Searching for new sounds can lead you down a rabbit hole of effects chains and complex routing. Itâs all too easy to throw on more and more processing tools when youâre looking for something. A more efficient method is to use plug-ins which combine the best elements of different effects and bring them into a single powerful unit. Then you can focus more on the sound itself, rather than endlessly tweaking huge rows of effects.
Alter Echo
Two new Max for Live plug-ins from K-Devices do exactly that. First up Alter Echo, a delay module that allows you to sculpt echoes into evolving, rhythmic patterns via a pair of step-sequencers. These transport-synced step-sequencers push you to think outside the box; labelled âWhatâ and âWhenâ, they control how much audio is sent to the unit and when the delay is heard, so itâs easy to set up criss-crossing rhythmic patterns. Plus there are multiple options for ramp slopes and shapes for adding supple corners and dynamics to your delay. The âTexturizeâ section takes things a step further, providing a second delay which can run forwards or backwards in relation to your original echo signal. Completed by an onboard filter and a handy side-chain compressor, Alter Echo can quickly and intuitively get your sounds ducking and weaving around the stereo field.