SonicBirth is an "AudioUnit designing application". It allows users to build their own AudioUnit plug-ins, either by working with existing circuits or by creating circuits completely from scratch. SonicBirth is also an AudioUnits package, as it comes bundled with a set of plug-ins designed for standalone use as plug-ins as well as pre-constructed circuits to modify or build upon for creating new plug-ins. Whether you're looking for traditional eqs, compressors, and reverbs, or softsynths, distortion, and filters, etc., SonicBirth allows you freedom and creativity over your sound.

SonicBirth is based on a powerful, flexible engine. Every plug-in can be used in 32 bits or 64 bits for added precision. Since all plug-ins share this engine, any improvement in speed will benefit all of them.

These are the currently available prebuilt plug-ins. New ones will be added over time, free of charge:

• Multiband Scraper: Degrades the bit depth and sample rate of the signal independently over and under a user selectable frequency.
• Simple Reverb: A simple reverb based on Jezar's Freeverb, with the the addition of a feedback delay line and selectable filter.
• Multiband Freeverb: Jezar's Freeverb with a twist.
• MIDI Filter: A MIDI controllable, lowpass/highpass selectable filter. Frequency is set by the note pressed.
• Bassdrum: A bassdrum synthesizer, with variable slope, punch and distortion.
• Rainy synth: A simple synth showing a filter used in an unusual way to create a new sound.
• 5 Band Eq: A five band, with variable center frequency, Q and gain, completely MIDI controllable.
• 20 Band Eq: Simply a basic twenty band eq.
• Width Enhancer: Stereo width enhancer/nullifier.
• Limiter: a seven stages, 2 ms look-ahead limiter.
• Compressor: Audio compression with variable attack, release, threshold, and knee softness.
• Gate: Audio gate with variable attack, release.

The price for the preview version is US$99 - the final price will be US$129, however if you are good with graphics, check the screenshots page for a way to get SonicBirth for free. The final version is expected to be completed around June 2005. It will be faster, have more prebuilt plug-ins, and more elements to build plug-ins from.

A demo version is available - it will override the sound for one second every thirty seconds until it is registered.

SonicBirth requires MacOS 10.3, a recent version of QuickTime, and a host application that supports the AudioUnit plug-in format.

NOTE about exported AU plug-ins: You can only distribute the circuit model file (which has a file extension .sbc, not the actual exported plug-in). This is because if you give the plug-in to someone who doesn't have SonicBirth installed, it will not work since the framework will not be present. For this reason, other users will need to download SonicBirth. The license does not allow the redistribution of an exported AU plug-in, as it contains copyrighted code.