Kick Drum by Audija (Patreon)

I've explored a new German-made VST plugin designed specifically for creating precise kick drums, priced at only $22. It boasts an impressive interface that is fully resizable, offering flexibility in visual management. This plugin is equipped with standard features like pitch and gain envelopes for shaping the kick drum's sound. However, it stands out due to its unique functionalities:

• Interactive Note System: Allows for easy manipulation of notes to shape the kick drum sound, including adjusting the slope and removing notes with a double click.

• Stable Tail Adjustment: When modifying the initial part of the kick drum, the tail remains unchanged, which is beneficial for aligning the kick with the bass without needing to readjust continuously.

• Separate Control for Phase and Frequency: It provides separate sliders for adjusting the kick drum’s phase, frequency, and gain, offering detailed sound shaping capabilities.

• Gain Envelope and Frequency Display: Reflects changes in frequency amplification or reduction visually and allows for precise control over the kick drum’s tonal balance.

• Auto Gain Feature: Ensures the kick drum's peak level without introducing digital artifacts, as it's integrated into the synthesis process rather than being a post-process effect.

• Limitations: The plugin is primarily a sine wave generator without additional layers or oscillators for more complex sounds.

• Versatile Duration Control: Supports setting the kick drum length in milliseconds or beats, adapting to the project's BPM.

• Innovative Clipboard Export: Allows for efficient transfer of kick drum sounds into a DAW by copying them to the clipboard.

• User Interface Customization: Offers various options for adjusting the appearance and functionality of the plugin’s interface.

While the plugin excels in creating tailored kick drums and can be adapted for snare drum synthesis, its notable drawback is the lack of layering capabilities, relying on a single oscillator. This limitation, however, can be mitigated by using additional tools within a DAW like Bitwig for layering sounds. The video also highlights the plugin's efficient integration with Bitwig, showcasing techniques for enhancing kicks with additional sounds and processing.

The plugin is part of a small product line from the developer, which also includes an oscilloscope tool, emphasizing the company's focus on quality and specialized utilities for music production.

Website: https://bit.ly/3VQSsmO