The Ultimate Max4Live Collection by ManifestAudioLLC

ManifestAudioLLC has unveiled the 'Mod Squad Pro 1.0', a spectacular blend of 12 comprehensive modulators that are purposefully designed to push the realms of sound design, and taking music creation experience to uncharted territories. Masterminded by Ableton Certified Trainer Noah Pred, it's a one-stop solution for all your sonic imaginations. A link to this dynamic device can be found here: https://maxforlive.com/library/device/10779/mod-squad-pro.

Mod Squad Pro’s collection isn't only massive, but it is divided into two distinct categories. The first set of 7 advanced audio effect modulators includes Audio Cycler Pro, Audio S&H Pro, LFOx Pro, Manual S&H Pro, Mod Looper, X-Combine, and X-Control Pro. These modulators guarantee an indulgent sonic exploration, catering to all your audio effect modulation needs. Ranging from generating custom multi-oscillator soundscapes with LFOx Pro to sculpting elusive noises using X-Combine, it is an all-embracing package of sonic wizardry that empowers you to animate your art.

Next up is the second set that contains 5 advanced MIDI effect modulators, including MIDI Cycler Pro, MIDI Key Tracker Pro, MIDI LFOx Pro, MIDI S&H Pro, and MIDI X-Control Pro. These modulators are engineered to provide you with boundless MIDI modulation capabilities that further ignite your creative flares. Whether you are scripting captivating harmonies with MIDI Key Tracker Pro or creating riveting rhythms with MIDI X-Control Pro, they provide an advanced compositional framework that can drastically enhance your MIDI music production process.

The icing on the cake is the inclusion of 17 basic modulators and the Utility Boost workflow enhancement suite. These additional features, packaged along with the Mod Squad Pro, give you on-the-go access to fundamental modulation utilities, consequently stepping up the overall creativity and efficiency in your sound design process.

Another attractive feature of Mod Squad Pro 1.0 is its compatibility with Ableton Live 12.0.5. Working with upgraded software ensures you gain advantage of the best and latest features available. The application of the advanced modulators in this up-to-date Ableton version can significantly elevate the quality and dynamics of your audio processing, guaranteeing protein-rich and aesthetically pleasing sounds.

While Mod Squad Pro 1.0 is indeed a commercial license product, the outstanding collection of modulators it provides makes it not just a worthy, but a vital addition to your arsenal of Max4Live devices. ManifestAudioLLC’s Mod Squad Pro is certainly an ideal investment for producers and live performers who are all about richly dense sound production.

If you are also allured by the exciting prospects of Mod Squad Pro 1.0, dive into the endless possibilities of sonic adventure it offers by visiting https://manifest.audio/mod-squad-pro. Here, you are bound to discover an ultimate collection of modulators that will undoubtedly bring an illuminating enhancement to your music production techniques and capabilities. So, take your sound design to uncapped heights with ManifestAudioLLC’s Mod Squad Pro 1.0!

Example Usage

In this example, we'll use Mod Squad Pro's "LFOx Pro" to infuse movement into a static pad sound in Ableton Live.

  1. Start by loading a pad sound on a MIDI track.
  2. Drag and drop the "LFOx Pro" device onto the same track, after the instrument.
  3. Open the "LFOx Pro" interface. You'll see an LFO shape with various parameters.
  4. Let's modulate the filter cutoff of the pad. Map the first LFO in "LFOx Pro" to the filter cutoff by clicking on the ‘Map’ button and then clicking on the filter cutoff knob on your instrument.
  5. Adjust the ‘Rate’ knob to set the speed of modulation. To create a gentle sweep, set it to a value that syncs with your track tempo, like 1 bar.
  6. Control the amount of modulation with the ‘Depth’ knob. For subtle movement, keep it low.
  7. Play your track and listen as the "LFOx Pro" adds a living, breathing quality to your pad sound, making it more interesting over time.

Experiment with different LFO shapes and modulation rates to find the perfect animation for your pad sound. Mod Squad Pro can help you transform static elements into dynamic highlights in your music productions.

When diving into the Mod Squad Pro collection by ManifestAudioLLC, one of the most exciting tools you'll encounter is the Audio S&H Pro (Sample and Hold). This powerful Max4Live device provides a unique way to animate and modulate any parameter within Ableton Live to create evolving textures and rhythms with a touch of randomness or precise control, depending on your preference.

Let's explore a practical application of the Audio S&H Pro within a live session by creating a complex, morphing bassline that reacts to the dynamics of a kick drum.

  1. Load a bass synth sound into a MIDI track and create a simple, looping bassline that follows your track's groove.
  2. Insert an instance of Audio S&H Pro after your bass synth in the same MIDI track.
  3. Set up a side-chain input within Audio S&H Pro from a kick drum track. This will make the device listen to the incoming kick drum signal.
  4. Map the Audio S&H Pro's output to control a parameter on the bass synth. A fun parameter to play with could be the cutoff frequency of the synth's low-pass filter.
  5. Tailor the 'Sample Rate' control to your taste. This will dictate how often the Audio S&H Pro will 'sample' the volume level of the incoming side-chain signal and hold that value until the next sample is taken.
  6. Play with the 'Hold' and 'Smooth' functions to create variations in how quickly the modulated parameter transitions and reacts to the side-chain signal. Adding just a bit of 'Smooth' can lead to a more fluid transformation and avoid sudden jumps in modulation.

As your kick drum pattern triggers the Audio S&H Pro, you’ll notice the bass filter cutoff moving in sync with the kick's rhythm, creating a pulsating, dynamic effect that adds life and a professional edge to your music production.

Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The Audio S&H Pro is versatile, and experimenting with different source signals or modulated parameters can lead to a wealth of creative possibilities. Try modulating reverb wetness, delay feedback, or even the pitch of a lead sound for avant-garde effects. Whether in the studio or on stage, Audio S&H Pro encourages an interactive sound design approach that breathes new life into your Ableton Live sessions.

Further Thoughts

Exploring the masterful potential of Mod Squad Pro 1.0 requires a deep dive into creative sound manipulation. Today, we'll transform a simple analog synth pattern into a complex, evolving soundscape by utilizing several devices from Mod Squad Pro 1.0.

Imagine we have a repetitive two-bar synth pattern routed into an Audio Track in Ableton Live 12.0.5. We start by dropping the Audio Cycler Pro onto the track. This device cycles through various effects you've placed on different chains, allowing each bar to be processed with a unique filter or delay effect, giving the synth pattern a cyclical evolution.

Next, we introduce LFOx Pro to modulate parameters within Audio Cycler Pro itself. We map an LFO to the wet/dry mix of the Audio Cycler Pro, so each effect is expressed more strongly with each passing cycle, reaching peak intensity at the fourth cycle and then diminishing again. This creates a breathing effect in the sound animation.

To further complicate things, let's employ X-Combine. We map it to control the resonance on our filtered chains and the feedback on our delay chains, all while another instance of LFOx Pro manipulates the crossfader in X-Combine. This deftly morphs our sound between nuanced resonant tones and expansive, feedback-laden spaces.

The pattern will start to feel quite dynamic, but to introduce a sense of humanization, we insert Manual S&H Pro – triggered by a slower, off-grid LFO. It sporadically grabs snapshots of the cycle position in Audio Cycler Pro and holds it randomly, adding an element of unpredictability to the synth's tonal journey.

Tying all these modulations together is X-Control Pro, which we can use to create macro controls for the underlying parameters of the other devices. With this, you have a central hub for live performance tweaks or automated control sweeps that provide real-time manipulation of the entire modulated network.

We haven't even touched on the MIDI modulation yet. Injecting MIDI Key Tracker Pro into a separate MIDI track, we can convert our melodic data to control signals for any mappable parameter within our audio effects chain. This could modulate the rate of our LFOs based on the pitch of the notes we play, introducing a melodic responsiveness to our modulators.

The Mod Squad Pro's power lies in the synergy of its components. By orchestrating the modulators to interact with each other, we create living, breathing soundscapes that evolve naturally over time, opening a gateway to uncharted territories in sound design. With Mod Squad Pro, the creative possibilities are as boundless as your imagination permits, transforming static elements into dynamic sonic experiences.

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