FXpansion has introduced Maul – a multi-band distortion and tone-shaping plugin for Mac & Windows, with advanced modulation.
Maul features 3 separate drive stages, each of which can act on a different frequency range with any of 32 distortion types. The available algorithms include DCAM-modelled germanium diode, tube and transistor-based circuits, clippers, overdrives, waveshapers of various kinds and bit-crushing devices for digital distortion flavours. Each drive stage also features control over transient-shaping, saturation circuitry and additional post-process tone filtering.
The built-in TransMod modulation system allows you to animate Maul’s parameters with the internal LFOs, envelope follower and sample & hold devices as well as with external MIDI note input. This turns Maul into a flexible device capable of dynamic filter patterns, rhythmic gating effects with extra bite, loudness and harmonic excitation effects and wild, dynamic distortion.
Availability & Pricing
Maul is available as a download-only product from the FXpansion web shop for USD $99.00, EUR €79.00, GBP £69.00 inc VAT where applicable
Introductory Offer: Maul is USD $70, EUR €55, GBP £48 inc VAT for all registered owners of Geist, DCAM: Synth Squad, Tremor, Etch, DCAM Dynamics, BFD2 and BFD Eco (and customers purchasing Maul at the same time as any of these products) until 31 October 2012.
via aymat
FXpansion keep on adding tools that any musician, producer, synthead, tweaker, experimenter, enthusiast, composer, synthesist, DJ, remixer, engineer, technician, or just plain gearhead wants to add to their arsenal.
I’ve spent hours exploring Tremor (a must-have bit of virtual electronic drum kit, btw), DCAM-Synth Squad, Geist, and the free limiter. Given my experience with those, I cannot wait to add the remaining FXpansion catalog to my workstation. Now they drop this on us?
Ok, so that sounds like a bunch of hyperbole. But the truth is, there is nothing to fault with the entire catalog of FXpansion products. Ok, ok, they all enjoy a lot of CPU. But if you can throw the horsepower at it, they deliver with some of the best sounding VST tools and instruments on the market today. Between the FXpansion suite, U-HE Zebra, and Reaktor, I’m not sure what else a person would really need to produce electronic music in the box (besides a truckload of talent and creativity, of course).
Rent? Food? Bills? Forget about it 🙂
Fatsville. I like it.
I can’t help wonder; where did they get their inspiration from?
Quite frankly; I have a very good idea…. Because the first thing coming to my mind when I saw this is “The Props already did that with Pulveriser”. For all you non-Reason users, check this out:
https://www.propellerheads.se/products/reason/index.cfm?fuseaction=get_article&article=devices_pulveriser_demolition
So then I wondered how feasible this idea was… Well, considering that FXpansion also published their Etch red device on the “PropShop” (Propellerhead marketplace to buy stuff for Reason)…
At the very least its not too unlikely that they came into contact with Reason and as such Pulveriser.
I dunno…. I can’t deny to be quite the fan of Reason and maybe that is now influencing my judgement. But when looking at what this device does, the color scheme it using as well as the layout in general I can’t help think that FXpansion had a very good look at Pulveriser and are now trying to cash in.
Personally I’m not too sure I like where this is going.
Wow that really beefs up the demo track! It sounds pretty lame when deactivated 🙂
In terms of functionality, it strongly reminds me of Audio Damage Kombinat_Dva (http://www.audiodamage.com/effects/product.php?pid=AD030) or FabFilter Saturn (http://www.fabfilter.com/products/saturn.php).
Would be interesting to know which multiband distortion plug-in is the best out there 🙂
That would be, IMHO, Ohm Force’s Ohmicide.
First off, I’m starting to grow tired with the pattern of people throwing thumbs down at a perfectly exemplary and polite comments simply because they disagree with the point the writer’s are making. ShelLuser certainly doesn’t deserve merely negative votes simply because they’re presenting a new product with some critisism and because you might disagree with them.
Now, onto other things.
ShelLuser, I see where you’re coming from. There seem to be a lot of similarities — especially in the colour schemes you mentioned. It may not however be completely unusual for a distortion effect to boast some darker colours. And sorry if I read too much into things, but I also got the feeling from your post that you were implying Maul is only a ripoff of Pulveriser. I’m not sure whether or not that is actually true, but I think there are also lots of differences besides the similarities.
The main difference I noticed is that of Pulveriser being (if I understood the product page correctly) a distortion slash compressor type of solution where Maul is a multi-band distortion. The end results may of course sound similar, but the means are still quite different. Then there are the distortion modes of which Maul seems to have more of. Then there’s the fact that Pulveriser has much more filter types and a whole compressor section Maul completely lacks. On the interface side of things Maul has three analysers where Pulveriser doesn’t seem to have any.
I don’t know. Yes, they both distort sounds, but that’s pretty much it. It’s also worth mentioning that fxpansion didn’t have a distortion plugin in their catalogue and I’m sure they also wanted to get their hands dirty and get their take on the subject released.
Then there’s the point of release platforms. I use Reaper and hence don’t have access to Pulveriser. I do have the D16 Group’s SilverLine Collection and within that their multi-band distortion Devastor (and Redoptor for sounds more tube-y). But to be honest, it hasn’t been able to fully meet my distorting needs for some time now.
The point I am making is, I was in serious need of something like Maul.
I’ve been saving for Fabfilter’s Total Bundle, which includes the beautiful Saturn distortion/saturator, but it’s quite an expensive software package, so something like the Maul with its 55€ introductory price really came along at the right time.
And the results, well, they speak for themselves.
Still, I have to say, unlike TheVille, I was completely underwhelmed by the introductory video on Youtube. Still, being a happy Tremor user, I decided to give the demo version a go. Oh, the possibilities!
From subtle and nuanced to absolutely obliterating and nuanced, I was immediately able to sculpt my sounds the way I wanted. There were the usual DCAM suspects from Tremor, but also lots of newer distortion modes and a quick-to-use interface with the fxpansion’s easy modulation tricks all where you’d expect them to be.
After a couple of hours of messing around with Maul, I was pretty much sold. And I still feel happy about my purchase.
I really recommend you download the demo version, if you’re in need of a good and versatile distortion.
Halving the volume at 31 seconds might help with the listening test.
will compare this to my sherman filter bank we are getting to know each other again i like its dirty
Multi-band distortion is really an awesome tool anyhow. This type of plugin already exists but it’s interesting to use different versions in order to have different saturations..