sonicLab has virtualized Hainbach’s love and enthusiasm for test equipment in a plugin called Fundamental and made it accessible to everyone.
Two have found each other: YouTuber/musician Hainbach, who often shows his big love for test equipment in videos in which he puts the devices in a very musical scene. Basically, he makes music with devices that are not designed for it. On the other hand, Sinan Bökesoy known as sonicLAB, developer of many sophisticated and unique plugins (Cosmosƒ Saturn8.1…)
Both have worked together over the past few weeks/months on a plugin that incorporates the sonic richness, the unpredictability, and the flexibility of test equipment. The final result is called Fundamental that relies on two points: a recreation of test equipment sound mainly the Rohde&Schwarz vacuum tube oscillator but expanded with highly versatile sonic manipulation tools. Historic exclamation mark: Stockhausen has used a lot this at WDR.
Test Equipment In Software But Expanded With The Possibilities Of Today
If you look back you will notice that the test equipment was limited in its feature set. However, the device has a lot of charm and character. In the software adaption, now, these limits were exceeded. For this, sonicLAB developed for Fundamental a unique polymorphing wavetable synthesis where 4 dynamic wavetables being rended for each voice. This gives you infinitesimal steps of frequency and gain combinations between 1HZ – 3800Hz of the original vacuum tube oscillator.
That’s just a beginning: it features complex modulation possibilities and stochastic distributions that address the sonic parameters (frequency, gain, stereo panning, etc.) in continuum, which has not been applicable until now. These functions go far beyond what the originals could do.
Fundamental feels like something Stockhausen, Xenakis and HAL 9000 might have dreamed up after a bender: recalling the past of electronic music through a dynamic modern reinterpretation of a massive german vacuum oscillator. A test equipment sound is not pure technically. The gain stage has a vacuum tube and also the frequencies below 60hz do sound anything but a sine wave. All these are the signature of a vintage sonic richness.
Fundamental also supports MPE with which you can play it very expressively, impossible with the vintage hardware. Well expressively yes, but not on this level.
Features
- unique polymorphing wavetable synthesis without any compromise in data content and precision.
- 4 dynamic wavetables being rendered for each voice to represent infinitesimal steps of frequency and gain combinations between 1HZ – 3800Hz of the original vacuum tube oscillator.
- 8 simultaneous voices each with custom freq, gain, boost, panning and modulation settings.
- Custom or harmonic frequency distribution of voices with variable spread ratio and tuning table.
- 4 independent stochastic modulations for each voice (32 in total) addressing all parameters with various continuous, discrete distributions and also standard waveforms.
- Full MPE support with various configuration possibilites.
- Independent Attack / Release envelopes for each voice with various modes, AR times can be set to degrees of randomness.
- Vintage oscillator or pure sine wave mode.
A very nice project that brings a breath of fresh air to the plugin world. The concept could also be from Gleetchlab X aka Girgio Santcristoforo, who also builds crazy synthesis tools. One thing is certain: Hainbach can now say that he now has his love on his computer and as often as he wants without buying new gear.
sonicLab Fundamental is available now with an intro price of $55 USD (normally $78). iLok required.
More information here: sonicLab
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