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"The Amazing Slowdowner" |
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This software could change your life...
This software could change your life... |
OK folks, I've seen the internet. It's rubbish. And computer programs suffer from being written by computer programmers. But this is brilliant. You can download it easily 'cos it's small; it does what it says on the tin (and more); it's available for PC and Mac (OS 8/9 or X); and having found out how great it is it's cheap (and easy) to buy the full version. And if you're a musician working with recordings you should buy it.
(And nobody is paying me to say this, either!) The Amazing Slowdowner You never get something for nothing, audio quality-wise, but the good news is that the algorithms used maintain a listenable quality even at extreme settings. Click here for an mp3 of such an example. A lightning-fast fill from Gary Moore's Parisienne Walkways, stretched to half-speed (literally). Remember that this is an extreme example- of course you can hear it's been tampered with. Naturally, with smaller amounts of stretching the quality remains proportionally better. What does it cost? Where can I get it from? What else will it do? The program also allows you to loop only part of a song/phrase if you wish, and save the altered music in appropriate file formats too. Brilliant! The only thing I think is missing is a little reference tone-generator so you can tune things to concert pitch more easily. Must suggest it to them...
Well, the demo can be downloaded for free, and it's limited to working with the first quarter of an audio file or the first two tracks on a CD. There are ways round these limitations of course, but currently the full version only costs about £26 (inc. VAT in the UK) so why bother messing about- just buy it! They send you a file to unlock the demo version to full capability.
It's available from www.ronimusic.com who made it, and where you can get more details. I gather the guy who wrote the software is a guitarist, which explains a lot. No redundant extras- no stupid animated paperclips telling you that you "appear to be writing a letter..."
Even if it just did the above speed and pitch alteration in real time it would be worth the price. But there is also a KA (karaoke) button to get rid of anything that is in the middle of the stereo. This can be a bit hit-and-miss, because it depends how the track has been mixed as to what you get. Applying it to Parisienne Walkways, for example, you get rid of the vocals, bass, and both the lead guitars, which leaves the acoustic rhythm guitar standing out loud and clear. Using it on Wheatus' Teenage Dirtbag allowed me to check once and for all exactly what the acoustic guitar is playing in the intro and verses (a bit different- and easier- to what most TABs on the internet say, for sure).
Back to 'teaching' home...