#audified

Audified achieves more intelligible voiceover creation with streamlining SpeakUp plug-in bundle

Audified is proud to announce availability of SpeakUp — streamlining and simplifying the process of voiceover and YouTube show creation by bundling two responsive, purpose-built plug-ins, SpeakUp Sensor (for working with voice tracks) and SpeakUp Performer (for working with video/audio tracks), to automatically and effectively handle ducking such that the spoken word adjusts music volume with carefully controlled fading in and out while also improving speech intelligibility as the background music analyses the speech spectra and attenuates any corresponding spectra within the music track to easily enable smooth blending of voiceover and music — as of May 28…

SpeakUp sprang from Audified acknowledging the need to streamline and simplify the process of voiceover and YouTube show creation. SpeakUp succeeds in doing just that by bundling two responsive, purpose-built plug-ins — SpeakUp Sensor and SpeakUp Performer — with user-friendly controls to free up users to focus on the creative job at hand rather than getting bogged down with time-consuming technicalities. After all, voiceover projects typically take a long time to professionally prepare.

Meanwhile, mastering the multitasking skillset demanded during manual voiceover productions — perfectly adjusting music and advertising volume levels while hosting a radio talkshow, for instance, is far from simplicity itself. If only an easy-to-use tool to allow those radio talkshow hosts to likewise free themselves from those technical stresses and strains was actually available. Actually, it is... SpeakUp succeeds in doing that, too.

SpeakUp’s streamlining and simplifying success is down to its core attribute: automatically and effectively handling ducking — a technique for allowing a narrator’s voice to be heard clearly and consistently when there is other audio happening at the same time, such as background music. In principal, it is simple (but in practice, not necessarily so). Say some music is to be used in either a voiceover or video project that will have a narrator, and that this music will play at the same time as when the narrator is speaking, then the voice should take over as the main audio while the music effectively takes a backseat — background music, in other words. When the narrator is not speaking, however, the music should then be both clear and present — the main thing to listen to, in other words. Which is exactly where SpeakUp comes into play... by bundling those two responsive, purpose-built plug-ins. Putting them into action is straightforward (though there can be several instances of SpeakUp Sensor and SpeakUp Performer inserted in a project simultaneously).

SpeakUp Sensor should be inserted at the end of the voice track effect chain, whereupon it analyses the track and switches the reduction/filtering process, offering just the right amount of adjustment via several straightforward controls. These include: Sensitivity, which sets the speech detection threshold value — by between -60 to 0 dB; Lookahead, which can be used to delay the original speech track — by between 0 to 300 ms — so that after rendering the project the ducked audio track appears to fade before the speech starts; Control Bus, which allows for more sophisticated scenarios via two independent control busses; and FORCE TALK, which allows the speaker to be heard immediately regardless of whether the Sensitivity threshold has been reached or not (so users can manually handle voiceovers by pushing the onscreen button). SpeakUp Sensor also allows for frequency analysis, actively sharing information with SpeakUp Performer so that filtering is customised in accordance with the speaking voice concerned.

Conversely, SpeakUp Performer should be inserted on the video/audio track, whereupon — when switched into SENSOR mode — it ‘listens’ to the information received from SpeakUp Sensor in order to reduce the volume and process frequency filtering. Fortunately, making manual adjustments is similarly straightforward, thanks to another suitable selection of creative controls: Ducking Amount, which defines the currently applied amount — 0 to 100% — of desired attenuation (representing the rate of required action to be done in SpeakUp Performer); Fade-out Time, which sets the transition time to between 0 to 100% of the Ducking Amount (affecting the speed of the fade-out process after speech is detected in the SpeakUp Sensor plug-in); Fade-in Time, which sets the transition time to between 100 to 0% of the Ducking Amount (affecting how long it takes the signal to return back to its original level); Hold Time (between 0 to 15000 ms after the last signal is sourced from any SpeakUp Sensor plug-in), which keeps the Ducking Amount value at 100%; Target Attenuation, which sets the target attenuation applied to the music track when the Ducking Amount is 100%; Speech Frequencies Attenuation, which sets the attenuation of speech filtering applied to the music track to enhance intelligibility of the voiceover — not so much reducing the music level, but rather reducing only the part of the spectrum where the speech should not be masked; and Control Bus, which sets SpeakUp Performer to ‘listen’ to SpeakUp Sensor on up to two independent control busses.

However, having written the Ducking Amount parameter automation curve directly to the host DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) in SENSOR mode, switching SpeakUp Performer into AUTOMATION mode means that it is only controlled by the Ducking Amount parameter automation value read from the DAW with SpeakUp Sensor signals having no effect on processing proceedings. Simply speaking, SpeakUp Performer automatically does its magic! Thanks, then, to Audified’s achievement, adjusting spoken word volume in a video production need not be the time-consuming process it once was — just add music... and SpeakUp!

SpeakUp is available to purchase at an introductory promo price of $99.00 USD until June 30, 2018 — rising to $139.00 USD thereafter — from Audified’s online shop here: https://shop.audified.com/products/speakup (Note SpeakUp requires iLok License Manager 3.1.6 or newer as it is protected by PACE Anti-Piracy Inc.’s software machine license or USB smart key device, details of which are highlighted here: https://shop.audified.com/pages/how-to-activate-ilok-license)

SpeakUp can be directly downloaded as a multi-format (AAX, AU, VST2, VST3), 32- and 64-bit native plug-in bundle for MacOS (10.9 and above) and Windows (7, 8, and 10) — alongside a fully-functional, 30-day trial version — from Audified here: https://services.audified.com/download

For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated SpeakUp webpage here: https://shop.audified.com/products/speakup

SpeakUp can be seen and heard in this informative introductory video here: https://youtu.be/A_TZHn14vTo

Audified has released the 1A Equalizer plug-in, which imitates Pultec's tube equalizer EQP-1A. Audified gave the old Pultec ® some twist. Combining vintage schematics with modern technological know-how, we crafted the perfect Audified 1A Equalizer – where innovation meets tradition. Keep an eye on the THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) meter, so you will always know how much of that sweet saturation you are getting.

Nail the perfect saturation for your tracks with unrelenting and precise calibration. Saturation is the heart and soul of this plugin, so use it bravely. Boosting and Attenuating lows or highs in a signature way is a quintessential part of the original units. they also nailed the classic Boost-and-attenuate trick. M/S processing separates your audio into Mid and Side components, giving you the power to sculpt the center of your mix and the edges of the stereo signal separately. Forge your ultimate mix or master, and enhance your overall color with linkable parameters and switchable L/R and M/S modes. It can be used for :

Drums

Punchy drums are something everyone strives for. Add a bit of low-end boost to your kick and snare; your drums will sound much tighter and in-your-face.

Guitar

Make your guitars more defined and cut-through. Add or remove the guitar’s low end as needed, or add a bit of chime and clarity on the top end.

Bass

Enhance the bass’ groove by adding punch, weight, and definition. Boosting the lows and cutting the harsh highs will make your bass stand out.

Boost

The old boost-and-attenuate trick is the most famous use of the unit. You will achieve perceived loudness and fullness by boosting a frequency and attenuating it slightly less than you boosted it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcYbPSYs8X0

Requirements

Writing the orchestra for a symphonic metal can be tricky.

Sometimes, I think that there is nothing needed to add since there are drums, bass and several guitar layers.

Well, and vocals and choirs, of course...

But to get that monstrous wall of sound, you need even more!

And you have to be careful to not overwhelm some specific frequency ranges too much.

Of course, you should think about in which octave you should write another track to not clash with other tracks too much so you can choose the instruments that naturally sound good in higher octaves.

Bells, ultra-high noted strings, flutes, chimes etc.

But what about the piano?

Piano can be also tricky.

For piano, I sometimes copy the piano part and transpose it one octave higher and mix it with the original lower note piano track.

This can make wonders in terms of clarity and still being fat.

What about strings?

Sometimes, guitars and strings sound just great in the same octave range and you simply don't want to transpose the strings one octave higher.

For example, you can use staccato strings over the dense chugging guitars in the same octave range.

Because staccato just emphasizes the beats, its dynamic, adds movement and is not clashing with other tracks all the time so it's better than just keeping long legato strings over the guitars.

If it sounds good, it IS good :)

Even it's in the same octave range or in an almost the same octave range.

Try the Fuzz!

It had taken me a while since I have discovered the beauty and wide usability of fuzz pedals.

Now I love them.

And I know that fuzz pedals are a way more than just extreme noise-makers.

Some fuzz pedals have really great clean-up capabilities.

When you turn the guitar volume pot down you can get really full, fat and warm mid-gain lead tone, even you play a passive single-coil pickup.

No extreme noise tone, but a beautiful singing mid-gain lead tone.

You can even get a very nice, dynamic crunchy or pushed-clean tones out of a fuzz pedal.

And this is one of the secret weapons of the guitar legends we all know, for example Eric Johnson, Jimi Hendrix or Joe Bonamassa.

But different fuzz pedals respond differently:

Here is the in-depth comparison between SMR Toys N--1 and Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Big Muff which I find really similar while there is still the difference:

I have enjoyed experimenting with several different guitar volumes during the songwriting process, really inspiring:

Watch the full song playthrough using the N-1 Fuzz throughout the whole song:

Check out the N1-Fuzz pedal here and don't forget to make your own design with the design configurator!

Audified is proud to announce availability of MultiDrive Pedal Pro

Audified is proud to announce availability of MultiDrive Pedal Pro — pushing further forward with its virtual stomp box breakthroughs by bringing the legacy of erstwhile brand DSound’s first guitar software (released as Stomp’n FX Vol. 1 and Stomp’n FX Vol. 2 way back in 2000) and later featured, for example, in Audiffex’s inTone2 (multifaceted multichannel effects processor, software mixing console, virtual instruments host, and flexible multitrack zonal player) back to the future as 12 legendary effect pedal plug-ins, professionally primed to provide the perfect bundled blend of overdrive, distortion, fuzz, and boost for today’s DAW-driven studio setups — as of November 27…

You can never have enough effect pedals. Just ask any guitarist worth their sonic salt! Since there are literally thousands of stomp boxes on the market, maybe this is hardly surprising — all the more so since they each offer something different in terms of sound, purpose, or quality. Quantifying this time-honoured trend in today’s DAW-driven workflow with its all-new MultiDrive Pedal Pro plug-in bundle sits naturally with the future-facing nature of Audified. As such, it is professionally primed to provide the perfect bundled blend of overdrive (for power), distortion (for complexity), fuzz (for fuzziness), and boost (for allowing every detail to shine through). The talented team of Audified engineers expertly draw upon the company’s rich history of creating quality guitar software to simulate 12 legendary effect pedals that every musician should have in their studio setup. Since this effectively represents the company’s third generation of stomp box models — made with totally new modelling technology — they simply sound perfect!

Put it this way: with MultiDrive Pedal Pro, Audified removed every last screw from every effect pedal modelled, meticulously measuring all components within, so users cannot tell the difference between the real-world stomp boxes and the following software simulations so readily accessible in the resultant bundle. 808-Scream is based on the TS-808 Tube Screamer, a guitar overdrive pedal made famous by Ibanez. It was originally released in the late Seventies, and its characteristic mid-boosted tone soon proved popular with blues and rock guitarists. It has since been used by countless guitarists to create their signature sound, remaining one of the most successful, widely copied, and ‘modded’ overdrive pedals in the history of the electric guitar! 9-Scream is based on another overdrive guitar pedal from Ibanez — the TS-9 Tube Screamer. Indeed, Ibanez produced the so-called ‘9-series’ between 1982 and 1985, with the TS-9 Tube Screamer being almost identical, internally, to the TS-808 Tube Screamer, but boasting a different output, resulting in a brighter, less smooth sound.

B-Drive is based on the BOSS BD-2 Blues Driver, delivering the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. This popular pedal provides instant access to the kind of warm overdrive and emotive distortion usually reserved for 30-year-old tube amps.

O-Drive is based on the now-legendary BOSS OD-1 OverDrive. Seventies-vintage artists mostly made use of a fuzz distortion sound, so the overdrive produced by the OD-1 OverDrive was not exactly typical for the time. It was, however, soon accepted as a new standard of guitar sound. Speaking of sound, the OD-1 OverDrive features an asymmetric circuit where the positive and negative halves of the waveform are not distorted equally.

S-Drive is based on the BOSS SD-1 Super OverDrive. This sonic stalwart has been around for a very long time and has gone almost unchanged from its inception back in 1981. Again, an asymmetric overdrive circuit is at its core. This responds very well to the force of a player’s picking, producing a dynamic and smooth overdrive effect well suited to any type of rock music. Many guitarists also use the SD-1 Super OverDrive as a booster pedal for valve amplifiers.

One-Distortion is based on the BOSS DS-1 Distortion, a true icon in the wonderful world of guitar effects. Introduced in 1978, BOSS’ first distortion pedal defined a bold new sound, delivering hard-edged attack and smooth sustain that has been a staple of players for generations. Get this, though: the DS-1 Distortion is the top-selling BOSS compact pedal of all time, and its original, unchanged design continues to inspire the creation of great music worldwide.

BAT-Distortion is based on Pro Co Sound’s RAT Distortion. ‘The Rat’ became very popular in the early Eighties, thanks, in part, to being used by several famous artists. As a primary distortion device, it excels at arena rock rhythm tones and soaring leads, but its true beauty lies in its versatility.

XXL-Distortion is based on the Distortion+ pedal originally designed in the Seventies by MXR Innovations. Its name implies distortion, and indeed it does distortion (parallel clipping) well, but boasts a rather mild sound. It is perhaps best known for its crunchy heavy metal sound that was featured by Randy Rhoads in his work with Ozzy Osbourne. The Distortion+ delivers everything from cool overdriven blues tones to huge Eighties hard rock distortion.

M-Distortion is based on the MT-2 Metal Zone, one of BOSS’ most popular pedals. Duly delivering a wide range of distortion sounds with three-band EQ and strong sustain, it is capable of some of the most over-the-top, insane distortion tones in the world — with huge mids and lows, alongside an ultra-saturated sound!

F-Fuzz is based on Jim Dunlop’s Fuzz Face, an effect pedal mainly used by electric guitarists and also some bass players. Designed to produce a distorted sound from an electric guitar, a sound often referred to as ‘fuzz’ — which was sometimes achieved by accident earlier through broken electrical components or damaged speakers, this particular Fuzz Face distortion is constructed to vintage specs, featuring the original Germanium PNP transistor design for a rich, creamy fuzz sound.

M-Fuzz is based on the Big Muff Pi (π). Produced in New York City by Electro-Harmonix, along with Russian sister company Sovtek, this fuzz box is primarily for use with electric guitar, but also used by bassists due to its squeaky frequency response. Hendrix and Santana were among the first to get a piece of the Pi, so-to-speak, and the Big Muff — as it has become simply known — has been defining the sound of rock guitar for over 40 years!

T-Booster is based on the Brian May Treble Booster, an effect unit used by guitarists to boost volume and especially the high end of their tonal spectrum, which was particularly popular during the Sixties. Beloved by guitarists such as Ritchie Blackmore, Marc Bolan, Rory Gallagher, Tony Iommi, and, of course, Brian May, treble boosters were used to overdrive amplifiers in order to create a more distorted yet focused sound.

So that’s Audified’s all-new MultiDrive Pedal Pro... providing a perfect bundled blend of true tone pedal plug-ins, professionally primed for today’s DAW-driven workflow — fresh from the company with over 20 years’ worth of exemplary effects development to its notable name. No need to buy dozens of stomp boxes separately or download imperfect simulations; simply download MultiDrive Pedal Pro for perfect simulations of 12 legendary effect pedals at a pocket-friendly price! MultiDrive Pedal Pro is available to purchase for $69.00 USD from Audified’s online shop here: https://shop.audified.com/products/multidrive-pedal-pro (Note MultiDrive Pedal Pro requires iLok License Manager 3.1.6 or newer as it is protected by PACE Anti-Piracy Inc.’s software machine licensor USB smart key device, details of which are highlighted here: https://shop.audified.com/pages/how-to-activate-ilok-license) MultiDrive Pedal Pro can be directly downloaded as a bundle of multi-format (AAX, AU, VST2, VST3), 32- and 64-bit native plug-ins for MacOS (10.9 and above) and Windows (7, 8, and 10) — alongside a fully-functional, 30-day trial version — from Audified here: https://services.audified.com/download For more in-depth info, please visit the dedicated MultiDrive Pedal Pro webpage here: https://shop.audified.com/products/multidrive-pedal-pro Watch Audified’s official MultiDrive Pedal Pro video here: https://youtu.be/sWdoJgIxMsc

MultiDrive Pedal LE, a limited-edition version of MultiDrive Pedal Pro featuring O-Drive only, is available to purchase for only $5.00 USD from Audified’s online shop here: https://shop.audified.com/products/multidrive-pedal-le

MultiDrive Pedal LE can be directly downloaded as a 32- and 64-bit native plug-in for MacOS (10.9 and above) and Windows (7, 8, and 10) — alongside a fully-functional, 30-day trial version — from Audified here: https://services.audified.com/download

For more in-depth info, please visit the dedicated MultiDrive Pedal LE webpage here: https://shop.audified.com/products/multidrive-pedal-le

Audified Release MultiDrive Pedal Pro Plugin

MultiDrive Pedal Pro                  

"Stomp it down to kick it up"                   

Sharpen your sound with the set of 12 legendary stompboxes.

The perfect blend

MultiDrive Pedal Pro was originated for guitarist to kick up their sound. The team of Audified engineers created the perfect simulation of the legendary pedals which every musician should have in the studio. Overdrive for power. Distortion for complexity. Fuzz for fuzziness. Boost for hearing every detail. The improved Pro version offers even better sound and features than the legendary original version which is used by thousands of musicians and studios. With 32 killer presets chosen by guitarist, the Pro gives you many options to kick up your sound!

20 years of experience

As you may check here, Audified celebrates 20 years of development under brand names DSound, Audiffex and Audified.

One of our first products was a set of Stomp Boxes. From the beginning, we were company focused on guitar software. The product was very successful, creating a base for M-Audio guitar bundles.

Now we are releasing pedals developed completely different way, using precise circuit modulation taking into account every single part of the circuits. The progress on these pedals reflects the progress of modeling methods, computer performance and 3D graphics techniques in 20 years.

All-in-One Pedal Pro

You don't have to buy dozens of stompboxes separately or download imperfect simulations. The company with more than 20 years experience on the market offers you the right mix of pedals of the true tone. Just perfect for your studio.

In our lab, we unscrewed every last screw from every modeled effect pedal and measured every part of it. Therefore you cannot tell the difference between our software simulation and the real world stomp boxes.

Looking for the right one

There are thousands of modeled stompboxes on the market of different sound, color and purpose.

Chosen by professionals

MultiDrive Pedal Pro is the bundle of the most famous and legendary stompboxes on the market. This is the third generation of our stompbox models, created with completely new modeling technology. So they simply sound perfect.

The MultiDrive stomp boxes

808-Scream is based on Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer, a guitar overdrive pedal, made by Ibanez. TS-808 is the first Tube Screamer, the TS808, was released in the late 1970s The pedal has a characteristic mid-boosted tone popular with blues and rock players. The "legendary" Tube Screamer has been used by countless guitarists to create their signature sound, and is one of the most successful, widely copied, and "modded" overdrive pedals in the history of the electric guitar.

9-Scream is based on Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, a guitar overdrive pedal, made by Ibanez. From 1982 to 1985, Ibanez produced the "9-series" of overdrive pedals. The TS9 Tube Screamer is almost the same internally as the TS808 but the TS9 had a different output, which caused the pedal to sound brighter and less smooth.

B-Drive is based on Boss Blues Driver. The BD-2 Blues Driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. This popular pedal provides instant access to the kind of warm overdrive and emotive distortion usually reserved for 30-year-old tube amps.

O-Drive is based on Boss Over Drive. The OD-1 is by now legendary. Artist of the 70’s was mostly using a fuzz distortion sound and the overdrive produced by the OD-1 was not typical. It was however soon accepted as the new standard of guitar sound. The OD-1 features an asymmetric circuit where the positive and negative halves of the waveform isn’t distorted equally.

S-Drive is based on Boss Super OverDrive. The SD-1 has been around for a very long time and has gone almost unchanged from its conseption back in 1981. The pedal contains an asymmetric overdrive circuit that responds very well to the player’s picking force. It produces a dynamic and smooth overdrive effect well suited to any type of rock music. The SD-1 is also popular as a booster pedal for valve amplifiers.

One-Distortion is based on Boss Distortion. The DS-1 Distortion is a true icon in the world of guitar effects. Introduced in 1978, BOSS’s first distortion pedal defined a bold new sound, delivering hard-edged attack and smooth sustain that’s been a staple of players for generations. The DS-1 is the top-selling BOSS compact pedal ever, and its original, unchanged design continues to inspire the creation of great music everywhere.

BAT-Distortion is based on ProCo RAT Distortion. The Pro Co "The RAT" is a guitar effects pedal produced by Pro Co Sound. The Pro Co RAT became very popular in the early 1980s, thanks in part to fame gained by its use by several artists. The beauty of the RAT lies in its versatility. Used as a primary distortion, it excels at arena rock rhythm tones and soaring leads.

XXL-Distortion is based on MXR Distortion+ which is a distortion pedal originally designed in the 1970s by MXR Innovations. As its name implies ""distortion,"" it's a 'distortion' (parallel clipping) but has a rather mild sound. This pedal is perhaps best known for its crunchy heavy metal sound that was featured by Randy Rhoads in his work with Ozzy Osbourne. The Distortion+ delivers everything from cool overdriven blues tones to huge '80s hard rock distortion.

M-Distortion is based on Boss Metal Zone. It delivers a very wide range of distortion sounds with 3-band EQ and strong sustain. The MT-2 Metal Zone is one of BOSS' most popular pedals. This stomp box provides some of the most over-the-top, insane distortion tones in the world—with huge mids and lows and an ultra-saturated sound.

F-Fuzz is based on Jim Dunlop Fuzz Face. The Fuzz Face is an effects pedal used mainly by electric guitarists and by some bass players. It is a stompbox designed to produce a distorted sound from an electric guitar, a sound referred to as "fuzz," which earlier was achieved sometimes by accident, through broken electrical components or damaged speakers. This particular Fuzz Face Distortion is constructed to vintage specs, featuring the original Germanium PNP transistor design for a rich, creamy fuzz sound.

M-Fuzz is based on Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (π). The Big Muff Pi (π), often known simply as the Big Muff, is a fuzzbox produced in New York City by the Electro-Harmonix company, along with their Russian sister company Sovtek, primarily for use with the electric guitar. It is used by bassists as well due to the Big Muff's squeaky frequency response. Hendrix and Santana were among the first to get a piece of the Pi, and for over 40 years the Big Muff Pi has been defining the sound of rock guitar.

T-Booster is based on Brian May Treble Booster which is an effects unit used by guitarists to boost volume and especially the high end of their tonal spectrum, and was popular mostly during the 1960s. Popularized by guitarists such as Tony Iommi, Ritchie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher, Brian May, and Marc Bolan, treble boosters were used to overdrive amplifiers in order to create a more distorted yet focused sound.

https://shop.audified.com/products/multidrive-pedal-pro

Technical info        

System requirements of the selected product. For some effects and applications, we have versions compatible with older systems. Please visit the Downloads page and browse the available versions if your system is older than specified here.

Mac OS X 10.9 - Mac OS X 10.13          AAX 32b, AAX 64b, AU 32b, AU 64b, VST2 32b, VST2 64b, VST3 32b, VST3 64b                      

Windows 7 - Windows 10          AAX 32b, AAX 64b, VST2 32b, VST2 64b, VST3 32b, VST3 64b          

Price $69