NAMM 2014: iZotope has collaborated with "composer and technologist" BT to create BreakTweaker, which it describes as a "drum sculpting and beat sequencing environment that blurs the line between rhythm and melody".
This offers three modules - Sequencer, Generator and the MicroEdit engine - and enables you to manipulate audio "at a molecular level". Rather than being restricted to a traditional drum grid, you can program polyrhythmic beats and have fine control over their pitch, rhythm and texture.
Discussing BreakTweaker, BT said: "I've always been intrigued by the way humans perceive rhythm, particularly the threshold point of where the ear perceives rhythm as pitch. The idea of exploring and exploiting this threshold inspired BreakTweaker, a tool where I could finally realize rhythmic possibilities that I once imagined but had never before been able to hear."
BreakTweaker's feature list is below, and you can find out what makes it tick in the video above.
iZotope BreakTweaker features
- Manipulate audio at a molecular level: control pitch, rhythm, and texture at the finest resolution available
- Escape traditional drum grids: create complex polyrhythmic beats with unique isorhythm and playback speed settings
- Get over 2 GB of professional, royalty-free content: explore presets, drum samples, and wavetables designed by today's top musicians and DJs, including BT
- Craft your own drum sounds: blend drum samples with robust synthesis features to generate compelling hybrid sounds
- Take control of your beats: Easily trigger and sequence complex patterns and samples using any MIDI controller
