• AAS Chromaphone 2 Buzz

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Synth by Applied Acoustics Systems

Resident sound designer Adam Pietruszko embraces retro-futurism with Synth City—a collection of 100 presets amalgamating the nostalgia of the 1980s’ vibe with Chromaphone 2’s modern twist. Plunge into synthwave and retrowave territory all the way through futuresynth, darksynth, outrun, retro-electro, nu disco, and synth-pop with this.

V1 Upgrade Here

What's New?

We have brought Chromaphone to a whole new level - It is now an incredibly versatile instrument.

Factory Library

• The completely renewed factory library has well over 600 production-ready sounds classified for fast and intuitive exploration.

Drumhead Resonator

• This new model reproduces precisely how a real drumhead vibrates resulting in super realistic and responsive drums and percussions.

Envelope Mode

• The envelope generator for the noise source is now equipped with an AHD mode for carving precise one-shots.

Noise Filter Bank

• The noise source spectrum can now be tailored with a 10-band filter bank for fine control of the tone.

Low-Cut Filter

• Resonators have been complemented with a low-cut filter to control the clarity of an instrument response.

Arpeggiator

• Add motion and give a new perspective to sounds with the new built-in arpeggiator module.

Source Mixer

• Fine control of the mallet and noise sources to shape the attack and sustain phase of sounds with precision.

Compressor and Equaliser

• These new additions are perfect to add punch and definition to your sound, letting you cut through any dense mix or stage.

Limiter

• The new output limiter protects your ears and monitors during experimentation with the synth’s parameters while providing a maximum of distortion-free dynamics.

Streamlined Interface

• Redesigned from the ground up, the new interface now divides Chromaphone 2 into three panels: Play presents shortcuts to the performance and effect parameters including bypass switches for quick edits; Edit lets you tweak and create your sound; while FX supplies equalizer, compressor, multi-effect, and reverb processors for a final sheen.

Microtonal Tunings via Scala Scale Files

• Chromaphone 2 now supports the Scala scale file format for microtonal music making.

Updated Overhauled Effects

• Reinvigorated and polished, Chromaphone 2’s multi-effect processor features our best sounding chorus, delay, phaser, flanger, distortion, notch filter, wah-wah, auto-wah, and reverb to date!

Backward Compatible with Chromaphone 1 Presets

• Simply copy your banks from Chromaphone 1 in Chromaphone 2‘s bank folder to convert them.

Melodies, Beats and Crazy Soundscapes

Chromaphone uses acoustic resonators to create drums, percussion, mallet, string, and other unique instruments. They get sparked into life by a mallet and a flexible noise generator.

Library

• Chromaphone 2 is packed with more than 650 presets from the best sound designers. Instruments span from warm and mellow pitched percussions for melodies to punchy one-shots and kits for rhythm tracks. Twisted, they generate unique textures and soundscapes that will move any film score. Whether real, otherworldly or with an ethnic touch, Chromaphone will fill your music with rich and organic tones.

Performance

• Chromaphone 2 ships with premium performance features: unison, vibrato, and a complete set of MIDI features. And for even more action, Chromaphone provides a user programmable pattern arpeggiator and shortcuts to the high-quality effects.

Edition

• Modeling based synthesis gives you access to all source and resonator parameters. Customize instruments to perfectly fit your project or follow your inspiration and build entirely new ones for really creative and innovative sound design.

Effects

• The Effects panel wraps up Chromaphone 2 as an all-inclusive package with awesome polishing tools.

Everything you Need from Start to Finish

With more than 650 presets spread into 19 categories, Chromaphone 2 packs everything you need to create all the parts of your productions.

• Mallets - 49 Presets
• Percussions - 72 Presets
• Kicks - 40 Presets
• Snares - 84 Presets
• Toms - 27 Presets
• Hi-Hats - 25 Presets
• Cymbals - 27 Presets
• Chromakits - 25 Presets
• Chimes and Bells - 29 Presets
• Plucked Strings - 34 Presets
• Basses - 33 Presets
• Keys - 26 Presets
• Strings and Pads - 20 Presets
• Synths - 25 Presets
• Organs and Pipes - 11 Presets
• Soundscapes - 41 Presets
• Effects - 33 Presets
• Arpeggiators - 39 Presets
• Arpeggiated Percussions - 34 Presets

One-Shot Revolution

One-shots are no longer limited to the velocity dimension. Chromaphone uses the entire keyboard range to modulate volume, mallet noise and stiffness, noise filter frequency and density, hit position, and coupling to open a whole world of expressive sounds—and that in a totally stepless fashion.

Creative Drum Kits

Chromaphone ships with ready-made creative kit patches where each note provides a new sound slightly different from the previous one. Over the entire keyboard range the sound morphs from bass drum to snare to hi-hat. Discover a mixture of electronic and acoustic qualities intertwined to form highly playable, addictive, and always fresh drum sounds.

Playful

Direct Access to FX Shortcuts, Performance Settings, and the Arpeggiator.

Performance

Chromaphone 2 will match your playing style or musical context with ease thanks to the tap tempo and sync to host clock options; up-to-4-voice unison; and the flexible vibrato.

Arpeggiator

Ready, willing, and able, Chromaphone 2’s arpeggiator offers various syncing resolutions, playing algorithms, and rhythmic patterns that will spruce up any chord progressions into percolating melodies or pulsing sequences.

Mix and Match

Chromaphone is an atelier for musicians and producers. At the turn of a few knobs, become an instrument maker, shaping metal, carving wood, and stretching skins. Craft and play expressive and responsive instruments that have a real-life presence.

Resonate

Instruments are created by combining acoustic resonators. A wooden bar makes a xylophone, turned metallic it becomes a glockenspiel. Adding a tube transforms it into a vibraphone or marimba. Plates shape up in bells and cymbals. A drumhead combined with a cylinder becomes a bass drum, snare, conga or bongo. Mix and match strings, plates, drumheads, membranes, beams, bars, and tubes to reproduce real-life instruments or create original ones.

Perfect Couples

Chromaphone is the first synthesizer that takes into account the effect of coupling between resonators. Bringing together acoustic objects, for example, the string and soundboard at the bridge of a guitar change the way each of them vibrates. Proprietary technology models show precisely how objects interact and exchange energy, thereby capturing key acoustic behaviours of musical instruments and resulting in sounds that have a real-life presence.

The Perfect Stroke

Shape the attack with the Mallet module which provides the triggering impact. Use the Amplitude and Stiffness controls to craft different type of sticks, mallets, and beaters, and the Noise parameter to bring texture to the hit. All can be modulated by keyboard velocity and pitch to provide great playing dynamics.

Get Noisy

Sustain is provided by a flexible noise source. An envelope generator and filters provide tailored excitation to complement impacts from the mallet. A density parameter controls the rate at which noise samples interact with the resonators from random individual particule-like hits to a fully continuous flow. Loud or quiet, bursting or evolving, dense or porous, broadband or filtered, this noise source is the key to unusual and creative effects.

Bare Naked - All Suited Up

You’ll love the pure raw sound of Chromaphone 2, but the built-in effects will bring it to so many places that you’ll enjoy having them on hand. And you have a chock-full of them to choose from: compressor, equalizer, delay, distortion, phaser, chorus, flanger, wah wah and notch filters, and reverb.

The Benefits of Physical Modelling

• Sound manipulation at the source core.
• Presets load in a flash.
• Super smooth dynamics - no velocity layers!
• Small memory footprint - less than 256 MB of RAM per instance.
• Installs in less than a minute - less than 44 MB on disk.

Features:

• Standalone operation for quick jams and experimentations.
• Real-time control over any parameters via your MIDI controller knobs, faders, and switches.
• MIDI clock, tap, and host tempo synchronization for effects and modulations.
• Relaxed editing with unlimited undo/redo capability.

Plugin Formats:

• VST
• AU
• RTAS
• AAX NATIVE
• NKS
• STANDALONE

System Requirements

WINDOWS · MAC OS X · 32-/64-BIT & VST · AU · RTAS · AAX NATIVE · STANDALONE

AAS products are compatible with nearly all DAWs...

• Ableton Live
• Apple GarageBand
• Apple Logic Pro
• Apple Mainstage
• Avid Pro Tools
• Bitwig Studio
• Bandlab Cakewalk
• Cockos Reaper
• Image-Line FL Studio
• MOTU Digital Performer
• Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol
• Native Instruments Maschine
• Presonus Studio One
• Propellerhead Reason
• Steinberg Cubase

Mac Minimum System Requirements*

• Mac OS X 10.7 or later
• Intel Core processor or later
• 512 MB of RAM
• 70 MB of free hard drive space

AAS Chromaphone 2 Buzz

PC Minimum System Requirements*

• Windows 7 32‑/64‑bit or later
• Intel Core or equivalent processor
• 512 MB of RAM
• 70 MB of free hard drive space

*The minimum system requirements mentioned above are for standalone usage. For plug-in usage, please refer to your DAW software requirements (Sonar, Pro Tools, Cubase, Live, Digital Performer, Logic Pro, etc.).

Any references to any brands on this site/page, including reference to brands and instruments, are provided for description purposes only. For example references to instrument brands are provided to describe the sound of the instrument and/or the instrument used in the sample. Plugin Boutique do not have (nor do they claim) any association with or endorsement by these brands. Any goodwill attached to those brands rest with the brand owner. Plugin Boutique or its Suppliers do not accept any liability in relation to the content of the product or the accuracy of the description. 'RHODES' is a registered trademark of Joseph A Brandstetter.

Product Reviews

• Gearwire Review: AAS Chromaphone

  Applied Acoustics Systems released Chromaphone, a percussion synthesizer instrument for Mac and Windows. What's new from Applied Acoustics...

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One-stop Percussion Generator - Now Even Better!

A streamlined GUI and more powerful features mean there's even more to love in the new AAS Chromaphone 2 idiophone generator. Like the original, Chromaphone 2 lets you create traditional to otherworldly percussion sounds from scratch or with presets: marimba, synthesized drums, PVC pipes, plucked piano strings, plates, chimes, water droplets, and any number of blips, bleeps, and squawks. Only now you can shape these sounds with a powerful inline multi-effects processor. Chromaphone 2's Exciter section lets you play sonic alchemist by adjusting head resonance and mallet softness until you find the perfect percussion for your piece. And because Chromaphone 2 uses physical instrument modeling instead of samples, this plug-in has a tiny footprint and makes all changes in real time. Chromaphone 2's other new features include an arpeggiator section and a redesigned library with factory presets from professional artists and sound designers.

• Chromaphone 2 replicates the true response of an acoustic instrument
• New multi-effects processor with distortion, EQ, reverb, and compression
• Arpeggiator section with tempo sync adds movement to your track

The AAS Chromaphone 2 uses state-of-the-art physical modeling for unmatched sound quality and realism. Instead of relying on samples and wavetables, Chromaphone 2 generates sounds on the fly with sophisticated physical instrument modeling for an organic experience and results. Thanks to this approach, Applied Acoustics Systems Chromaphone 2 captures the richness and diversity of acoustic textures and reproduces the quirks, subtleties, and responsiveness of real-life instruments resulting in sounds with remarkable liveliness.

Shaping, sculpting, and crushing your Chromaphone presets now requires no additional plug-ins. Chromephone 2 includes a full suite of effects: compression to smooth out mallet attacks, delay and reverb to add depth to strings, chorus to give vibes a dash of jazz cool, and distortion to crush your kick and snare drums to oblivion. Once you fine-tune your effects, levels can be controlled from the front page. Keeping everything self contained means less flipping back and forth between plug-ins, and as well, less strain on your CPU.

One of Chromaphone 1's biggest feature requests was an arpeggiator, which AAS has delivered in its Chromaphone 2. Now you can create powerful backing patterns for your track in time with your DAW project just by playing chords. This helps glue kick and snare patterns together without the use of a hi-hat and adds flow to keep sections moving along.

• Creates the percussion instruments you need in minutes
• Generates drums, mallet percussion, strings, and pipes on the fly
• Redesigned preset library from pro artists gives you great starting points
• Uses physical instrument modeling for outstanding sound quality - no samples
• Shapes and molds percussion sounds with onboard compression, EQ, distortion, reverb, and delay
• Exciter section lets you adjust mallet softness and head resonance
• Arpeggiator section glues parts together, adds movement to your track
• Save and recall presets in seconds
• Extremely responsive and expressive
• Small size and CPU impact
• For Mac OS X and Windows
• Standalone, AAX Native, RTAS, VST, AU compatibility
• 32-bit floating point internal processing
• Supports sample rates up to 192kHz