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I recently downloaded a free, top-notch set of sound design tools that focus on the spectral processing of audio: SoundMagic Spectral. Previously known as SoundMagic DSP, these tools offer up an astounding level of control and creativity, allowing the designer to morph sounds in a way that totally obscures the original content. I must admit that some spectral processing effects have bored me in the past since they often have a certain unmistakable character that pops up far too often in movie sound-beds and the like. This skepticism is the reason why I was so impressed with the quality and creative flexibility of these plugins, breathing new life into a technique that sometimes sounds a bit gimmicky.
Michael Norris, the creator of SoundMagic Spectral, has shown that real-time spectral processing is capable of a huge range of useful effects. The interfaces lack the flashiness that is characteristic of so many other plugins but they don’t look “cheap” either. The parameters are presented as basic sliders and values, arranged in a sensible way that lends itself well to learning the plugins through experimentation. It’s quite enjoyable to get lost in all the interesting possibilities here such as feeding different types of source sounds into the spectral shaping to see what will come out. Some of the plugins respond well to smooth timbral sources while others will thrive on grittier textures. However complex these plugins may seem at first, you’ll quickly develop an intuition for how each of them behave.
One “defect” that I’ve found with similar tools is a lack of quality instructions on how they function under the hood and how best to learn their interfaces. Thankfully, Michael has provided what is, in my opinion, a really well-explained and insightful guide covering spectral processing in general as well as the functions of each of the 23 individual plugins included in the download. An especially nice touch is that he divides the plugins into categories of sound-shaping tools, “Spectral Texturizing Effects” and “Spectral Filtering Effects” being two fun examples.
I’m still tinkering around with these tools, learning their limitations and capabilities and using them to a limited extent in sound design projects. I’m sure the majority of my readers are running Ableton Live, and I’m happy to say that the SoundMagic plugins have been stable in the latest version (8.1.1 as of this writing). I’ll be sure to post some before and after examples of the plugins in action once I learn a bit more about them. Of course, the best way to judge these tools is simply to try them out for yourself.
[For more information on Spectral processing, I highly recommend that you download the tools and read through the above-mentioned guide. Unfortunately for PC users, you'll need to be running Mac OSX to extract the files.]
13 Responses to “Free Spectral Sound Design Plugins for Mac OSX”
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The Drone Maker seems like something I’d find useful.
Thx for the heads-up on this.
I’ve been working with these effects for a while. The Dronemaker is a favorite as well as the Spectral Freeze and Granulate, but the only recommendation I would make is to bounce the material these effects are being used on routinely, for I’ve run into stability issues as well as intense CPU loads when applying more than one of these effects to a channel. Automation of these effects is also very taxing on processing power, and I’m on a 3.2 Xeon w/ 16GB!
Thanks for the feedback from your end, Zavosh. I’ve been finding similar issues on CPU-efficiency with these plugs over the last few times I’ve used them today as well, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I like them so much to the point where I chain multiple instances together. The “Freeze” function in your DAW of choice will be a lifesaver in these instances, as you’ve already discovered.
anybody else have trouble installing this in live 8.1.1? i followed the path in the install guide and rescanned plugs in live pref and zammo! absolutely no where to be found…?! i haven’t had much coffe today so maybe it’s that?
btw: hey nick more tutorials, please!
If I’ve learned anything about music tech, you absolutely have to make sure you’re saturated with hot, liquid caffeine. Hell, I’m sipping on some right now!
In all seriousness, what OS are you using? If OSX, one thing to make sure of is that you put the plugins in the right Library directory because there’s a system-wide library and then there’s a user-specific library. I’ve gotten the two mixed up on occasion and plugins won’t show up as a result.
More tutorials will be on the way, and I’m actually focusing on free content right now so be sure to check out my Youtube account for the latest ones.
well certainly but we’re out of coffee, it’s cold and the sto’ seems so faaar away. humpf. urp.
thanks, nick. i’m osX 10.5.8 and i hear what choo sayin’ but i did drag that sucker into “my” library not the main and usually plugs just show up without a rescan but nada. and i’m all about the drones my man, and you guys make it sound so damn sweet. what gives? too many dinosaur toys around the imac?
will check out your free content. keep it up man best tuts out there!
Man, that’s really strange, I don’t know what would be happening that they don’t show up. The only other thing I can think of is to make sure that Audio Units are enabled in Live’s preferences.
Thanks for the nice comment!
damn almost thought i had it there; enabled audio units but all that pops up is a folder named “apple” with some plugs which i imagine are from garage band(?)what the? where is this from? anyway still no spectral sound in the plugs browser. could you provide an idiot proof version of what you did? ie. did you drag the components folder from the installer window into the components folder already in audio/vst or just the contents? i did this initially but was weirded out by a components folder within the components folder so deleated it. next i tried selecting the contents of the folder and dragging them in but in any case, neither way yielded access. i haven’t tried the short cut folder because i don’t understand how that works.suggestions? sigh, i love drones and this is a bummer. any help would be much appreciated!
Hmm…
My AU plugins (the individual component files) are stored in this directory:
Main Library (not user-specific library) -> Audio -> Plug-ins -> Components
So you’ll want to drag the individual component files into the “Components” directory listed above.
Give that a shot and let me know what happens
oh YEAH!!! i guess is mis-read your first bit of advice, i thought you meant to NOT put it in the system wide directory(i’m not new to production, just new to the DAW scene…)anyway success! haven’t tried it yet but it’s now in the browser! thanks again!
p.s. how about a FX in aux sends and side chaining tut? just a suggestion.
Nice, I’m happy that we got that issue worked out. Sorry I wasn’t more specific in my previous post!
Also, I like your suggestion for the tutorial and it will definitely be part of the Live 101 series that I’ll be doing in the near future.
Wow, these tools are NUTS!!! I’m a real addict for sound mangling plugs & tools, and these ones are really amazing for destroying any audio. I almost feel bad getting these plugins for free…
Thanks alot for sharing this, much appreciated!