Category: Freeware

Stargate DAW Sample Pack contribution

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This is something I’ve been meaning to do since I heard about it, and finally got finished and sent. I have contributed a set of samples to the Stargate Sample Pack, which is described like so:

A properly open source, crowd sourced, free, royalty-free, attribution-free sample pack, designed for the common use-cases and a relatively small download size. Stargate DAW projects bundle the samples they use, but nearly all sample packs either do not allow redistributing samples, or have vague licensing that makes distributing samples questionable or difficult. This sample pack aims to create high quality samples, for free, that can be used by anybody for any purpose, without restriction.

My contribution includes drums, loops, some guitar noises, synthetic sound fx, and a few “found sounds.”

I mentioned the Stargate DAW in an update to the “Free Windows Studio” article, but in case you haven’t heard about it, it is described by the devs as “a DAW for everybody, regardless of socio-economic status,” and is designed to be “capable of running on all CPU architectures, past, present and future.” Though I haven’t found time to play with it much myself, I really like the idea, and I’m excited to be contributing in some small part to the project. You can read more about it (and how to contribute yourself if interested) here:

GitHub – stargateaudio/stargate-sample-pack

A properly open source, crowd sourced, free, royalty-free, attribution-free sample pack, designed for the common use-cases and a relatively small download size. Stargate DAW projects bundle the samples they use, but nearly all sample packs either do not allow redistributing samples, or have vague licensing that makes distributing samples questionable or difficult.

New plugin: NANDroid (noisebox synth)

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NANDroid is a noisebox synth based loosely on the TrigPulser module I built for my hardware Lunetta-style modular. As such, it shares some DNA with the “Loid’s Cousin” Reaktor ensemble as well, which also features a section based on that module. This plugin takes the idea in a slightly different direction though, with stuff like LFO’s and a filter.

You can get the plugin (in VST3i format) and hear audio demos at the VST plugins page.

Article: A Free Windows-Based Software Studio

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Several years ago, I wrote a similar article which gained some popularity due to getting “stickied” on KVR. I’d been thinking about doing an update for a while, and I was recently given some motivation to finish it by some folks posting in the old thread there and showing interest. The new article is now finished, and has been posted to the Articles page:

A Free Windows-Based Software Studio, 2021 Update

Particul released (Reaktor noisebox/sound generator)

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As previously mentioned, Particul is another noisebox/sound generator based around two noisy random-ish generators, each with lowpass and bandpass filters, which can then be run through a frequency shifter and delay. It has now been released, and is available from the Reaktor page on this site, or the NI Reaktor User Library.

Shapeulator installer issue fixed

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Thanks to KVR user Erisian for reporting this bug. There was a silly mistake in the installer which made it create the subdirectories for the presets twice, making them invisible to the plugin itself. This error has been fixed, so you can either uninstall it, download the updated installer (same link) and reinstall, or just move the presets from “C:\Users\[user name]\Documents\VST3 Presets\Kevin Breidenbach\FSA Shapeulator\Kevin Breidenbach\FSA Shapeulator” to just “C:\Users\[user name]\Documents\VST3 Presets\Kevin Breidenbach\FSA Shapeulator\”

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Shapeulator released

fstate

As previously noted, Shapeulator is a subtractive synth at its core, with a couple added bells & whistles. It is best at percussion, fx sounds, and other weirdness, and isn’t necessarily designed to sound “good” in the traditional sense, though it can do standard VA-style sounds too. This probably just won’t be your first choice for such things.

See the VST page for downloads and audio demos. Note that this one has an installer available to make it easier to get the presets where they need to be.

KVR DC ’21 entry: FourHead (VST3 plugin)

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FourHead screenshot

FourHead was developed for the 2021 KVR Developer Challenge, which is currently in the voting stage. It isn’t really a delay or granulator, though it lives in that realm. It’s based on an audio buffer which constantly records the input in chunks. This buffer is then read by four “play heads” which play it back as looped segments.

More info can be found on the VST page or the product page at KVR, where it can also be downloaded.

You must be a member of the KVR forums to vote, but anyone can download the entries.

New plugin: Spectral Destroyer

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Got back to messing around in SynthEdit again after several years, and here’s the first finished result. Spectral Destroyer is an audio-mangling/FSU plugin that uses spectral processing to do pitch and feedback-based effects. Audio demos and the plugin package itself can be downloaded from the Free VST page.

Spectral Destroyer screenshot

 

This plugin is released as freeware, but a donation would be much appreciated if you like it (link to upper right of this page).

The return of Noisebot

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Several years back, I released a VSTi called “Noisebot” under the “synthgeek” name. It was built in SynthEdit in the pre-64 bit days, so has become outdated.  SE can do 64-bit now, but Noisebot relied on some custom modules that aren’t available for the new version. I’ve been missing this one, so I decided to try to recreate it in Reaktor, with some success. There are some differences between this and the old version, but it does the same kinds of noisy things. You can find it on the Reaktor page here, or at NI’s Reaktor User Library.