In the previous article we have collected a series of free utilities almost indispensable for all Mac users. In this second part we want to show you other applications, perhaps with less pretensions, but able to make us gain valuable time without bothering larger software for simple operations.
CFXR extension is the Mac version (corrected and improved) of sfxr, a utility created to create 8-bit / 16-bit style sound effects for retro games. Obviously, this utility can also be used in other areas such as the creation of sound effects for websites or applications in general. The strong point is the immediacy as well as a simple but powerful graphic interface. Files can be exported in Wave format at 44100Hz or 22050Hz and in 8bit or 16bit.
website: http://thirdcog.eu/apps/cfxr
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Audio MIDI Setup is an OS X internal utility often unknown but with considerable potential.
It often happens now, even in home studios, that the audio / MIDI interfaces are more than one and very few audio software allow the management of multiple sound cards / MIDI interfaces at the same time.
This is why the Audio MIDI Configuration utility comes in handy, which allows us to create an added device by merging the audio input / output or midi of our peripherals into a new hybrid device. Just select this new device from the configuration panel of the audio software we use and that's it.
The utility is located in / Applications / Utilities / Audio MIDI Setup
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OS X jacks is an audio server originally written for GNU / Linux systems and now available for Mac OS X. This application is capable of connecting multiple applications on a single audio hardware (such as a sound card). Compared to other such applications, Jack is mainly developed for professional use. The strengths are stability for synchronization and very low latency.
website: http://www.jackosx.com/
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In the last article we talked about Sysex Librarian, a utility that allows you to save or send patches via MIDI to our synthesizers. A valid alternative, always free, is C6 SysEx Manager of Elektron.
Site: http://www.elektron.se/products_sections/downloads/tm1-dl-c6-sysex-manager-osx
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mAC3dec is an application that allows you to extract AC-3 audio from DVD media and save everything in AIFF, MP3, or AAC. Often cumbersome operation on other operating systems where you often have to fight to find free software without particular limitations for this simple operation.
website: http://sourceforge.net/projects/mac3dec/
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Audio Slicers is an application capable of dividing / splitting audio files based on the pauses present. In English these portions are called slices (slices). This feature is often present in many DAWs but it can be useful to have a small independent application for quick cuts without the need to bother with larger software. Currently only the MP3 format is supported but the author assures that in the future he will insert support for many other audio formats.
website: http://audioslicer.sourceforge.net/
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It may seem trivial but a good metronome can solve many problems when it is not possible to exploit the potential of various sequencers and DAWs. Metronome It is probably the best free metronome available for OS X, it offers many configurable options such as the insertion of accents, the possibility of tapping the keyboard tempo (tap-tempo) and a very practical Accellerator function. In fact, the latter can be very useful for musicians in the study phase as it allows you to gradually accelerate the speed of the metornome based on a value chosen by the user. Useful for studying difficult passages, starting slowly first and gradually reaching higher speeds.
Site: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ronfleckner/metronome/
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http://www.carlocastellano.ccLast time we collected a series of free almost indispensable utilities for all Mac users in this second part we want to show other applications, perhaps with fewer pretensions, but that can save us precious time without resorting to larger software for simple operations.
CFXR extension is the Mac ported version (corrected and improved) of sfxr, a utility designed to create sound effects for 8-bit/16-bit retro-style games. Of course, this utility can be used for other purposes such as the creation of sound effects for websites or applications in general. The main feature is the immediacy as well as a simple but powerful graphical user interface. Files can be exported to Wave 22050Hz or 44100Hz and 8 bits or 16 bits.
Website: http://thirdcog.eu/apps/cfxr
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Audio MIDI Setup is an internal OS
It often happens now, even in small home studios, that we have more then one audio interfaces/MIDI interfaces and only few software allow management of multiple devices simultaneously.
Audio MIDI Setup utility allows us to create a new device linking audio inputs/outputs of our interfaces. Just select the new device from the configuration panel of audio software that you use and that's it.
Utility path: /Applications/Utilities/Audio MIDI Setup
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OS X jacks is a sound server originally written for GNU / Linux and now available for Mac OS Compared with other similar applications, Jack is developed primarily for professional use. The strengths are stability for synchronization and low latency.
Website: http://www.jackosx.com/
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In the last article we talked about Sysex Librarian, utility that allows you to save or send our patches via MIDI to our synthesizers. An alternative, always free, is C6 SysEx Manager by Elektron.
Site: http://www.elektron.se/products_sections/downloads/tm1-dl-c6-sysex-manager-osx
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mAC3decis an application that allows you to extract audio from AC-3 DVD and save them to AIFF, MP3 or AAC files. Cumbersome operation on other operating systems where we often must fight to find a free software without specific restrictions for this simple operation.
Website: http://sourceforge.net/projects/mac3dec/
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Audio Slicers is an application that can split audio files according to silences slice. This feature is often present in many DAWs but can be useful to have a small independent application for quick cuts without the need to disturb the biggest softwares. Currently only support the MP3 format, but the author affirms that in the future it will include support for many other audio formats.
Website: http://audioslicer.sourceforge.net/
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It may seem trivial, but a good metronome can solve many problems when you can't use the potential of DAWs and sequencers. Metronome is probably the best free metronome available for OS This can be very useful while studying gradually as you accelerate the speed of Metronome according to a value chosen by the user. Useful for studying difficult passages, starting slowly and gradually reaching higher speeds.
Site: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ronfleckner/metronome/
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http://www.carlocastellano.cc
