Cloud Industry for Cumulus Preset Bank

Looking for a few more free sounds for Computer Music's exclusive granular sampler plug-in, Cumulus? Then perhaps you should download Cloud Industry, a selection of presets by AbstractCats, a name perhaps familiar to Cumulus users: he was a major contributor of sample content and presets to the Cumulus Factory bank.

Cumulus is a granular sampler which radically transforms sample content by breaking it into tiny slithers of audio called grains and reorganizing them to form new sounds. Cumulus is capable of a wide ranges of timbres: from evolving atmospheric soundscapes; to organic physical textures. Up to eight Scenes can be created; a Scene corresponding to a particular sample position and set of synthesis parameters. Scenes can be played in realtime via MIDI, or arranged internally using the built-in sequencer.



Cumulus is available as part of CM Studio. The complete, full, unlimited version can be found on the cover-mounted DVD of any issue of Computer Music. Cumulus is available in VST, Audio Unit, RTAS, and standalone formats for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows.

Shift 2.2.3, Diatonic Harmonizer and Delay Effect, Released

Shift 2.2.3 for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux is now available. Download the updated version here.

Shift is a diatonic granular pitch shifting delay. Shift combines an intuitive and beautiful user interface, with a great sounding granular synthesis engine. Shift's flexibility allows a palette of timbres ranging from basic echo effects, through intelligent harmonies, to exotic evolving ambient soundscapes.

This minor update contains the following fixes and features:

• Fixed incredibly rare crash which may occur when first opening the plug-in on certain 32-bit VST Windows hosts. 
• Massively improved speed and responsiveness of all UI controls. 
• Improved CPU usage when tweaking parameters from a hardware controller. 
• Standalone versions now support multiple simultaneous hardware controllers. 
• For the Windows VST plug-in, when using a relative path for the presets folder, the path is now relative to the DLL, not the host. 

Admittedly a minor update, but certainly worth a download for anyone who has fallen foul to the, now fixed, start-up crash bug.

String synth hardware concept

Courtesy of Achim Ortmann, a selection of concept renders for a String hardware unit. There are currently no plans to actually make the physical unit, but thanks Achim! String is currently available - as software only - for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux: download the demo here.

Sequent 1.3.1 update

Sequent 1.3.1 for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux is now available. This version add the following fixes and features:

• Fix for evaluation version of Sequent not opening factory presets. This bug did not affect the registered version of Sequent. 
• Improved UI responsiveness.

Download the update here.

Sequent demo critical bug notice

Just a quick heads up to make everyone aware that there is a critical bug in the Sequent evaluation: since earlier today, the demo will no longer load factory presets. Since being informed of the bug (thanks Emmanuel!), we've fixed it, but building and testing the eleven or so architectures and plug-in formats that Sequent supports will take a little while. ETA for bug fix: early tomorrow morning.

I apologise for the inconvinience, and will update this thread when the new evaluation is available.

Note that registered copies of Sequent aren't affected by this.

Thanks!

Linux LV2 preview

The most common request from Linux users continues to be, "Are your plug-ins going to be available in LV2 format?" And I'm pleased to officially announce: yes. We've in-house LV2 native versions of our entire plug-in line running in LV2 native format, and to prove it, here's a quick glance at String in Ardour 3.

We currently have no official release date for the LV2 versions, other than to say soon. (And of course, the LV2 plug-ins will use the same license key as all the other versions, so will be free to existing users.) 

Sequent 1.3.0: Mac 64-bit VST; Bitcrusher

It's time for another update: Sequent 1.3.0 is now available.

About Sequent 
Sequent is a step-sequenced multi-effect processor with a flexible modular effects routing system, an incredibly powerful beat looper, twenty-three parameter sequencers, and a wealth of randomization options. Sequent is the ideal tool for mangling audio on stage or in the studio. Sequent is available for Mac OS X v 10.4 and above, Windows XP and above, and Linux, in Audio Unit, VST plugin, RTAS for Pro Tools 7 and above, and Standalone application formats.

What's new in Sequent 1.3.0 :

• Native 64-bit VST plug-in for Mac OS X (64-bit VST support requires Mac OS X 10.6 or greater; 64-bit Audio Unit requires Mac OS X 10.5 or greater; all other formats require Mac OS X 10.4 or greater. ) 
• Bitcrusher effect added to distortion module. 
• Massively improved speed and responsiveness of all UI controls. 
• Improved CPU usage when wiring effects in the modular view. 
• Improved CPU usage when tweaking parameters from a hardware controller. 
• Improved CPU usage when rapidly switching patterns. 
• Sequence syncing is now more reliable for hosts which provide only periodic PPQ positional information. 
• Rotary controls for Looper mode and Filter types are now replaced by combo controls. 
• For the Windows VST plug-in, when using a relative path for the presets folder, the path is now relative to the DLL, not the host. 
• Standalone versions now support multiple simultaneous hardware controllers. 
• MIDI Program Changes are now multi-threaded, and so will no longer potentially stall the audio synthesis. 
• Fix for GUI freeze that could occur in certain Mac OS X VST hosts. 
• Preset searches are now multi-threaded. Preset browser can now immediately respond to user interaction, even whilst searching a massive preset library, or when browsing a folder containing a large number of presets. 
• Added soft notching for volume and crossfade controls, making unity volume and 50% crossfade mix easier to dial in. 
• Fixed extremely rare crash that could occur on a minority of Windows 32-bit systems when opening the UI. 
• Preset meta data (ie, author name, notes, tags) is now correctly displayed after loading an .FXP based preset or restoring a saved project. 
• Standalone application tempo can now be set to within two decimal places of accuracy.

Download the updates here.