We've dug the depths of the internet and found five fantastically unique and unusual plugins that will serve up heaps of inspiration and original sounds. Let's get weeeeiiiird!
1. Quik Quak Audio Crowd Chamber
Not only can this plugin create terrific and realistic crowd noises, but you can also push it into wild and wacky territory by using the reverb, panning and space settings to mangle bizarre effects. We love it for adding that "vibe" to drum loops and experimenting with the reverb settings to create abstract chaos. It's £35 for the download and there are plenty of other great value plugins on the Quik Quak Audio site too. Check it out!
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quikquak.com
2. Audio Damage AD020 Automaton
Coming in at $49 this is a very clever plugin that works just as well for adding a hint of humanisation to yours sound, or some subtle extra additions. Go deep in to the Stutter, Modulate, Bitcrush, and Replicate effects and create complete IDM stye random chaos. The lovely cellular automata sequencer has useful musical rulesets as well as the randomisation features which feel like AI in your DAW
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audiodamage.com
3. Kirnu Cream
This is much more than a simple step sequencer, with patterns, chord memory, pattern sequencing and more, Kirnu Cream will help you break out of your traditional methods of arrangement and sequencing in your DAW. It forces you to break your habits, and create original melodies and patterns, then put those together in new ways. There's a gate and swing to fiddle with and you can use it just as well sending MIDI out to external hardware too!
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kirnuarp.com
4. Sonic Charge Synplant
This brilliantly bizarre interface for a synth has been winning awards and praise for many, many years and is still a stalwart for lists such as this. There is nothing "normal" about this synthesizer, but that's the beauty of it.
Instead of turning knobs and tweaking the usual parameters that you are used to seeing, Synthplant operated like genetic code and you "grow" your patches. Obviously, this makes it fantastic for experimental music, but don't limit synplant's abilities just because of it's unusual interface. It's $99, but will probably remain as one of the most unique synths for years to come.
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soniccharge.com/synplant
5. Sugar Bytes Effectrix
There are a few glitch and multi-fx sequencers similar to Effectrix, plus there are certain ways to achieve the same results using clever automation and insert stacks in your DAW. But, no other plugin we've tried can do it with the same level of ease and stability as this awesome plugin from Sugar Bytes.
How far you take the chaos is completely programmed by you, so whether you're looking to add some simple fill effects to the end of a loop, or want to completely mash things up beyond recognition, this is for you! It's €119, so a bit of an investment. But it's an instant tool for inspiration and originality!
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sugar-bytes.de/effectrix
