Shift Line offers SkyNet, a FREE reverb plugin for macOS and Windows.
SkyNet is a reverb plugin based on algorithms of the same name (SkyNet-1/Skynet-2) from the Astronaut Space Reverb pedal. Shift Line has released the plugin on a pay-what-you-want basis, so anyone who wants to contribute something can do.
SkyNet isn’t a subtle reverb, or that’s not the intention, at least. Shift Line chose these particular algorithms from the Astronaut Space Reverb Pedal because they work best with long decay times.
Reverb is a funny thing because it’s all about context and intention. We can hear one sound that’s almost dry and complain of too much reverb but consider something else perfect when it’s drowning in reverb.
I know that’s an obvious statement, but when we go past a certain point, we start thinking of reverb more in the context of sound design rather than just how something sits in a mix, and it gets a bit more interesting.
SkyNet is ideal for creating huge soundscapes with long decay times. Given the theme of the algorithms, the image of infinite space comes to mind, which can be both light and airy or dark.
In the cinematic context, creating the right amount of space around a sound can evoke feelings of dreamlike bliss or absolute terror because you’re never quite sure how far away the danger is.
The plugin has three main controls:
- Decay: controls the reverb decay time;
- Volume: controls the output volume;
- Mix: controls the dry/wet mix.
Under the main controls is a slider that sets the blend of the SkyNet-1 and SkyNet-2 algorithms. If you’ve seen The Terminator movie, you’ll know that there is no good SkyNet, so blend them however you like; it’s going to end terribly!
Finally, there’s a Bypass button at the top right of the interface.
I think there’s a lot of potential use for this kind of reverb; anything from a sparsely picked electric guitar to a chaotic wall of sound and everything in between.
For more free reverb, check out DReverb Lite from Stone Voices.
SkyNet is available in AU and VST3 formats for macOS (10.13 – 13.0/M1 and M2 supported) and Windows (7-11).
Download: SkyNet
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29 Comments
Tomislav Zlatic
onPlease refrain from discussing politics in the comments section. BPB is a website for music producers from all around the world to connect and share thoughts on music production without the distraction of political topics.
Regarding concerns related to the software, I always recommend taking precautions when downloading files from the internet by using antivirus software. Bitdefender Free and Avira Free are excellent freeware options.
PureFire
on❤️💗💜💙💜💗❤️
Numanoid
onSample Science “Hexagon Sky” costs just two bucks with code “crazydeal” (reg $40) until Feb 19
A lib for those into that Boards of Canada sound
Mike
onThanks!
Numanoid
onKrishna has got updated now with a bigger GUI, which makes it easier to work with, and also 100 extra presets. So the total of presets for the free version is now close to 160
Gery Zenz
onmuch bigger! thank you!
Richard Cooper
onIt has a strange volume boost when you load it up, so be ready for that. Unfortunately, it sound alright, but doesn’t do anything SuperMassive can do from Valhalla and SuperMassive can do a lot more and it’s just better in my opinion.
Bani
onWorked for five minutes and then went 100% mute. Sounded good at first, though.
Reaper
Endo
onI’m a bit hesitant installing software from russia these days…
Lawyer Cake
onYou’re an hero. Stay vigilant. Keep an eye on the news. They’ll tell you when to start hating China. Then likely Serbia too, once again. And possibly Hungary, since that one is showing signs of independent thinking :D
Probably safest to hate all the BRICS+ and SCO countries pre-emptively.
Brenny C
onLol. I can’t speak for Endo on this obviously, but I haven’t trusted Russia for most of my adult life. I don’t need the news to tell me who to hate – if I wanted a network to tell me who to hate, I’d watch some crap like Fox News or Newsmax.
Thankfully I’m able to deduce things like that all on my own. Crazy, huh? :D
Hey, but thanks for playing! Maybe next time don’t come off so defensive, condescending and smarmy; it just might work better for your weird personal cause.
MRG
onOn the other hand, maybe it was unfortunate to call that plugin Skynet. Who knew that a plugin from russia would be the ultimate demise of the human species.
Hawf… ^_^;
Lawyer Cake
on“I haven’t trusted Russia for most of my adult life”
Let me guess: you’ve never been there and everything you know is from the news, google, social media, and people in your bubble who’ve never been there either? The same blind, unfounded negative attitude perhaps goes for China, Iran, and a bunch of arab countries too, and likely soon Serbia when the bombing starts again?
I’m not Russian and I don’t think it needs my paltry defense, I just like to publicly make fools out of, well, fools. I’ve been to all those countries and seen them for what they are.
It’s a dangerous time to be believing lies – my personal cause is to burst those lies. With humour and ridicule as needed.
Brenny C
onOh I’m no fool. In fact, I’m confident that I’m the opposite of a fool. Are you?
Being wary of software from a nation known for its state sponsored hacking and malicious virus attacks makes me a fool? Nah, bud. I think you have some wires crossed.
To be clear, I don’t have an issue with the Russian people as a whole. In fact, I empathize with Russians and realize that many of them are simply victims of Russian propaganda or they’re clued in on reality but sadly stuck in a brutal autocracy verging on fascism where they’re unable to vocalize their true thoughts and opinions.
As for the supposed lies you are crowing about: I’m not sure if you yourself have been snowed by modern right wing propaganda or rather you’re a non-Russian who is sympathetic to Putin’s Russia’s cause; either way, you’re evidently not willing and able to see things as they truly are.
A music blog is not the place to take this discussion any further so I’ll politely end it here.
MRG
onInteresting to argue for independent thinking, while anthropomorphising countries as monolithic blocks.
Lawyer Cake
onYet Hungary is a very good example of a country with a rather antropomorphic and unified soul, that has been standing against EU/US destructiveness on its own without much outside help.
justa userwho livesinhungary
onWe live since 5 months in Hungary! We love it! We don´t like van der Leyens corrupt EU
Endo
onI don’t hate Russia at all, but I just do not know, if software from there could contain other stuff than said…
Gery Zenz
onin a vst3 dll?
MRG
onYou can put malicious code inside anything, as long as it can execute code. Either directly, because it’s a binary your OS recognises as an executable (vbs, exe, com, dll, au, etc…) or even data (zip, dmg, doc/docx, jpeg, etc…) if it can exploit a bug in the program reading that data, making it execute that bit of code.
If in doubt, submit the file to virustotal(dot)com. Wait a few hours/days, do it again, read forums…
human
onSounds great but I won’t use it due to the very-high idle cpu use (>5%), maybe VST3 related since it’s crap. Stick with Ambient Reverb by Stone Voices
MRG
onOuch… 5%? Hardly ever cross the 0.8% here (tho a bit unstable in 0.7 to 1, i7 4790K Win7). Ambient Reverb 0.2%, DReverb 0.3%.
Different enough sound to be useful, despite a certain lack of features. A highpass would be nice. I hate with a passion Mix knobs, I’m a separate Dry and Wet guy. Nice sound, ranging from spring-ish verb to a lusher yet still a bit gritty, oldschool one with the two models provided. Tickles me in all the right places.
Hopefully future versions would fix CPU usage for you.
MRG
onIf we’re talking alternatives, two great ones were recently updated.
Dragonfly Reverb v3.2.8
ElephantDSP RoomReverb v1.0.0
Both based on Freeverb3, open source, Mac/Win/Linux.
JEP1928
onsupermassive really good for alternative
Numanoid
onAudiolatry release Retromania LITE which is free and contains 12 patches. The full version cost $10
JEP1928
onDoes anyone know that the HaLion by Steinberg decided to make it free instead of making 3 editions smth, it is HaLion 7 for sure
https://www.steinberg.net/vst-instruments/halion/sonic/
Numanoid
onI see that Steinberg also has made Sequel 3 free, a begginer DAW in a box, worth checking out, it comes with 5.5GB content
MRG
onHalion Sonic != Halion — Well, it is, but some kind of Lite version, for free.
Halion, full version, is still a commercial product.
https://www.steinberg.net/products/
Numanoid
onAs I understand it the paid Halion Sonic 7 is like a sample player of the Halion libraries, and Halion Sonic free comes without any libraries (that is why it is free). So finding free libraries is thus needed to have any use of it. There are some sounds for Halion Sonic included in the free Sequel, that I think can thus be used in Halion Sonic 7