Audiomodern has released Soundbox, an advanced MPE sampler for macOS and Windows.
In an area where Kontakt is king, Audiomodern Soundbox hopes to change the creative landscape for composers and sound designers.
Soundbox is an advanced MPE sampler for macOS, iOS, and Windows.
When choosing the tools we use in our craft, cost is the biggest barrier to entry for the average musician.
Kontakt may be king, but it’s expensive. With alternatives like Decent Sampler providing access to some fantastic free content, the paid content has to be better than ever.
Convincing people to spend hard-earned money on sounds is no easy task when freebies like Dust Piano for Kontakt Player keep raising the bar.
The Soundbox engine is free with any expansion pack, where packs usually cost €39 (currently €29 with intro pricing). So, while the packs aren’t free, the entry price is relatively attractive.
Another enticing aspect of Soundbox is that it allows you to create and share custom multi-sampled instruments without paywalls or subscription fees.
Of course, cost-cutting isn’t the only thing to consider; Soundbox aims to bridge the gap in quality that sometimes between free/affordable and premium products.
Soundbox is easy to get around with a smart tagging system that categorizes sounds by genre, style, and characteristics.
Each instrument has four layers, each with a dedicated ADSR envelope and controls for volume, glide, pan, transpose, and fine-tuning.
Each layer also features an independent arpeggiator with various playback modes plus a parameter step sequencer. The sequencer allows you to modulate parameters like volume, octave, and pan.
The Soundbox Vector engine lets you blend the layers in creative ways.
The randomize function assigns new sound groups to each layer but selects them from similar tags to provide variations within the same ballpark.
You can tweak instruments further with a four-slot multi-FX processor, including delay, reverb, distortion, EQ, filter, chorus, compression, limiter, Lo-Fi, phaser, and noise.
Soundbox should appeal to many sound designers and composers because of the ability to create custom instruments without additional fees and the reasonable price of expansion packs.
I think we will see improvements as the platform grows, but in terms of quality, flexibility, and value for money, Audiomodern seems to be firmly on the right track with Soundbox.
Soundbox is available in AU, VST3, and AAX formats for macOS and Windows, and an iOS version will be released soon.
Check out the deal: Soundbox (FREE with any expansion pack – intro price €29)
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