If you take a Loopcloud trial any time from now until May 15th, you’ll get a free copy of Lifeline Expanse LITE. This offer is available across all Loopcloud plans: Artist, Studio, and Professional.
Lifeline Expanse LITE (usually $39) is a multi-effects plugin from Excite Audio. The plugin features five individual modules, each with four distinct algorithms.
The modules are Width, Dirt, Space, Re-Amp, and Format.
You can route the modules/effects however you like by dragging and dropping them anywhere in the chain. I know that being able to rearrange the modules is expected, but it’s good that it’s so simple. Some multi-effects plugins are too convoluted, and the tedious workflow defeats the purpose of using them in the first place, which is to save having a complex plugin chain.
At the first look, the rest of the GUI seems just as straightforward. The modules share almost identical controls, each having dedicated Gain, Tone, and Mix knobs. The only difference is that each has an additional knob/control specific to the module.
Beyond the modules are In/Out levels, a global low/highpass filter, and a global Mix knob. Just under the Mix knob are a couple of handy buttons that activate a built-in limiter and automatic smoothing. With all five modules engaged and running wild, I imagine the automatic smoothing will be helpful.
Each module has an advanced panel that reveals additional module-specific controls.
Having listened to demos ranging from mimicking vintage gear to euphoric techno leads, I have to say it sounded great. Highlighting the Dirt and Width modules is what stood out most to me.
On a bass guitar or Rhodes bass, it seems like it would nail that sweet spot where it sounds right on the edge but still clear enough to anchor the harmony. Speaking of distortion, don’t forget that TrapDrive from Diginoiz is FREE till May 8th.
On pads or electric piano chords, the Width module creates an immersive quality that’s quite lovely.
As a freebie, it’s a no-brainer for me. I’m already a Loopcloud user, and I don’t use it enough, but that’s due to a lack of time. When I use Loopcloud, I have a lot of fun with it and get things done, so I really like it. For anyone thinking of staying with the platform beyond the trial, I’d say as long as you put it to work often enough, you’ll be delighted with it.
Lifeline Expanse LITE is available in AU, VST, VST3, and AAX formats for macOS (10.9 upwards) and Windows (7 upwards).
More info: Loopcloud (get Lifeline Expanse LITE for FREE when you start a trial)
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16 Comments
Max
onIt would be great if you could give us a hint on how to actually get the damn plugin. I’ve signed up, download a bunch of crap and haven’t find anything about the plugin.
Rox Roll
onUsually they will give you the coupon code and you will get hte plugin in Plugin Boutique.I already used my chance of free trial and can’t help you though.
mx
onthere was a voucher-code popping up directly after the process of signing up, somewhere in between the confirmations.
it is quite easy to miss that. i dont know if you can find that code anywhere else again.
maybe you can still use the “go back” function of your browser to find it?
MAX
onNearly 24h after I did the whole signup process, I got an email with the voucher. Thanks for the answers, guys.
Tomislav Zlatic
onI got mine in an email from Loopcloud. It seems to be a personalized code, different for every user (but I’m not 100% sure).
samuel
onwhat’s everybodys oponion on these types of plugins? i never used lifeline expanse, but i had rc-20 and never understood the appeal of having multiple effects in one unit. i basically only ended up using wow&flutter, and once i realized this i stopped using rc-20.
wondering if the purpose of these is “only” to “get creative quickly”? because i tend to use what i need individually from the plugins i already have
mx
oni quite like vinyl strip from audiothing, and got rc20 some time ago.
what i like about these things is that i can push the sound quite far or just a little bit into another direction.
i use these plugins to shape things, characterwise or as tools for mixing, to put things in the place i want them to be. just like in the real world you also can use reamping with the right choice of amp, cabinet, mic/-s and mic position/-s to change the sound of something like with usual mixing tools like eq, compressors, or even reverbs or stereo manipulators and so on.
in general i would like to have a kind of strip with all of its parts on the screen at the same time when i work with plugins and if there was a plugin chainer like soundtoys effect rack or the plugin area in ableton live, but for all third party plugins, i would probably not use these kind of strip-plugins and build a customized strip each time for the given situation. (the important point here would be that all the gui of the plugins should be on the screen together)
but using three or more different plugins to manage what lifeline expanse, rc 20 and vinyl strip can do is sometimes less practical to me.
also the three strips are quite different with their modules, but in a way they all serve the same purpose to me, and i reach to the one where i can use the most modules for the manipulation i aim for.
so in short i would say: for me they can be toys for getting creative with a sample when starting a new beat, but mostly they are tools for mixing that are a bit less direct and give more surprising, exciting and maybe individual results sometimes than just the usual mixing tools.
so whenever it is possible i see them as a more funky and fun replacement or addition for the usual mixing treatments, which is still not very often, just for certain signals that can profit from it.
mx
oni think the point for me is: there are so many ways of soundmanipulation that are not quite surgical, but all of them can be tools if they make your signal fit in the desired place,
while lending more character to the signal than a pro-q3 would in order to give things tension, movement, character and colour at a micro-level where it was maybe missing a bit before.
Ike
onOf course you can achieve the same with individual plugins. But as you say, it’s about being able to quickly dial in a sound you want. Not everyone likes to fiddle with many plugins, some people want to work efficient and stay in the flow (that’s productive and professional users, not hobbyists).
Plugins like RC-20 and Lifeline Expanse are great for that: different types of processing to fundamentally alter the sound all in one coherent interface and even a master fader to determine the strength of the combined effects (so you can not only alter the sound on the individual module level, but also the overall level).
If only the Wow + Flutter part of RC-20 was useful to you, than you probably never needed the plugin to begin with. And that’s the much bigger issue: owning too many plugins that one either doesn’t need or that are redundant.
Ike
onI had an older Loopcloud account from a trial I did 2 years ago or so. So I logged in an signed up again for a trial. However, I did not receive a voucher for Lifeline Expanse. Also, while the trial is supposed to be free, I saw that Loopcloud already charged me 1€. I find that very questionable: Free Trial, but we charge you 1€ without telling you.
lt
oni saw in a video that you can use a new email, but not sure if it’ll work with the same payment method?
regarding the 1€, did you sign up for the trial with the same account? maybe that’s why you were charged (not a new costumer)
quite alarming if it was indeed for a new fresh sign up
Mike
onJust to add in my experience: I did it with PayPal, and in my automatic payments page, the amount for the recurring payment said $1, but I do not have a $1 charge in my account. Whether or not it’ll hit my bank (which my PayPal is set to do) remains to be seen for another few days. If you don’t see me update this with another comment, assume I never got charged.
Going to cancel once I make use of the benefits of the trial, which should be well before the trial period ends.
Aris
onIndeed. I got a message that my account has been charged with 1€ but when i logged into my bank account to check my balance actually nothing changed. (Sorry for my bad english)
Brenny C
onThere is no bad English in your comment, friend. In fact, you seem to speak (type) better English than many native speakers. :)
Tomislav Zlatic
onI’m not sure about Loopcloud, but these $1 charges are usually used to verify that a credit card is valid and should be instantly canceled and refunded. For example, it happens when I subscribe for a free trial on Google Play. I get charged $1 and then get a $1 refund. Again, not sure if this is the case with Loopcloud, but seems like it.
Hugo
onI really like the plugin, but it has a limited amount of activations per serial. I just cant use it anymore!! The developer website is down, there’s no manage the activations.