Digidesign Introduces New Pro Tools Plug-Ins

Bruno	Reso
SoundReplacer
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Digidesign® introduces two new plug-in packages that greatly expand the creative capabilities of Pro Tools systems. The Bruno/Reso package includes two new interactive cross-synthesis TDM Plug-Ins that provide synthesizer/vocoder-like processing. SoundReplacer is an AudioSuite Plug-In that replaces on-screen audio with samples.

Bruno and Reso use cross-synthesis, an intriguing new technique which uses an audio input signal (in this case, the Pro Tools track) to generate interesting new sound textures. These Plug-Ins are interactive, in that an external MIDI keyboard (or the on-screen keyboard) is used to play the Plug-In. Pressing a key on the keyboard plays the generated signal in that pitch. Up to 24 voices are available for building huge, complex sounds.

Bruno has an adjustable crossfade rate, for controlling time slices of audio and adjusting the amount of time between each slice. A Switch function provides additional changes in texture, at a rate that can be triggered by threshold, MIDI clock or keyed to an external track. Further shaping and modulation of the sound is controlled by a wide variety of Timbre, Amplitude, Pitch and Voice parameters.

Reso has many features similar to Bruno, but uses a resonance generator in its initial signal creation. This resonant signal is further manipulated through Damping and other processing controls. Toggling between all and odd harmonics of Reso can be triggered from various sources, in the same way as Brunos Switch control. At the end of the chain, a Resonant Filter is available for frequency sweeps, with adjustable Q and an envelope follower.

SoundReplacer is an extremely useful AudioSuite Plug-In, ideal for drum hit replacement or triggering new sounds from a Pro Tools track. The Plug-In uses replacement sounds from a sound library or hard drive to replace or add to the original track. The original performance is retained, since SoundReplacer automatically adjusts the dynamics of the replacement file to match the level changes on the original track. Up to three different samples can be loaded, triggering from separate adjustable amplitude threshold zones. The balance between the original audio and samples can be adjusted with a mix slider. A peak align option assures sample accurate triggering, independent of waveform amplitude characteristics. SoundReplacer is an ideal tool for building new sounds from an original performance.