Edinburgh-based developers Krotos Audio are among the first ports of call for movieand videogame audio producers looking to create dynamic, ‘playable’ sound design elements. Thus far, however, their plugins – including Reformer Pro (Foley effects, animal noises, etc; 8/10, 258), Weaponiser (gunfire and associated noises; 9/10, 256) and Igniter (real and sci-fi vehicles and engines; 9/10, 269) – have been largely irrelevant to musicians, so it’s with no small degree of excitement that we fire up Krotos’ first ever softsynth: a twooscillator virtual analogue going by the name Concept (VST/AU/AAX).
Think tank
Concept’s interface makes it immediately apparent that this is an instrument that wants to be your friend, no matter what your level of experience. Apart from the fold-out modulation controls, every parameter (two oscillators, amplitude envelope, filter and effects) is accessed from the front panel; and while any prospective user will, naturally, need to wrap their head around the basics of synthesis to get anywhere, Concept is as unintimidating as we can imagine a not-dumbed-down synth being.
Each oscillator outputs a user-adjustable mix of two waveforms (sine, triangle, saw up, saw down, square, noise), and FM Ratio and Depth knobs apply frequency modulation (FM) via a separate sine wave oscillator, for metallic tones, hard basses and the like. After shaping with the ADSR amplitude envelope, the oscillators feed into a simple resonant ladder filter that only offers high- and low-pass modes, and 24dB/ octave roll-off, but can be overdriven and variably mixed with the input signal.
Big ideas
This story is from the June 2020 edition of Computer Music.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2020 edition of Computer Music.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BLEASS Arpeggiator
Classic synth-based arpeggiators' up-down patterns can be tedious, says Stuart Adams. Can Arpeggiator bring the variability he craves?
Synthogy Ivory 3 German D
One of the most highly regarded piano libraries around gets an update. Does it strike a chord with our reviewer, Herr Roland Schmidt?
MODALICS BITFUZZER
Distortion can be a great effect for enlivening and mashing up sounds, and this month we've got you a plugin that can do both
RADICAL RHYTHMS
From pepping up basic grooves to creating full-on 4/4-flouting madness, learn a multitude of timing tricks with our classic guide
SEDIBUS
Detaching from The Orb mothership, Sedibus is the latest project of core figurehead Alex Paterson, accompanied by former Orb-member and key creative collaborator Andy Falconer. With a studio shorthand and a shared passion for flourishing ambient textures, the pair's second record SETI gazes skyward for its inspiration. We spoke to Andy to learn more...
Sidechain compression
Sidechain compression is an excellent mixing tool and in this tutorial we pick apart this essential process
How to make a rave-style techno track
Prepare to get fists in the air as we learn the tools, tricks and tempos for nailing the basics of rave-ready techno
Make a filter kick bass with BazilleCM
Following our deep-dive into the oscillator section of BazilleCM, we follow the signal flow to create a filter-thumping bass sound
MARIA W HORN
An avid explorer of sound's spectral properties, Maria W Horn's work realises the potential of long-forgotten spaces. Via instrumental textures, room responses, the human voice and a specialised computer language, she synthesises entirely new sonics. We heard more about her processes and the at-times chilling story behind her affecting new album, Panoptikon
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CREATIVE REVERB
Reverb has been relied on for its evocative sonic character ever since the first homo sapien warbled expletives into a dark cave. The transformative power of space is still a vital mix ingredient