Image Line has announced the release of Toxic Biohazard, the 4th generation in the line of Toxic synthesizers. Toxic Bio distills the best features from the previous 3 versions to deliver the most concentrated Toxic ever.

Incorporating the best suggestions from users, Toxic Biohazard includes following enhancements:

• Optimized engine. Improved the sound quality, with even more accurate wave shapes, and quicker rendering times.
• "Physycal" envelopes (amplitude and filter) physical modelling of how sounds in real world decay & resonate, for example, the sound of a water drop. Further, physycal envelopes are rendered real-time without any interpolation, avoiding noise artifacts and allowing Toxic Bio to deliver fast, accurate envelope times.
• Pack of new effects: phaser, reverb, ...

Toxic Biohazard costs $99 and is available for Windows and Mac OS X in VST, AU and FL Studio plug-in formats. Upgrades are free to all Toxic users.

Toxic Biohazard features a hybrid synthesis engine, combining the best of FM and Subtractive synthesis. With the addition of a warm, analog-modeled filter and set of built-in effects, the Toxic concept remains one of convenience, simplicity, and superb sound quality.

The FM technology

One of the 'warmest', crisp, and clear Frequency Modulation engines in the world, owes its sound to the precise calculation of the digital signal. Due to high-resolution DSP processing, it produces sound with an extremely low noise threshold; something that most FM engines cannot offer. The Toxic Biohazard sound was built from the ground up, via Image Line's unique mathematical calculations and analog-modeling techniques.

The Oscillators

Completely alias-free, and well tuned for all sampling rates, they produce a rich, "fat" sound all across the spectrum. Due to the high quality of the anti-aliasing process, users will not encounter the shredding noise on high frequencies that has plagued some FM synthesis implementations in the past. Furthermore, the oscillators are calculated at extremely high speeds, keeping your CPU usage to a minimum. Toxic's low CPU consumption affords the user plenty of room for external processing and running multiple instances. The oscillators also come equipped with Maxx Claster's own powerful spectrum analysis technology. This allows the user to create his or her own waveforms, via the simple process of loading a WAV or AIFF format sound file. All of these features make the oscillators very flexible, and allow for the use of both synthetic and acoustic waveforms within Toxic III. Each oscillator also comes with 32 built in 'classic' waveforms, each shown to be the most useful in FM synthesis.

The Effects

Made to assure high quality and flexibility is built into the synthesizer its self, Toxic Biohazard aims to reduce the need for external processing altogether. The effect modules are designed to give the user access to several types of effects, from aggressive, tube-like distortion, to warm stereo delay, reverb, flanger, and phaser effects. With Image Line's tape delay emulation, based on non-fixed delay buffer sizes, instead of the usual methods incorporated within digital delays, the delay lines give you warm sound, with "true" feedback and modulation. Lastly, the signal chain features an analog-modeled, parametric equalizer to further shape your sound. The EQ provides access to crisp, clear high-end definition, creamy mid ranges and earth-shaking low-end frequencies. The Toxic Biohazard effect modules expands its palette of sound to include everything from dark, atmospheric textures to razor sharp leads, fit to slice easily through any mix.

The Filter

Maxx Claster's own analog-modeled, multi-mode filter is reminiscent of a certain silver box of old. Garnishing a warm, resonant Low-Pass mode, a smooth Band-Pass setting, and a creamy High-Pass mode, Toxic Biohazard gives a wealth of control over tone. The filter is further enhanced by modulation via a dedicated envelope generator and low frequency oscillator, as well as responding to velocity information and keyboard tracking. These features allow for extreme sound shaping, as well as subtle nuances attributed to dynamic playing.

The Sequencer

Powerful, yet simple, the sequencer offers a total of 64 steps, which can be divided into two independent, 32 step modules to allow double-polyphonic patterns. Using Image Line's "Smart Sequencer" technology, when a chord is played, the module defines that chord, and tunes the pattern accordingly. The sequencer also allows for pure playback of the programmed sequence from single notes. Simply holding one chord can virtually create an arrangement for you.