It’s been quiet here for a while. Part of that is practical: I’m rebuilding 24bit from Bricks Builder to Etch. The existing articles are coming with me, but I want the site itself to feel more focused and easier to use.
The other reason is simpler. I haven’t felt much urgency to write about the latest release just because it’s the latest release. Plenty of new music software has appeared; less of it has made me want to stop what I’m doing and spend real time with it.
That has started to change. I’ve finally got my hands on a few tools I’m curious enough to test properly.
What’s on the studio desk
Traveler is a hybrid synth from KeySolutions Sounds. It has the sort of depth that could make for a good sound design session, but the question for me is more basic: will I reach for it when I’m working on an actual track? I want to spend time with its presets, make sounds of my own, and hear how those sounds sit in a mix.
Finalist 2 is especially interesting because I’ve written about the original Finalist before. I liked its fast, focused approach to mixing, while its Reaktor export workflow got in my way. Version 2 runs in a browser or as a standalone app, without Reaktor. That makes it a natural follow-up: does the new workflow keep what made Finalist useful while removing the friction I ran into?
Scaler EQ Pro takes a different approach to EQ, with scale-aware filters alongside more familiar and dynamic EQ tools. There are a lot of features to explore. What I want to find out is whether they help me make better decisions in a mix, or whether I’ll keep reaching for a conventional EQ when I need to work quickly.
Then there’s Atavism from Parallel Minds. It’s a spectral effect designed to turn the harmony in an existing sound into a moving pad. That sounds promising for intros, transitions and ambient textures. I’m curious about what it does to my own material, especially when the source is less tidy than a demo track.
These are tools I’m testing, not four recommendations in disguise. I’d rather return with audio examples, useful observations and a few honest limitations than publish a verdict after an afternoon of clicking through presets.
So that’s where 24bit stands: the site is being rebuilt, and I’m spending time making music with some new tools. As I learn which ones earn a place in the workflow, I’ll write about them here.
Hopefully it wont be long before I can launch the new website to the world :-)
