If you are thinking about adding a sound processing and effects tool to your arsenal of audio sample and editing tools, think again if you're not thinking about the SFX Machine from BIAS.

Just as filters and plugins are an indispensable feature of graphics applications such as Photoshop, SFX Machine is an indispensable addition to many of the best sound editing applications around, allowing you to radically process your audio files with just the click of a button! Literally millions of sound effects combinations are possible, and each and every one can be saved as a preset.

This screen presents you with all the categories, which are actually folders that contain all the presets, and as you can see from this example there is a lot to choose from (there's a complete list of presets near the base of this page). You can also get new presets directly from the net!

One criticism that has been levelled at earlier digital audio effects processors was the way in which life and soul of original performance was often spirited away, which isn't a bad thing if you're the next Kraftwerk! but not good if need lifelike vocals and warm sounding acoustic instruments. That's where functions such as Envelope Follower and Pitch Tracker come in super-handy! In no time at all you'll be creating realistic-sounding modulations which will re-animate the flattest samples.

As you can see from this screen shot each presets' parameters can be modified using a simple interface which utilizes industry standard calibration, and be sure to Normalize your sample before adjusting anything because this tool is capable of producing extremely potent sonically devastating effects!

And if you think the controls of each individual module are comprehensive, take a look at this:

Eight stereo modules, each allowing the user to select any of nine sources. Users can then apply any of eleven DSP processes, and perform any of thirteen modulations, resulting in millions of possible combinations which can be stored as presets. Another unique feature, the Randomizer, generates completely unique sounds by reconfiguring all parameters with one click of the mouse. (Important note: Be sure to keep your cursor on the save preset button while using this function, you just might come across that six million dollar sound you've been dreaming of!)

The SFX Machine is consistantly amazing us! It is capable of doing things to sound that we have never heard before. Brain Shattering!!

Here is a list of the different categories and the presets within that are included with SFX Machine, and remember these are infinitely variable and saveable presets:

Chorus: 3-Delay Chorus, 5-Delay Chorus 2, 5-Delay Chorus 3, 5-Delay Chorus, Simple, Chorus, Slow Deep Chorus, Thin Chorus.

Delay: 2 to 1 Echoes, 3 vs 2 Echoes, Double, Growing Echoes, MultiEchoes, PitchTrk->Sitar, Drone, Sitar Drone, Slapback, Slow Echoes, Wider & Wider Delay, Yodeling in the Canyon.

Envelope Follower: Ampl Env->Freq Env, DeClipper, Drums Gate Bass, Envelope Remover, EnvFol->Comb Filter, EnvFol->Ring Mod Noise Gate, Subliminizer.

Feedback: Echo/Feedback 1, Echo/Feedback 2, Echo/Feedback 3, Echo/Feedback 4.

Filter Effects: Chopper, DC Offset Filter, Megaphone, Ottawa, Phone Bandwidth, Pseudo-Stereo, Simple Graphic EQ, Simple Noise Reduction, Triggered Wah, Triggered Wah & Distortion, UFO Descending, Velvet Chimes - A Maj, Velvet Chimes - A Maj, Velvet Chimes - A Maj, Velvet Chimes - A Maj, Water Drips, Whisper, Winchester Wah.

Flanger: 2 to 1 Flange, Echo + Flange, EnvFol->ExtFlangeEcho, ExtremeFlange + Echo, Flange + Echo, Flange 1, Flange 2, Flange verb, Submarine, Tape Flange, Thru-Zero Flange, Vocal Flange.

FM: Car Alarm, Ray Gun, Siren, Telephone Ring, Two-tone siren.

Misc: 33 1/3 Record, 78 Record, Backwards Fragment 2, Backwards Fragment 3, Backwards Fragment 4, Backwards Fragment 5, Backwards Fragmenter, Boings, Distortion, Grunge, Hard/Soft Clipping, RoboTalk, Spectral Inverter, Vocal Remover.

Modular Synth: Diminished S/H, Full Wave Rectifier, Phase Mod Alt Tones, Phase Shape Over Tones, Sample/Hold Tones, Swept Aliasing.

Multitap: e-Verb 1, e-Verb 2, Granular Synth, Multitap, Reverse Stutter, Stutter, Train Station.

MultiVox: MultiVox, MultiVox 2, MultiVox 3, MultiVox 4.

Pan Effects: Auto Pan, Comb Pseudo-Stereo, Cross Pan, Doppler Passerby, PingPong Echoes, Pitch Track->Pan, Psycho Acoustic Pan.

Pitch Shift: Alternative Octaves, Crystal Gliss Down, Crystal Gliss Up, Fear, Gliss Up+Filter Sweep, Munchkin Chorus, Phattener, Pitch +/-100cents, Pitch 0 <-> +1 octave, Pitch 0 <-> -1 octave, PitchPanic, PitchShift Down, PitchShift Up, Stereo Pan/Detune, StereoPan/Detune 2, Sub Octave Generator, Thick Detune, TwelveString, TwelveString 2, Warped Speech.

Pitch Track: PitchTrack Bandpass, PitchTrack Whistle, PitchTrack Whistle 2, PitchTrack ->RingMod, PitchTrack Whistle+Vib.

Random: Decon 4, Fluttery Filters, Intruder Alert, Overtones, Scraping.

Test Tones: Add 50/60-cycle Hum, Additive Synthesis, Guitar Tuning, Sine Wave Sweep, White Noise.

Tremelo: 60's Tremelo, CrossPan Tremelo, EnvFol->AM& FM Trm, Pan Tremelo, Tremelo 1.

Tutorial: Final Tutorial Patch, PitchTrk Tutorial.

Utilities: Reset All Modules, Adjust L/R Balance, Bipolar -> Unipolar, Correct DC Offset, Left -> Both, Phase Inverter, Right -> Both, Stereo -> Difference, Stereo -> Mono, Stereo -> Sum/Diff, Swap Channels, Unipolar -> Bipolar, Zero Left Channel, Zero Right Channel.

Vibrato: EnvFol -> Vibrato, Filter Vibrato, Vibrato 1, Vibrato 2.

Weird: Analog Mask, Bleep-a-thon, Bubble Synth, Bubble Synth 2, Env -> RingMod 2, Flubbery Flange, Grunties, H2 Oh, Leaky Faucet, MultiVox Sine, MultiVox Triangle, PTrk -> RM -> DDL, RoboDistortion, Short Wave Café, Swept Alias Flange, The Cauldron, Warble Filter, Warp & Hold 1, Weird Chorus.

Other useful products from BIAS:

Peak - Professional recording, editing and processing software.

To contact BIAS check out their entry in our Manufacturers department.

Rating - 847,122 (out of a possible 1,000,000)

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