Single Knob Filter [Project Page]
SKF-VST at Google Code [Source, VST Download]

It’s apparently a big improvement on an Ableton forum solution that used 127 different filter instances in a rack.

I’m aware of the goodness of Single Knob Filter thanks to the Aurora open source DJ mixer project (see yesterday’s write-up); they assign an instance of the plug-in on each of the Aurora’s two mixer channels. Aurora’s Matt originally had the SKF plug-in in their Ableton template, but I encouraged them to replace it with Ableton’s Auto Filter for cross-platform compatibility and ease. That said, for plain DJ filtering, this it the One True Knob.

Now, go forth and use it on some crazy experimental noise soundscape you’ve been working on, just to spite cliche.

I noted in January that enigmatically-talented programmer Jack Dark had released the source of his misbehaved SynthEdit-made plug-ins for Windows VST. Here’s one of the fruits of that release: a glitching, stuttering sonic thing that now also syncs to your host, so your little glitchstutters hit on, um, an eighth note or whatever instead of just appearing willy-nilly. SynthEdit may be notorious for insanely unstable and sonically-destructive plug-ins, but DarkWare’s plug-ins are so beloved for their unpredictability that developers are actually worried about making them too normal: 

For those knowing and loving Shattershot Lite VST, Shattersync is essentially a host (and therefore BPM) synchronized version of its predecessor. it should be noted that the work I made to modify the creature will not make it sound any better and possibly all the voodoo magic spawned from Shattershot Lite will disappear, replaced by a tamed, ordered, boring, mechanism of nothingness.

Original DarkWare VSTs

Pluggotic and C.d.P. Page, with various free VSTs for Windows, including the Scattersync download.

Rekkerd.org: Pluggotic releases Shattersync — and, yes, I love Rekkerd.org; it’s like a nerdster filter for the barrage of 2.43.0.5 upgrade releases and eight trillion forum messages at KVR

In addition to a new GUI and MIDI implementation, there is a “new independent stuttering FX in the signal chain”, so perhaps that’ll add a little voodo back. Presumably, you’ll still be able to do the same glitching, stuttering thing as the gentlemen in the video here (aka Pluggotic & C.d.P.).

Hint: with either the synced or un-synced version, this will sound different from Ableton BeatRepeat.

If you like your plug-ins extreme and dangerous — like causing bodily injury to pregnant women and children dangerous — here’s some good news from you. Legendary (or perhaps infamous) Windows VST plug-in developer Jack Dark has decided to leave the scene, and he’s leaving his source projects for plug-ins released on DarkWare and (later) Novuzeit:

All DarkWare & NOVUZEIT SynthEdit source files, here, free. [KVR Audio forums]

That’s dangerous as in sonically and, uh, technologically. And digging into the source means finding still more of the technological avant-garde. Jack explains:

One word of warning though, I never intended for anyone else to see the guts of these projects. As such don’t expect the .SE1 layouts to be clean and elegantly organized. That’s not how I worked. I always created at the speed of thought.

Jack is one of the punks of plug-ins, with creations like Hypnotastic, Hands of Darkness, Nuclear Cranium, and The Nightmare Machine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But if you can decode the Dark arts here, you could make some electric mayhem of your own. Thanks, Runagate!