SoundToys releases MicroShift

SoundToys has announced that MicroShift for Mac OS X and Windows is now available and, for a limited time, both new purchases and upgrades are at special pricing. Offer ends 3/4/14. Upgrade from Little MicroShift for $49 (regularly $89) or purchase MicroShift (which includes Little MicroShift) for $89 (regularly $129).

MicroShift is the first of the SoundToys line to support AAX Native 64 for Windows, and VST 64 for Mac. These platforms will be added soon to the full product line with a future release.

MicroShift makes it wide. Be it vocals, synths, guitars, backing vocals or whatever you choose to run through it, MicroShift uses this classic studio trick to spread it out, thicken up, or give a new space to any track you hit with it. The SoundToys' "Focus" knob allows the user to push and widen specific ranges without affecting the rest of the track. It's designed to be ideal for adding "shimmer" to a vocal, or "air" to a guitar. Control of the detune amount, delay, and a mix knob lets the user tweak the effect to fit just right in the track.

The micro-shifting technique has been around since the early days of pitch-shifting devices like the Eventide H910 (x2), H3000, the AMS DMX 15-80, and all the way to plug-ins like SoundToys own SoundBlender and PurePitch. The idea is fairly simple, small amounts of delay and or pitch-shift panned hard left and right. The formula's are all a bit different on all the devices, but the effect is essentially the same. It adds a width, space, depth, and thickness to vocal and background vocals. Of course it's been used on lots of other things but that's kind of where it started. It's also still a vital part of most mix engineers "bag of tricks". And let's not forget the guitars. It was also used by guitarists to get crazy huge walls of sound, and bring solos out front (where they should be).

A Little Taste is all you need

You also get Little MicroShift. It adds width, depth, and thickness to vocals, guitars, synths, whatever, just like it's big brother, but with a simple, straight forward interface. Emulating three of the most sought after micro pitch-shifting sounds from two of the all time classic pieces of gear that made the technique famous, Little MicroShift puts them right at your fingertips.

New Authorization Options

MicroShift and Little MicroShift now allow what is known as machine-based licenses. This means that you do not need an iLok USB key to hold your authorization and that the authorization itself can reside on your computer instead of on your iLok. In addition to that, you do not need to use the iLok License Manager to authorize your plug-in. They've added an 'Activation Experience' which allows you to activate the plug-in when it is loaded in your DAW for the first time. *You will still need an iLok.com account to utilize these new authorization options. Full details can be read in the FAQ, here.

Price: $89.