Airwindows Density2: Mac/Windows/Linux AU/VST

[jinxtigr]

TL;DW: Density2 is a different color for Density, some old code I had that people wanted.

Density2.zip(355k)

So in the absence of somebody coming forth and saying 'this is on my quadrillion selling hit record'… weirder things have happened, occasionally to me… you should consider this as an alternate tone for Density. It's been around for a while, but people wanted to see it again: specifically, to see it run on modern machines and in VST and so on. How could I say no? I've altered it as little as possible: there were always some weird things about it, but I refactored it to retain EVERYTHING unintentional or unusual. I gave it modern Airwindows handling of denormalized numbers, and it dithers to floating point instead of using the noise shaping to floating point that I used back then. Everything else is just as it was: no 'fixing' or making it do what I 'meant to do'.

The old AU version is downloadable from the link at the earlier Density2 listing: both use the same ID so you'd have to swap them out if you want to compare. I think you'll find the sound is the same, maybe a tiny bit less plastic and fake with the new one (the noise shaping to floating point I did back then, didn't work either), and more of the tone people were looking for out of it. One never wants to change anything people were fond of, so I haven't.

Next step is getting all of these to compile on a M1 Mac computer, and putting out an alternate AU version for a new generation. Doing that will NOT fix the issue with Logic not working the sliders correctly: turns out that's a Logic bug and I can't fix it directly. But if I begin putting out my entire 200+ plugin library on M1, much like I recoded everything for 64-bit support for Apple back in the day, then maybe the Logic team will fix their bugs.

If not, it will all run natively on Reaper without any problems at all, while waiting for the Logic bugs to get fixed. Which will probably happen, if people ask them to fix it the real question is, how fast, and can I have M1 builds of all the plugins made before Apple makes them usable in current Logic? Place your bets!

Brought to you by the Airwindows Patreon, which will unlock Hardware Synth Building DIY when I hit $2000 a month, at which point I start sending people electronic parts free so long as I'm above the threshold

[eytanmich123]

Chris, the combination of Density2 and Channel9 is INTENSE (it's not just louder, or thicker...it is in some ways "urgent")

Can you blend them together in some way ? ("Intencity" ?... "Dench" ?...).

I'm no Mackie aficionado (I kinda find it hilarious that people demand all sort of sound traits that were once a thing to be avoided... but hey, if it can be done, and it makes everyone happy... then so be it). personally I do not relate to those "digital farts" but it can be interesting, sometimes.

BTW, do all your plugins bear the ultrasonic code or do we need to manually filter before/after ?

[jinxtigr]

Density2 does NOT have ultrasonic filtering. It's meant to be a near-clone (tuned clone) of a much older plugin that some folks are VERY VERY into, one that's actually on some records you'd have heard (maybe one day I can tell, or better still I'll get a shout-out). And I can't blend plugins in that way: that's for you to do, in the DAW. I'm not sure whether you're putting Density first or second, but if it's in the middle of other plugins like Channel9 or Console7, such as on a sub-mix, it's already filtered. There's no special benefit to having a filter stage on the output of one plugin and then again on the input of the next: if there are plugins with filtering on out and input (Channel9 DOES qualify, as does Console7Buss) then you can put an earlier plugin without ultrasonic filtering (like Density2) between them, and aliasing will be controlled just as if it did have filtering. Remember I'm trying to put roughly one pole of filtering between each stage, I'm not trying to do a brickwall filter between every little stage of nonlinearity