Unfiltered Audio, a concern out of Santa Cruz, California, USA, has released SpecOps, a new plug-in for Mac and PC under the Plugin Alliance umbrella. SpecOps allows application of frequency-dependent gain, compression, or distortion to complex sources such as drums or vocals with spectral accuracy. Putting FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) analysis at its creative heart, the plugin splits audio into hundreds — or even thousands — of frequency slices (or bins), which can then be manipulated by a multitude of onboard spectral effects.
The onboard Spectral Compander compresses or expands per-frequency-slice (per-bin), so dynamics of anywhere between 128 to 32,786 slices (based on the FFT Size setting) are individually analyzed and treated simultaneously. Source- and resolution-dependent dynamics uniquely transform timbres to reveal sonic character that the user can explore to discover new characteristics. There are also a number of global parameters, including a super-clean Pitch Shifter that goes up or down an octave — great for vocal effects; Speed and Freeze controls that smear and lock SpecOps’ sample analysis, delivering anything from sweet and subtle ambient pad effects to powerful spectral synthesis; and a powerful, 2-pole analog-style lowpass Filter.
Unfiltered Audio’s assignable Modulation system sees SpecOps through to a higher state of interaction, including seven built-in modulators, including a 16-step sequencer; input follower; sample and hold noise; four different LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators); macro control (can be used with any MIDI controller); and a ROLI Lightpad module – all of which can be routed simultaneously to any and all control knobs and sliders, thanks to intuitive drag-and-drop-style cables connecting those modulators to almost any parameter.
The plug-in for Mac and PC comes in the AAX AudioSuite, AAX Native, AU, VST2, and VST3 flavors for Mac OS X (10.8 through 10.12), Windows (7 through 10), and Pro Tools 10.3.10 (or higher).
Unfiltered Audio’s SpecOps is available now for $129.
Unfiltered Audio
