If you want a quick round-up of some of the hottest new software releases for use in music and post-production then at Production Expert we've created this summary. We tell you what the brand says and what we think, we also include links to help you find out more.
This week we take a look at:
Typewriter by Wavesfactory
What Does Brand Say About Typewriter by Wavesfactory
Typewriter is a free Kontakt sample instrument featuring a Royal vintage typewriter. Meticulously sampled using 4 mic positions: close stereo, stereo ribbon, mono and stereo room. All microphones are controllable from the Mixer page with pan, width, volume, load/purge and separate outputs for each channel.
In the Effects section, you can apply up to 8 different DSP effects including chorus, saturation, EQ and convolution reverb with more than 40 custom impulses.
From the Settings page, you can set the number of round robin repetitions, tweak the release volume, velocity curve and pre-shift or pre-roll of each sample individually.
Recorded with 3 velocity layers and 10 round robin, not only the keys but also paper noises and typewriter hits, rolls and much more. There are separate note on and note off samples and one-shots as well.
What We Think About Typewriter by Wavesfactory
Although it seems to have been pitched at music production, this is an excellent Foley replacement for an old-school typewriter for audio post-production.
All the sounds are great and having the different mic positions in the Mixer means that it is easy to get the perspective correct for audio post-production.
The settings enable you to adjust the velocity curve as well as adjust the pre-roll amount for the note on and note off sounds. There is also a Round Robin feature which I am guessing, as there isn't a manual, offers variety in the sounds for the different keys.
The effects are less relevant for audio post workflows but as a rhythm instrument in music production will prove useful.
As a foley instrument, I was hoping that I might be able to type with the QWERTY keyboard as that would make it much more useful as a foley instrument, but it's free so it's hard to complain. - Mike Thornton
Pros:
Great sounds, especially all the extras...
Different mic positions make the perspective easy to achieve
Cons:
You cannot type all the letters.
Shame there is no manual.
Learn More About Typewriter by Wavesfactory
To learn more about Typewriter by Wavesfactory check out our Friday Free Plug-in feature.
SpeakUp From Audified
What Does Audified Say About SpeakUp
SpeakUp has emerged from the necessity to simplify the process of creating voiceovers and YouTube shows. SpeakUp plugin bundle does exactly that. Applying the SpeakUp Sensor plugin on the speech track and SpeakUp Performer on the music allows you to focus only on what is really important - your show. User friendly control allows you to adjust the plug-in behavior to suit you the best.
Some video editors spend hours of their precious time by adjusting the volume perfectly. We kept them in mind. The responsive plugins assure the ideal blend of voice, background sounds and music. SpeakUp was composed by professionals. For professionals.
What We Think About SpeakUp by Audified
What makes SpeakUp so novel is that it does not rely on traditional side-chaining to work but it uses its own process to communicate between master and slave, in this case 'Sensor' and 'Performance'.
It works well in any compatible DAW but because it does not rely on the mixer architecture of the host it can be used in applications like Final Cut Pro X that uses clip based audio and works like a charm. Read more about using Audified SpeakUp with Final Cut Pro here.
One would expect that this plugin would work like the clumsy radio station type ducking you hear on commercial radio, but SpeakUp is well thought out and has enough control to do a great job of what can otherwise be a laborious task without giving the game away.
Pros:
Easy to use
Impressive results
Flexible controls
Almost zero learning curve
Cons:
The cost may prove off-putting for some, but for any serious professional who has to spend a lot of time ducking voice with music beds then SpeakUp should pay for itself in no time at all.
Learn More About Product By Brand
To learn more about Audified Speakup visit the Audified website to download a demo.
Kii Three Monitors
What Does Kii Say About Their Monitors
We offer a linear frequency response, a perfect impulse response and phase coherence, but we also pack 1500 watts per speaker divided across six drivers into a compact and lightweight enclosure. The Kii THREE is able to move some serious air, but we didn´t just stop there.
Instead, Bruno Putzeys invented the Active Wave Focusing technology, that controls the sound dispersion and directs the sound pressure, where we need it to be: Into the sweet spot!
Intelligent DSP processing provides the Kii THREE with a cardioid sound dispersion pattern down to the low-mid and bass frequencies, which otherwise can only be achieved by very wide baffles, big cabinets or soffit mounting speakers (infinite baffle design). The controlled sound dispersion is the only reason, why a big main monitor system in a good room offers the special feel and impact it does. Even though acousticians and speaker designers know about this task, no other speaker manufacturer has approached a solution to this common problem. We designed the Kii THREE with the acoustical challenges of today's studio setups in mind. It fits everywhere and can be the one and only monitor solution you need for every task.
What We Think About Kii Three Monitors
I was immediately impressed. The experience of listening to familiar material on really nice monitors is always a joy and with the Kii Threes, the width of the sweet spot is the first thing I noticed. I found myself instinctively crouching when standing to get closer to the sweet spot and really hear the sound of the monitors. The thing is that with these you really don’t need to. The sound just doesn’t change appreciably around a ridiculously wide area in front of the speakers.
The main impressions they left me with were the already mentioned unusually wide sweet spot, detailed stereo imaging with the odd sensation of the stereo panorama being much wider than the speakers, and bass extension which gets you checking the room for a subwoofer.
The bass extension (and I do mean extension, not level, the bass isn’t loud, it just carries on further down than it has any right to) is effortless. I’m sure the directional bass, courtesy of the cardioid radiation of the bass drivers, helps with this as the expected nodes and anti-nodes which usually conspire to ruin deep bass in smaller rooms weren’t as evident as I expected - Julian Rodgers.
Pros:
The sound quality
The full-range directional behaviour which minimises the effect of the room significantly
The optional monitor controller
Cons:
The price which is sufficient to put them beyond the reach of nearly everyone
Learn More About Kii Three Monitors
To learn more about Kii Three monitors read Julian's article in full.