Shift 2: Diatonic Granular Pitch Shifter & Delay. Out Now!

[colin@loomer]

Update for 20th December: Now released. Get it here.

Hey all, we are pleased to announce our next product, Shift 2.

What is Shift 2?
Shift 2 is a major update for Shift, our granular diatonic pitch shifting delay plugin.


What's new in this update?

• Completely new user interface.
• Negligible latency: Shift now works with as little as sub millisecond delays, and so can be used as a real-time shifter or harmonizer.
• XY Pad control for real-time tweaking.
• Improved pitch shifting algorithm; grain engine parameters are now accessible for finer tuning.
• Vastly improved diatonic tracking; real-time pitch display helps fine tune tracking parameters.
• Five delay line voices (as opposed to three in the original Shift).
• Improved modulation options: four individual LFOs, with five modulation shapes (sin, saw, triangle, square, and random). Each voice has seven modulatable parameters: time, feedback, tuning, filter cutoff, filter resonance, pan position, and volume.
• Additional diatonic tracking scales.
• New preset browser, including tags, searching, hot-swapping, etc.
• Partial preset support for voices, grain settings, and diatonic tracker configurations.

Demo Sounds
(Click on the demo title to hear the mp3s)
Whammy Guitar: a rockin' guitar riff: first dry, and then with added parallel fifth and octave harmonies, and then finally with the harmonies only.

Diatonic Tracking: a twangy guitar line: first dry, and then with added diatonic third and diatonic fifth harmonies, and the finally with the harmonies only. Here, Shift is analyzing the guitar signal and adding the correct harmonies for the specified scale and key.

Glass Echoes: another short guitar line, first dry, and then with added staggered parallel fourth and fifth echoes.

Drum n Bass: a drum n bass loop, first dry, and then using the XY Pad live to tweak the tuning, filter cutoff, and filter resonance.

For Shift 1 users
Shift 2 is a separate product from Shift 1, and will install alongside it. Both versions can be used simultaneously. Shift 2 will import Shift 1 presets, but due to the improvements to the pitch shifting algorithm, it is not guaranteed to sound 100% identical and so should not be considered a drop-in replacement.

Shift 2 will be a free update to all existing Shift users.

Regarding questions about whether Shift 1 will be upgraded to the newer Loomer framework (which include 64-bit support, new preset browser, etc): it depends. If enough registered users want a Shift 1 update, we'll do it. Obviously we'd rather be working on updating Shift 2 and new products over maintaining legacy products, but it certainly isn't out of the question.

Release details
Shift 2 will be available in the following formats: Mac OS X (AudioUnit 32-bit & 64-bit, VST, RTAS, and Standalone), Windows (VST 32-bit & 64-bit, RTAS, and Standalone), and Linux (VST and Standalone). 64-bit VST support for Mac OS X & Linux will be added sometime post-release.

This update is scheduled for release in early December.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions pertaining to the update here. Thanks!

[dsp music]

Hey sounds quite interesting ... Could be a good replacement to Live's Grain Delay as AU.

Just a quick question. Is it possible to lock the voices together? Like you set each voice detune from each other and by moving the first (in the xy pad for example), all the others move and keep the same amount of detune? If you know what I mean...
Thinking of it, it would be great to have group lock .. like locking voice 1&3 together, 2&4 together and leave voice 5 unlocked?

Off Topic : And las but not least, any news on a Sequent update?

[colin@loomer]

Is it possible to lock the voices together?

Not yet, but it's a good idea. So maybe each voice could optionally be grouped. And then all movements to one node will move all nodes in the group, whilst keeping the relative distance between them the same. I've added this to the features list, but, keeping in the mind that is actually quite a lot of work, I can't see it being included in the initial release. Thanks though, it's (another) great suggestion!

You can currently however lock either the vertical or horizontal axis on the XY pad. This is useful when, for example, you've set each voice to a specific tuning and want to move the pan without accidentally moving the precise tuning settings.

Off Topic : And las but not least, any news on a Sequent update?

Work has started on the update, but I'm keeping fairly tight-lipped until we're 100% on what will be included (other than Linux 64-bit/Mac OS X VST 64-bit support.) I've got three smaller updates for other products to release first - all of which are about 90% done - before I get back into Sequent.

[colin@loomer]

The Diatonic Tracking interface now looks like this:


Improving on Shift 1's tracking, we have dual configurable highpass and lowpass filters. Reducing the bandwidth of the signal passed to the pitch analysis not only improves accuracy significantly, it also reduces the CPU usage when analyzing complex or noisy signals.

The folder and disc icons above can be used to store partial presets, settings that work well for particular instruments. You may have different configurations for each of your guitars rigs, for example, and this makes it easy to share your finely honed tracking settings between presets.

Finally, we have the pitch tracker display on the right hand side. This tells you at a glance what the pitch tracker thinks is the currently played pitch. It jitters wildly when it can't smoothly track, and settles confidently on one note when configured properly. Using this, it is quick and easy to configure tracking options that accurately track your playing style/sound.

[colin@loomer]

Just to answer the PMs and emails regarding release dates and upgrades: if all goes according to plan, the upgrade will be available next week. This isn't set in stone, and if beta testing turns up any nasties it may be bumped to the week after. I'm quietly confident on a release next week.

Shortly before Shift v2 is released, we'll open a simple form on our website where existing registered users can request updated licence keys.

Thanks!

[colin@loomer]

Here's a simple little demo showing the kind of quality to expect from Shift 2's pitch shifter. The effect leans more towards classic hardware pitch shifters then ultra-modern formant preserving software types: but with that caveat, it still sounds pretty nice.

Real-time Transpose - an up-beat acoustic guitar noodle, first played dry, and then through Shift 2. Shift is set to output no dry signal, and one pitch shifting voice without feedback or delay. The tuning is set to the extreme of an octave up. Grain settings are based on the 'Clean' partial preset.

[pinki]

Great, really looking forward to this, I nearly bit with Shift1 but got Resound instead. And no regrets there, but Shift was very good, so I'm looking forward to demoing. Will Shift2 have the new preset system and when is that system coming to Resound?

Thanks

Andy

[colin@loomer]

Hi Andy

Thanks! (Aside: Shift 2 does have the feature you originally requested for Shift 1; voices have discrete On and Off buttons, instead of Off being equivalent to 0 volume.)

And yes, Shift 2 does have the new preset browser, complete with tags, notes, searching, and hot-swapping, as well as supporting partial presets for Voices, Grain settings, and Diatonic Tracker configurations. Once it is released, getting Resound and Manifold updated to the new preset browser will be my top priority. Provided I don't hit any snags in finishing Linux 64-bit VST support, and that the Shift 2 launch doesn't reveal any nasty bugs, I'd guess at a Resound release of mid-December.

[pinki]

Excellent stuff. Keep up the good work.

[colin@loomer]

if all goes according to plan, the upgrade will be available next week. This isn't set in stone, and if beta testing turns up any nasties it may be bumped to the week after.

Beta testing has turned up a nasty, so no Shift 2 this week I'm afraid: apologies to anyone who was waiting on this. We've found an RTAS performance related issue severe enough to postpone release. A solution is at hand, but it requires rather a lot of rewriting and retesting. Next week is looking likely; I'll keep this thread updated if there is any further release date slips. Sorry!

[dsp music]

No need to apologize. Better release a stable plug-in then a half coded one (I speak in general of course).
That said since I don't use RTAS, I say set it to the crowd and leave the PT'ers wait a little longer

All the best with the coding.

[colin@loomer]

Just in time for Christmas (and only two weeks after the original expected release date!), I'm pleased to announce that Shift 2.0.0 is now available. Go harmonize some tunes.

Shift is available for Mac OS X v 10.4 and above, Windows XP and above, and Linux, in Audio Unit, VST plugin, RTAS for Pro Tools 7 and above, and Standalone application formats. Native 64-bit versions available for Mac OS X Audio Unit, and Windows VST. Mac OS X plugins are PPC compatible Universal Binaries.

Check out the Shift page to hear some more audio samples, download the demo, or indeed purchase the full version for only £45 (+ VAT if required).

Registered owners of Shift 1 are eligible for a free upgrade. If you're entitled, click here to request your free licence keys.

Please don't hesitate to ask any question regarding Shift 2.0.0. Thanks!

[taoyoyo]

As one of the beta testers I can safely say that this is a fantastic update and covers a lot more ground than one might first think. Nice to see it out Colin!

(But don't take my word for it, download the demo...)

[kuniklo]

This is a huge update. Brilliant work!

[Nielzie]

I love the clean GUI style of this one and the String synth

By the way, any new updates for Aspect planned yet? I would love to see this new GUI look on Aspect and onboard effects like those in String added and maybe even an arp or step sequencer