(March 18th 2021, Mainz, Germany) – After last year’s big success, Dynamedion, Europe’s largest game audio production company, and their label Sonuscore, developer of high-quality software instruments, are again offering their composer customers and online communities a Donation Sale to raise money for international Coronavirus funds.
Magic Spring Donation Sale to Fight Coronavirus and Support Artists
The Donation Flash Sale in 2020 was an inspiring success with Dynamedion/Sonuscore and its international artist collective donated $16,110.70 of their profits to WHO and CARITAS International. “While it seems that the situation is now rapidly getting better in the richer countries, there are many places in the world where people are still struggling very hard,” Managing Director Pierre Langer states. That’s why now they hope to top that with the Magic Spring Donation Sale. For 10 days starting on 18th March 2021, Sonuscore is offering a bundle of five software products for €9.90 instead of €217, which translates to a 95% discount. The deal includes their brand-new ha•pi – Concert Harp virtual instrument. Like with last year, the sale is initiated on the one hand to support artists currently struggling with terminated contracts and on the other to raise money for a good cause. Find out more at the Spring Donation Sale website.
The Coronavirus Funds
The Donations will be sent to regions that are currently being hit particularly hard by the Coronavirus pandemic. The organizations that they will support are:
• World Health Organization
• Save The Children
Customer Quotes from last year’s Donation Sale:
“This has to be the biggest no brainer deal of all no brainer deals!
5 great looking little libraries for 10 dollars and it goes to charity.”
“Great deal for a good cause, what more can you ask for?”
“Amazing library from an equally amazing and generous developer. Thanks @Sonuscore!”
About Dynamedion/Sonuscore
Dynamedion was founded in 2000 in Mainz, Germany by Pierre Langer and Tilman Sillescu, two composers with university degrees in music. Since then, Dynamedion has become the award-winning European leader in music composition, sound design, source sound recordings, live orchestra production and audio integration services for international game audio, with over 2,000 released games, TV series, trailers, films, and movies.
Sonuscore was founded in 2012 as a label of Dynamedion and was created by the same team that founded the highly acclaimed BOOM Library. The three founders have combined their vast experience in orchestral music production, high-end sound quality claims, and their cutting-edge approach to perfectly balanced usability to shape some of the most renowned virtual software instruments!
After last year’s StayHome campaign, Black Rooster Audio are hosting another sale that gives back – with 20% of the profits going towards Music Health Alliance, who provide free access to healthcare to the music community.
For a limited time only, the entire collection of plugins (worth $908) is available for only $149. There are 15 world-class plug-ins (AAX/VST/AU) in the bundle, including the latest releases – RO-140 vintage plate reverb and KH-COMP1 Koen Heldens signature compressor.
I make that to be about an 85% discount for a brilliant collection of plugins which are also available individually for a 70% discount. I’ve previously reviewed a number of Black Rooster Audio plugins including Magnetite, VLA-2A and more. They are superb sounding plugins including EQs, compressors and filters – this is an offer not to be missed!
Black Rooster Audio are donating 20% of the profits of this sale to Music Health Alliance. This organization has provided free healthcare advocacy and support to more than 13,000 music industry members and saved the music community more than $65,000,000 nationwide by providing advocacy and access to lifesaving transplants, medicine, mental health resources, end of life care and many other necessary services. Entirely funded through grants and individual and corporate donations, financial support from the music community is critical to continue Music Health Alliance’s (MHA) advocacy and free services.
For every $1 donation, MHA is able to provide $30 in life-saving healthcare resources to Heal The Music.
About Black Rooster Audio
We are a premium audio software company from Germany, best known for our beautifully designed vintage gear emulation plug-ins for producing, mixing, and mastering audio.We are passionate about combining the finest of vintage analogue sound and modern technology to help you take your sound to the next level. Our processors can be used in the most popular host applications such as Steinberg Cubase, Apple Logic, Ableton Live, Avid ProTools and many others supporting the AAX, VST and Audio Units formats.
Haydock based company aims to inspire people of all ages to find their instrument and begin a lifelong journey of creativity through positivity whilst embracing the wider music community.
Haydock, UK – As most retailers can attest to, the past 12 months or more have been incredibly challenging. However, this long-standing musical instrument retailer retains an air of optimism for the future and wishes to share their enthusiasm for musical creativity and lifelong learning through their ongoing ‘Pick Up & Play’ initiative.
For over 120-years, musicians ranging from absolute beginners to touring professionals have relied on the expert advice of Dawsons Music & Sound Ltd, not only when making instrument purchasing decisions, but also through music lessons, instrument repairs, gigging advice, etc. From Accounts to Warehousing, Dawsons Music & Sound Ltd is more a family of musicians who, between them, play virtually every instrument imaginable and have equally eclectic musical tastes. They all share a common desire to ‘Pick Up & Play’, whether it is to chill out and unwind, challenge themselves, or flex their creative muscles.
The idea behind the ‘Pick Up & Play’ initiative is to encourage everyone to begin their musical journey. Beginners benefit from carefully curated instrument packs filled with everything needed to hit the ground running, as well as offering outstanding value. Intermediate and those with more experience are presented with logical next-steps in our ‘Level-Up’ packs.
Reinforcing the Dawsons Music & Sound Ltd brand commitment to provide authoritative, informative, and transparent advice to customers and the wider music community, articles and guides from their growing Studio D platform will feature prominently on the ‘Pick Up & Play’ page and in Newsletter shoutouts, offering advice, hints, and tips. Alongside regularly updated content their growing community across Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter will be encouraged to share their progress through weekly challenges with support from the team every step of the way.
Dawn Hayward, Head of Education & Marketing, stated:
“At Dawsons Music & Sound Ltd we want to help those who are starting on their musical journey, want to progress to the next level, or seeking a completely fresh musical experience – in short, we want to help everyone achieve their full potential. Whether they hope of headlining the main stage at Glastonbury, performing all Summer long in Ibiza, making ground-breaking, Grammy-nominated records, or simply chilling out at home after a long day in school or the office – we want them to trust us to make their dream a reality. That is what ‘Pick Up & Play’ is all about, inspiring everyone to make music a lifelong passion.“
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About Dawsons Music & Sound Ltd
Dawsons Music & Sound Ltd is a leading retailer of acoustic and electronic musical instruments, including keyboards and synthesizers, guitar products, electronic percussion, digital recording equipment, amplifiers, audio processors, and multimedia products. With more than 120 years of musical instrument retail experience, Dawsons Music & Sound Ltd set the standard in customer service for others to follow. For more information, visit https://www.dawsons.co.uk.
Eventide Audio celebrates its 50th anniversary with the introduction of the Eventide Clockworks Bundle, bringing DAW users a virtual rack full of the groundbreaking effects processors that propelled Eventide to success. Each of the eight processors in the Windows and Mac OS X bundle represents a creativity-unleashing milestone in audio technology.
The Eventide Clockworks Bundle for OS X and Windows supports VST, AAX, and AU plug-in protocols for compatibility with every DAW. Valued at over $1000 if purchased separately, this collection of legacy Eventide processors is available for immediate download at a special introductory MSRP of $299 through June 30, 2021, and $499 thereafter.
In 1971, in a New York City basement, Eventide Clockworks revolutionized the audio industry by creating the world’s first studio effects processor – the Instant Phaser – and pro audio’s first digital device, the Digital Delay Line. Over the course of the following decade, Eventide continued to introduce new processing paradigms – the world’s first Harmonizer®, the H910, followed by the Omnipressor®, Instant Flanger, H949, and the SP2016. Meticulously modeled to accurately produce these legacy effects – with dual versions of the H910 & H949 – the Eventide Clockworks bundle of plug-ins also includes sonic and DAW-friendly features even beyond the hardware’s capabilities.
The Instant Phaser was the world’s first studio phaser and the first-ever rack-mount effects unit. Originally intended to make the painstaking task of tape flanging quick and easy, engineers and producers found the Instant Phaser could also produce a smooth, transparent modulation and pleasing stereo decorrelation. The Instant Phaser’s analog all-pass filters could mimic the effect achieved by time delay, resulting in a modulation effect all its own. The Instant Phaser Mk II plugin brings that iconic sound to the desktop and additionally lets users dial in “Age” to their taste, emulating the spectrum of effects from component aging.
The Omnipressor, released in 1974, set the stage as the first dynamics effects processor, introducing the concepts of infinite compression, dynamic reversal, and side-chaining. The flexible Omnipressor plugin offers options to control all aspects of dynamics modification.
The H910 Harmonizer was the world’s first digital effects unit. With its unique combinations of pitch shifting, feedback, modulation and delay, it earned a home in the racks of studios worldwide. Thickening tracks is the H910s forte, with radical effects from robot sounds to gritty octaves also on tap.
The Instant Flanger utilized the then-newfangled bucket brigade ICs for swept delay, resulting in a time-based emulation of tape flanging true to the physical effect. Whereas the Instant Phaser offered several methods of controlling modulation, the Instant Flanger allowed engineers to combine these controls. The result: more control layers and less predictable sweeps.
In 1977, Eventide released the H949, standing on the shoulders of the H910 as the second in Eventide’s family of Harmonizers. It introduced a formal micro pitch-shifting mode, which became a mainstay for lead guitar processing. The H949 also had the first Reverse delays and introduced advanced autocorrelation techniques and also a Random pitch mode adopted to produce an automatic double-tracks for guitars and vocals.
In 1981, the SP2016 was released – the world’s first programmable effects processor featuring ROM chips that “plugged in” under the hood, making it possible to add new effects in the field and introducing the concept of the plug-in. While it was not a Clockworks-branded effects unit, the SP2016 earned its spot on this roster, as it marks the opening chapter of modern Eventide effects processors, beginning the progression through to today’s flagship H9000 networked multi-effects processor. The SP2016 Reverb plug-in includes modern and vintage versions of its signature Stereo Room, Room, and Hi-Density Plate.
H910 — original Harmonizer® and first digital effects processor
The H910 was the first ever digital effects processor introduced in 1975. It was so revolutionary because it wasn’t possible to produce these effects before it was released. You can tell how awesome its introduction must have been by the fact that producers such as Tony Visconti and Shelly Yakus used it on records by artists such as John Lennon, Patti Smith Group, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Suzanne Vega, AC/DC and many, many more.
When you start using this effect you see exactly why it was so revered. It can thicken and double any input source such as vocals, synths and guitars as well as adding ambience and a subtle delay. Things get more interesting when you use some of the pitch shifting, you can microshift up and down in cents which is brilliant for fine tuning as well as using note intervals such as 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and fifths both up and down. I have to say that using the ‘min7 down’ preset on a drumloop is a revelation. Throw in some modulation and things can get crazy – wobbles, glitches, risers and drops there are some very psychedelic effects possible when you dynamically alter the pitch, envelope and feedback settings.
H910 Dual
Studios would often use two H910s in parallel and the H910 Dual replicates this configuration to give even more creative possibilities.
H949
Built on the legacy of the H910, the H949 introduced de-glitching, micropitch, reverse and random delays and reverse pitch shifting. This is an excellent evolution, it does everything the H910 can do plus a lot more, the reverse sweeps, random delay and flange create some very cool and interesting effects. It has a kind of sample and hold function where you can change settings ready for when you release and dynamically changing controls gives some amazing time mangling effects.
H949 Dual
As with the H910, these were often used in parallel in studios and the dual version replicates this configuration and similarly offers even more creativity.
Omnipressor
This compressor / expander / gate was introduced in the early 1970s. It’s a very versatile effect, capable of subtle compression, expansion and gating. However, it can also be brutal, squeezing the life out of drums, producing glitchy and lo-fi sounds as well as acting as a dynamic reverse gate and also producing very loud sounds.
Instant Phaser
This was the world’s first studio phaser and it sounds excellent. It can handle subtle, slow to more intense sounds.
Instant Flanger
The first faithful simulation of a tape flanger, this can handle slow, subtle and more intense flange effects and again sounds superb. Using it in conjunction with the H910 ‘min 7 down’ preset on a dub drum loop produces a very cool trippy effect.
SP2016 Reverb
I’ve previously reviewed Sp2016 reverb which you can read here. It sounds awesome, is easy to use and is my go to reverb, I use it on pretty much everything. There are effectively 6 reverb effects – Room, Stereo Room and High Density Plate in Modern and Vintage versions and it can do everything from small to massive spaces and is suitable for any instrument. You get the best of both worlds – a faithful recreation of the original unit along with modern touches. It comes with a large range of presets that are suitable for use as they are, can be tailored to your specific requirements or you can just start experimenting and see what happens.
Mode Audio has introduced Aerial – downtempo piano loops, a rich tapestry of deft piano figures, flickering Ambient textures, silky instrumental riffs and organic drum rhythms, this 491MB collection of royalty-free loops, samples and MIDI will transport your music to a place of deep tranquility and reflection.
It is available in wav, rex2 and Reason refill formats from Mode Audio (£18 regular price).
‘Ambience loops’ are soundscapes, typically sustained piano drones, lush sustained strings. They have subtle movement, a great range of tones from edgy to warm and saturated.
‘Drum loops’ Although primarily a piano loops pack, the drum loops are excellent. There’s a range of great sounding loops with a variety of sounds and excellent percussive elements. They have a retro / lo-fi feel and add depth and interest to the sound. These are typically full loops, kick loops and top loops.
‘Instrumental loops’ are a collection of strings, flute, mellotron, glockenspiel and tuned percussion that complement the piano loops enabling you to layer sounds and add variety.
‘Piano loops’ are the focus of the sample pack. These are a collection of arps, chords and riffs that have superb reflective qualities and a typically downtempo feel. They have a warm quality and are superbly processed.
‘Texture loops’ are a collection of white noise and vinyl type sounds that compliment the other sounds really well and add an extra layer of interest.
‘Tail samples’ are a common feature of Mode Audio packs, they pair with loops of the same name and allow a natural decay to the loops.
‘Midi loops’ are an excellent addition, typically 4 bar loops they allow you to use your own sounds or use them as a starting point to put your own spin on them.
Verdict
What I love about Aerial is that it is such an inspiring pack. The piano loops are the focal point and indeed provide a lot of inspiration in their own right but equally other sounds complement them really well and provide inspiration themselves. The instrumental loops and ambience loops for example can complement piano loops or provide contrasting elements.
The loops layer excellently together and allow you to create a wide variety of styles from ambient to downtempo to cinematic. The loops typically have a warm, saturated feel with some having an edgier sound and a retro / lo-fi feel at times.
I’ve created the four track EP Estatica embedded at the top of the post using the sample pack. It’s based on the idea that occasionally, radio broadcasts break through an ocean of static.
Loops processed with Tverb, SP2016, Ultrachannel (Eventide); Incipit (Inear Display); Type A (AudioThing); Shaperbox 2 (Cableguys); Saturn 2, Pro-Q 3, Pro-L 2 (Fabfilter).
This is a superb EP. It’s got techno grooves, ambient vibes and a laid back feel with an edge of tension and darkness at times. It’s superbly arranged – layering creates complex rhythms; each sound has it’s own place; melodic elements have movement and the resulting sound is deep and engaging.
All Inside My Hat
A Techno groove with ambient vibes, the beat gives momentum but with a laid back feel. Superb layering of percussive elements and evolving melodic elements.
Epiphora
Driving kick rhythm and syncopated shaker lead into superbly layered percussive and melodic elements. It’s a superb chilled vibe with subtle movement, weaving an edge of tension through the song.
For Sparta
Driving kick to open, layered percussive elements create complex rhythms with melodic elements. A tension weaves through the song, excellent build and release of momentum.
Inside Out
Kick and shaker build the rhythm, atmospheric background sounds build melodic elements. There’s a darker kind of feel, a tribal vibe. Excellent build and release again.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, USA: boutique audio company Black Lion Audio is proud to introduce Revolution 2×2 — its inaugural entry into the hotly contested bus-powered, portable audio interface market as an appropriately- named (2 x 2 USB-C) studio-grade (24-bit/192 kHz) desktop model of its own making, representing revolutionary analogue design thanks to the top-tier sound of large, high-end converters costing thousands of dollars now being available in a hand-sized product that does not break the bank.
Black Lion Audio has long since been revered as the ‘king of audio mods’ having modded countless audio interfaces over the years. Yet it has been asked when it would be creating its own audio interface from the outset. On the face of it, its opening gambit has been a long time in the making, having planned, engineered, and worked on it in secret — for years. Indeed, it takes time to truly revolutionise bus-powered, studio-grade audio interface design, and Revolution 2×2 represents the revolutionary result! Simply speaking, the most revolutionary thing to note about Revolution 2×2 is the quality of its sound — the top-tier sound of large, high-end converters costing thousands of dollars now being available in a hand-sized product that does not break the bank. Better still, Revolution 2×2 readily utilises Black Lion Audio’s new Macro-MMC clocking technology, based on its numerous clocking products and modifications; Macro- MMC’s circuit implementation brings converters to new heights — well beyond what has been witnessed with other audio interfaces anywhere near its class. Clearly with that in mind, the boutique audio company creator also assembled its finest AD/DA (Analogue-Digital/ Digital-Analogue) converter technology to provide Revolution 2×2 users with record-making power previously unobtainable in an audio interface that is so small and affordable.
Additionally, Revolution 2×2 internally integrates Black Lion Audio’s PG-i technology, based on its extensive experience in engineering its best-in-class power conditioners, with all power rails being highly filtered in every active stage — something not found even in the most well-respected, high-end products! Put it this way: with power being decoupled across all of Revolution 2×2’s circuitry — preamps, converters, internal power supply, and even the clock, any noise contamination from other devices plugged into the audio interface itself is discernibly reduced.
However, hi-fi digital design alone does not cut it; indeed, it takes serious analogue circuitry for facilitating the very best capture and playback of audio. As such, Revolution 2×2 is built with the most cutting-edge, high-end ICs (Integrated Circuits) with high-end Vishay, Nichicon, and Wima capacitors being used. Ultimately, all internal gain-staging has been optimised for the very lowest signal-to-noise ratio and all analogue I/O connections have not only been built with the finest components but are also fully decoupled and balanced — right to the very core of the converter! Most manufacturers do not follow this practice, failing to prevent extra noise contamination during both audio capture and playback as a direct result.
Revolutionary audio interfaces need serious software to provide an adjunct to today’s DAW-driven workflow. With its included Revolution Software Suite, Revolution 2×2 far from fails to deliver, starting with Studio One Artist — the cutting-edge DAW for all production needs from PreSonus. And as if that alone was not enough to be getting on with, Black Lion Audio has helpfully included select plug-ins from Brainworx (bx_digital — the hi-fi, mastering EQ of the future), iZotope (Elements — includes Nektar, Neutron, Ozone, and RX8, so everything needed to repair, mix, and master audio), and Plugin Alliance (Lindell Audio 6X-500 — hardware-modelled preamp and passive EQ). It is fair to say, then, that Revolution 2×2 is not simply another run-of-the-mill audio interface from ‘big brother’ but rather it is the audio interface the world has always asked for — albeit a world still somewhat affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Revolution 2×2 will begin shipping in February 2021 but initial supply will be constrained due to the shortage of the premium components chosen by our engineers for this interface.” So states Black Lion Audio Chief Operations Officer Preston Whiting, before adding: “We could have subbed in alternative parts for the sake of speed but the sound would have been compromised and we refuse to do anything that negatively affects the experience of our customers or audio quality of our products.”
Revolution 2×2 will begin shipping through Black Lion Audio’s growing global network of dealers/distributors with a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) of $399.00 USD and an SSP (Suggested Selling Price) of €399.00 EUR (excluding VAT) in February. For more in-depth information, please visit its dedicated webpage.
An ARC copy was provided by Netgalley and Bantam Press (Random House UK, Transworld Publishers) in exchange for an honest review. I’ve written the review as spoiler free as possible.
The Stranger Times is a very enjoyable and engrossing read. It has an excellent mix of personalities with good character development, a plot that moves at a good pace and it keeps you guessing with twists and turns along the way.
It’s an intriguing story which opens with the protagonist, Hannah, down on her luck. Her dream interview has gone very badly wrong and now she’s faced with attending a back up interview she never intended to need and accordingly has done no preparation.
First impressions aren’t great, she’s late and a man is threatening to throw himself out of a window above. He’s engaged in conversation with another man and it turns out the pair are two reporters for the Stranger Times.
The Stranger Times is very aptly named, everything about it appears strange or weird. Or maybe both. The paper is based in a former church and features a host of misfit characters which all seem to get along and create content for the newspaper and get it published on time.
Vincent is the editor, he’s loud, brash, old-fashioned and very difficult to work for; Ox and Reginald Fairfax the Third are reporters; The enigmatic teenager Stella; Manny who runs the press and lives in the basement; Simon who wants to be a reporter but isn’t allowed inside the building and Grace the office manager who holds it all together.
I found myself questioning how The Stranger Times managed to keep going and this becomes apparent as the story develops. The Stranger Times finds itself at the center of a story so out there that even it probably wouldn’t publish. Moretti is a great character, particularly odious and despicable taking a greater role as the plot progresses, weaving occult and conspiracy threads. I like how the plot manages to maintain a balance between these themes and maintain credibility, it’s a difficult balance to achieve. The plot also has a rounded and balanced ending which ties all of the threads together really well.
Not quite sure how this review didn’t get published at the time, it somehow slipped through.
The album was released in 2017 and there have been a few releases since so it’s a great way to discover the music of The Hunted Hare.
The Hunted Hare is the guitar oriented recording project of Dennis Kane, a Washington DC based composer, musician and audio engineer.
Nothing is Always is a superb album. I love how the arrangements are minimal but expertly done so that everything has its own place. It’s a captivating sound, contemplative and reflective with a cinematic feel at times.
Intro
There’s a slightly ominous feel to the opening leading into a minimal / sparse feel with a tolling bell and strings.
The Holy Warriors of Spain
Bassline gives momentum which contrasts against the sparser strings. A brilliant arrangement, it’s a pensive, reflective song.
Restraint and Then Relapse
A lovely opening guitar arpeggio and riff, a great interplay between the two creating a reflective and captivating song with an edge of tension to end.
My Blind Empire
A beautiful soundscape from delayed guitar and an evolving string / pad sound.
Anchorite
Solemn deep strings and bass to open, this is another contemplative song with a great flow and just an edge of tension at times.
A Lullaby (Of Sorts)
Another reflective song, a superb arrangement of sparse bass accompanied by a melody.
Magic Circle
An edgy feel to the opening with delayed guitar riff and lead line which creates a great tension. The song has a lonesome feel at times, an edgy vibe.
Mild Horses
Another reflective song, a contemplative feel from bass and slow strings.
Just Beneath The Surface
Delayed guitar to open, I really like the interplay between guitar parts creating a feeling of hope and anticipation.
Malleus
A synth arp to open contrasts against emerging background strings. As the arp fades, a guitar enters and the song takes on a soundscape quality, its an excellent ambience.
Introduction Eventide have released a plug-in version of the classic modulated tremolo effect Undulator whilst simultaneously making a commitment to social justice. “Eventide Audio is committed to supporting the fight against systemic racism and violence,” the company stated. “We hope that you will join us by listening, learning, and taking action. We embrace diversity and seek equality, justice, inclusion, and dignity for all. We stand in unity with the Black community and will take action by donating to organizations that support justice and social change. Eventide will be donating 100% of the proceeds of the Undulator desktop plug-in to the Equal Justice Initiative & NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.”
Undulator for Mac and PC supports VST, AAX, and AU plug-in protocols for compatibility with every DAW and is priced at an MSRP of $19. The iOS version of Undulator, which works as a standalone app, AudioUnit v3 plug-in, or Inter-App Audio effect, is priced at $7.99.
For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated Undulator webpage.
Overview Undulator, a magical tremolo from Eventide’s iconic H3000 Harmonizer® effects processor, provides a unique rhythmic effect by combining ethereal feedback and detuned echoes which are fed through an AM / FM modulated tremolo. Whether used for manipulating samples or adding movement to strings, pads, guitars, and keys, Undulator is a muse for creative musicians. The plug-in is available for Mac, PC and iOS.
By manipulation of a multi-tap delay and powerful tremolo, Undulator’s controls give any sound sustain and shape. The plug-in excels at transforming ordinary synths, keys, guitars, and even vocals into evolving pads. It’s also perfect for creating tempo-synched production elements, time-lapsed dreamy soundscapes and otherworldly and fluctuant delays. Simply put, Undulator can make shorter sounds into longer layered effects and give sustaining sounds shape and rhythmic character.
Eventide’s Ribbon control lets users fluidly sweep Undulator’s effect between two completely different settings of any combination of controls. Ribbon allows desktop users to plug in a MIDI keyboard and gain tactile control of Undulator via the mod wheel. Changing the rate and depth of your tremolo for a “ramping up” sweep or sequence becomes very simple with this intuitive performance macro. Ribbon can also be used to morph tremolo patterns into vacillating and varying rhythmic territories – effective for calling attention to synth pads and creating a state of flux or rarity, which is otherwise arduous to achieve.
In-depth Review Undulator is the latest H9 Series effect. I’ve previously reviewed MangledVerb, Ultratap and Blackhole. If you’ve used any of these effects then you’ll instantly feel at home.
Undulator has a clear, well defined interface. The control knobs are large and allow easy adjustment of the controls to shape your sound as desired.
The top part of the display contains the menu where you can load / save presets; compare current settings with the last saved or used preset; enable the ‘mixlock’ which locks the mix settings and uses this value for every preset you load and access the user manual.
The input and output levels are shown on the left and right of the display respectively. Each has a VU meter above and there’s a sticky overload indicator that remains lit when there’s an overload suggesting you need to adjust levels.
The controls are pretty self explanatory;
Mix is the dry/wet setting. This control has a non-linear taper which puts most of the knob travel in the most usable range.
Depth is the tremelo sweep range.
Speed determines the rate of the tremelo unless Envelope or ADSR is elected for the Shape parameter when modulation is driven by the amplitude of the audio input and Speed becomes a Sensitivity control.
Shape selects the shape/source of the tremolo with choices of Sine, Triangle, Peak, Random, Ramp, Square, Sample and Hold, Envelope, or ADSR. Envelope tracks the envelope of the incoming signal, while ADSR uses the incoming source’s envelope to trigger a predetermined ADSR envelope under the hood. In addition, the Ribbon can be chosen as a source although Ribbon mappings for all knobs are disabled in this mode because the algorithm is reading directly from the Ribbon.
Feedback controls the amount of feedback in the delay structure.
Spread controls the amount of detuning in the delay structure.
Mod depth amount controls the amount of modulation of the tremolo’s Depth parameter from the secondary LFO. This is analogous to AM (Amplitude Modulation) of the tremolo.
Mod speed amount controls the amount of modulation of the tremolo’s Speed parameter from the secondary LFO. This is analogous to FM (Frequency Modulation) of the tremolo.
Mod rate controls the secondary LFO rate. Effectively this determines how fast the Mod Depth Amount and Mod Speed Amount ”wiggle” their targets. The range is from 1/8 to 8X the Speed value. If Envelope or ADSR is selected as the Source, the modulation is driven by the amplitude of the audio input and the Speed Amt control becomes a Sensitivity control.
Mod source controls the secondary LFO modulation shape/source. The choices are: Sine, Triangle, Peak, Random, Ramp, Square, Sample and Hold, Envelope, or ADSR. Envelope tracks the envelope of the incoming signal, while ADSR uses the incoming source’s envelope to trigger a predetermined ADSR envelope under the hood. In addition, the Ribbon can be chosen as a source although Ribbon mappings for all knobs are disabled in this mode because the algorithm is reading directly from the Ribbon.
Tempo sync has 3 settings. When off, the pre-delay is set in ms. When in sync mode, the amount will sync to your host DAW tempo or you can set it manually as required.
The bottom part of the display contains the performance controls.
The Ribbon is an innovative feature designed to emulate hardware. You can program left and right ranges and morph between them with the ribbon which looks like an electric arc.
It’s as simple as clicking on the white dot at the tip of any knob control and dragging it to the desired setting for the left hand side of the ribbon. This will program the knob and draw a blue arc from the initial knob position to the new, programmed knob position. To adjust the knob position for the right side of the Ribbon, click on the blue dot at the opposite side of the arc and adjust it to the desired position for the right side of the Ribbon. You can adjust the Ribbon programming by grabbing the dots at either end of the arc and adjusting them to the desired position. To delete programming, right click on either of the dots.
Alternatively, press the button on the left or right side of the Ribbon, and then move any knob to its desired Ribbon position for that side. The Ribbon programming can be cleared for all knobs by right clicking the button on either side of the Ribbon.
Additionally, the Ribbon is programmed to follow MIDI Continuous Control (CC) #1 messages so you can for example use the Modulation Wheel on a MIDI device to control the ribbon.
Active turns the effect on and off. It can be toggled via MIDI Continuous Control (CC) #2 messages. It will toggle when the CC goes from low (value < 64) to high (value >= 64).
Slow / Fast toggles the slow mode on and off. Holding the switch down engages a brake mode that slows the LFOs at a constant rate and pauses the tremolo until the switch is released. Slow/Fast can be controlled via MIDI Continuous Control (CC) #3 messages. It will toggle when the CC goes from low (value < 64) to high (value >= 64)..
Tap If Tempo Sync is in Off mode, repeatedly pressing Tap will update the tremolo’s Speed value. If Tempo Sync is in Manual mode, pressing Tap will update the tempo value. If Tempo Sync is in Sync mode, pressing Tap does nothing. Tap can be controlled via MIDI Continuous Control (CC) #4 messages. Tap is triggered when the CC goes high (value >= 64), and will return to the off state when the CC is low (value < 64).
Retrigger will re-sync tremolo and secondary modulation LFOs to the beginning of their cycles.
Conclusions This really is a win-win situation. You’re getting an awesome Eventide effect for only $19 and not only that, all proceeds are going to a very worthy cause.
It’s a superb effect. Not only does it do typical tremelo effects but the modulation options and multi-tap delays allow you to create some very interesting pad and soundscape effects. As well as automation to add subtle or more extreme movement, you can use the ribbon to morph between different effect settings for live performance.
I’ve used it extensively on the track embedded at the top of the post, using it on the guitar, pad, bass and vocals. I’ve used it to add depth and rhythmic qualities to the guitar; subtle rhythmic movement to the pad; with a delay on the bass to create a pulsing effect; with a reverb on the vocals to create a floaty, ethereal feel.
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