Antares has announced the release of AVOX 2 - the second generation of the Antares Vocal Toolkit. AVOX 2 is available for native plug-in formats including RTAS (Mac and PC), VST (Mac and PC) and Audio Units (Mac).

Building on the power of the original AVOX plug-in bundle, AVOX 2 adds an additional five state-of-the-art vocal processing modules, including Harmony Engine Vocal Modeling Harmony Generator, to give musicians, producers, and engineers the power they need to create stunning vocal tracks in any musical style as well as design unique vocal effects for audio post-production applications. All at the same price as the original AVOX - $599.

New plug-ins in AVOX 2 include:

• Harmony Engine Vocal Modeling Harmony Generator: A real-time harmony generating plug-in that puts professional-quality harmony arrangements within reach of any songwriter, producer, musician or engineer. The quickest, easiest tool for creating realistic harmonies.
• MUTATOR Extreme Voice Designer: MUTATOR provides a combination of tools for creating unusual, weird, or downright wacky voices. With high-quality pitch shifting, throat modeling, pitch-tracking ring modulator-based "mutation," and a mind-bending Alienization function, MUTATOR is the perfect tool for unique special vocal effects and post- production sound design.
• ARTICULATOR Vocal Formant and Amplitude Modeler: The alien offspring of a vocoder and a modern-day version of the venerable talk box, ARTICULATOR lets a user extract the formant and amplitude information from a vocal (or other dynamic source) and apply it to any other audio track. Perfect for talking guitars, singing synths, and a wide range of special effects.
• WARM Tube Saturation Generator: Based on Antares' legendary Tube plug- in, WARM warms up vocals with Antares' world-renown tube modeling technology, while being so processing-efficient that it can be used on every track in a project with negligible impact on CPU usage.
• ASPIRE Aspiration Noise Processor: ASPIRE is the world's first tool for modifying a voice's breathiness independently of its harmonic content. Whether reducing a bit of vocal rasp or adding a bit of smokiness, ASPIRE allows the modification of the amount and quality of a voice's aspiration noise (the component of every voice that's the result of air passing over the vocal chords) without otherwise affecting the vocal's harmonic characteristics.

AVOX 2 will be available shortly at your local Antares dealer. In the meantime, you can learn all about AVOX 2, download a fully functional 10 day trial version, or purchase a copy from Antares' online store.

Upgrades to AVOX 2 are available for purchase and download by current owners of the original AVOX, AVOX AT, and Harmony Engine. See the Antares Software Upgrade page for details.

If you purchased and registered a copy of AVOX or AVOX AT after March 12, 2008, you are entitled to a free upgrade to AVOX 2. To get your free upgrade, you must still complete the upgrade process at the Antares Software Upgrade page.