Get with the programmers Krotos Audio Weaponiser
How do the pros craft sound-design software for film and game creatives? Krotos Audio’s GM reveals all…
What challenges do you face when designing sound-design tools for gaming, broadcast and post-production pros?
MC “Our users need to be as creative as possible, at high speed, in high quality. Our design aesthetic is to make this process realtime, and to minimise the distance between a creative thought and a tangible sonic result. The tools need to be CPU-friendly, stable, intuitive and compatible with industrystandard processes.”
How is Dehumaniser tailored for vocal manipulation?
MC “The modules are a combination of traditional pitchshifting, ring modulators, EQ, compression, etc, combined with more experimental tools like granular processing, plus our own Spectral Shifting and Scrubbing Convolution creations. We wanted the user to be able to easily combine and route subtle transformations, as well as create extreme vocal-melting effects. All modules are available in one window, so new users can quickly create powerful sounds, and pro users can dive into an endless world of custom setups. Each module also features a gate, and each module’s output can then be routed anywhere in the larger system, to help set up complex dynamic structures.”
Reformer Pro can trigger and ‘perform’ sound design libraries from a different input source. How does this technology work?
MC “The plugin analyses and matches an input to sections of prerecorded audio, and recompiles them in real time with ultra-low latency. You can use your voice (or any other audio input) to ‘perform’ the growl of a tiger, gory foley, a futuristic electronic mechanism, or any combination of sounds on your hard drive! Reformer’s engine is very sensitive to this range of inputs, meaning that different performers will get different responses to the same library of recorded sounds.”
How does your new Weaponiser instrument facilitate weapon sound-design, and what challenges did you face when creating it?
MC “After a huge amount of research, we wanted to create a tool that could create any type of weapon sound with just a few clicks. It’s a sampler/synth hybrid – the processing workflow is familiar to those working in games or interactive audio. Each engine and synth is customised to play a specific role in a layered design, so you keep your layers clean and separated. Putting together the immense sound library was a huge challenge – our Fully Loaded version contains more than 2000 edited weapon recordings from a vast range of mic positions, sweeteners, IRs, foley and more!” How can your technology be used and abused by musicians? MC “Although these tools were initially created with a specific workflow in mind, they are hugely powerful and inspiring devices, because they weren’t made with a traditional plugin mentality. We’ve been excited to see Weaponiser used for musical sound design, beat-making, synthesis and music production – producers such as Richard Devine are using our products in ways we never expected.” URL www.krotosaudio.com From hardcore hip-hop to dubstep and beyond, the sound of gunfire has always played a part in music production, and Krotos Audio’s new virtual instrument looks to be the ultimate source of such cacophony.
Aimed primarily at video-game and movie sound designers, Weaponiser combines sample playback and synthesis in a slick and impressively feature-packed engine. Two versions are available: Basic (£181), drawing on 515 weapon recordings (900+ samples), and Fully Loaded (£265), with 1596 recordings (2000+ samples).
URL www.krotosaudio.com
DDMF Plugindoctor
A “cross-platform and cross-bitformat plugin analyzer for VST and AU plugins”, Plugindoctor gives developers (or seriously curious end-users) the means with which to “thoroughly test the audio quality” of their effects plugins.
Functions and features include a double precision FFT engine, independent stereo channel analysis, THD analysis, processing speed analysis, an oscilloscope, compression/expansion envelope testing, a built-in screen-grabber and more.
Plugindoctor can be yours now for the princely sum of £14.
URL ddmf.eu
Wavesfactory Spectre
A VST/AU/AAX plugin effect for mixing and mastering, Spectre “combines the best features of an enhancer coupled with a graphical parametric equaliser”. It works by adding harmonics to the source material, based on the difference between the input and the EQed output, generated using any one of eight saturation algorithms. Wavesfactory claim the results are “full of color, with bigger and warmer low frequencies, shiny shimmering highs and powerful mids that any other processor just can’t give you.” Spectre is available now, priced €99.
URL www.wavesfactory.com
Acustica Audio Azure
Emulating Berlin-based mastering engineer Zino Mikorey’s custom-built passive fourband (plus LP/HP filters) tube mastering EQ, Acustica’s latest plugin uses their new Core 11 convolution technology to faithfully model every component of the signal path. Operating in regular stereo and mid-sides modes, Azure even improves on the original topology by running its frequency bands in series rather than parallel, making for “easier evaluation of the applied processing”.
Due for release soon (possibly even by the time you read this), Azure can be pre-ordered now for €169.
URL www.acustica-audio.com
“Producers are using our products in ways we never expected”