Tool Much Fun 13
It’s literally maddening writing this blog. When I find things it’s not always a convenient time to write the blurb about it. Then when I go back to do it, in the cases where I just grabbed a name, when I search I end up finding several more things to include. But then each post becomes longer and unfinished. So these new items get bumped to the next one. Plus I’m constantly battling Squarespace’s clunky interface trying to get things to look either interesting or nice, or both. So once again: if you are a Squarespacey person and you can tell me what I am doing wrong, get in touch for paid work.
This edition offers:
Apps, Publishing, Graphics, Video, Fonts, iOS, Music, Presets, iOS Music, Kontakt, Social Media, Work, Development, AI, Media Consumption and Training.
Apps
I had the word “Bump” on a list of apps to check out. The first result was the now-defunct contact sharing app, the second was one about pregnancy. As I couldn’t find what the OP was referring to I have added this one which is about location sharing. Sure the feature is already built in to iOS with Find my Friends, but this one has a cooler interface so here we are.
Parental control on steroids. If you’re unsatisfied with the built-in parents controls features, this app lets you gradually add more features to your children’s phones as they get older. Start with a basic mode called Media Player, the move to Dumb Phone, Screen Trainer and Social Trainer, each of which adds more functionality to their device.
“The Organized Browser”. If you work on the web, as many people do, you may be losing time every day fighting your browser. Because they way they manage tabs was designed years ago.
Horse arranges them into what it calls Trails which seems to be something like Safari’s Tab Groups but on steroids. It’s available as subscription or one-off purchase. It’s risky to ask for payment for something that has long been considered Should Be Free, but this could be considered more as time management software that is also a browser in order to justify the cost. Compare with Kagi Orion and perhaps Sigma.
Publishing
The surpisingly elusive screenshot of the Micro.blog site. Why so secretive?
Another contenter in the publishing space. This one offers a hosted blog, support for your domain name, Themes and plug-ins to customize your blog, macOS, iOS, and Android apps, cross-posting to Mastodon, Threads, Tumblr, and more. Free for the first 10 days, then the first tier is US$5 a month to get photos, podcast, custom themes and importing from WordPress, Tumblr and Medium. I tell you what - this company has zero images of what their software looks like to use. I had to get the image off another site. I know they want you to just login to have a look but that’s weird marketing in my opinion.
Graphics
Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
This is serious stuff! An “advanced image processing software platform. […] designed specifically for astrophotography and other technical imaging fields.” Even the website is not set up in a friendly way to show off the product and coerce you into buying it easily. Check their extensive FAQ for all the gory details.
Toolbar is the “all-in-one creative software package for 3D artists” It includes texture painting features a la ZBrush. You can build object and/or entire scenes. Compare with Maya perhaps?
Asset shops. Both part of the Envato Market.
This is an image generator bot running on multiple social media platforms. It uses likes and retweets to then add weight to the next round of images. It’s not clear if you can use the images it creates in your own pieces. Perhaps it’s OK if you only use them as a starting point for works that are no longer recognisable.
Art up for grabs, so to speak
Purchase or sell exclusive digital artwork and animations in this platform. Once bought use it for cover or track art, poster design, social media promotions, unique branding, t-shirts and other merchandise.
Video
…A benchmark tool that measures the elapsed time of Final Cut Pro exports in a precise and fully automated way.
I guess this is some kind of power user or plugin developer tool? I‘m not sure who needs this kind of precision. I know some Germans appreciate precision, so maybe it’s for them?
An online community for professional Final Cut Pro editors. I’m not sure if that means you have to prove you get paid to edit in FCP to join, but I guess that means if you’re an amateur you should lurk rather than post.
Fonts
❝A Fun and Festive Display Font Family❞
I don’t intend to repost content, but I came across this and there are too many to single out. This unnamed edition of their newsletter features LD Elly, LiebeHeide Fineliner, Glance Slab & Sans, Aglet Sans, Slab & Mono (I like this one), Sahlia, Argile Fusion, Vibro (very funky) and the more classy Mr Gabe.
A smart looking free sans serif. While you’re there check out the other 18 faces.
iOS
Discover your bottlenecks
Test your external storage device attached to your iOS device.
A “social content” app to help you find things you are interested in and look at them.
3D modeling and design tool. Tools for extruding, insetting, beveling, poking, creasing & cutting, plus around 25 operations for creating and crafting your 3D objects. Import & exports in: OBJ, STL, USD and USDZ.
Need help finding content?
Music
This developer offers Destruqtor, a distortion plugin for free, and another called Prisma which is “a chromatic manipulator”.
Another offering from MixWave. This one is a “drive and preamp pedal”. I’m sure it sounds wonderful but even on sale it seems a bit steep for distortion. Yes, I know it’s cheaper than a hardware pedal.
Nasko N-Phase shift (requires plugdata)
This one is described as “512 band linear phase delay that [lets] you phase shift across the frequency spectrum.” I haven’t tried it out yet, so I don’t know how to describe the sound. They also make N-spec Comp (not free), N-Bass One Shot Gem, N-SloMo, N-Spec Gate, B-Spectral Mask and more, plus sample packs if you sign up to their Patreon.
Essentially a sequencer with samples of one-shots and loops consisting of “household objects, machinery, and tuned foley”. Includes three effects and four macros for sculpting your sounds.
This is a MIDI-generating plugin aimed at “modern dance music production”. You can choose to create unique patterns or grab ones crowdsourced from other users. Includes a Like and Dislike button to rank the basslines you receive, thus improving the algorithm for everyone. Currently free as it’s in beta.
Open Source Wave Terrain synth, therefore free.
Never go without an instrument you might need
Appears to be a new sound engine/plugin with a large library of instruments. Competition with the industry overlord Kontakt, also Halion and newcomer Soundpaint. A one-off payment, no subscription, gets you in on the action.
An entry to the “weird” category, this was released as a Halloween-themed plugin probably for promotional purposes. For those of us that like to make unusual sounds through the rest of the year, this is free. Does anyone recall the first version? I’d not heard of it.
Fracture Sounds Blueprint Music Box
Get that sound of tiny strips of metal twanged to nice chimes.
Make your instrument roar
I know, UAD is not new. I have seen the range of EQs and compressors advertised, but I had not seen this one. It offers a “classic British amp sound”.
AuroraDSP AK476 & L2-AURA Compressors
Originally mentioned back in TMF 2, Aurora continues the tradition of releasing compressors with these two.
Freakshow Industries The Dream Eater
Eternally amusing vendor Freakshow continues “bushing the pound Aries” with a new series of plugins. If you hadn’t heard of them previously, their interfaces are intentionally puzzling, encouraging exploration rather than RTFM-style working.
I suppose aimed at beginners overwhelmed with how to get all the tech working, plus daunted by the prospect of joining a community and then promoting their works, this is a do-it-all platform. Modules are divided into SongStarter, Studio, Sounds/Beats/Effects, plus a stem splitter tool. Then Crowd Review, Promotion and Distribution, lastly Contests and Licensing to sell your songs. All Internet based, there is a desktop app to use plus iOS and Android apps are available.
For Earth below
Roland has legendary status in the music world, so it’s always been frustrating that they are a subscription-forward style company when it comes to their software versions. Also much like complaints about Apple, their “ecosystem” is designed to be a one-stop shop where they assume you will buy sample and expansion packs exclusively from them, rather than then being part of a community of other tools. You’ll see what I mean when you install their Cloud Manager as to me it seems to be confusingly designed on purpose. Compare with the managers of say, Softube or Arturia which seem to just show you what you bought and help you download or update it.
A Multiband Compressor with Sidechain! Just what we need. Once again, if you are just branching out of the box of stock stuff that came with your DAW, have a look.
Well what do you know, another plugin vendor. This crew offers two compressors, a reverb, SLP 538 channel EQ, a limiter, the Deathwestern amp (sounds scary) and the Liquid Death Snare (also scary, but free). More releases are planned. If you haven’t already got some of these tools they are available individually or as part of a bundle.
Full Bucket continues to expand its range with this synth which simulates an “unknown and obscure synthesizer” from the 70s.
Hitstrip or Hits Trip?
DJ Swivel enters the channel strip game with this offering. It boasts “9 expertly crafted sound modules, 3 distinct EQ styles, and over 61,000 strip combinations.” I'm not sure how knowing how many combinations helps. I already have many choices to make when crafting a song.
Pick a room, any room
Go beyond reverb with this plugin which lets you precisely place any sound sources in a range of spaces. It lets you “control room size, choose absorption materials, and adjust microphone positioning” to make things sound like they are in the same room.
A plugin for audio ducking. Invented for studio work where talking to the recording artists can be problematic, this tool doesn’t care where it is used, and can just duck any audio from a sidechained channel so you can do voiceovers on top of a music track for example.
Heritage Audio Successor Stereo Bus Comp
Modelled after some expensive diode-bridge compressor found in fancy studios, this one allows warm, colourful and fat sounds through. Heritage, not the darling of today's social media also makes several other plugins I didn't know about but I might save them for future editions of TMF.
Courses for mixing, mastering and software such as Ozone, Logic Pro and Bootcamp. It possibly should be in the Training section but as it’s music focused I shall leave it here.
A “collaborative music promotion network”. Which ties into Soundcloud. Uses a credit based scrip system where you can buy Credit Packs with real money but also earn some by reposting and giving feedback on other user's songs.
Converts a DAW project file to a different DAW. Such as converting .flp (FL Studio) to .als (Ableton). Also handles Tracker modules like .IT, .XM, .S3M, and .MOD.
S4n7r0’s Sand Napalm and Sand Stretch
Two free plugins for making unusual glitchy noises. Links take to you GitHub, usually deserving of an “ugh” for its interface but in this case the download links are easily found.
Presets
GForce Software Airwaves Pack for OB-X
Nothing to do with my dearly departed favorite chewing gum brand, I haven’t listened to the samples but I am impressed and happy with the other items I bought from GForce, so by way of association I trust these to be good too.
iOS Music
Take steps into the world of glitchery
Make your MIDI dance with 16 steps over 8 patterns. This is a plugin that sends MIDI into other apps by loading it into a host, it makes no sound of its own.
One of the first music apps for iOS has been revamped and rereleased. It's a theremin simulator. Works as a standalone noisemaker or as a plugin.
Get a lo-fi feel with a vinyl sim effect inspired by a Roland SP-404 sampler. It’s an AUv3 plugin, so it needs a host to run within. If you have been making music on iOS you probably already own one, examples being AUM, apeMatrix, Cubasis, Audio Evolution Mobile, n-Track and Logic Pro.
Kontakt Instruments
Vocal textures by a singer named Robyn for cinematic, meditation or relaxation-themed ethereal soundscapes.
More vocals! It’s a coincidence. This one is a 7.8GB library which includes chants, hums, sustained notes, breaths and whispers and more. Get both and have them sing a duet.
Increase dread via this scary piano
The ”dark, resonant tones of an old, slightly detuned upright piano”. Knobs for changing attributes include Awakening, Dissolution, Lurking Dread, Ether, Noise and Timewarp. For making eerie or unsettling horror or weird sounding compositions.
Edu Prado Sounds Metal Pipes & Plates
Does what it says on the “tin”- pun intended. Compare with Impact Soundworks Hyper Metals.
Social Media
Nice work if you can get it
Formerly known as Tweepsmap — and thank goodness because that was not a catchy name — this supports scheduled posting to Threads, Facebook, Insta, LinkedIn, Mastodon, Pinterest, TikTok, Bluesky and X. Analyse engagement or campaigns with analytics tools including fancy geographical heat maps to check which countries love you the most at any given time. Also scan for hashtags and keywords and keep an eye on your competition.
Oh look! Here’s an empty bit of website (when viewed on Desktop) because I could not convince Squarespace to put the code block for the navigation here without pushing everything into weird places, which is most commonly the cause of derision for Microsoft Word.Work
I didn’t really know what to call this section as these items didn’t fit into the other categories.HR system for candidate checking.
Seems to be aimed at HR departments. Includes recognition and rewards, 1:1's, standup, games and icebreakers, employee nominations, company announcements, team awards, birthdays and anniversaries — nice, I missed these at some of my former jobs — plus CEO updates, surveys, weekly check-ins, general news feed, group feed, idea management, internal wiki tool, knowledge base, team retrospective, meeting notes, product feedback, wins list, internal referral program, interview questions, contractor time tracking and a lightweight sales CRM template.
Surveys includes employee benefits, recognition, engagement, satisfaction, exit interview and new hire. What can’t it do?
Bees not included
Hive is a modern-looking project management platform. Check it out if you don’t work somewhere that has forced you to use Microsoft Project. It appears to have all the nice integrations to things like Slack, Teams, Outlook, Dropbox, Zoom, Jira and another one I don’t recall called Bynder. Includes time tracking and approval workflows.
AI based personal organiser and knowledge manager. Still in pre-release, so you have to sign in. The demos seem show a combination of AI assistance as we’ve seen demonstrated by Apple and Google but with a tiny bit more sophistication. We shall see what happens when this one is fully launched.
Not to be confused with the global house of iconic brands. I thought it was a social media platform for senior citizens but when I went to investigate, I only found this “childhood education platform”. Not sure how many of you are I the education sector, but you may know someone who is and that’s how we learn about things. Includes family relationship management, pedagogy, child-centred assessment and planning and attendance registers, as well as other teachery features.
Agile, brainstorming and training sessions. Get your participants engaged by giving them an opportunity to respond with reactions and feedback notes. Also quizzes to keep them interested, for which there are templates to get you started. Analytics to check results.
Development
“Easily Build Web Pages on the New Internet”. There’s a new one coming? In this case they mean that your web page is hosted on some network called Holochain which appears to be a distributed network, so by using it you became a piece of the action. Still early days — currently only a page builder for Windows but they mention Mac and Linux coming eventually.
A catalog of over 1000 apps for iOS, Android and web for UI inspiration. Free to try.
Interact with your teammates
A “composable web platform […] for the delivery of exceptional and dynamic web experiences”. So for us non-web-developer peeps, it is for making a more complex website than I can make here in Squarespace, that supports backend databases for logins/passwords for an account, an online store, or whatever other data your site needs to access to do whatever wonderful thing you designed it to do. To see any more than their demo videos you need to request a demo, which I guess means you will be added to some CRM system of theirs and get chased up by some sales manager.
Integrates with Nile, Salesforce, Streamfold, Optimizely, Adobe Experience Manager, Jamsocket, Arcjet and a whole stack of CMSes, e-commerce, backend databases and testing/QA platforms I won’t relist here.
PHP based web application framework. Not for the faint-hearted. A large range of packages available for analytics, authentication to social media, subscription payment via Stripe or Paddle, browser testing and more.
“Create a website in one second”. The landing page is just a mysterious star field, and then to sign up you are shown a dodgy-looking URL on supabase which is where the backend is hosted I suppose. Anyone know more about this thing?
Training
Looks like a nice neat classroom.
Learn to Code with Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and more
Our journey has concluded. But fear not, there is already a large queue of items awaiting inclusion in the next edition.