AudioThing Arguments is a new Hainbach test equipment-inspired plugin that combines experimental tone generation and audio mangling.
AudioThing and Hainbach are a well-rehearsed team when it comes to plugins and iOS apps. In recent years they have released nine different experimental plugins. These include the free fun Moon Echo from this summer and the Wires Vintage Wire Echo, which is one of my favorites. It is loaded in all of my live setups.
Many of the Hainnach plugins are based on or are heavily inspired by its beloved vintage test equipment from his studio. Their latest plugin Arguments fits in seamlessly and expands the AudioThing Hainbach collection to 10.
AudioThing Arguments
Arguments brigns another piece of Hainbach’s test equipment world into your DAW. Arguments is both: a tone generator and a fascinating, unusual effects processor/audio mangler.
Like many of its other releases, it based on vintage test equipment. In this case, it features an analog modeled computing-based combiner and integrator of signals, re-tuned from science to musical use.
These instruments were used in analog nuclear instrumentation modular racks (NIM BIN) to allow for quick calculations without employing a dedicated computer
The Process
Arguments takes two signals A and B into its core. A is your signal and B either an external sound fet in via the side-chain input of your DAW or from the internal generator.
From here, it puts them together using the third block aka argument block, where you can choose one of nine different maths arguments. Here you actually choose how A and B are treated in the process. For example, the first (A) takes only the value of A ingnoring B.
In a next step, the result is pass through a function block with various options that process it. AudioThing and Hainbach promise that you can archieve a wide range of tones and effects, including simple boosting to high-passed industrial grit, rhythmic modulations, raw textures, and more.
Part of the AudioThing Arguments plugin is also a multi-mode filter with cutoff and resonance controls and a dedicated generator section. This can be either a multi-wave oscillator or an LFO with fuzzy factor that can be routed to the filter or resonance.
The plugin actually looks very compact but it offers a lot of scope. The math formulas alone allow you to get completely different types of effects. For exampe, Arguments hosts an oversampling option designed for sound shaping. Due to the high internal gain of the plugin, you can archive extreme sounds.
AudioThing has some interesting patch descriptions on the website. One of them emulates the characteristics of a lock-in amplifier. A test equipment that Hainbach and Joranalogue recently melted in a fabulous synth voice.
I can only recommend you watch Hainbach’s exciting in-depth video that goes into every detail of the AudioThing Arguments plugin. He also gives an insight into the vintage units.
And yes, the new plugin is also available as an iOS app with AUv3 support. This way you can also do DAWesque test equipment studies on the go.
First Impression
Once again something very exotic and fascinating that AudioThing and Hainbach have melted in a plugin and iOS app. It’s a wild multi-FX that can distort, saturate, filter, rhythmize up to overloading signals in a very characterful, dark way. I love the character and vibe of it.
Arguments looks like a plugin that can take you easily on an experimental sound design trip.
AudioThing Arguments is available now for an introductory price of 39€ instead of 69€. It runs as a 64-bit only VST, VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP plugin on macOS, Linux and Windows The iOS version with AUv3 support is now available on the AppStore for 14,99€
More information here: AudioThing
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