Klevgrand, the makers of clever and refreshingly different plug-ins and instruments, including the very popular Brusfri noise reduction plugin, are running a free Alpha version of a modular plug-in environment called Krets in which you can design and build your own processors.
What Is Krets?
This is definitely one for the people who like to get hands on with their tech. If you think an LA2a hits the sweet spot for complexity then this probably isn’t for you. But if you like the idea of tools like Max/MSP or Reaktor then Krets might well be for you.
Available in any VST or AU host, Krets is based on a set of modules that can be connected in different ways, where the focus is on low-level audio DSP processing. There are (almost) no ready-made effects to hook into an audio stream, the aim is for the user to create these more or less from scratch.
By combining mathematical expressions and functions (available as modules) a plethora of audio effects can be created, anything from a compression algorithm to generative soundscapes.
Krets is in an early development phase so it is likely to be buggy but it’s free and very worth playing with if you like this kind of work. In order to use Krets, you'll need a Klevgrand account and an internet-connected computer to run it.
Krets is available for Mac or PC, no iLok is required to run it.
Julian Rodgers is Editor of Production Expert. He has a background in live sound and has been a Pro Tools user since 2001. He lives by the sea in West Cornwall where he plays piano, bass and guitar equally badly and is an avid collector of microphones and opinions about all things audio.