Ribs Is A FREE Granular Effect VST Plugin By Eugene
Eugene Yakshin has released Ribs, a freeware granular effect in the form of a VST plug-in for 32-bit and 64-bit digital audio workstations on Windows (update: for macOS since v1.1, v1.2 and later). Available as a standalone app).
Simply put, Ribs is a fine-grained effect that buffers incoming audio, divides it into short chunks (grains), and is processed and played by the effect's audio engine. Ribs is one of the most complex plugins I've tested for a long time, so that's where the simplicity ends. However, it's clear that the plugin has a lot of potential internally, and my short 15-minute test run wasn't long enough to justify it.
The complexity of the processing engine and the vast number of features it contains are Ribs' biggest drawbacks and greatest strengths. The plugin learning curve is fairly steep and you will have to spend some time learning how to get the most out of your plugin. Use the question mark icon on the right side of the GUI to display a popup hint when you hover over the control. This is a little more convenient. However, detailed manuals and tutorial videos are a much better option for explaining the complex workflow of your plugin. The good news is that the developers have announced that the video will be released soon. Be careful if you are interested in using ribs in your project.
Update: The official Ribs developer tutorial / demo video is embedded at the top of this page. The tutorial starts at 2:23.
The most important thing to understand is that Ribs needs MIDI note input to fill one of the 32 available buffers. Therefore, to get started, you need to load Rib as an effect, feed it to an audio source, and then send a MIDI note. Sending MIDI notes on some digital audio workstations is more complicated than on other workstations, so the steps vary greatly depending on the application you are using. For example, in Studio One, you need to add a new empty instrument track and select Rip as the target from the drop-down menu (it must be pre-loaded as an effect on another audio or instrument track). ..
but the developer has mentioned the possibility of releasing an AU version for Mac if there is enough feedback from the users. To download the plugin, visit the KVR Audio forum thread linked below and use one of the two available download mirrors. UPDATE: macOS version now also available.
