Music producer and content creator Venus Theory recently got his hands on the Arturia PolyBrute 12, and has found a way to put its sounds in your hands, too.
His free new plugin, auras:polyscape, is the first in his new ‘auras’ series of plugins, and gives you “dark, organic” sounds from the PolyBrute.
The plugin, which is accessed via the free Decent Sampler wrapper, comprises 11 presets, all focused on cinematic and atmospheric sounds. auras’ design is pretty sleek — not only does it look the part, but you get ample control over the tone of each sound with a filter, built-in effects, and envelope parameters. There’s also a Layer slider, which lets you effortlessly blend between layers A and B of the PolyBrute 12 patch. Even more impressive are the dynamics and expression controls (bound to CC1 and CC11, respectively) and a “re-designed velocity response mode tonal”, allowing you to play with more realism.
In his video demo of the PolyBrute 12, Venus Theory — real name Cameron — says he was inspired to create the plugin series by Spitfire Audio. Well…sort of.
Cameron was pretty bummed about Spitfire Audio’s decision to transform LABS into a subscription service, LABS+. Previously, LABS was an outlet of freebies that Spitfire created with unused material from its major releases. Cameron was also a collaborator of Spitfire Audio, until 2023 when ex-CEO Christian Henson came under fire for transphobia accusations.
“I think that fucking sucks, really bad,” says Cameron of Spitfire’s decision to turn LABS into a subscription service. “For me personally, had I not had access to free music-making software — things like Audacity, or all the free plugins I’ve used and so hugely benefited from over the years… I don’t think I would be making music today.
“This is a huge loss for the aspiring musician and composer community. So instead of just sitting here bitching about it on the internet, I figured: Why not just do something about it? Why not take this opportunity to just create my own series of free instruments that run in a free plugin that are free for everyone, forever, with no strings attached?’”
Thankfully, Cameron did exactly that. You can download the plugin from Venus Theory’s Gumroad page for $0.00 — unless you wish to pay something more, in which case you’re welcome to but not obliged.
On the Arturia PolyBrute 12, MusicTech said that it’s “ Possibly the most powerful analogue synthesizer of the modern age.” Cameron said: “Damn — this is one of those pieces of gear that is truly extraordinary and oozes inspiration.”
We praised it for its immense and capable feature set, adding: “It offers an almost endless array of options for adding expression and modulation to your playing. Traditional pitch and mod wheels? It’s got those. A 3D touchpad? Sure, why not? A ribbon controller? Haven’t seen one of those in a while; let’s do it. Expression pedal jacks? How about two? A customisable modulation matrix with 12 sources and 32 destinations? Heck yeah. Oh, and of course, four different implementations of polyphonic aftertouch with MPE compatibility. With all the above on offer, almost every other synth is going to look simplistic in comparison.”
Want to know more? Read the full review.
