Augustus Loop is a tape delay effect with some out-there features – try a one-hour maximum delay setting, tap-in length, virtual tape features, the ability to sync multiple instances, and lots of unusual sound design features. It can do things that even tape wouldn’t imagine.

Version 2.2.0 has some nice new features. It incorporates 64-bit support, although unfortunately that 64-bit support is Mac-only for now.

Also new in version 2.0 (2.2 is the 64-bit bump):
A skinnable, scriptable GUI
OSC support for full control with OSC (grab your iPhone, folks)
MIDI and OSC scripting in Lua, for customizing control

Those are some trends I’d like to see more of. It proves that plug-ins can be more open to user customization, and that even a tiny, independent developer can embrace the flexibility of OSC as a control protocol.

Demo times out after 15 minutes; US$49 for the full version. Mac + Windows (AU + VST).

Explore the goodness and some of Expert Sleepers’ other unusual plugs:
http://www.expert-sleepers.co.uk/augustusloop.html

Plug-in crafter daz disley writes to alert us to his Windows VST plug-in collection. The beta-grade plug-ins are all available as donationware. There are various warnings about “try at your own risk,” which reads to me as an invitation. Three effects have been polished into finished versions; you can get all three for EUR25 if you want to use them beyond 28 days. But the betas are free to try.

There’s some nice-looking stuff in the beta-level collection, including:

• granulOSO: a granular “sample masher,” a bit like some of the Reaktor ensembles out there — and delicious as a result. Note that “granulOSO uses a mono trigger with polyphonic pitch so each new note’s samples join in rather than start again so it can be used as a gnarly harmonizer. “
• voldeLAY: a delay chain that uses volume to determine delay (that is, it integrates a side-chained compressor). Similar: freqDELAY uses multiple bands for delay, and deeeeeLAY, a “stoopidly” long delay. You could route something similar depending on the capabilities of your host, but nice to have it in one virtual box.
• wavePLAY: a “wave-explorer” synthesizer from a sound artist.
• sidePRESS, a hard knee compressor with virtual sidechain inputs — meaning you don’t need a host capable of sidechaining to use it (nice!)

… just for starters; you’ll find plenty of others. And they all have quite lovely interfaces, true to their name.

whiteLABEL plug-ins

I may be tossing this into my sound design / mangling arsenal this week, so stay tuned!