Camel Audio makes the most useful plugins and sample libraries on the market, equally suited to studio and bedroom producers in their quality and flexibility. Their compressor/distortion plugin CamelCrusher and the Alchemy Player are both free via their website, and are a great introduction to Camel Audio’s offerings. Camel effects plug-ins can be used to subtly make your music shine or used heavily to open up worlds of sound that aren’t accessible with traditional hardware. CamelPhat adds warmth and presence by combining multiple filters, FX, a compressor, and layering four different types of distortion into a tweakable tone factory. CamelSpace takes any sound and chops it into evolving rhythmic textures. Alchemy is an all-in-one synthesizer, endlessly customizable and with dozens of sound libraries available to suit any sound or project. Camel Audio was founded in Edinburgh, UK, and is run by musicians. They are in constant contact with their customers and are always listening for what their community needs and wants.
REVIEW
Alchemy – $249
Swiss-Army Sample Manipulation Synthesizer
Alchemy is the synthesizer with everything you need: multiple modes for manipulating sounds, thousands of adjustable presets to inspire you, integration with all major DAWs, and even an iPad app. It features a virtual analog engine, granular and spectral synthesis, the most powerful additive engine and most accurate re-synthesis available in any plug-in, and sampling. Combining the sampling and synthesis engines with the racks of filters and built-in effects, Alchemy quickly begins to sound like nothing else available today. To play Alchemy you can upload and edit your own samples to perfection or buy a sound library that suits your needs and get straight to writing and tweaking the sounds later in the project; Alchemy is flexible enough to get the job done however you want to do it. If a project needs spicing up, using Alchemy as an FX processor can give instruments the extra color they need to stand out. When you’re ready to take your project live, use the “perform” view to switch and adjust presets on the fly, or combine it with the Touch Remote app for unparalleled live control. Alchemy’s wide range of abilities make it the right tool for almost any situation.