IK Multimedia MixBox for iPad is now FREE, includes 8 essential effects

 

IK Multimedia has announced an update to its 500-series style MixBox plugin for iPad that lets you create your own custom channel strips.

Version 1.3 of MixBox for iPad is now free with up to 72 effects modules available derived from T-RackS, AmpliTube and SampleTank.

To get started, MixBox for iPad includes 8 essential effects: Flexi Amp, Channel Strip, Digital Delay, Distortion, Limiter, Filter Phaser, Chorus and Digital Reverb. If you need more, you can easily upgrade to the full version via in-app purchase.

As always, MixBox for iPad lets you create, compare and save your own custom channel strips or multiFX chains, or choose from over 600 presets* to give your creativity a kickstart.

Whether in your favorite DAW or stand-alone, MixBox for iPad combines a massive range of effects and powerful workflow to supercharge your mixes and now you can discover its power with no purchase required.

Changes in MixBox for iPad v1.3:

• MixBox for iPad is now a free app.
• Includes 30 presets and 8 starter effects: Flexi Amp, Channel Strip, Digital Delay, Distortion, Limiter, Filter Phaser, Chorus and Digital Reverb.
• Includes all features of MixBox for iPad (Sidechain compression requires compressors only available in the paid Full version).
• Upgrade to the full collection of 72 effects modules via in-app purchase.
• Previous users retain their purchase.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/index.php

Bitwig Circle: Free Virtual Guitarist Amber for Bitwig Studio users

 

Bitwig has announced a new promotion as part of its Bitwig Circle, offering the Virtual Guitarist Amber virtual instrument by UJAM for free for a limited time.

Amber is an acoustic session strummer plugin that provides warm and authentic steel-string acoustic guitar accompaniment.

This is an excellent solution for adding great-sounding acoustic guitar sounds to your Bitwig Studio productions. AMBER comes loaded with more than 50 styles and 600 phrases and just the right amount of control to tweak the sound to perfection.

Thanks to this time-limited offer, you get the plug-in for free (worth 129 USD/EUR). Log in to your Bitwig account to claim it now.

This offer is valid until December 21st, 2021, available to customers who own a Bitwig Studio or Bitwig Studio EDU license with an active upgrade plan.

https://www.bitwig.com/?AFFILIATE=119526&__c=1

Steinberg releases LoFi Piano free virtual instrument for HALion

 

Steinberg has announced the availability of a virtual instrument that delivers a beautiful low-fidelity sound for a different kind of production aesthetics.

Conceived and designed for sound designers, beatmakers, musicians and producers, LoFi Piano is based on an upright piano recorded with carefully selected microphones.

The warm characteristics provided by the microphones were processed to lend each music production a gritty blend of contemporary and vintage piano sounds. Also included are six effects, and presets for interesting chord progressions.

“Not only is LoFi Piano for free, but it’s also quite the outstanding instrument featuring unique piano sounds,” says Senior Marketing Manager Florian Haack. “We thought we’d like to give something back to the community, and we hope you like it!”

LoFi Piano features:

• Beautifully tape-saturated piano for HALion.
• 6 LoFi-inspired effects for tunes with a dusty ambience.
• Free LoFi keys for VST, AU and AAX hosts.
• The instrument is available for free by registering through the Steinberg website.

More information: https://www.steinberg.net/vst-instruments/lofi-piano/

King OZ Records releases DSPplug esquire3 free brickwall limiter plugin

 

King OZ Records has announced a new version in the Esquire limiter series. DSPplug Esquire3 features an improved algorithm combining LU and dBFS detection, so as to ensure real-time detection (LU with its lack of early bass results in slower detection).

The Esquire3 also sports a true peak limiter, this brick wall device will limit to -1.1 / 1.0 dBTP without failing. The result is a limiter with an attack and release that can sculpt sound, providing a smoothing effect.

Version 1.5 has been well tested and the GUI is coded and optimized in pure ruby and no graphic is moving faster than refresh/fps rate. The DSP has been heavily optimized and modified to avoid any clicks and pops during utilization (though when switching from one mode to the next, there will likely be a volume difference).

Quick and nimble and very professional sounding, the DSPplug CEO Robert E. Langford assures that this product is ready for professional application and will sound exactly like extremely expensive hardware, due to intensive testing and real-world application.

Version 1.5 is now available as a free download for Windows (64bit VST/VST3).

https://static.kvraudio.com/files/3802/dspplug_esquire_109.zip

P511 Synthesizer: Free 5U modular synth instrument for Kontakt

Yarra Audio has announced the release of its new Kontakt sample library P511, a free instrument that features the sounds of a 5U modular synthesizer.

P511 brings the beautiful analog tone from the raw analog oscillators combined with the convenience of a virtual instrument and expand its capabilities in a way where musicians wouldn’t be limited by pre-defined sounds, but have total freedom to manipulate and create their own soundscape by controlling the parameters on the instrument interface.

The instrument is laid out in a simple and logical way, which make it easy to understand its signal flow. Each module represent one of the building blocks of a classic subtractive synthesizer architecture.

Each oscillator has been carefully recorded from two distinct oscillators units and for that reason P511 keeps the characteristic of the original hardware.

Available for the full version of Kontakt 6.6.1 or higher, P511 is free to download from the Yarra Audio website.

Make sure to check the Freebies for Native Instruments Kontakt page for many more free downloads.

https://www.yarraaudio.com/shop/p/p511

Voxengo updates SPAN free spectrum analyzer plugin to v3.12

Voxengo has released an update to the SPAN free real-time “fast Fourier transform” audio spectrum analyzer plugin for Windows and Mac.

Version 3.12 adds a “Panel border” palette modifier, and all palettes have been updated to reduce “border” contrast. An existing palette may need to be reloaded for the change to be visible. Additionally ,the spectrum window’s sliders have been modified to look less contrasted.

SPAN provides you with a very flexible “mode” system which you can use to setup your spectrum analyzer preferences. You may specify Fourier block size in samples, FFT window overlap percentage, spectrum’s visual slope. Beside that you can choose to display secondary spectrum of a desired type (e.g. real-time maximum, all-time maximum). Spectrum can be smoothed out visually for an easier examination.

SPAN is free to download in VST/VST3, AU and AAX plugin formats at Voxengo and from distributor Plugin Boutique.

https://www.voxengo.com/product/span/

Xpander

 

Xpander is a combination of Stereo Widener, Unison Detuner, Chorus, Ensemble and EQ.

Expand your stereo image. Transform the lifeless thin sounds into warm and rich sounding tones. Mono to stereo, stereo to super-wide and everything in between.

The GUI is divided in 3 sections to keep it plain and simple. However not to be fooled by the simple looks, as it harnesses great power under the hood.

https://webshop.oz-soft.com/en/

Initial Clipper

 

Initial Clipper is a soft clipper which prevents your audio signal from going above zero decibels.  

It does this by smoothing the peaks with soft clipping starting from the threshold. The faster and higher the peaks the more you need to bring down the threshold to get a pleasing sound.  Initial Clipper comes with a very handy (and cool looking) peak display. Any peaks that enter the threshold area will have soft clipping applied, hence smoothing them out and taming the loudness.

We also added extra saturation. Because who doesn’t want more saturation!? The positive and negative saturation parameters allow you to add extra harmonic and non-harmonic saturation to your audio signal, this will create that extra fatness and warmth to your sound. Be aware this saturation will decrease your mixes dynamic range as it applies to the whole signal and not just the peaks.

Using a soft clipper on the master channel is very common, therefore we have added an industry standard LUFS (Integrated) Meter so you immediately know how loud your mix is.

https://initialaudio.com/product/initial-clipper-free-plugin/

Dub-SPL4

 

Dub-SPL4 is a simple 4 bands audio splitter, specially designed for live performances. Just put it on you master bus and start dubbing around !

It splits the incoming audio into 4 bands : Sub, Low, Medium & High frequencies. It also includes LP & HP filters with dedicated controls to adapt their resonance.

It is specially designed for Dub Music, but also for every genre you can perform live. Be it techno, Drum’n’Bass, HipHop, Electro… And don’t feel restricted to a live use ! Why not use it on a drum bus ? Or on a keyboard ? You can use it as a multi-band EQ, or only use its filters (they are awesome!).

Windows 64bits VST3 Format.

MacOS 64bits VST3 & AU Formats.

https://soundfingers.com/

iZotope OZONE 9 ELEMENTS (Limited Time)

iZotope has teased the release of Ozone 9 and is making Ozone 8 elements free for a limited time. Polish your tracks with these expert mastering tools. Ozone Elements is a ‘lite’ version of the renowned Ozone mastering suite. It includes the Imager, Equalizer and Maximizer features.

Download Free Product | Ozone Elements (izotope.com)

4 Unique Pianos For Any Genre

Fun fact. There aren’t many useable, let alone good free piano libraries. I was putting together a list of the best free pianos for our blog and YouTube channel, and after trying out about 20 freebies, I was shocked at how bad most of them are. The ESW team sampled this piano about 6 months ago, and we decided to make a high quality, modern sounding free piano library.

Why Denver? It’s admittedly not the first city you think of when you picture a grand piano. But Denver is the city where Echo Sound Works started. Denver is where I went to college to study music. That’s why we jumped at the chance to sample a Piano from my old stomping grounds.

Denver Grand Piano - Free Piano for Kontakt, Logic X, & Ableton 10 (echosoundworks.com)