Following their announcement at NAMM in January, Oeksound has released Bloom - an adaptive tone shaper plugin. We have the details...

Bloom analyses the character of a signal and applies corrections to the perceived tonal balance for a more even and refined sound. It also lets the user shape the tone and character of a track, for example by adding warmth, brightness, or clarity. Tonal adjustments made with Bloom are dynamic and context-aware. This, together with its minimal user interface, is aimed to make the plug-in quick and intuitive to use and help keep the material sounding natural, even when making radical changes.

According to Oeksound, who also developed the popular Soothe2 and Spiff plugins, Bloom is the most complex processor they have built to date. Its development consisted of two years of critical listening, refining the algorithm, and iterating user interactions. The interface is designed to be fast to work with and has similarities with EQs and multiband compressors. However, the processing underneath has little to do with either: Bloom does not use frequency bands (and the crossovers they entail), and its behaviour constantly adjusts based on the input signal.

Bloom can be used for quickly shaping individual tracks towards a cohesive mix. It can be equally effective as a bus processor, working well both on groups and in mastering contexts. Bloom can be used as a problem-solver – evening out inconsistencies in a sound – or for creative tone shaping.

Four tone controls let the user quickly adjust the processing to taste. These sliders change the overall tonal balance that Bloom is working towards, rather than making absolute cuts or boosts as found in an EQ. An additional squash range engages a form of frequency-dependent compression. Other features include attack and release controls, mid/side functionality, and low latency mode.

Pricing & Availability

Bloom is available now in VST3, AU, and AAX formats with a retail price of 199 € / $209 / £169. A 20-day trial is available from the Oeksound website.