite*.

With simultaneous Tri-Metering of Input, Output, and Gain Reduction levels, Single- or Dual-Stage Release, Wet/Dry mixing, and a unique Curve control that sharpens the knee as the ratio is increased, Tweaker is the new king of swiss army compressors and embodies another modern classic from Kush

Price: Not Sure Yet

For more info visit http://www.thehouseofkush.com/#!the-ubk-tweaker/cwy7

IK Multimedia T-Racks EQP50A EQP50B and EQP60G

By
Bryan
-

IK Multimedia is back again with more modeled EQs! This time they’re going for the classic American sound with 3 new EQs that are similar to the API EQs that have shaped American music in the 70’s and today. Of course, these have the IK Twist. Lets just hope they don’t use as much DSP as the other T-Racks plugins.

September 18, 2014 – IK Multimedia is proud to announce the addition of the EQ P50A, EQ P50B and EQ P60G to the T-RackS Custom Shop lineup. With them in the mix, the Custom Shop now features over 30 virtual emulations of some of the most legendary mixing and mastering gear in the music and recording equipment industry. The new additions come as a part of the latest version of T-RackS Custom Shop – they’re virtual representations that let you take control of three classic modular EQs originally designed for custom mixing consoles that helped to define the bold “American Sound” of the late-’60s and ’70s. With them, T-RackS Custom Shop continues to expand, offering producers, engineers and musicians 24/7 access to some of the most desirable compressors, EQs, limiters and effects of all time.
An EQ for every occasion
The latest update to T-RackS Custom Shop features three powerful and versatile EQs modeled on modules from the late-’60s and early ’70s that were ubiquitous in major American recording studios: EQ P50A is a good “all around” general-purpose three band EQ. EQ P50B is a four band EQ with two overlapping midrange knobs that allow tremendous flexibility when carving tracks that contain vocals, electric guitars or stringed instruments. The outer bands on both three and four band EQ modules can be switched to shelving mode for additional flexibility and “broad stroke” tone shaping. The EQ P60G is a 10 band graphic design that’s particularly useful when tone shaping needs to be applied to larger areas – it’s perfect for when more extreme boosting and cutting is required, like when fixing a weak snare drum or opening up dull vocal tracks.
On each, IK has gone to great lengths to painstakingly create an accurate analog model of the discrete electronics of the original hardware’s big and warm sounding 2520 op-amp. Similar attention to detail has been placed on the proportional Q feature at the heart of each module: the frequency bandwidth is broader at low gain and narrower at high gain. This approach is faithful to the original, and provides a more focused and less smeared sound to your mixing.
A time honored American classic… made better
The hardware modules that these EQs are based on are widely considered to be classics – they’ve been featured on countless timeless mixes and hit records. It would be easy to just model them and stop there, but IK’s team of engineers have gone one step beyond to harness the power of the digital realm to make these modules even better. All EQs feature workflow improvements that make it easy to immediately grasp the settings layout right from the get go. For instance, on the three and four band EQs the dual concentric layout of the knobs has been purposefully split for greater visual clarity and ease of use when compared to competing emulations of the same hardware.
Sonically speaking, each EQ has also been augmented to feature precise knobs with 1 dB (1.5 dB in the extreme part of the knob’s range) gain resolution, which offers greater flexibility than the 2 dB to 3dB sported on the original hardware. This allows for finer adjustment when a more subtle touch is required. In addition, on top of the great sounding EQ circuits, each module is equipped with a preamp stage modeled on a circuit design of a similar legacy and vintage. The addition of this feature opens up a dramatically wide sonic palette bursting with warm tone and creative possibilities. It provides a harmonic distortion that you simply can’t get with other manufacturers’ emulations of these EQs.
Your one stop studio shop
The T-RackS Custom Shop for Mac/PC is a free DAW plug-in and standalone app that gives producers, engineers and musicians 24/7 access to some of the most sought-after studio production gear of all time. Once installed, it lets you browse, audition, and purchase from a huge collection of IK’s high-quality processing plug-ins for mixing and mastering. Each model can be tested for free (for a period of 14 days) before purchase. You can easily purchase individual processors or bundles in either Currency ($ or €) or in Custom Shop Gear Credits.

Pricing & availability
To access the EQ P50A, EQ P50B, EQ P60G and the many other gear models available in the T-RackS Custom Shop, users need to download T-RackS version 4.7 for Mac and PC. The processors in the Custom Shop are sold using Gear Credits and are priced at 125 Gear Credits or $124.99/€99.99 each. Gear Credit Packs start as low as $19.99/€15.99 (for 20 credits) and go up to $749.99/€599.99* (for 1,500 credits).
*Prices exclude taxes.
For more information, please visit:
www.t-racks.com

Focusrite iTrack Pocket

By
Bryan
-

It seems like YouTube is flooded with horrible covers of already horrible songs. Internet has somehow convinced everyone that they’re all stars and most of them sound like they were recorded using tin cans and string attached to a cassette recorder and somehow precariously dangling from their knees in a horrible angle. Don’t be one of those people, get an iTrack Pocket. This solves both of the attention-hungry star’s obstacles by allowing optimal camera angle due to the dock position and a stereo mic. You even get an app to edit the audio and video with Impact by Focusrite which adds effects and normalizes your audio.

Any musician who uses their iPhone to record videos knows that it never does justice to their sound. Yet with the growing number of singer-songwriters being discovered through YouTube, it’s more important than ever to capture sound that stands out.

That’s why Focusrite have designed iTrack Pocket: a super portable, high quality stereo microphone and guitar input that connects to your iPhone to let you create and share videos that sound as good as they look. It holds your phone at the perfect angle for recording, then captures your performance in HD video with audio that eclipses the quality of your phone’s mic.

When you’re finished, you can easily edit your video and apply mastering effects using the ‘Impact by Focusrite’ app, then share directly to YouTube with outstanding quality. Just check this out:

Follow Focusrite on Facebook and Twitter

MSRP: $125.99 / $99.99 at dealers

For more information visit http://www.focusrite.com/itrackpocket

 

Blue Mo-Fi Headphones

By
Bryan
-

We’ve all been told mixing on headphones is a big nono but it seems technology is catching up and musicians on the go are needing reference speaker quality headphones that translate mixes. Now it seems that is obtainable with active headphones, namely Blue’s new powered Mo-Fi headphones. These headphones feature a battery that is easily recharged and lasts for up to 12-14 hours. This is extremely exciting given I am away from the control room a great deal of the time and now can set up mixes to check once I get home.

(Westlake Village, CA – August 26, 2014) Blue Microphones today announces the release of Mo-Fi (www.mofiheadphones.com), the first headphone that features a built-in audiophile amplifier matched to high-powered, precision drivers for consistent accuracy on every device—from studio gear to laptops, tablets, and phones. Mo-Fi’s unprecedented design and build introduces a new level of sound quality, comfort, and personalized fit never before available. Mo-Fi establishes the entirely new category of powered headphones, and delivers studio-quality audio on every device so you can track, mix, and really enjoy music anywhere.
 
“When studio monitors transitioned from passive to active, everyone benefitted—and now we’re bringing that innovation to headphones,” said John Maier, CEO of Blue. “With a built-in amp and high-powered drivers, Mo-Fi delivers astounding accuracy, unrivaled fidelity, and detailed imaging, no matter what source you’re plugged in to. Mo-Fi frees you from the confines of the studio, enabling you to take studio-quality listening everywhere and create mixes that translate across all systems.”
 
 
Unlike bass-in-your-face headphones, Mo-Fi lets you choose your own acoustic adventure with three amp settings—On, On+, and Off. When switched to On, Mo-Fi activates the amp to deliver powerful, detailed sound. On+ engages the amp’s analog low-frequency enhancement circuit to deliver incredibly rich and smooth bass. Off puts Mo-Fi in passive mode, for connecting to high-output studio gear. No DSP tricks with Mo-Fi—these settings are 100% analog. For tracking, mixing or just enjoying music, Mo-Fi provides total control over the listening experience.
 
Blue developed Mo-Fi’s multi-jointed headband and earcups from the ground up, marking a complete departure from traditional headphone design. Instead of using a fixed “spring loaded” headband structure, Blue invented a multi-jointed headband that provides total comfort and adjustability for a variety of head shapes and sizes. The earcups—shaped like ears—stay parallel at all times, creating the best seal for solid bass response, improved isolation, and reduction in sound bleed—perfect for tracking in the studio.
 
“To design Mo-Fi, we began by studying how and where people make and enjoy music,” said Mitch Witten, VP of Product at Blue Microphones. “We set out to completely reimagine the construction, comfort, and fit, without any preconceived notions about what headphones are ‘supposed’ to look like. The result feels less like a headphone, and more like a high-quality instrument you can wear. The listening experience is so immersive and enveloping that it makes you want to revisit your favorite recordings and see what details you’ve been missing.”
 
For height adjustment, Mo-Fi’s pivoting-arm design allows for unprecedented range of motion and a personalized fit. The earcups simply float into place or fully extend out of the way when worn around the neck. Ditching the one-tension-fits-all approach, Blue incorporated a headband adjustment knob that allows you to dial-in the perfect pressure and tightness. This design also improves sound isolation and reduces ambient noise—perfect for noisy public areas or loud recording sessions.
 
Mo-Fi’s intelligent power handling ensures that the headphones are always ready for action. The rechargeable battery, charged via micro USB, lets you rock out with 12-14 hours of actual play time. Mo-Fi knows when the headphones have been removed and automatically turns off to save power.And even if the battery runs out, Mo-Fi will continue to play in the Off setting, eliminating music blackouts once and for all.

 
Mo-Fi (MSRP $349.99) is available now at Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, Sweetwater, and Amazon, and is coming soon to retailers worldwide. For more information, visit www.mofiheadphones.com.

FabFilter Pro-Q 2

By
Bryan
-

One of the best, most used EQ plugins has been given a major overhaul. Fabfilter has released version 2 of their groundbreaking EQ with Pro-Q 2. This EQ still features all of the great utilities that make the plugin perfect for both surgical and enhancing use but has been completely gutted and rebuilt from the ground up. You get new modes such as the natural phase mode, a piano roll you can use to add or subtract harmonic content, and a even a feature that can match the EQ curve to an external track. All of this is added and yet it still cuts CPU usage in half. We all are very excited about buying this brand new plugin with all of the features, just don’t trample anyone on your way to the FabFilter site.

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, August 28, 2014: FabFilter is proud to announce availability of FabFilter Pro-Q 2, a major update to the Pro-Q equalizer plug-in. New features — such as Full Screen mode, unique Natural Phase processing, Auto Gain, Spectrum Grab, Gain-Q interaction, and slope support for all filter types — make Pro-Q 2 a cut above its predecessor in every way, while staying true to the original vision of combining high sound quality with unsurpassed interface workflow.
Completely redesigned EQ engine
For Pro-Q 2, FabFilter has completely redesigned the internal filter engine from the ground up — not only improving the existing Zero Latency and Linear Phase processing modes, but also introducing a unique Natural Phase mode. Besides perfectly matching the magnitude response of analog EQ’ing, Natural Phase also closely matches the analog phase response, without introducing noticeable pre-ring or a long latency. Last but not least, FabFilter Pro-Q 2 is more than twice as CPU-efficient as its predecessor.
Universal filter slope support
Very steep filter slopes of up to 96 dB/octave are now available, and, uniquely, FabFilter Pro-Q 2 lets users change the slope of any filter type — not just the usual Low/High Cut filters. This makes it possible to create super-narrow bell filters, very steep or gently sloping shelves, and more. In addition to the existing Bell, Low/ High Shelf, Low/High Cut, and Notch filters, Pro-Q 2 also features new Band-Pass and Tilt Shelf filter types.
More interface innovations
Furthermore, FabFilter Pro-Q 2 is boosted by an abundance of user interface innovations. Spectrum Grab enables users to directly adjust peaks in the real-time spectrum analyzer display. Pro-Q 2 offers flexible interface resizing, in addition to a Full Screen mode that makes it easier than ever to do ultra-precise adjustments. EQ Match lets users match the spectrum of another track in just a few seconds. All this power is neatly integrated into a gorgeous, uncluttered interface that lets users focus freely on music and workflow.
Original and trailblazing
Of course, Pro-Q 2 features everything that was great about the original Pro-Q — up to 24 EQ bands, innovative interface with unsurpassed workflow and multi-band selection, per-channel EQ’ing in L/R or M/S mode, real-time spectrum analyzer, intelligent solo mode, double-click text entry, stereo/mono plug-ins, Pro Tools hardware surface support — as well as all the trailblazing FabFilter bells and whistles that users have come to expect and love — perfectly fine-tuned knobs and controllers, GPU-powered graphics acceleration, interactive MIDI Learn, undo/redo and A/B switch, Smart Parameter Interpolation for smooth parameter transitions, an extensive help file with interactive help hints, sample-accurate automation, advanced optimization, and more.
Key features:
 
  • Natural Phase mode to perfectly match the magnitude response of analog EQ’ing while also closely matching the analog phase response, without noticeable pre-ring or a long latency
  • Full Screen mode for super-precise adjustments
  • Spectrum Grab — just grab and adjust a peak in the real-time spectrum analyzer right away!
  • Universal slope support for all filter types — for example, enabling users to make ultra-narrow bell filters or very steep shelves. (Slopes up to 96 dB/oct are now supported, including 18, 30, 36, and 72 dB/oct.)
  • Highly improved Linear Phase mode, offering a better magnitude response and smooth changes without zipper effects
  • New EQ filter types — Tilt Shelf and Band-Pass, in addition to the existing Bell, High/Low Cut, High/Low Shelf, and Notch filter shapes
  • Gain-Q interaction option: when enabled, Q and gain influence each other in a pleasant way that is often found in analog mixing consoles
  • EQ match feature to automatically match the spectrum of another track via the side-chain input
  • Auto Gain automatically adjusts the output gain to compensate for the audible gain loss or increase introduced by the active EQ bands
  • Improved spectrum analyzer with adjustable range, tilt, freeze, and horizontal zooming
  • Optional piano roll display
  • Flexible interface resizing
  • Full output level meter
  • Phase Invert option
  • Highly improved CPU optimization: Pro-Q 2 uses less memory and is more than twice as efficient as its predecessor!
  • Improved analog magnitude matching in Zero Latency mode
FabFilter Pro-Q 2 is now available for EUR 149, USD 199, or GBP 124, supporting both Windows and Mac OS X in VST and VST 3, Audio Units, AAX, RTAS and AudioSuite plug-in formats. Bundles with FabFilter Pro-Q 2 and other FabFilter plug-ins are also available at: www.fabfilter.com/shop
 
Existing FabFilter customers can purchase or upgrade to Pro-Q 2 with very attractive discounts by logging in to their online user account at: www.fabfilter.com/myaccount
 
System requirements on Windows are either Windows 8, 7, Vista or XP and a VST 2/3 host, or Pro Tools, or Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with Intel processor and an Audio Units host, VST 2/3 host, or Pro Tools. Both 32-bit and 64-bit hosts are supported.

Review: Kush UBK Pusher

By
Bryan
-

Saturation plugins are a dime a dozen. Most of them just increase the input signal in a few stages, throw a few different EQ curves and there you go… “Color”. Kush Audio eschews the norm and has developed a whole new monster that falls into its own category. UBK Pusher takes saturation and color to a whole new level with several unorthodox controls and concepts, giving you an all-new take on your audio content.
 
Pusher is many things all at once: a hybrid type magnetic EQ, a transient enhancer, distortion box, and a limiter. It is available in both 32 and 64 bit versions of AAX, AU, and VST and requires either an iLok 1 or 2. The preset menu has been completely overhauled and rests on the bottom of the GUI. Presets can be easily stored and edited with great ease. Installation couldn’t be easier and trials are easy to get a hold of if you so dare.
 
Upon opening Pusher you will see a rather intriguing interface that probably looks unlike any other plugin you’ve seen. Since there are no outright descriptions of what each control does, the GUI is abstract and inviting to just start turning knobs. Even though this plugin seems to just be a host of strange knobs and sliders, there is actually a method to the madness. This becomes apparent when “cheat mode” is enabled, which sheds light on each control in the form of an overlay with brief but very helpful explanations. So what do they do?
 
The 4 knobs with ST, CO, FE, and NI represent the different types of cores that are present in different hardware preamps. Each of these represent in descending order are “Steel, Cobalt, Iron, and Nickel (get it? The abbreviations are the periodic table signs)” and they all have a very unique effect on the signal. As you increase and decrease the amount of signature in each core, you will notice a change in the overall tone of the audio content. The key to these cores is in how they react to differing amount of each, not necessarily in the use of individual cores. Want more impact of the cores in the source audio? Simple, just increase the big knob on the far left. This will apply more or less of your cores and mold your audio to reflect your newly created combination. Want to beautifully maim your track even more? Sure you do. The knob with the lightning bolts around it is your Bias control. This will multiply the range of the harmonics and will impact your transients. This is perfect for injecting more snap to a snare or extra bite to guitar tracks. It is almost a high shelf EQ in itself if used right. After the audio is charged with all of your magnetic goodness, the content moves to the slider knob slightly above the cores. This will allow you to blend the magnetized signal in with your original, giving you complete control over just how much or little you would like to move on to the next phase.
 
The next phase is your dynamics and behaves a little more like the conventional audio utilities out there… well sort of. Although this limiter is not modeled after a particular unit, this limiter is based on diode limiters similar to the Neve 2254 and EMI TG12413. These limiters are perfect for dynamic content where transients can be catered to heavy handedly and yet still retain all of their smacky goodness. Another great feature of this plugin is the headroom limitations are removed, giving you the ability to punish your source content until your hearts delight. This limiter is complete with a side chain control all the way up to 300Hz to rule out the low-end content affecting the signal. From top to bottom, the controls are the Threshold, the Attack Time, and Release Time. The limiter has 3 set attack times, which are Fast (1ms), Medium (10ms), and Slow (20ms) but the release is fully variable from 40ms to 1.2 seconds. To the left of the controls is a meter, which displays how hard the limiter is working. To my knowledge, it isn’t exactly giving you true DB levels, but more of an overall picture of just how hard you are pushing the limiter. Once the audio is limited, the signal flows to another blend slider that allows you to blend your already blended magnetized signal with your limited signal, which from there goes to the big knob on the right that controls output. Why didn’t they just call this plugin Blender instead of Pusher?! (Insert very distorted and compressed rim shot)
 
So what do we hate about it? Well to be honest, there really isn’t anything to hate or even dislike, but I wish I could trigger the limiter externally. Other than that, Pusher does brilliantly what usually takes several different plugins to do decently. The amount of control the Kush UBK team has given is immensely freeing. They truly put the experience in your own hands in a way that is conducive to creativity. I found myself placing it on drums quite a bit and even went as far as keeping it in a template for my electric guitars. One of my favorite things to do with it is duplicate a kick drum track and just destroy it and blend it back in. The cores are really chaotic and you never really know what you’re going to get each time you turn the knobs. This makes for some very exciting changes to tracks and can even move the entire feel of the mix. I know I’ve mentioned the extreme portion of this plugin but Pusher can actually behave subtly to just add a nice vibe to the track. I usually will bump the nickel and copper core to 75% and slightly back off the steel on synth tracks for an almost breakup sound. From there I will use the sliders to mix it perfectly in with the original to tuck it away in the mix.
 
I would like to point out that the labeling of the controls, even though hieroglyphic, perfectly display what each control actually accomplishes once you look at them and the layout of this plugin is extremely straightforward. I actually prefer the labeling system over the standard boring controls that other manufacturers use. This plugin really beckons you to just turn knobs to see what happens and that is what mixing is really all about at the core. The presets that are included are great but the real fun is in just moving dials until magic happens. I love Pusher’s approach and find this plugin as fun as it is useful.
 
To purchase and for more information, visit http://www.thehouseofkush.com/#!ubk-pusher/cqir and while you’re there, join the “Pimp Council” for news updates.
 
I don’t say this often, but if you’re going to “like” a company’s Facebook page, like Kush Audio’s page at https://www.facebook.com/KushAudio. Gregory freely doles out some of the most concise and useful information of mixing and audio.
 
Kush also hosts a great podcast I subscribe to religiously https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ubk-happy-funtime-hour/id870654646?mt=2

Propellerhead Reason 8

By
Bryan
-

It looks like one of the easiest DAWs to operate is getting a little easier. Propellerhead announces today version 8 of their flagship software Reason, giving you a new designed interface as well as more functionality. If you’ve bought Reason on or after July 1,2014, you get the upgrade for free.

Stockholm, Sweden, August 7, 2014 (ictw) – Propellerhead Software today announced a major new version of its award-winning Reason music production platform. Reason 8 builds on the legendary music production software by introducing a completely redesigned user interface and streamlined workflow that makes it easy to create amazing music, faster than ever.
“Around the world, musicians and producers use Reason because it’s the most fun and inspiring music creation platform available,” said Leo Nathorst-Böös, Propellerhead Product Marketing Manager. “For Reason 8, we’ve taken everything people love about Reason and introduced a streamlined new user interface that makes it easier for new users to get started, and more fun for seasoned users to work faster.”
Reason 8 introduces a redesigned user interface with a whole new look and even smoother creative flow, while the new browser and search window provides immediate drag-and-drop access to inspiring samples, loops, and patches. Expanding on Reason’s included collection of instruments and effects are the new amps from Softube, bringing a variety of first-class guitar and bass tones to the rack. Countless workflow improvements make for a more streamlined music creation experience, allowing musicians and producers to move quickly from initial idea to a completed song. And with an ever-expanding selection of Rack Extension plug-ins available in the Propellerhead shop, Reason 8 provides everything users will ever need to make music.

 
Pricing and availability
Reason 8 will be available for purchase worldwide on September 30, 2014 at the following suggested retail pricing:
Reason 8 EUR €405 / USD $449
Reason Essentials 8 EUR €120 / USD $129
Reason 8 Upgrade (from any previous Reason version) EUR €129 / USD $129
Propellerhead is also offering a grace period for customers who purchased Reason 7 on or after July 1, 2014. Purchasing and registering a qualifying product today makes users eligible for a free upgrade to Reason 8 when it becomes available. For details see: propellerheads.se/freeupgrade

Xils DeeS

By
Bryan
-

Xils Lab is branching out from the soft synth world to give us a new De-Esser called DeeS. This plugin is a quick solution to cancel the sibilance and harsh frequencies in tracks.

XILS-lab takes the s(tress) out of sibilance with transparent de-esser plug-in par excellence

GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of XILS DeeS — an easy-to-use de-esser plug-in for all major Mac (OS X 10.5 or higher) and PC (Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8) compatible formats for rapidly ridding voice recordings of all sibilant-related defects while powerfully preserving precious characteristics to produce perfect-sounding results — as of July 28…

Sibilance — a manner of articulation of fricative consonants (made by the friction of breath in a narrow opening, producing a turbulent airflow) and affricate consonants (combining a plosive with an immediately following fricative or spirant — continuous expulsion of breath — sharing the same place of articulation) — has been the bane of faithfully capturing the emotive human voice since serious recording began. Excess sibilance can be caused by compression, microphone choice and technique, or simply a vocalist’s mouth. All are different, after all. Generally speaking, sibilance lies anywhere between 2-10kHz, depending on the individual in question. Questionable, however, are the almost inevitable audio artefacts resulting from de-essing — any (often overly-tortuous) technique intended to reduce or eliminate excessive prominence of such sibilant consonants, like z, and sh, for example. Which is exactly where XILS DeeS, the latest plug-in par excellence from XILS-lab, comes into play…

The first in a new plug-in product line designed to provide phenomenal production possibilities, XILS DeeS does exactly that by being extremely easy to use in the first instance — simply tweak the DETECTION FREQ. knob and apply REDUCTION as needed… no more sibilance! DETECTION can be applied quickly, combining with proprietary PLOSIVE detection to result in lively, natural voices. Getting clean, professional vocals, dubbing recordings, or restoring previously recorded voices to their natural glory has never been so easy or speedy. Job done? If you say so.

Yet there is so much more to XILS DeeS than first meets the eye (or ear). With its clearly labelled dual signal path with SOLO buttons as well as associated sound sculpting controls for each channel — VOICE EQ (colour coded in green) and SIBILANT EQ (colour coded in orange), XILS DeeS is as easy to understand as it is to use. Users can equally easily visualise what exactly it is that they are doing thanks to a realtime frequency graph showing four frequency bands sharing that same colour coding for instant correlation between eyes, ears, and brain. That’s the way it should be, right?

In typical XILS-lab style, other advantages abound. Unlike traditional de-essing tools, XILS DeeS does not result in unwanted, unnatural-sounding filter sweeping effects, yet users can get truly creative with almost endless possibilities for altering, adapting, or applying polish to the character of voices with those two independent EQ’ing paths (with analogue-style, zero-delay feedback filters). Special effects, even? Why not! Why stick solely to working with vocals? Why not use XILS DeeS to transform drum sounds (by EQ’ing hi-hats or cymbals, for example) or even slap bass (by EQ’ing the more metallic-sounding element of such sounds)? Simple and special, see.

So, whether you want to bring back the emotional quality to vocals you’ll never be able to record again, clean up your own voice recordings for a blog or a corporate video, ensure your customers of flawless dubbing technique, turn an amateur into a seasoned speaker, or adapt a voice into a specific sonic or musical context, XILS DeeS provides professional results — rapidly and spontaneously. Sibilance need not be so stressful! So why not let XILS DeeS take the s out of stress?

XILS DeeS is available to purchase as a straightforward serial number-protected plug-in for an introductory discounted price of €59.00 EUR (rising to €89.00 EUR on September 1, 2014) from the XILS-lab web store here: http://www.xils-lab.com/pages/STORE.html

XILS DeeS can be directly downloaded as a 32- and 64-bit-compatible effects plug-in for Mac (AAX, AU, RTAS, and VST) and Windows (AAX, RTAS, and VST) from here: http://www.xils-lab.com/pages/XILS-DeeS_Download.html

Review bx_refinement

By
Bryan
-

Very few things can bring a mix to a halt more quickly than that grating resonance in the high mids cutting through a mix. This area is occupied by a lot of different instruments and can build to the point of a piercing boil in an otherwise great mix. Mixing and mastering engineers use all sorts of tools to tame these areas in mixes, but what if you had an all-in-one solution with a few more tricks up its sleeve?
 
bx_Refinement is the latest offering from Brainworx and distributed worldwide by the Plugin Alliance. Borrowing from other features in their unique plugins, bx_Refinement gives you the tools you need to keep this high maintenance section in the mix at bay. While Refinement can work on mono signals, this plugin shines the most on stereo signals, mainly the mix and master busses using mid-side processing to give separation and width to stereo tracks. Like everything though, the bounds can be tested to take the plugin to new applications.
 
What you have is a very simple and sleek interface with controls that flow in a logical manner. Front and center, you get a great visual aid to display how much refinement you are using. This tube-like control glows in accordance to the signal being treated. To the left, the most important control stands out immediately on the interface, the Damping control. From here, your signal is treated with a very non-invasive peak band EQ that works within a set frequency range. While at first, you may feel than not having a graphical representation and control over the frequency that is tamed; you will quickly see that this plugin works very well as an autopilot that can deal with almost every type of harsh signal. One of the great features of Refinement is the “Solo Filter” button that allows you just to hear the frequency that is being treated. Although soloing is not the best way to work within a mix, this is great for impromptu audible glances. Next to the “Damping” knob, you also are given a choice of “Soft” or “Hard” which alters just how broad or narrow you would like to process. Just below these controls lies the “Damping Modulation”, working in conjunction with the Damping control to add either a subtle or apparent compression to the frequencies that you have tamed with the Damping knob. These two features alone are worth their weight in gold and work very well to handle the high-mids that show up in today’s digital mixes; but Brainworx isn’t content stopping there. They have a knack for finding what you didn’t even know you wanted and placing in in one convenient plugin.
 
Refinement goes beyond just control and steps into sweetening by adding the saturation algorithm from their bx_saturator plugin, throwing in a little harmonic distortion to polish out the track and give it some depth. The Presence knob is available to bring back some of the life taken during the dampening stage by allowing a boost of the pleasing high frequencies to give a nice transparent sound without adding a metallic treble section. One way I used the Presence is to make the harshness stand out by boosting the trouble frequency with the dampening knob, mixing the presence to compete with the harshness, then dialing the dampening knob back. You could even take Refinement into a different area by cutting the dampening drastically and boosting this presence to add an Exciter like quality to the track. All of these features work brilliantly to handle even the toughest tracks or mixes and offer very unique approaches to dealing with this problem area.
 
Ever wanted to breathe some life into keys in a song in an unorthodox way? Try using the Oscillator, which can either be rhythmically synced to the song or to free flow based on time. The Oscillator works as a subtle warm tremolo that can add a nice round groove to pads or just provide some movement in a rhythm guitar playing long chords. Combine this by just processing the sides of a stereo track and you’ve widened the signal on top of adding depth and movement to backing tracks that feel just a little dull. Since I found this trick, I’ve used it on almost every keyboard track in any song I’ve mixed whether it be subtle or in your face. The mix knob allows me to dial in just the amount of vibe to a track. These are functions I never probably would’ve even thought of chaining together using other plugins.
 
Overall, I found bx_refinement a great plugin that works “behind the scenes” to solve a problem we all face. When using this plugin, I did find myself wanting a “range” knob that gave me a few choices of trouble frequencies but in most cases, Refinement did the job very well on its own. Other than that, this novel plugin works wonderfully to just take out what you do not want and leaving the rest unscathed and in some cases, enhanced.
 
We all strive to bring back the analog life to our tracks while working in the box and bx_refinement is the best example of a plugin that tackles the woes of digital with style. Every mix and mastering engineer needs this in their toolbox.
For more information, and to buy, visit http://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/plugins/detail/bx_refinement.html

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