#krotos audio sound design dehumaniser game audio film tv broadcast post production

[hadlowaudio]

A Walk On The Wild Side.

Hello everyone and a happy new year to you all :-)

Just before the turn of the year I tested out the Dehumaniser software from Krotos LTD. The software is renowned for its realtime processing, transforming vocals into creature and monster sounds. It comes in standalone and plugin versions and Krotos have also developed a fun IOS app too that you can download and play around with, to get a feel for how much fun Dehumaniser can be.

The Plugins.

Currently the company have two plugin versions, Simple Monsters and Dehumaniser II. Both compatible with all major DAWs and Editors. Please see the website for further information on compatibility (link at the bottom of the post).

I started testing with Simple Monsters, a cut down version consisting of all the core elements of Dehumaniser II. The UI is easy to use and you can instantly get creative because of this. Even though this plugin is meant to be a condensed version, there is still a lot on offer to help diversify your recordings. The plugin is aimed I would say for those who work on small to medium scale broadcast and media projects and has the function of being controlled remotely using Touch OSC.

Hexler’s TouchOSC

Touch OSC is the app which allows you to become creative and edit the parameters of Simple Monsters in realtime from your tablet. The best thing of all is that it’s wonderfully simple to install and use providing it can connect to the same WiFi network as your DAW machine.

The whole point of this is that you can design the sound from anywhere in the room that you find suitable. Ideally making the recording process more flexible and mobile.

Template Editor.

The app is made by Hexler, a company that have a strong reputation for developing software that can be used to design interfaces for remote operation of audio and visual programmes. You do have to pay for the app though at a cost of £3.99, Hexler own the app and Krotos have designed a custom template to be used with Simple Monsters.

It is important to note though, that the Touch Editor needs a WiFi network to function with Simple Monsters due to the OSC protocol. If you are unable to get your machine connected to a network, you can as I found drag the template over into Itunes where the Touch app is for file sharing. I didn’t have a WiFi network to sync to so this is what I did to add the template. (Hexler support link below).

I would be mindful of the fact that if you don’t have WiFi network to utilise in your work space, you can apparently setup a WiFi network directly, by creating a new network from your computer. Plenty of tutorials online, however my Yosemite doesn’t seem to want to setup a new network so I am going to have to trouble shoot further at a later date.

At a £149 its a fair price for such a powerful and innovative plugin even though it looks simple by layout and design. The amount of complexity that’s happening in the background to make things easy and creative to get great results is where the value is. Being able to have a plugin that puts you in the creative zone instantly and for longer periods without compromising on quality is a huge win in today’s fast paced industry.

Dehumaniser II

Redesigned from the ground up and coded using C+ Dehumaniser II is easy to use and sublime to look at. It’s now utilising a modular design compared to the matrix setup in version one. It also comes with a fantastic library and some well thought out presets. Dehumaniser II is much more of beast (pardon the pun) than its little brother and even though I know some may not be sure of the £449 price jump, it’s well worth the investment when you think what it would cost it to layer up a single channel strip of plugins to get similar sounds.

It did appear from the results of the recordings Dehumaniser II sounded a bit more edgier compared to Simple Monsters. Most likely due to what both plugins offer you at their price points respectively.

I would like to see a third version of these plugins, either as a ‘middle of the road’ version between Simple Monsters and D2 or as a lighter version under £100 to capture the budget end of the market. I feel this would bring things into alignment more with what’s already available in the standalone formats.

Dehumaniser II and Simple Monsters would great additions for any audio designer, engineer or music producer despite the plugin being known predominantly for creature and monster sounds.

It is a great effects processor too with the ability to design a large array of stylised assets ranging from atmospheres, and percussive elements through to musical transitions. As mentioned before it’s good to think about it what you get from each plugin that would normally cost you more to individually purchase similar effects units to get the same textures.

The demo version of the plugins come fully functional with a 14 day ILOK activation but it’s not essential to have a ILOK dongle just an ILOK account. I would have liked the demos to of been fully functional without any audio water marker present when receiving a signal for recording and processing.

The interface can get busy if your not careful.

Standalone Versions.

I tested the standalone versions Lite and Pro but found it difficult to get an accurate understanding of what could be achieved due to the type of copy protection present. Frequent white noise is used around every five to ten seconds and if it kicked in anywhere during a vocal performance, the vocal would be cut out until the noise finished. Quite loud too for a audio water marker.

I understand the reason for the copy protection, especially being a stand alone piece of software from an independent company, but I do hope that in the future the copy protection is updated in a way to allow you to record freely and uninterrupted with the plugins and standalone versions for a limited time. The copy protection is a lot less intrusive in the Plugin versions, a female vocal is used at low level with the phrase “Testing Dehumaniser”.

The main difference between the two standalone versions tested are the amount of features available to sculpt sound. The Lite version is aimed not just at being a slimmer version of Pro but it’s also aimed at creating sounds quickly and creatively to generate a pallet of audio without the sound design process becoming overly technical.

I did find a few glitches with each standalone version during testing. It’s possible it’s because they are demo versions, however I sent a report to the guys at Krotos LTD to take a closer look.

The IOS App.

Good fun all round here, especially when you can randomly load to social networks or email a friend. The best vocal preset for me was the Deamon. The Orc didn’t always articulate certain words well and the Goblin and Dark Elf sounded a bit too cartoony in contrast to the others. I found you get the most out of it when you use the camera and audio together, but I’m not sure about the longevity of the app unless it’s expanded upon.

I did wonder if it’s possibly a test bed for future software developments on mobile devices that could be used professionally and domestically? Guess we will just need to keep an eye on the Krotos Blog and see! Example companies I was thinking of that have transitioned products to Andriod and IOS are Korg, Arturia, Steinberg and Wavemachine Labs.

Reading and listening to recent articles the company seem to be looking towards developing a Dehumaniser product thats able to integrate with game engines. This would allow opportunity to utilise the software’s realtime processing to greater effect (Interviews below). With VR headsets and titles now on sale, the opportunities to use the Dehumaniser engine in a 3D environment are huge, especially if it’s viewed as an effects processor as well as for creature and monster sounds.

Couple this with the Papa Engine as mention in previous blogs and the rapid progression of technology in modern time; its going to be incredibly interesting where this all goes in years to come for these forward thinking companies and the platforms they are developing for.

Some things below I hope are introduced in some way in future updates:

• Fully functional demos of all products with less intrusive copy protection for a limited time (Even if it’s for a couple of days).

• Kroto’s own app for tablet to use with all software versions with blutooth option for those without WiFi network availability.

• Further development of the iPad app so it can be used for fun domestically and by professionals for scetching ideas.

• Re sizing facility of modules in Dehumaniser II so more modules can be applied without compromising screen real estate too much. Independent and group resizing if possible.

• Have parameters section be able close down (drag down it behavior) to help when module section gets busy.

• More effect based presets as they pretty much nailed the monster ones.

• Batch processing in plugin form. Especially for versions of editors and DAWs missing this function.

• LFO tool, fully automated and routable.

I have included links at the bottom to other interviews and reviews of Dehumaniser for anyone wanting to spend more time reading about the product and looking into things more technically.

Krotos Website

The Sound Architect Krotos Interview

The Audio Spotlight Orfeas Boteas Interview

Hexler TouchOSC

Hexler Itunes manage layout option