Monthly Archives: November 2020

Splice Originals Memory Palace” Bedroom Pop WAV MIDI FXP

By | November 4, 2020

Splice Originals Memory Palace" Bedroom Pop WAV MIDI FXP

Splice Originals Memory Palace Bedroom Pop

Harnessing the bedroom pop ethos of making the most of what you have, multi-instrumentalist and sound designer Ben Bromley channeled his inner 1990s pre-teen.

He sampled a late 1980s Yamaha PSS synth that used the Yamaha YM3812 chip (the first chip to make FM synthesis affordable to the masses) and built Serum presets with its wavetables.

With this starting point, the pack builds on 20 years of homebrew music history from the mid-90s hip hop and dream pop through millennial indie and vaporwave. It includes a meticulously crafted set of home percussion samples and selects from his dusty old hard drive.

The results offer everything you’d want from synthwave, indie rock, lo-fi beats, and bedroom pop. Inspired by the likes of Tycho, Teendaze, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, and Mac Demarco, these sounds are nostalgic while offering a unique perspective with a modern feel.

190 Loops
102 One SHots

Links

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EarthMoments Maasai Tribal Textures & Vocals WAV

By | November 4, 2020

EarthMoments Maasai Tribal Textures & Vocals WAV

EarthMoments Maasai Tribal Textures & Vocals WAV

EarthMoments presents Maasai Tribal Textures – a unique collection of traditional tribal vocals and rhythmic textures recorded on location with the remote Maasai tribe of Tanzania.

The bundle showcases an eclectic selection of high quality field recordings that capture the unique and exotic timbres, tones and melodies of this secluded tribal community.

Contained in the bundle are very RAW sounds and recordings – traditional music of the Maasai tribe coming together over the years with the Christian influence of the region. These rare vocal samples are exotic in nature, but created with familiar patterns and rhythmic textures that make them easy to integrate into any production. The diverse loops and sounds draw on a variety of traditional Maasai musical motifs – including the call and response vocal pattern where the olaranyani singer leads the melody, with a chorus of vocalists singing the harmonies. The unique rhythms of Maasai music – including time signatures that are variations on 5/4, 6/4 and 3/4 – are also captured in the bundle, as well as various elements unique to the Maasai tribe – such as the use of drone polyphony, and a diverse variety of vocal sounds, screams, and aural textures. The Maasai traditionally don’t use instruments in their music with the exception of the kudu horn used in certain songs, and bells and rattles occasionally used by the women as an accompaniment to their singing – elements that are also featured as part of the bundle.

The bundle as a whole has been tailor made to fit a vast variety of genres and production styles – from acoustic to electronic, experimental to ambient, and has been recorded on field by EarthMoments audio engineers with over 20 years of experience. The colourful and exotic nature of the samples also makes them apt for any producer looking for inspiration before starting a composition, or looking to add an unconventional touch to their productions.

  • 24 Bit Quality
  • 1.04Gb
  • 3 Female Choir Loops 123bpm
  • 14 Female Vocal Samples
  • 30 Kids Choir & Clap Loops 112bpm
  • 8 Male Vocal Samples
  • 12 Vocal One shots
  • 5 Vocal Songs (34 Files)
  • 11 Spiritual Choir Samples
  • 30 Tribal Chant Loops
  • 23 Tribal Rhythm Vocal Loops 103bpm
  • 29 Tribal Rhythm Vocal Loops 123bpm

The pack contains only vocals and vocal textures samples. Other instruments used in the demo track are not included.

Links

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EarthMoments Tribal Vocals FX WAV

By | November 4, 2020

EarthMoments Tribal Vocals FX WAV

EarthMoments Tribal Vocals FX WAV

EarthMoments presents an amazing pack of tribal vocals FX from the indian ocean countries (such as: India, Indonesia, Reunion, Madagascar, Mauritius), Balkan and the middle east.

This unique package presents a mix of west and east, acoustic and digital, organic and synthetic pasted and processed to fit perfectly into electro, tech, dubstep, trap, drum and bass, house productions or any production that needs that extra spice. This package of samples and loops comes in various forms to fit your production style and has been optimized with the closest attention to detail. Also included are all unprocessed (dry) samples that we recorded, in case you want to use the original source. Recorded at 96kHz using Class A preamps and Tube microphones at EarthMoments studio.

Please Note – The bundle contains only vocals samples. Other instruments used in the demo track are not included – Some of the dry samples are from previously released EarthMoments bundles.

24 Bit Quality
1.02Gb
553 Vocal Loops & Samples
Key & Tempo Labeled

Links

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EarthMoments Tribal Vocals FX Vol.2 WAV

By | November 4, 2020

EarthMoments Tribal Vocals FX Vol.2 WAV

EarthMoments Tribal Vocals FX Vol.2 WAV

EarthMoments presents Tribal Vocals FX Vol 02 – a colourful mosaic of traditional tribal vocals that have been digitally processed to give them a modern twist, offering producers a treasure trove of rare, cutting edge FX. These high quality samples have been recorded across Africa, Asia, the Balkans, and the Middle East, resulting in a diverse sample bank of avant-garde FX that capture the exotic timbres of these remote tribal communities.

An expressive tapestry of other worldly sounds, the collection combines traditional elements with new age digital technology to create a series of unique evocative FX and unique soundscapes. Vocoded tribal calls, haunting textures, starkly digitized rhythmic patterns characterize this exclusive bundle, seamlessly bringing together the worlds of organic and synthetic, analog and digital.

Created with familiar patterns, the samples can easily be integrated into several genres – from house to techno, drum n’ bass to trap, experimental to ambient music. The bundle also offers great starting points for producers looking to spark offbeat production ideas, or to add an innovative ethnic touch to their tracks.

Also included in the pack are all unprocessed (dry) samples – in case producers want to use the original source.

24 Bit Quality
774MB
48 Choir Loops
59 Effected Cut Out Loops
39 Effected Digitized Loops
30 Haunted Loops
69 Repitched Loops
50 Reved Loops
38 Rhythmic Loops
29 Rises Loops
43 Shponged Loops
37 Vocoded Loops

Links

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EarthMoments Hamsa Vol.1-2 Arabic Percussion WAV

By | November 4, 2020

EarthMoments Hamsa Vol.1-2 Arabic Percussion WAV

EarthMoments Hamsa Vol.1-2 Arabic Percussion WAV

EarthMoments presents a unique collection of Percussion inspired by beats and instruments of the Middle East and Arabic Culture.

The essential percussion package has been optimized with the closest attention to detail, staying true to the sound with about 300 authentic royalty free samples. This bundle library of Ethnic and ‘Oriental’ grooves contains a wide range of traditional and non traditional grooves and beats from various countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Yemen, Israel and Greece..

The bundle is divided by instrument and style of playing. Instruments:

Darbuka – Goblet shaped instrument, one of the most common and popular percussion instrument used in the middle east. It produces a resonant, low-sustain sound while played lightly with the fingertips and palm.

Doholla – A large goblet shaped instrument. It produces a deeper song with a lower sustain then the Darbuka. Doholla beats and patterns are usually based around the bass and deep tone of the instrument.

Rick – A type of a tambourine used in Arabic Music. Made out of a wooden frame, jingles and a thin translucent head made of goat skin. Style of playing: Maxum – Very popular Egyptian rhythm. The origin of many oriental grooves and songs. Maksoum is an extremely versatile rhythm – it can be played slow for classical Arabic music and fast for dancing.

Fox – A lively dance played on 2/4, commonly used in Turkish and Eastern Europe music.

Karatchi – Originaly from Pakistan. A fast rhythm used commonly in modern Egyptian and North African music.

Malfuf – Originally from Egypt and Lebanon. Fast 2/4 rhythm often played as an intro for classical orchestral compositions especially created for the belly dancer entrance and exit.

Masmudi – The Masmoud are a tribe from North Africa. A very basic rhythm is played in 8/4 in different variations made for solos, rolls and fills.

Falahi – Falaah means “country-folk” or “farmer” in Arabic. A very fast rhythm which is used in folk dancing, originally from Egypt.

6/8 (Moroccan) – The Moroccan style is very hypnotic. The patterns usually have an unusual swing, which creates a hypnotic repetitive quality.

Fusion – Arabic patterns mixed with a western feel, these patterns were made to fit in easily with western music while adding middle eastern spices.

24 Bit Quality
567Mb
26 Darbuka Maxum 110BPM Loops
25 Doholla Fox 120BPM Loops
24 Doholla Fusion 130BPM Loops
14 Doholla Karatchi 120BPM Loops
05 Doholla No Pitch 85BPM Loops
28 Doholla & Rick 208BPM 6.8 Loops
33 Doholla & Rick Falahi 100BPM Loops
29 Doholla & Rick Malfuf 126BPM Loops
40 Doholla & Rick Masmudi 135BPM Loops
42 Doholla & Rick Maxum 114BPM Loops
09 Rick Falhi 100BPM Loops
12 Rick Malfuf 126BPM Loops
08 Rick Maxum 114BPM Loops

EarthMoments presents Hamsa Vol. 02 – Arabic Percussion – an exploration into the mystical world of Oriental percussion and grooves from distant corners of the Middle East, North Africa, and Arabic musical traditions.

Extolled for its rhythmic complexity and rich diversity, Middle Eastern percussive traditions feature a variety of hand drums that form the mainstay of the practice. Included in the bundle are the Dumbek – a classic ‘goblet’ shaped drum with a deeply resonant sound; the Darbuka – also ‘goblet’ shaped, and said to be a modern variation of the Dumbek; and the Riq – a frame drum with 5 sets of cymbals, usually skinned with goat or fish skin. A journey into the esoteric, these rare loops and samples will add an unmistakably other-worldly touch to any production.

The bundle offers producers a broad spectrum of hypnotic grooves and unusual rhythmic patterns to choose from, traversing a range of traditional styles. These include:

Malfuf: Originating in Egypt and Lebanon, this fast rhythm is often played as an intro for classical orchestral compositions, especially created for a belly dancer’s entrance and exit.

Tsifteteli: This hypnotic rhythm is often used for the sensuous movements of the belly dancer – such as undulations of the torso, floor work, or when the dancer moves with snake like arms.

Baladi: An urban folk rhythmic style, a derivative of which is the Maqsoum rhythm – the most common rhythm in Arabic belly dance music.

Karachi: Originating in Pakistan, this is a fast rhythm commonly found in modern Egyptian and North African music.

24 Bit Quality
1.86GB
108 Darbuka Loops – 80-140bpm
219 Darbuka & Dumbek Loops – 80-140bpm
156 Darbuka, Dumbek & Riq Loops – 100-140bpm
132 Darbuka & Riq Loops 100-140bpm
114 Dumbek Loops 80-140bpm
152 Dumbek & Riq Loops – 100-140bpm
65 Riq Loops – 100-140bpm

Links

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Umlaut Audio Mesa WAV KONTAKT

By | November 4, 2020

Umlaut Audio Mesa WAV KONTAKT

Umlaut Audio Mesa WAV KONTAKT

MESA features pulses ranging organic to electronic to bring movement and drive to your scores.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Includes 50 Pulses with 90 stems to make your own!
  • Tailor-made for use in a variety of scoring situations.
  • Sounds range from dark, eerie moods to more aggressive textures
  • Global FX – Filter, Lo-Fi, Distortion, Solid EQ, Delay, Modulation, Convolution Reverb
  • Step sequencer for volume, pan and pitch

FULL VERSION of Kontakt version 5.5.2 or higher

Links

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EarthMoments World Drumkits Collection WAV

By | November 4, 2020

EarthMoments World Drumkits Collection WAV

EarthMoments World Drumkits Collection WAV

World Drumkits Collection bundles contains smooth sounding world music grooves and patterns played on a western drum kit.

Get access to a unique library of ethnic, Oriental, Balkan and African grooves. These patterns includes a wide range of traditional and non traditional grooves and beats, it includes many variations to each pattern that will allow you to get creative and spice up your production.

Tech Specs:

Available Formats: 44.1khz Wav

African Contains: Over 148 groove loops samples 24 bit / 44.1kHz, 148 loops, recorded in 96kHz using Class A microphones and preamps.

Balkan Contains: 168 loops and samples, 24 bit / 44.1kHz, 170 loops recorded in 96kHz using Class A microphones and preamps.

Oriental Contains: Over 170 groove loop and samples recorded in 96Khz using class A mics and preamps.

Links

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Kits Kreme Textures (FX Plugin) [WIN & MACOSX]

By | November 4, 2020

Kits Kreme Textures (FX Plugin)

Kits Kreme Textures (FX Plugin)

Textures is a sound design tool that gives you the ability to overlay your audio with dust, vinyl crackle, mechanical noise, tape noise, natural environments, soundscapes, & foley sounds.

With Textures you can instantly add character, life, and moods to your sounds. Effortlessly tweak presets with the built in EQ or re-create the characteristics of vintage turntables with the WOW flutter effect. Download the user manual below to learn more about the story of Textures.

75 Textures

Explore through 75 texture presets including: Foley Noise, Mechanical Noise, Tape Hiss, Soundscapes, Nature Environments, & Vinyl Crackles. With Textures you have access to a batch of exclusive preset textures.

EQ Panel

Textures comes with a built in High-Pass & Low-Pass EQ panel.

The EQ panel applies directly to your selected texture. This allows you to easily manipulate the sound to create a perfect blend over your audio.

Effect Panel

The effect panel features a WOW flutter effect and reverb effect.

The WOW flutter effect manipulates the pitch and speed of your selected texture. This effect was designed to emulate the nostalgic characteristics of vintage turntables.

SPECS:

Textures Included:

  • Foley
  • Mechanical
  • Nature
  • Soundscape
  • Tape
  • Vinyl

Knobs Included:

  • EQ Highpass
  • EQ Lowpass
  • WOW Rate
  • WOW Depth
  • Reverb
  • Master Volume

Unzipped Size: 1.13 GB (Mac) – 575MB (PC)
Recommended: 8GB of RAM – 3GB Drive Space

Supported Operating Systems:

Windows (64-bit)
Mac OS (64-bit)
Tested & Works In: All major DAWs excluding Pro Tools

Links

Digikitz Trap Genetic [WIN & MACOSX]

By | November 4, 2020

Digikitz Trap Genetic [WIN & MACOSX]

Digikitz Trap Genetic [WIN & MACOSX]

Trap Genetic is our next virtual instrument compatible for both Windows and Mac.

Contains 70+ freshly created presets inspired by Trippie redd, lil Pump and Dababy melodic trap productions.
New sounds. New Flavor. New Sauce.

Trap Genetic contains amazing effects like Reverb, Delay, Chorus and Flanger.

Sounds Categories

808
Bells
Basses
Keys
Leads
Pads
Plucks

Links

Vandalism Ultra Vocals Sample Packs Mega Bundle

By | November 4, 2020

Vandalism Ultra Vocals Sample Packs Mega Bundle

Vandalism Ultra Vocals Sample Packs Mega Bundle

Vandalism is a ground-breaking label from Europe and has quickly become the preset maker of choice for stars including Armin van Buuren, Martin Garrix, R3HAB, Dannic, Thomas Gold, Jay Hardway, Max Vangeli, and a whole host of other A-Listers. Specialised in synthesizer sounds, VSTi patches and sample packs for producers of styles including House, Electro, Trance, Dubstep , and much more, their fresh content made by hard-working sound designers is set to become an innovation in the music industry. Find out why many of the industry’s most famous artists continue to use Vandalism sounds in their productions.

This collection includes 43 sample packs:

  • Ultra Bass House Vocals
  • Ultra Chillout Vocals
  • Ultra Dance Vocals
  • Ultra Deep House Vocals
  • Ultra Deep House Vocals 3
  • Ultra Deep House Vocals 5
  • Ultra Future Bass Vocals
  • Ultra Future Bass Vocals 2
  • Ultra Future Bass Vocals 3
  • Ultra Future Bass Vocals 4
  • Ultra Future Bass Vocals 5
  • Ultra Future Bass Vocals 6
  • Ultra Future Bounce Vocals
  • Ultra Future Pop Vocal Loops
  • Ultra Future Pop Vocals
  • Ultra Future Pop Vocals 2
  • Ultra Future Pop Vocals 3
  • Ultra G-House Vocals
  • Ultra G-House Vocals 2
  • Ultra House Vocals
  • Ultra House Vocals 3
  • Ultra Modern Vocals
  • Ultra Moombahton Vocals
  • Ultra Pop Vocals
  • Ultra Pop Vocals 2
  • Ultra Pop Vocals 3
  • Ultra Pop Vocals 4
  • Ultra Progressive House Vocals
  • Ultra Trap Vocals
  • Ultra Trap Vocals 2
  • Ultra Tropical House Vocals
  • Ultra Tropical House Vocals 2
  • Ultra Tropical House Vocals 3
  • Ultra Tropical House Vocals 5
  • Ultra Tropical House Vocals 6
  • Ultra Tropical House Vocals 7
  • Ultra Tropical House Vocals 8
  • Ultra Tropical House Vocals 9
  • Ultra Vocals
  • Ultra Vocals 2
  • Ultra Vocals 3
  • Ultra Vocals 4
  • Ultra Vocals 5

100% Royalty-Free.

9.42 GB of uncompressed content.

Links

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Ava Music Group PRISM – Modern Pop Drums For KONTAKT

By | November 4, 2020

Ava Music Group - Prism - Modern Pop Drums For KONTAKT

Ava Music Group PRISM – Modern Pop Drums For KONTAKT

PRISM’s revolutionary interface gives musicians and music producers the power of incredible electronic percussion performance on their own terms. Easy access to a virtual endless array of drum options means you’ll spend less time searching for sounds and more time making the most of your music.

PRISM Modern Pop Drums for KONTAKT

  • 11 Official Demos
  • 21 Kicks
  • 8 Toms
  • 33 Snares
  • 17 Claps
  • 28 Hi-Hats (Open and Closed)
  • 3 Cymbals
  • 5 Shakers
  • 22 Foley Sounds
  • 42 Drum Loops
  • 16 Hi-Hat Loops
  • 16 FX
  • Source Materials (Acoustic and electro samples)

Focus on quality over quantity – all the samples have passed the test of time. They were used in tracks cumulating over 100 millions of views. (mostly pop records and notably the Shazam and LEGO 2 trailer).

With PRISM, you’ll never get lost down the rabbit hole when it comes to trying to find the perfect drum sound. Every sound in the engine has been expertly mixed and produced to give producers and performers at every experience level tools to create studio-quality music instantly.

IMPORTANT NOTE : PRISM Modern Pop Drums requires the full version of Kontakt 5.5.2.880 or higher (the patches will not run in the free Kontakt Player). However You can also use the samples independently as wave files if you don’t use the Kontakt Player.

Audio Files recorded and processed at 48kHz 24bit

Links

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Splice Originals Lofi Dub Reggae feat. Ranking Joe WAV

By | November 4, 2020

Splice Originals Lofi Dub Reggae feat. Ranking Joe WAV

Splice Originals Lofi Dub Reggae feat. Ranking Joe WAV

Much like its people, music from the Caribbean is always moving. Always being experimented and iterated on, always morphing into the next thing that’s going to pave a path for Western pop genres to follow. Dub is no different. The subgenre grew out of reggae music in 1960s Jamaica, pioneered by King Tubby, Ruddock, Lee Scratch Perry, and Errol Thompson.

Dub was one of the earliest forms of electronic music. The style consists of partial or complete instrumental remixes of existing recordings achieved by manipulating and reshaping them. This is typically done through the removal of some or all vocals, adding emphasis on the rhythm section (the stripped-down drum-and-bass track is sometimes referred to as a riddim), the application of studio effects such as echo and reverb, and the occasional dubbing of vocal or instrumental snippets from the original version or other works.

Each layer of this pack was meticulously performed and recorded to create a whole vibe. Once we had bass grooves in place layered with keys and guitars, Ranking Joe joined the studio to lay down his vocals. Then we added more instruments including horn arrangements. Every single audio file was processed in some way through the Roland Space Echo, which is an essential part of the dub sound. Our goal was to transport those who visit these sounds back to the legendary Studio One days. The result is a deep-dive study of the classic dub sound.

244 Loops
139 One SHots

Links

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Future Bounce Super Pack 2 WAV MIDI PRESETS

By | November 4, 2020

Future Bounce Super Pack 2 WAV MIDI PRESETS

Future Bounce Super Pack 2 WAV MIDI PRESETS

We are is back with the final chapter of the immense popular Future Bounce samplepack series: Future Bounce Superpack 2.

We added more and better samples, melodies, ideas to the pack; We also added more stems in the kits, also Wet/ Dry/ Sidechained and Non Sidechained Stems.

This is the last and best Future Bounce samplepack we did this year sofar.

Everything is royalty free!

Future Bounce Superpack 2 Contains:

• 6 Construction Kits
• Wet / Dry/ SC and No-SC Stems
• 20 Drumloops
• 35 MIDIS
• 37 Drum One Shots
• 30 Sylenth Presets
• 22 Spire Presets
• 8 Serum Presets
• Total: 440 files

*Other genres that this package may be useful in:

• Electro House

Links

Demo Preview:

Opacity II – Boutique Cinematic Guitars KONTAKT

By | November 4, 2020

Opacity II - Boutique Cinematic Guitars KONTAKT

Opacity II – Boutique Cinematic Guitars KONTAKT

Opacity II is a boutique collection of Cinematic Guitar and professional six string performances that will work across Film, TV, Sound Design, Documentaries, Games, Film Trailers, Commercials and Contemporary Cinematic and Ambient music.

The library provides deeply manipulable guitar sounds that are endlessly diverse and expressive.
From nice & rich atmospheres, to percussive rhythms, beautiful harmonics, lead licks, phrases, sequence loops, ensembles, and shimmering stretched out atmospheres.

Created and performed by the Washington DC based duo Terre Grande, specializing on epic cinematic music and achieving a unique blend of sounds from the quietest moments of dawn, to the clashing loudness of a huge waterfall.

Terre Grande partner with Audiomodern to deliver a unique virtual instrument that is reflective of the amazing earth surrounding us. The unique playing style captured showcases the Electric guitar in its natural beauty, featuring percussive rhythms, beautiful phrases, lead licks, hammer hits, ensembles, and textured atmospheres.

About the Engine

Hosted on a unique new engine that is aimed towards composition and in-studio performance providing maximum flexibility as a professional composition module.

The engine contains:

· 14 complete Sessions, plus three variations, where each session
· 4 groups of Loop performances and tonal elements such as Chords, Phrases, Sequences and Melodic Textures.

Each of the Sessions in Opacity contains multiple song sections/variations and gives you the freedom to use any of the different parts of the sessions or ncrease complexity by adding complimentary guitar parts.

element inside a Session is provided in a way that enables unlimited mix & match combinations to craft each Session in a different way. The Engine provides the ability for each sound/performance to be played as is, on loop mode and/or quantization mode for flexible performance.

New Performance Mode is included with four different guitar tones. This module sampler section now acts like a playable instrument for live playing.

You can apply the full array of effects to tweak each preset or even create and save your own patches. Beautiful patterns, sultry tones, emotive licks, phrases and a wealth of next level chords. A unique Collection of Professional six string performances that will work across multiple genres.

Features

  • Optimized Functionality & Multi-Genre versatility
  • 6.2 Total GB of sounds (Compressed to 4.9 GB using NCW Lossless format)
  • Rearrange into an endless number of configurations.
  • Individual Effect Chain for each Group
  • 14 Complete Sessions & more than 800 Loop performances.
  • Custom convolution reverb impulse engine

System Requirements

  • OPACITY runs in the Full version of Kontakt or Free Kontakt player version 6.2.2 or higher.
  • Mac OS X 10.12 or later.
  • Windows 7 or later.
  • At least 5 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended), and 4 GB of free drive space.
  • Stable internet connection for digital delivery and activation is required.
  • Native Instruments software requires a minimum of OS X 10.10 or Windows 7.

Supporting NI’s Native Kontrol Standard. NKS allows Audiomodern products to work seamlessly with Komplete Kontrol keyboards and Maschine, letting you access snapshots and quickly dive into sound design with custom mapped control knobs.

Links


Samplecraze Active, Passive, Graphic, Parametric, Fixed & Peaking Eqs TUTORIAL

By | November 4, 2020

Samplecraze Active, Passive, Graphic, Parametric, Fixed & Peaking Eqs TUTORIAL

Samplecraze Active, Passive, Graphic, Parametric, Fixed & Peaking Eqs TUTORIAL

Active, Passive, Graphic, Parametric, Fixed and Peaking Eqs is a video tutorial that explains the differences between and the various equaliser topologies.

In music production, we are pretty lucky to have so many tools available to us and in the area of equalisation we are actually spoilt for choice. Understanding which equaliser to use for any given task is the first battle in selecting the right equaliser for the task in hand. There are so many types of equaliser topologies that it would be impossible to list them all here and offer detailed explanations as to how they work. However, I have made sure to include the most common types.

Passive EQs

These types of EQs have the distinction of being extremely simple in design and, more importantly, they cannot boost frequencies, only cut. The way they work is actually very much to do with perception. By cutting, for example, low frequencies (bass), they make the mid and high frequencies sound ‘louder’.

Passive EQs do have their uses. Although they are inflexible, they can perform reduction (cut or attenuation) tasks reasonably well. However, by their very nature, passive EQs, or filters, have to then have the signal boosted to compensate for the cut. This, in itself, introduces noise into the signal path, the noise coming from the amp used to boost the signal.

In terms of circuitry, passive equalisers place the equalisation circuits either before or after a fixed-gain amplifier — in which case the amp makes up for the inherent loss in the EQ circuit, effectively boosting the frequency range(s) that haven’t been cut.

Active EQs

Because of the limitations of passive EQs, most EQs are built around active filter circuits that use frequency selective components, together with a low noise amplifier.

Fixed Frequency EQ

Pretty self-explanatory, this EQ allows cut/boost of one or more frequencies. There are no additional controls over the usual components, like bandwidth, Q, etc.

Peaking EQ

A peaking EQ is an EQ that boosts a specific band of frequencies.

 Whereas a shelving filter has a shelf like curve, this filter has a bell-shaped curve. The Q setting determines the width of the bell, while boost or cut determines the height or depth of the bell.

Shelving Filter/EQ

A low-pass shelving filter passes all frequencies below its cut-off frequency but attenuates all frequencies above its cut-off frequency. Similarly, a high-pass filter passes all frequencies above its cut-off frequency but affects all frequencies below its cut-off frequency.

This is the simplest type of active EQ. This EQ can shape response in a number of ways: boost/cut low frequencies, boost/cut high frequencies.

It is also common for the filter slope to be 6 dB per octave. This allows for a gentler effect. The shape is shelf-like, so the boost or cut is progressive over a range. Filters do not have a no-effect at a frequency and then instantly jump and suddenly reappear at the next frequency. They have to get there somehow. The way, and by how much, they get there is called the gradient or slope. In the case of the shelving filter, the most common slope is 6 dB gain change per octave (doubling of the frequency). It takes time for the filter to attenuate frequencies, in proportion to the distance from the cut-off point. This is the slope.

Shelving filters are generally designed to apply equal gain changes beyond the shelving frequency and have controls for selecting the shelf, cut and boost.

Graphic EQ

A graphic equalizer is simply a set of filters, each with a fixed center frequency that cannot be changed.

The only control you have is the amount of boost cut or in each frequency band. This boost or cut is most often controlled with sliders. The sliders are a graphic representation of the frequency response, hence the name ‘graphic’ equalizer. The more frequency bands you have, the more control and accuracy you have over the frequency response.

A graphic equalizer uses a set of band-pass filters that are designed to completely isolate certain frequency bands.

Band-pass Filter

A filter that passes frequencies between two limits is known as a band-pass filter.

This is a great filter. It attenuates frequencies below and above the cut-off and leaves the frequencies at the cut-off. It is, in effect, a low-pass and a hi-pass together. The cool thing about this filter is that you can eliminate the lower and higher frequencies and be left with a band of frequencies that you can process in isolation.

Notch Filter – also know as Band Reject Filter

This is the exact opposite of the band-pass filter. It allows frequencies below and above the cut-off and attenuates the frequencies around the cut-off point.

Parametric

Invented by George Massenberg, this filter is one of the most commonly used today.

This filter controls three parameters, frequency, bandwidth, and gain. You select the range of frequencies you want to boost or cut, you select the width of that range and use the gain to boost or cut the frequencies, within the selected bandwidth, by a selected amount.

The frequencies not in the bandwidth are not altered. If you widen the bandwidth to the limit of the upper and lower frequencies ranges then this is called shelving. Most parametric filters have shelving parameters.

Quasi-parametric EQ

This is just another form of parametric EQ but without the bandwidth control.

Sweep EQ

This is very similar to a band-pass filter, but with variable center frequency, and no control over the width of the filter response (Q).

Paragraphic EQ

Another variation on the graphic EQ. This EQ provides control over the center frequency of each band.

Also regarded as a cross between the graphic and parametric EQs, this EQ offers multiple parametric peaking filters, where the gain of each is provided on a slider much like the graphic EQ.

In the Active, Passive, Graphic, Parametric, Fixed and Peaking Eqs video I cover all of the most common types of filters and explain how each type works. I show you how we can create different EQ responses by using the various filter types. Active and passive EQ types are covered in detail and I show you how to create the various filter types using digital equalisers.

Plugins used in this video:

  • Steinberg GEQ-30 Graphic EQ
  • Nugen SEQ-S
  • FabFilter Pro Q2
  • Softube Tube-Tech ME 1B
  • Softube Tube-Tech PE 1C
  • Softube Passive EQ
  • Softube Active EQ
  • PSP NobleQ
  • Softube Summit Audio EQF-100
  • SSL X-EQ

Topics covered in this video are:

  • Active, Passive, Graphic, Parametric, Fixed and Peaking Eqs
  • Differences between Active and Passive
  • How to use Graphic and Peaking EQs
  • What are Shelves and Slopes
  • Bandwidth (Q) and Resonance
  • Matching Slopes
  • Linear versus Minimum Phase
  • Filters
  • Full Range EQ
  • Tips and Tricks

Links