Audiomodern Soundbox is a new MPE sampler plugin platform with advanced features and a community-oriented sharing concept.
Audiomodern Soundbox is a new MPE sampler plugin with creative features. The release confused many because of the pricing model. Initially, you had to buy a library to use the plugin.
This is now changing with the new update 1.0.4
Audiomodern Soundbox 1.0.4
The new Soundbox update 1.0.4 allows you to use the plugin as a player for any Soundbox instrument without the need to purchase an Audiomodern instrument first.
This also applies to libraries from the community, which may be offered for free. So you don’t need a license to play them back into your system. That’s a great move. However, you can’t create sounds from scratch.
When Soundbox is used as a player, all features are unlocked and functional, except for the Sample & Mapping editor, which allows users to import custom sounds. The editor can be unlocked by entering a license key that comes with purchasing any Audiomodern Soundbox instrument.
To celebrate this new Soundbox 1.0.4 update, Audiomodern releases Mechania Electronic Synth Textures , a new free instrument with 1.01GB of audio material.
It ships with 15 presets that can be customized and mixed with the built-in engine, including modular FX, LFOs, vector engine, and more.
Audiomodern Mechania for Soundbox is available here.
Article From October 2, 2024
Native Instruments Kontakt is the industry leader in the software sampler sector. Because of the “trillions” of libraries, composers can hardly get past it. However, numerous alternatives, such as HALion, Falcon 3, and free samplers like Decent Sampler, are gaining ground.
Audiomodern is now entering the ring with SoundBox, a new MPE sampler plugin and platform that has an exciting concept.
Soundbox Concept
Soundbox is more than a new advanced MPE sampler plugin for macOS, iOS, and Windows. It is a new platform for building and sharing custom instruments with an affordable entry level.
Instead of paying the usual high price of a sampler plugin, it is enough here to buy a sound expansion for 29€. These unlock the Soundbox engine forever.
Once you have done that, you can use the engine to customize existing sounds or to create your own multi-sampled instruments. On top of that, you can share them with other Soundbox without paywalls or involving fees.
The idea of making it so affordable is very welcome, as it arouses the interest of the sound designer community, both professional and hobby. It’s worth taking a look at Soundbox, as the engine offers many creative tools.
Thanks to Audiomodern for allowing me to take a closer look at the plugin in advance.
Audiomodern Soundbox
The core of Audiomodern Soundbox is a sampler engine that supports classic and multi-samples. To use this, you must leave the play interface and enter the backend, where you can find an advanced sampler editor and mapper.
Here, you can map and fine-tune your samples with classic controls, such as volume, pan, tune, sample start/end, reverse, fade in/out, and loop modes. Up to four sample instruments can be hosted in a Soundbox patch and be played in mono, legato, or polyphonic.
Each instrument layer has its own instrument volume, pan, glide, transpose, fine-tune controls, and a dedicated ADSR envelope.
Then, you can refine each instrument with an independent four-slot multi-FX processor with various algorithms: reverb, delay, EQ, filter, distortion, chorus, phaser, Lo-Fi, compressor, limiter, and noise.
A solid selection of effects. I’m missing some more experimental effects that make sound design even more fun, like granular, glitch, or spectral processors.
Modulation is also onboard, giving you tools to create moving sounds. Soundbox offers four freely mappable multi-wave LFOs with loop, ping-pong, and reverse modes. There is also a step sequencer LFO mode with customizable steps and random options.
Arpeggiator, Sequencer & Vector
A four-layer arpeggiator takes care of the melodic part of your patch. Each layer has an independent arpeggiator offering various playback modes, rate, and swing controls. That’s not all.
Audiomodern has also embedded some neat twists of its previous plugin releases in this section. Alongside the arpeggiator, you get a parameter step sequencer per layer for modulating the volume, octave, pan, and density of your instrument.
This infuses the sounds with a lot of movement and unpredictable character. As an instant inspiration tool, there is also a randomizer per sequencer.
Further, the Vector Engine in Audiomodern Soundbox is super enjoyable and probably one of my favorite parts. In this UI section, you can mix four layers dynamically and creatively, using your mouse, MIDI controller, or automatically.
The latter is probably the most interesting because it automatically follows predefined DAW syncable mixing paths.
In release version 1.0, the vector pad can only mix volume controls. I hope that in the future, it will also be possible to use it for other parameters. As you know from Rob Papen plugins, I would also welcome a future option of defining custom paths in the vector.
Lastly, Audiomodern Soundbox offers a master section with four more multi-effect slots featuring the same algorithms found in the layer FX section.
Not to forget, the plugin offer MPE support , allowing you to play the instrument very expressively. Not properly working in the press preview version, but fixed in the latest 1.0.1 update.
Audiomodern Soundbox Expansions
The expansions are the most important thing in this release. Without them, you don’t get access to the engine.
At launch, there are three different Soundbox expansions: Cosmo with keys and beyond, Kromium with contemporary abstract strings, and Voxmotive with new ages and cinematic vocals.
First Impression
Soundbox is an exciting new MPE sampler plugin and platform. I particularly like its very affordable starting price and community-oriented concept. You buy one expansion, unlock the engine, and make your own instruments for other Soundbox users free of charge.
The engine is extensive and offers everything you need in a sampler. Some more creative effects or granular synthesis would be exciting additions. However, I am a little critical of the UI, which seems small even when scaled up, especially the controls. But this is a very personal thing. I prefer bigger user with bigger controls where I can see everything well.
Availability
The first three Audiomodern Soundbox expansions are available now for 29€ each.
Update: Soundbox is now a free download for everybody—no need to purchase an official library. It now runs as a Player instrument. However, you need to buy an official library to unlock the entire engine (sample mapping and editing).
It runs as a VST3, AU, and AAX plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel) and Windows. The iOS version with AUv3 support is coming soon.
More information here: Audiomodern
Soundbox is also available at my partners.
Great to see the ability to export your own sound packs made so user friendly. Will definitely check this out.
Check out Halion, too – it’s had this functionality for years.
The concept (multiplatform inc. IOS) and UI are super welcome and great. Nevertheless are many crucial modulation targets missing here.
There are no sample related mod targets available (until now), so no modulation on sample start / endpoint, loop points, sample behaviour…) I hope they will be implementing that in future updates.