Free and budget software Cheap thrills Music making needn’t be an expensive occupation; we round up the best freeware and shareware on the net… On the DVD hareware’s quaint, ‘Try it and if somewhat: downloadable demos of just but the software is still useful even if CHEAP THRILLS We’ve saved you all that you find it useful please donate' about every application and plug-in on unregistered, although you are ultimately download time – you'll find S approach has always made an the market are readily available, and expected to do so 35 of the utilities mentioned appealing way to get hold of music easier electronic payment has pulled a Demoware – gives you a taste of its in this feature on the DVD in software. The shareware movement has lot of shareware more into the capabilities but you'll need to buy the the Cheap Thrills folder allowed small developers to really demoware category. Still, some unique full version to get any practical usage connect with musicians and present a and affordable music software remains wealth of software options, many of – you just have to know where to look. Don’t let a program being free or which would not otherwise be available. For this feature, we’ve selected titles shareware deceive you as to its viability Recently, though, the development of with broad appeal and catered for both in your studio: there’s freeware out there the internet has changed the dynamic Windows and Mac users. A few of these that rivals even the best commercial things are free, the rest very affordable, software. Oh, and if you do find a and all can be tried out after a quick particular piece of shareware useful, do DOWNLOADABLE DEMOS OF JUST and easy download. Everything here fits please seriously consider registering it. into one of three categories: Many a promising application has slipped into obscurity because the ABOUT EVERY APPLICATION ON THE Freeware – full featured, no payment author could no longer afford to do is required what they do – it simply ends up being MARKET ARE READILY AVAILABLE Shareware – a few features are omitted charity work. cm Sequencing But what Forget your Cubases, Sonars and Logics – this about plug-ins little lot are what you might call ‘different’… and sequencers? You’ll probably notice that we haven’t included ‘conventional’ Numerology (Five 12) sequencers or plug-ins in our round-up. With regard to SHAREWARE: $85 sequencers, this is because commercial entry-level sequencers from the major publishers deliver im Coker, Mr Five 12, is a effects, as well as external MIDI devices. incredible feature sets at very low developer and performing Its MIDI output can be routed to, and prices and are hard for the small J musician. Numerology was born recorded by, a MIDI sequencer. developer to top. When they try, out of his frustrations with the software You work with a ‘session’ that they’re prone to ‘going and hardware sequencers then consists of a number of ‘groups’. A commercial’ (FL Studio, for example) or getting bought out by available for live performance. It excels group comprises a collection of another company (such as as a performance sequencing modules, plus an optional software Tracktion, now owned by Mackie). instrument, yet is very much a studio instrument with effects. You can save a The plug-in scene, on the other power tool as well. snapshot of a group’s settings into one hand, offers an embarrassment of riches, too bountiful to be Numerology is a modular of 64 presets. These can be recalled relegated to a mere subplot. We’ll sequencing studio. The closest analogy manually, or automatically in the Tracks many users trading hints on its Yahoo be addressing that particular topic would be a rack-full of analogue step view – Numerology’s song sequencer. forum. The unregistered version is in a dedicated feature later in the sequencers and other control modules. You can use MIDI to directly control capable of handling small sequencing year, but in the meantime check out the ever-definitive source of It features various sequencer modules Numerology modules or play software needs or hosting a single Audio Units info on such matters, that you connect up to construct your instruments, making the software a instrument. If you try it, be warned: the www.kvraudio.com. personal composition or performance useful Audio Units host. numbers say that a Numerology setup. Your ‘sequencing machines’ can Numerology is actively developed, purchase will be in your future! control Audio Units instruments and and if you register you can join Jim and www.five12.com

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CMU87.free 070 28/4/05 3:30:57 pm Free and budget software

Energy XT (Jørgen Aase) DEMOWARE: £28 ALSO TRY… ave you ever been frustrated by environment lets you connect VST the limitations of your instruments and effects to your MIDI HammerHead H sequencer, wished for a more and audio system. energyXT embodies Rhythm Station flexible software studio or craved the virtual studio ideal: a set of virtual 3 PC 3 Freeware interactive live performance features? If modules and processors that you patch Bram Bos: www.threechords. com/hammerhead your answer is yes, then try energyXT. together to make the studio of your Bram Bos’ aged sampling drum energyXT is a shape-shifter that can dreams. It’s also a handy problem machine is still a worthy download. act as a fully-featured VST host, a ‘super solver. Want to add step sequencing to plug-in’ used to create your own devices your favourite VST filter plug-in? No Building Blocks by combining VST instruments and problem. Need a standalone rack of VST 3 PC 3 Demoware: $80 AuReality: www.midiworld. effects, a live performance instrument, a instruments? Wire it up in energyXT. up plug-ins and energyXT modules in org/~aureality/products/ MIDI processor and router, and an The built-in sequencer module is unique ways to make a truly personal, buildingblocks/ audio/MIDI multitrack sequencer capable and a good basis for creating powerful sequencing workstation. buildingblocks.html Modular MIDI sequencing and construction kit. Its modular your ideal sequencing tool. You can wire www.xt-hq.com processing toolkit. AmbiLoop 3 PC 3 Freeware Tu2 (Bram Bos) Renoise Evenfall: www.evenfall.com/ ambiloop/index.html SHAREWARE: $35 SHAREWARE: ¤50 Real-time multitrack sample looper modelled after the long digital delay loopers made famous by guitar ram Bos is something Up to 12 different here have always been works comfortably with superstar Robert Fripp. of a music freeware/ samples can be used in a two parallel external MIDI devices, yet it B shareware legend. His single pattern. Patterns are T dimensions in the still excels at getting the Doggiebox freeware HammerHead one bar long, with 16 steps computer music universe: most out of a handful of 3 Mac 3 Shareware: $46 Rhythm Station, a per bar. A series of patterns MIDI sequencers and samples. Its user interface is Zygoat: www.doggiebox.com A different take on the sampling drum sampling drum machine are used to make a song, trackers. Each has its own a proper blend of mouse- machine idea, offering easy pattern released in 1997, was one and long samples can be features, and whatever cross- driven GUI and the classic sequencing and song assembly. of the first successful sustained across patterns. pollination occurred was tracker keyboard interface. software instruments. This lets you blend standard usually a tracker user The concepts are easy to Tu2 is a sampling pattern-based sequencing venturing into MIDI waters. grasp, and the best way is to workstation that excels at with a more linear approach. Modern trackers have study Renoise’s excellent creating samples and loops The free version is very much to offer though, and demonstration and tutorial and assembling them into full-featured, but registration Renoise is a 21st Century songs. The free version is PRO TIP SOUND DESIGN songs. You can use prefab brings useful additions, so tracker in every sense. It remarkably well-featured – A sample sequencer like Tu2 or Renoise can offer an effective way of creating samples or make your own fire up that browser and see blends traditional tracker enough to put together interesting sounds by layering, sequencing and processing a handful of using Tu2’s instruments, step if this Tu2 fits. features with VST plug-ins complete tracks, certainly. samples. Think of it as both a sound sequencers and effects. www.brambos.com and real-time MIDI control. It www.renoise.com design and composition tool.

STEP BY STEP Exploring Bram Bos' Tu2

Samples are selected in the Sound Manager. You can Each of the four software instruments comes with its Each sample slot has four ‘step processors’. Pan, Filter import existing samples or create new ones using the own step sequencer. Rage2 (shown) is a sampling drum and Distortion let you add step-sequenced automation 1 four software instruments. Optional Tu2 plug-ins offer 2 machine; Amber is a monophonic virtual analogue; Bliss 3 to each respective effect, but the crown jewel is the additional ways to add samples, and there’s even a handy is a polyphonic sampler; and Halo is a monophonic FM synth. Variator (shown here). This lets you slice and rearrange your wave editor. >> Sounds are rendered as samples but saved as patches that loops by dragging and dropping. You can reverse slices, and you can later edit. >> repeat and gate them.

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CMU87.free 071 28/4/05 3:31:01 pm Free and budget software Multitrack audio editing Cut up your samples or compose full tracks ALSO TRY… using these very capable audio editors… Amadeus II 3 Mac 3 Shareware: $30 HairerSoft: HyperEngine-AV (Arboretum) www.hairersoft.com Stereo wave editor that supports Audio FREEWARE Units effects. nce a commercial product, Arboretum have to make their money AudioSuite HyperEngine-AV is now offered as somewhere, and HyperEngine-AV uses a 3 PC 3 Shareware: $100 O freeware as an inducement to special plug-in format that only they Glowing Coast Technology: buy Arboretum’s excellent plug-ins. It’s cater for. So you may find you end up www.glowingcoast.co.uk/ glowingcoast/audio/ ‘trackless' so you can place audio clips spending some serious cash if you index.htm anywhere you see fit on the arrange decide you want to use more than just A combination wave editor and page. It’s also a video and text editor, the included effects. multitrack audio file mixer with effects. but musicians may care to ignore HyperEngine-AV certainly won’t Sample Wrench those features. replace your sequencer but it is handy The trackless approach means that for assembling samples or making 3 PC 3 Demoware: $49-$149 Dissidents: each audio clip can have its own quick audio recordings and work-ups. www.dissidents.com effects. Effects are applied during And who knows, you might even think of Find out more about HyperEngine-AV Popular stereo wave editor with some playback, or you can render an effected something clever to do with those video now at the address below. hardware sampler support. audio clip to a new file. Unfortunately, editing features… www.arboretum.com Kristal (Kreatives.org) Audacity FREEWARE: ¤25 for commercial use FREEWARE

ristal Audio Engine from freely arrange, split, splice and copy. f you need a multitrack audio floating point audio files for minimal Kreatives.org is a 16-track digital Audio parts have their own simple level editor that’s compatible with a signal degradation through heavy K audio workstation that handles envelopes, but the program lacks I large number of file formats, then processing, and you can export samples sample rates up to 192kHz, uses 32-bit sophisticated editing and processing, so don’t miss Audacity. Each of its tracks or complete projects in more standard floating point processing, and supports you still need a wave editor. can operate at different sample rates, 16-bit and 24-bit formats. VST plug-ins. It works to the familiar It is a very serviceable multitrack and it handles all the conversion for you Audacity is a very capable multitrack multitrack/mixing desk metaphor, with recorder, though, that could be for you if during playback and mixing. It also recorder and wave editor. If you do a lot fully featured mixer channels. you only work with audio or use another offers DSP processing commands, and of sound design, or don't want a full-on Kristal lets you work non- program for MIDI sequencing. supports VST plug-in effects. sequencer, you’ll find it endlessly useful. destructively with audio parts that you www.kreatives.org Audacity lets you record 32-bit http://audacity.sourceforge.net

STEP BY STEP Audio editing with Audacity

Audacity can display tracks in four different ways. The You can use Audacity for intricate sample editing. Note Audacity lets you edit audio right down to the level of a same bass riff is shown as (top to bottom) a the use of level envelopes, and that 48kHz and 44.1kHz single sample. It also features helpful frequency editing 1 conventional waveform envelope, the envelope in dB, 2 recordings are being freely mixed in a 96kHz project. 3 aids like the spectral analysis graph and the FFT Filter the fundamental pitch, and the spectral frequency content. >> Also note the Time Track (top), which is used to slow down DSP command. and speed up playback. >>

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STEP BY STEP Audio processing Using Sample Manager File conversion, batch operation and more – and all without breaking the bank…

Awave Audio (FMJ Software) DEMOWARE: $50 batch processor that enables you to apply DSP processing to a group of files, Awave A Audio understands and can convert between a wide range of formats. It handles high sample rates (up to 192kHz) and many different bit-rates. Processing is always done at 32-bit floating point quality. You can collect files using a dialog, or by dragging them from the It only takes three steps to use Awave Audio. Finder or another program. Click on a file to hear it play and see First, invoke the File dialog to gather the individual 1 one of five information panels. Highlighted files can be processed with a variety of operations. >> files or folders of files that you want to process. Next, specify where you want the new files stashed, any format changes, and which built-in that can be done too. Finally, start Awave Audio, commands and DirectX plug-ins you want applied. sit back and watch it do its thing. If you need multiple copies in different formats, www.fmjsoft.com

Sample Manager (Audiofile Engineering) SHAREWARE: $70

ample Manager offers powerful batch applied at either end. A group of files can be processing of a wide variety of audio file mixed together, or assembled end-to-end, and you S formats through a simple interface. It can can even apply chains of Audio Units effects. convert between a number of formats, including The user interface makes it easy to select files, Acidized WAV to Apple Loops, and offers a broad and they’re auditioned by simply clicking on them range of DSP processing commands, as well as or playing a connected MIDI keyboard. If you’re so bit- and sample rate conversion. inclined, you can control Sample Manager with You can also use Sample Manager to rename AppleScript – perfect for automating those Sample Manager makes it easy to work with all types of samples groups of files, and samples can be automatically frequently-used command sequences. and loops, including instrument samples destined for a sampler. trimmed, have their levels changed and fades www.audiofile-engineering.com 2 You can use your MIDI keyboard to trigger and transpose file playback, and a built-in loop editor helps set up multiple loops. >> SoX (SoX) FREEWARE

oX is a powerful software utility that was things in conjunction with OS X’s shell scripts or developed as part of the open source Windows’ batch command files. S initiative, meaning that the actual source SoX converts files from one format to another. code is available for anyone to improve. You can apply DSP processing, alter sample rates, This is an old-school program that shuns the and change bit resolution. If your wave editor flashy graphical user interface in favour of lacks a critical DSP feature, or you need to convert command line operation. Don’t be put off, though: a lot of files, SoX is worth getting to grips with. SoX is easy to use and can do very powerful http://sox.sourceforge.net

Amazing Slow AudioMulch SoundHack Downer 3 PC 3 Shareware: $50 3 Mac 3 Freeware 3 Mac/PC 3 Demoware: $45 Audiomulch: SoundHack: www.soundhack.com Roni Music: www.audiomulch.com You can modify selected files with Sample Manager’s rich SoundHack is a comprehensive www.ronimusic.com This powerhouse audio processing command set, and one particularly creative feature is the ability toolkit and DIY synth/effects maker collection of DSP processing As the name suggests, this lets you commands that has been a favourite to build Audio Units effects chains. play an audio file at a fraction of its presents limitless sound design 3 options. Be sure to check out the of Mac-based sound designers for normal speed. Perfect for analysing many years. and copying those classic riffs. outstanding envelope control curves! ALSO TRY… ALSO

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CMU87.free 073 28/4/05 3:31:09 pm Free and budget software MIDI Tools Take control of your MIDI setup with these PRO TIP backroom utilities and signal flow tools… MIDI UTILITY USAGE You can use MIDI-OX or MIDI Pipe to create keyboard splits, convert one message into another, or change a message’s MIDI channel. MIDI-OX & MIDI Yoke SHAREWARE: Free for non commercial use; MIDI-OX – $49, MIDI Yoke – $12 esigned by by Jamie O'Connell allow a MIDI controller or keyboard to ALSO TRY… and Jerry Jorgenrud, MIDI-OX, is a operate a MIDI synth without having to D ‘Swiss army knife’ package that launch a sequencer. MIDI Yoke adds MIDI Clock brings together a number of useful virtual MIDI ports to your system so that utilities. MIDI monitor shows MIDI applications can pass MIDI information 3 Mac 3 Freeware Granted Software: activity on any port; the SysEx file between each other. It appears to the www.grantedsw.com manager lets you send, receive, load applications as a MIDI driver but A tempo-adjustable MIDI clock source. and save SysEx messages (great for behaves like a patch cable: one backing up patch data); and the application selects a MIDI Yoke port for MidiPatchbay software can also play MIDI files. output and the second uses the same 3 Mac 3 Freeware The patchbay feature, however, is the port for input. MIDI Yoke ports are multi- Pete Yandell: pete.yandell. real heart of MIDI-OX. With it you can client, so up to four applications can patching features together to create com/software filter messages and connect any input send data to the same destination. You elaborate MIDI routing solutions. Another capable MIDI patchbay. to any output. A typical use for it is to can use MIDI Yoke and MIDI-OX www.midiox.com STEP BY STEP MIDI routing with MIDI-OX

Start by informing MIDI-OX which ports you wish to Connect ports with the graphical MIDI Port Routing MIDI-OX can serve other needs beyond patching port patch and process. This example shows USB ports and panel. Just click an input and drag to an output. If you connections or transforming MIDI data – it also offers 1 a pair of MIDI Yoke ports. MIDI Yoke1 will be shared by 2 click the square on a patch cord, you’ll get the dialog 3 an excellent activity monitor, logs time-stamped MIDI two applications so that they can send MIDI to the same above. Use this to disable channels or translate control events, and lets you receive or send SysEx data. There are USB output. >> messages with the Map file. >> transport controls, and easy ways to send MIDI messages.

MIDI Pipe (Subtlesoft) MIDI Monitor and FREEWARE: Donations requested SysEx Librarian (Snoize) IDI Pipe from Subtlesoft is a processing steps with which to FREEWARE programmable MIDI patchbay transform data, and a MIDI Pipe session M that’s capable of effectively can have any number of these pipes IDI Monitor, from the Its file format is compatible with other filtering, processing and routing MIDI within it. In addition to this, the enigmatically named Snoize, SysEx utilities, so you can use SysEx data. Some of its other features include patchbay can also trigger and run M enables you to view MIDI data Librarian to share MIDI data dumps with a MIDI file player, an on-screen virtual AppleScript routines in order to generate as it flows in and out of your physical others. Many manufacturers update keyboard, and monitoring windows. Not or process MIDI, or change MIDI Pipe’s MIDI ports or between applications. You their MIDI products using SysEx files, bad for a freebie. operation. Visit the address below to can choose which ports to display and and SysEx Librarian is great for avoiding The idea behind this software is that download it for free (although a small filter out unwanted information. the common problems encountered you create ‘pipes’ connecting input and donation is appreciated). SysEx Librarian lets you capture when trying to use a sequencer to output MIDI ports, both real and virtual. homepage.mac.com/nicowald/ System Exclusive (SysEx) messages sent implement such updates. Each pipe can contain multiple SubtleSoft by MIDI devices and save them as files. www.snoize.com

074 | COMPUTER MUSIC JUNE 2005 FEATURE

CMU87.free 074 28/4/05 3:31:13 pm Free and budget software Plug-in hosting You don’t need a sequencer to use your favourite plug-ins – one of these will do… ALSO TRY… VSTHost and SaviHost (Hermann Steib) Chainer 3 PC 3 Shareware: $60 FREEWARE Xlutop: www.xlutop.com A powerful VST/VSTi host that can be hese two sibling programs offer any of the instruments. used as a VST plug-in. an important and useful service – SaviHost is very straightforward to Virtual Mixing T they run VST instruments without use once it's been set up. You copy it to the hassle of using a host sequencer. your VST plug-ins folder and rename it Console They can be particularly handy for using the same as the instrument’s .dll file 3 PC 3 Demoware: $59 software instruments on stage, or if you name. For example, renaming it Spin Audio: www.spinaudio.com just want to play for fun or practice. Atmosphere.exe will host the A multichannel VST/VSTi host that VSTHost is the more conventional of Atmosphere VSTi when you run it. You behaves like a mixing desk. the two. Simply start the application and simply repeat this for each of your select a plug-in to run from within your individual VSTi instruments. Console VST plug-ins folder. You can load Both programs support plug-in 3 PC 3 Demoware: $54 multiple instruments to create layers or presets and banks, and each has a mouse or from your computer’s Art Teknika Inc: www.console. jp/eng/index.html multitimbral setups, and VST effects helpful on-screen mini-keyboard that QWERTY keyboard. A modular VST/VSTi host. chains can be added and applied to lets you play the instrument with your www.hermannseib.com/english

MiniHost (Tobybear Productions) Rax (Granted Software) SHAREWARE: $20 SHAREWARE: $30

iniHost offers all the usual you register. ax lets you create a rack of hardware, or virtual MIDI ports. Each hosting features but adds If that was all MiniHost did, it would Audio Units software instruments mixer channel has its own port, MIDI M external audio processing, be a great little application, but there’s R and effects. Each of 16 mixer channel and key range settings. A MIDI WAV file recording, an audio file player, also an arpeggiator, step sequencer, channels can be assigned an Audio learn system links your MIDI control a MIDI file player, a preset browser and one-key chord player, and a control Units instrument and a chain of Audio surface to plug-in controls. organiser, and a nifty preset gater for modulating plug-in settings. Units effects plug-ins. It can also run up The unregistered installation is randomiser for those moments of These can be controlled via MIDI input, to eight send effect chains, plus a final restricted to a single instrument and creative constipation. It's fully the on-screen keyboard, your computer master output chain. The rack’s output lacks recording, but at this price why functional without payment, except for keyboard, or a MIDI file. Nice. can be recorded to an audio file. not go for the full version? a ‘nag’ screen that disappears when www.tobybear.de You can control the rack with MIDI www.grantedsw.com STEP BY STEP VST hosting with MiniHost

You can load any single VST instrument or effect into MiniHost has some unique programmable MIDI tools. You can also load MiniHost with a single VST plug-in MiniHost by selecting from your list of plug-ins. Once The Chord Maker provides one-key chord play; the effect to process external audio or an audio file. The 1 loaded, you can select presets and make adjustments 2 Arpeggiator offers a variety of arpeggiation patterns; the 3 built-in recorder captures the processed output, using the plug-in panel controls. >> Step Sequencer plays simple single-note sequences including any real-time changes that you make to the transformed by the input notes; and MIDI CC Gate lets you effect’s settings. modulate a single plug-in parameter. >>

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CMU87.free 075 28/4/05 3:31:16 pm Free and budget software Sample organisation Got a lot of samples? Then get a few of these and stay on top of your sound library…

Audio Finder (Iced Audio) PRO TIP SHAREWARE: $60 DOUBLING UP Before you start a new project, collect udio Finder locates, organises, recalled later. some inspiring library loops and samples by copying them into a new auditions and processes your The Browser and Scanner present project folder. This will help you remain more focused, and you can modify the audio files elegantly and you with a pool of audio files. Simple samples with abandon without fear of A changing the library copies. intuitively. It’s a program that’ll have a operations let you organise them, dramatic affect on your studio workflow. audition them, drag them into your Audio Finder provides two views of sequencer, or process them with Audio your sounds: the Browser helps you Units plug-ins and in-built functions. PRO TIP locate files by navigating your drive’s Audio Finder adheres to traditional ADMIRE THE VIEW folder structure, while the Scanner shareware ethics: it’s useful even if you Use SampleCatalog libraries to create automatically searches for all of the never register. Some key features will, different views of the same loops. For example one organised by BPM, audio files on your Mac. You can further however, expire after a number of another by instrument, a third as ‘construction kits’. Audio Finder can do refine a scan by searching for full or launches, but the software is constantly most essential musical assistants the same thing by creating aliases in a Finder folder structure that parallels partial words contained in the file being improved and 60 bucks really is a available to Mac users. each alternate view. names, and scans can be saved and pittance for what has to be one of the www.icedaudio.com Loop Horse (John Zealey) SampleCatalog FREEWARE FREEWARE

oop Horse addresses the certain audio file types. ampleCatalog helps you The search feature offers a collection, copying, archiving and You ‘collect’ files by dragging them to organise your sounds. It uses a combination of file name and category L deletion of sound files. It makes the copy list or to ‘folder shortcuts’ that S catalogue system to store searches. The result is a list of files that light work of gathering samples at the you’ve defined. The copy list lets you information about each file, including you can audition, copy, or make into a start of a project, reorganising a sample build a list of candidates and then assigning descriptive categories. new library. One use for SampleCatalog library’s folder layout, and choosing files audition between them to make your Each catalogue contains ‘libraries’, is to create a collection of files and then to copy from sample CDs or DVDs. final selections. You can also perform which can contain sound files or other archive them to CD-R or DVD-R, along The browser view shows your hard basic sample operations like renaming, libraries. You can place the same sound with their catalogue, making locating drives, folders and audio files, and you BPM calculation and trimming. file in multiple libraries without actually archived files a snap. can limit Loop Horse to display only www.loophorse.com duplicating the file. www.geocities.com/samplecatalog STEP BY STEP Sample management with Audio Finder

The Browser view shows your audio files. A selected file The Scanner finds file collections automatically and lets One of Audio Finder’s tricks is splitting a long file into plays, its waveform is displayed, and useful file you save the results. The built-in scanner result Playback separate, perfectly trimmed sample files. The 1 information is shown. The on-screen keyboard can be 2 History shows recently auditioned files. Here, search 3 screenshot shows this being applied to a sample CD used to transpose the playback, and the drawer to the right features are being used to find all recently auditioned bass track. This is also useful for segmenting a live recording or displays the current bookmarked folder’s content. >> sounds. You can copy, move, or make an OS X alias in the sampling instruments. current bookmark folder. >>

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STEP BY STEP Audio Tools Soundflower in action Audio routing utilities and a generic soundcard driver that can only be described as miraculous… ASIO4ALL (Michael Tippach) FREEWARE he performance of any soundcard is dependent on the quality of its controlling T software, and for most Windows studio software that’ll be an ASIO driver. A surprising number of soundcards, though, don’t have one. ASIO4ALL is a low-latency, hardware- independent ASIO driver. It sits between your Set the source application audio output to Soundflower. Here soundcard’s native Window’s driver (WDM) and we’re routing Numerology’s audio output to Soundflower 16ch, your audio applications, working its magic on top 1 and assigning the mixer output to use buses 1 and 2. >> of Windows rather than at the more risky driver level. The result is stable operation and easy removal when it’s no longer required. gone the extra mile and provided an active online ASIO4ALL is a remarkable achievement on the support forum for his baby. part of its author, Michael Tippach, who has even www.asio4all.com JackTools FREEWARE

ne of the best things about OS X’s robust You can use JackTools to record from software multitasking is the ability to have different that doesn’t offer any way to record its own audio O audio applications working in concert. output by creating a virtual connection between What your Mac can’t do on its own, however, is the program’s audio output and any application pipe audio from one program to another… that can record audio. You can also monitor with That's where JackTools comes in. It has two reduced latency by patching the program’s output components: an OS X CoreAudio driver and Jack directly to a soundcard output. We want to record Numerology directly into HyperEngine-AV. First Server – a background program that manages JackTools is open source software, so not only select Soundflower 16ch for the input driver. Open the Audio connections between applications and to and is it free, it’s also got a bright future. 2 Capture dialog and enable the same pair of inputs – 1 and 2 in from the soundcard. www.jackosx.com this case. HyperEngine-AV will record Numerology as if it was an external audio source. >> Soundflower (Cycling 74) FREEWARE

oundflower provides a means to pass audio and select the dual-bus Soundflower input driver between applications using virtual audio for the processing application input. A second S buses. It comprises two CoreAudio drivers – ‘listener’ assigned to the input driver would a two-bus version and a 16-bus version. Simply receive the same audio. Likewise a second ‘talker’ select the required version as the audio driver. connected to the output driver has its audio For example, to process the output of one output mixed with the first source. It essentially program with another, assign the dual-bus works in the same way as a mixing desk bus. Soundflower as the source program output driver, www.cycling74.com/products/soundflower.html

PlugAdmin AudioUnit Manager 3 Mac 3 Demoware: $20 3 Mac 3 Freeware, but a donation CodeOperator: is requested www.codeoperator.com Granted Software: To monitor with minimal latency use the Soundflowerbed applet PlugAdmin does exactly what it www.grantedsw.com that resides in the menu bar to patch the first two Soundflower says on the tin: it helps you to Lets you maintain multiple groups of buses to your soundcard’s monitoring outputs. effectively manage your Audio Audio Units and select the active group 3 Units, RTAS, VST, and MAS plug- before you launch an application. in folders. ALSO TRY… ALSO

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CMU87.free 077 28/4/05 3:31:24 pm