Spectron’s Secret—Spectral Nodes

Even though Spectron’s approach to processing is unique, the Spectron interface relies on standard controls. The Spectron effects are manipulated by Spectral Nodes which behave like the nodes of a parametric EQ with control over frequency, amount, bandwidth, and shape. Beyond the basic node operation, you can use Spectron Nodes with LFOs and envelope triggers to open another level of creativity. The frequency, amount, shape and width automate with advanced control over speed and patterns not possible with normal automation. For example, you can set up a volume trigger effect allowing you to control the amount of delay based on how loud you play your instrument!

Looking for a New Sound?

Spectron was designed with creativity and originality in mind. With Spectron, you can easily create effects that aren’t possible with analog hardware, thus inspiring new ideas for creating intricate and evolving soundscapes. Looking for something a little more subtle? It’s just as easy to use Spectron to add coloration with flanges, spatialization, or light filter sweeping. Read about how producer Atticus Ross used Spectron this way to process Jonathan Davis’ vocals for a “cold” sound.

Spectron on the Silver Screen

Spectron is the ideal tool for atmospheric soundscapes and special effects for film, video and game sound design. Create an eerie, extra-terrestrial setting by simply applying panning and delay to parts of a string or other pad patch. Use left-right filtering to simulate a sound source coming from a specific point around the subject of a scene. Make explosions come to life by morphing your stock explosion sound with a car crash effect or a screaming vocal. Read how sound designer Aaron Glascock creates organic, yet unfamiliar sounds in "War of the Worlds" and other blockbuster.

Extend the Life of Your Loops and Samples

Every sound designer, producer and electronic musician has at least one set of loops and samples sitting around. Save yourself some time and money and let Spectron turn those old, worn-out samples into multitudes of new and exciting sounds. Add a sense of space to your drums with panning, turn your basses into malfunctioning robots with harmonic delays, and make your vocal samples burst into a chorus of pipe organs with morphs.

Hundreds of Effects in an Instant

Spectron can stand on its own with only the presets to provide you hours of inspiration with new sounds. Looking for a crazy effect right away? Check out Spectron’s integrated preset system. Straight out of the box, you get tons of quality presets and the list is constantly growing. With the presets, Spectron is a virtual “stomp box” for guitars, keys, bass, vocals and anything else that needs new aural life. Experienced users will find the presets to be very useful starting points for creating their own sounds with Spectron. Be sure to check the iZotope web site for new presets.

Usability Enhancements: Automation

Do you have a really cool patch, but wish you could control some of the effects more precisely, or control many parameters at once? Spectron offers over 225 automatable parameters, which means that almost anything that you want to automate in your host application can be assigned. For instance, if you have a section of a drum break that you want to twist and melt into a completely arrhythmic mess at the end, you can automate an increase in delay time and feedback just for the part that you want. If you want to add a filter drop in a synth line, just automate an increase in a filter node’s bandwidth or cutoff frequency. You can get really creative with this and it always pays off to experiment. With a little ingenuity, you can hand-craft completely immersive and evolving soundscapes that were previously impossible without loads of effects and a crack team of synth masters at the wheel!