AudioThing partnered up with Hainbach for Gong Amp, an experimental resonating amplifier plugin that inspired by the early days of electronic music.
Good news from AudioThing. The fascinating, experimental effect plugin Gong Amp in collaboration with Hainbach, is now available for Linux and iOS. It’s a 1 to 1 port of the plugin version with the same features for the iOS mobile device.
Besides this, AudioThing released a free update for the Gong Amp adding support for macOS 13 Ventura, Windows 11, CLAP plugin, and AAX Silicon. They also improved the effect’s chain frequency response and CPU and memory usage.
Gong Amp is available now for an introductory price of $9.99 instead of $15,99 for iOS on the Apple AppStore. The plugin update with Linux support is free of charge, and it is now available for $38 instead of $59 until August 26h, 2023.
More information here: AudioThing / AppStore
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Article December 16, 2021
Before a plugin is realized and published, an idea has to be there. This often comes from the developer himself. Often they arise from concepts from the past or they come up with new, innovative ideas. In recent years, more and more developers have been collaborating with musicians.
The best example is the Berlin-based YouTuber and experimental musician / sound designer Hainbach. He worked with the iOS developer Bram Bos on the Gaus Field Looper app, with sonicLab on a Synthesizer, and recently more intensively with AudioThing. And now both have a next plugin at the start. Very special and unique again.
Gong Amp
Gong Amp is a new effect plugin that emulates a unique, experimental amplifier from the past. It mainly brings the resonance of early electronic music to your DAW and music. AudioThing says:
In 1932, Maurice Martenot was looking for a way to make his groundbreaking proto-synthesizer “Ondes” audible beyond what could be archived with the horns and loudspeakers of the time. He developed a set of “diffuseurs”, of which the “Métallique” was one. Instead of a paper cone or horn, Martenot put a gong behind the amplifier circuitry. This seemingly simple idea resulted in resonances and brilliant overtones that excite audiences to this day.
In 2011, the French company Eowave took inspiration from Martenot’s invention and made their own version, the Resonator Metallik. When we heard what our friend, Berlin composer Hainbach, did with this rare and discontinued amplifier, we knew this sound needed to be available to more than a select few. So we made Gong Amp, our third collaboration with Hainbach since Motors and Wires.
The concept in simple terms: it uses gong and various other elements like chains and pillows that create a resonating/metallic timbre when sound is running through them. The video gives you a detailed overview.
AudioThing Gong Amp
At the plugin’s core, you can find a mixture of convolution processing, physical modeling, and feedback systems that authentically reproduce the responsiveness and resonance sound of the original unit. AudioThing and Hainbach basically captured the soul of it and transfered into a souped-up effect plugin. This makes the plugin much more flexible.
For example, the mixer gives you three recording positions (mono mic, stereo mc, and a unique resonator effect from Hainbach)
Try mono for a “documentary” perspective, stereo for beautiful ribbon mic width, and hear reverb feeding into reverb in “resonator” mode. Try upping the input overdrive for added overtones, and use the soft clip for output distortions.
Further, you get performance features for the pitch and dynamics as well an modulation engine with speed and spread control. Additionally, there is a trip mode that brings in some automated crossfading between the three mic positions for rhythmic shifts. And a howl function for the crazy textures.
A very fascinating and unusual plugin that AudioThing has developed with Hainbach. It’s not a monster effects processor with tons of features, it’s more like a boutique pedal-like plug-in with few uniques functions that it masters with perfection. Well done!
AudioThing Gong Amp is available now for an introductory price of 39€ instead of 59€. It runs as a 64-only VST, VST3, AU and AAX plugin on macOS (Intel + M1) and Windows.
More information here: AudioThing
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Audio Thing have put out a succession of amazing plugins. This is definitely on my must-have list! Thanks for the article.
Instant buy!