XILS-lab, a software company based in Grenoble, France, has unveiled its latest offering: the Les Diffuseurs effect plug-in bundle. Drawing inspiration from the ondes Martenot speakers, specifically Maurice Martenot's Métallique and Palme diffuseurs, this bundle aims to bring the unique sounds of these early 20th-century instruments to modern digital audio workstations (DAWs).
The ondes Martenot, originating in the 1920s, was an early electronic musical instrument resulting from Maurice Martenot's desire to create an expressive instrument akin to a cello. Martenot, who was both a cellist and a radio operator during World War I, sought to replicate the accidental overlaps of tones found in military radio oscillators. Despite several versions of the instrument being produced over its 60-year history, Martenot remained uninterested in mass production. However, it was the challenge of reproducing the distinctive sounds of the Métallique and Palme speakers that intrigued Xavier Oudin, prompting XILS-lab to develop Les Diffuseurs.
The bundle includes two plug-ins: La Palme and Le Metallique. La Palme, inspired by Martenot's Palme speaker from 1950, features a resonance chamber with strings tuned to all 12 semitones of an octave. Le Metallique, inspired by Martenot's 1932 Métallique, incorporates a gong instead of a traditional speaker cone, adding a metallic character to the sound.
XILS-lab has leveraged modern digital technology to faithfully recreate the sounds of these vintage speakers while also expanding their capabilities. Both plug-ins offer extensive controls, allowing users to manipulate parameters such as string muting, gong size, decay, and dampening.
Furthermore, the Les Diffuseurs bundle is powered by XILS-lab's True Stereo Dynamic Engine (TSDE), enabling users to position the speakers within a stereo image with unprecedented flexibility.
For a limited time, the Les Diffuseurs bundle is available at a promotional price of €45.00 EUR until May 15, 2024, after which it will revert to its regular price of €89.00 EUR. The bundle is compatible with macOS and Windows operating systems and can be purchased directly from XILS-lab's website.
Those interested can request a time-limited full version of Les Diffuseurs for evaluation purposes via the provided link.
To gain a better understanding of the capabilities of La Palme, two demonstration videos are available for viewing.
