I’m pleased to announce that we just released Audio Damage’s latest product, Dr. Device. Dr. Device features a new multi-mode filter with a gorgeous-sounding (if I may say so myself) four-pole low-pass mode, a stereo delay based on our highly successful delay algorithm used in Ronin and DubStation, and an exotic multi-node XYZ pad controller with built-in automation and momentum. It’s available here now.
Category: Audio Damage
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Sonic State Gets Cute
There’s a website called Sonic State which covers music-tech news, product releases, stuff like that. They have discussion forums also. I’ve never paid much attention to it but sometimes I watch their videos from trade shows. They tend to do strange things like run press releases for completely insignificant events, particularly things having to do with Roland. On the other hand, they’ve never printed the press releases that Audio Damage has sent to them. We have no idea why; typically news-oriented sites are eager for material to post. Eventually Chris stopped sending them stuff altogether since it seemed to be a waste of effort.
Cloner of a Lonely Heart
I’m going to interrupt my Japan coverage to mention that one of the things in the stack of mail awaiting us at home was the latest issue of Computer Music magazine. In it is an article about pitch shifting, starting with the old Harmonizers and going through the current crop of intelligent harmony-effects plug-ins. There is some nice coverage of Audio Damage’s Discord, which is appropriate since Discord is the best (and pretty much only) plug-in for creating Harmonizer-like effects. The original version of Discord was a near clone of the H910 Harmonizer; the current version includes the same stuff as the first but has a lot of other nifty features as well. The article nicely describes how Discord can be used to reproduce some of the most famous examples of Harmonizer-based timbres, such as Prince’s snare sound and the guitar solo in Yes’s “Owner of a Lonely Heart”.
Praise for Replicant
The new issue of Computer Music magazine just arrived in my mailbox. In it is a very positive review of Replicant, Audio Damage’s latest product. The reviewer practically gushes about it, gives it a 10 out of 10 score, and concludes by saying “consider it the first essential purchase of 2007.” It’s a tidy coincidence that it’s also our first product of 2007. Replicant is also mentioned in the cover-story article on remixing.
Also notable in this issue is the inclusion of a free version of the excellent Zebra soft synth, created by Urs Heckmann. Urs makes plug-ins that both look and sound excellent, so it’s quite a treat for CM users to get a version of his flagship product for free.
Video of Monodeck II
Here’s a rather poorly shot video of Robert Henke playing his Monodeck II:
It’s too bad that the camera operator doesn’t figure out until the last minute that all he really needs to do is point the camera straight down at the thing, but still, it’s an exciting look at one of the most impressive DIY music electronics projects that I know of. Robert mentions on his site that there’s more video forthcoming.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, Robert Henke is one of the founding, and now sole, members of the minimal-techno electronic music act Monolake. The other member was Gerhard Behles; Gerhard left Monolake to write Live, which has become an extremely successful digital-audio workstation application. Live is also my favorite host application for developing and testing Audio Damage plug-ins, and I listen to a fair amount of Monolake while doing so. The Monodeck II is a one-of-a-kind hardware control surface designed and built by Robert and some of his friends for doing live performances with Live.
Trophies for Audio Damage!
UPS delivered two packages today containing award trophies for Audio Damage products. One is for “Best Software Value” for the 914 Filter Bank, awarded by Remix Magazine; the other is for “Download of the Year” for an unspecified selection of our plug-ins, awarded by Electronic Musician Magazine. Chris was going to pick these up in person at the awards dinner at NAMM but couldn’t get out of Oregon because of the bad weather, so he had the magazines ship them here to the Audio Damage R&D Division, Rocky Mountain Facility.
Audio Damage Announces Replicant
I’m pleased to announce that we just released our latest product. Replicant is a real-time beat slicer and loop mangler with automatic filters and panning and a host of randomization features. Click here to reach the product page on the Audio Damage website.
Audio Damage Plug-in Bundle Available from Cakewalk
Cakewalk, long-time and well-known vendors of music software, is selling a bundle of Audio Damage plug-ins during the holiday season. You can pick up the package of Reverence, DubStation, and Phase Two for a discounted price. The relevant website is here. I believe that this offer is only available to registered Cakewalk customers, and that only the Windows versions are offered.
On a related note, I’ve been having a good deal of fun with their Rapture synthesizer plug-in. It’s worth checking out if you haven’t done so already. Its website is here.
Discord 2 Reviewed In Future Music Magazine
I just found out that Future Music ran a very positive review of Discord 2 in their August issue. The author almost gushes about the plug-in, and bestows upon it their Platinum and Value Awards. It’s also the longest and most in-depth review of Discord 2 that I’ve read.
I do have to wonder about the introduction, though. It’s almost completely fictional. Maybe the author wrote it at the pub after a couple of pints? For the record, Discord wasn’t our first product and Audio Damage was quite well-established by the time we released it.
More Audio Damage Coverage in Computer Music Magazine
Yes, it’s been a busy week for AD. Response to Reverence has been amazing, for which we are extremely grateful. Yesterday the new issue of Computer Music arrived in my mailbox, and besides sporting Chris’s lovely half-page ad for Reverence, we were surprised and very pleased to discover it contained a nice review of Discord 2. They gave it a score of 9 out of 10, little badges for Performance and Value For Money, and said this in summary: “Another useful, addictive and downright inspiring effect from The Damage. Sack off a night down the pub and use the money to buy it.” Thanks, folks!