Soundtoys Crystallizer -

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Inspired by Crystal Echoes in the Eventide H3000

Soundtoys Crystallizer is seriously cool! Can you imagine combining pitch shifting and reversed echo to completely transform instruments? Based on the Eventide H3000’s “Reverse Shift” algorithm, Crystallizer gives you granular echo slicing, old-school pitch shifting, and so many other inspiring and powerful features packed into one tool!

Use it to create synth-like textures from simple acoustic guitar rhythms, lush detuned echos, or completely psychedelic pitch-shifted reverse echo effects. Great for drums, guitar, bass, sound design, electronic music, and just about anything else – Crystallizer is a truly unique and creative effects processor.

If you listened to the radio in the late 80s, you’ve heard the Crystal Echoes effect from the Eventide H3000 effects processor. The sound is absolutely unmistakable and has been used on countless records to transform simple chords into epic soundscapes. Once musicians and engineers got their hands on this unique technique and realized how it instantly turned minimal guitar lines into shimmering symphonic textures, there was no going back. You can hear it on hundreds of records—from 80s anthems to ambient compositions, to modern indie rock and chillwave. And now you can have it, too.

Getting the Glitch Right

Crystal Method

Because Soundtoys’ founders actually designed algorithms for the original H3000, you can be sure they didn’t rest until they recreated its icy tones flawlessly. One of the key elements of the Crystallizer sound is its old-school pitch shifting. Modern pitch shifters (like Soundtoys Little AlterBoy for example) use sophisticated mathematical algorithms to transform music and vocals as naturally as possible. The original old-school devices (like Eventide’s classic H910 Harmonizer) used a simpler resample and crossfade technique that introduced audible artifacts in the pitch-shifted audio. This retro technique adds a glitchy character to the sound that is an essential part of Crystallizer’s 80s-futuristic charm.

Retro Shifter

Old school pitch-shifting just like, uh, the old school. Modern pitch-shifters use sophisticated mathematical algorithms to transform music and vocals as naturally as possible (like Soundtoys PurePitch and SPEED products). The original old-school devices (like Eventide’s classic H910 Harmonizer) used a resample and cross-fade technique that introduced audible ‘glitches’ in the pitch-shifted audio. The glitch is good. Well, in this case, it is. That’s a big part of the sound. A sound we’ve all heard countless times, on tons of hit songs. So dig into the past and enjoy the true retro sound.

Upping the Ante

Once Soundtoys nailed the sound of the original effect, they didn’t stop there. Then, they improved it by adding MIDI sync and automation to give you precise creative control. In addition, the built-in Gate and Duck feature adds a new level of dynamic control over triggering echos, helping you keep this sometimes wild effect in check. You can also shape the sound with low- and high-cut filters to create bright shimmery blooms or dark, rich beds of sound. In short, this classic effect is brought up to date with all the convenience and tweakability of a Soundtoys plug-in.

Instant Inspiration

Does “granular echo synthesizer” sound a bit hard to get your head around? Don’t worry. Soundtoys included over 200 ready-made presets that you can explore, organized into categories that make finding the perfect starting point for your tracks simple. Also, you get everything from the subtle to the all-out psychedelic, so don’t be afraid to experiment! When you’re ready to go deeper, you’ll find plenty of tweakability and control for making your own signature presets.

Soundtoys Crystallizer Highlights

Recreate the classic crystalline sounds of the Eventide H3000
Turn simple melodies and chords into shimmering, textured soundscapes
Create rich, evolving effects with reverse echos and pitch shifting
Lock the effect on your project’s tempo and even add custom automation
Transform guitar, bass, drums, or loops into something completely new
An amazing tool for creative sound designers

Download Manual

Crystallizer’s unique sound is magical. No other effects device sounds anything like it. It can turn a guitar (or any instrument) into a symphony or a room full of whispering voices. It will open your mind to whole new world of creative possibilities.
Charles Dye, Grammy-winning engineer, mixer and producer (Lauryn Hill, Jon Bon Jovi, Shakira, Sammy Hagar, Julio Iglesias, Ricky Martin)

We first found out about Soundtoys when we were mixing our record ODD BLOOD. Since then we’ve been hooked on them. The Crystallizer and EchoBoy are in constant use, I’m literally obsessed!
Chris Keating, Yeasayer

Apple Silicon and VST 3 Compatible

Plug-in Formats (64-bit only):

AAX Native, AAX AudioSuite, VST 2, VST 3, and Audio Units (AU)

Supported Sample Rates:

Minimum: 44.1 kHz, Maximum: 192 kHz

System Requirements:

Operating systems: Mac OS X 10.12 or later; Windows 7 or later.
An internet connection is required at the time of activation.

Supported Hosts:

Pro Tools, Live, Cubase, Nuendo, Logic, Studio One, Reaper, Bitwig

Soundtoys 5 Compatibility

All version 5 Soundtoys products come in 64-bit VST, AU and AAX Native plug-in formats. Here is a list of our officially supported host applications.

Pro Tools 12 - 2022.6	Mac & PC: AAX Native and AudioSuite
Logic Pro X - 10.7*	Logic Pro X - 10.7*
Ableton Live 9.2.2 - 11	Mac: AudioUnits & VST; Windows: VST
Studio One 4.5+	Mac: AudioUnits & VST; Windows: VST
Cubase 9.5 - 12*	Mac & PC: VST
Nuendo 8 - 11	Mac & PC: VST
Reaper 6	Mac: AudioUnits & VST; Windows: VST
Bitwig 4	Mac & PC: VST

Note about DAW / Computer Support

We cannot guarantee support if you are using a supported host platform listed above on an operating system or computer that is not supported by the host platform itself. Please visit your DAW’s website or manual to ensure you are using a compatible system.

If your DAW is not on the list above, it doesn’t necessarily mean that our plug-ins won’t work. It just means that it has not been tested. If something goes wrong with an unsupported DAW, you are welcome to write to support, but we cannot guarantee a solution. We currently recommend using our free trial with the hosts listed below to confirm compatibility on your computer.

MainStage
FL Studio

32-Bit Plug-in Support

With the release of 5.3.2, we have officially discontinued support for 32-bit plug-ins. With macOS Catalina requiring all applications to be 64-bit, and with the vast majority of our PC customers using 64-bit plug-ins, we decided it was the right time to end 32-bit support. Our most recent 32-bit installers are available to download below.

Download Soundtoys 5.3.2 for Windows (32-bit)

Download Soundtoys 5.3.1 for Mac (32-bit)

Download Windows 32-Bit Installers for Individual Plug-ins

What’s new in v5.4

May 16, 2023

New SuperPlate plug-in, available individually, within Effect Rack, or as part of the Soundtoys 5.4 Bundle.
New Effect Rack Factory Presets
Updated high-resolution graphics and text for most plug-ins.
Fixes issue where VST3 plug-ins had the wrong window size in Studio One

What’s new in v5.3.8

VST3 support for both Windows and macOS
Native compatibility with both Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M-series) and Intel processors

Known Issues and Notes

In Digital Performer 11, discrete parameters behave incorrectly for VST3. We recommend using VST2 or AU in Digital Performer 11 until the issue can be resolved.
Some hosts will automatically replace VST2 plug-ins in sessions with matching VST3 versions, depending on the DAW and your DAW preferences. Our VST3 versions are fully interchangeable with their VST2 counterparts, but not all hosts implement this feature of VST3.

What’s new in V5.3.7

Adds native Apple silicon support for Audio Units and VST2.
Fixes issue where installers may fail to install for certain users.

Known issues and notes:

The minimum recommended version of Logic for native Apple silicon is 10.7.3
Switching presets in Logic’s built-in preset manager may cause instability with Effect Rack. Using our internal preset manager should be fine.
VST3 support is not included in this release and will come at a later time.

5.3.6 Update

October, 20, 2021

Fixed an issue where Effect Rack could crash when doing an offline render to a new sample rate with VST.
Fixed an issue where Effect Rack could produce an incorrect “out of automation slots” alert during an offline render.

5.3.5 Update

September 30, 2021

Fixed issues with offline rendering in certain hosts, where the effect might have a delayed onset or undesirable fade in.
Fixed audio artifacts that could happen when editing modulation patterns during playback.
Fixed issue where events could be edited to 0 level and then no longer modified.
Effect Rack now resets delay buffers on preset changes.
Fixed an issue with PhaseMistress sound for certain 2-stage phaser styles.
Fixed an issue where Effect Rack could crash on load in Reaper on Windows.
Pattern editor stability improvements.

5.3.4 Update

March 30, 2021

Fixed CPU Spiking in Bitwig when certain plug-ins were on an instrument channel.
Fixed incorrect license expiration warning that would appear in certain circumstances.
Fixed bug where Effect Rack could lose signal after re-ordering effects in certain circumstances.
Fixed issue where EchoBoy could crash while changing presets during audio playback.
Added new transport indicator to Rhythm Editors to convey current location within a pattern.
Stability improvements for Windows versions.

5.3.3 Update

December 10, 2020

Added support for macOS Big Sur (11).
Fixed minor graphics issues in macOS Big Sur.
Fixed issue where plug-ins would sometimes crash on instantiation in GarageBand or Maschine on macOS Catalina.
Improved handling of bad floating point values.
Fixed graphical issues with pattern editors.
Fixed tempo sync during offline render in certain plug-ins.
Fixed issue where delay of dry signal path in Little AlterBoy did not match host DAW delay compensation.
Fixed issue where Decapitator would flood undo history with AutoGain changes in Ableton.
Eliminated low level noise from MicroShift.
Adjusted levels of Decapitator’s “Dark Drive” preset.
Added numpad and arrow key support for string controls.
Improved mouse tracking behavior in preset menus.
Fixed Effect Rack crash that could happen during certain preset changes.
Fixed “Waveform and Rhythm Too Complicated” alert in certain rhythm presets.
Fixed Tremolator crashing on selection of “12 Bar Roller” rhythm preset.
Fixed Organize command disappearing from the preset menu in certain situations.
Fixed rare crash on recall with multiple Effect Rack instances in Ableton.

5.3.2 Update

December 17, 2019

Added support for macOS Catalina (10.15).
Fixed issues on Windows where knobs could snap to minimum position and stop responding to mouse movements.
Double-clicking to reset controls has been fixed on Windows.
32-bit plug-ins have been discontinued.
Installer now includes the latest version of iLok License Manager, which solves an issue where plug-ins were blacklisted in Cubase on Windows.

5.3.1 Update

October 30, 2019

Fixed a bug in Little AlterBoy that could cause left and right channels to move slightly out of sync when used on a mono track in DAWs like Ableton and Cubase that process mono tracks in stereo.**
Fixed a similar left/right sync bug that could affect PrimalTap in “Freeze” mode.**
Improved parameter mapping for Resonance parameter in FilterFreak and PhaseMistress. This may very slightly change the sound of sessions that use automation on this parameter. If no automation is used on this parameter then all sessions should recall perfectly.
Smoothed out choppy animation on certain Retina displays.
Repaired window scaling problems in Windows on high DPI monitors, especially in Ableton and Studio One
Added MIDI triggering to PhaseMistress and EffectRack AAX.
Installer icons on Mac and PC should now show up more easily on a black background.
Mac installer supports light and dark mode.
New Remove Soundtoys utility on Mac lets you uninstall individual plug-ins more easily.

** These changes will affect the sound of audio in some sessions. You may want to bounce or freeze tracks if you want to keep the out-of-sync or phasey sound that may have occurred in previous versions.

Soundtoys 5.3.1: Our Final 32-bit Release

We’re happy to announce that Soundtoys 5.3.1 is now available. This update includes an important improvement to Little AlterBoy and PrimalTap and a number of other bug fixes.

Soundtoys 5.3.1 will be our final patch before we add support for MacOS Catalina, which will require us to drop 32-bit plug-in support. This will be our final 32-bit compatible release for both MacOS and Windows. Visit our Download Page to get the latest installers.

Little AlterBoy and PrimalTap Sync Fix

When using Little AlterBoy on a mono track with a stereo output, sometimes it was possible for the left and right channels to shift out of sync. This could add an unwanted “phasey” sound to the vocal, or create a slight difference in the sound of the left and right channels. This bug could also affect PrimalTap’s Freeze mode. Soundtoys 5.3.1 fixes this issue.

NOTE: this fix may change the sound of some audio tracks that use Little AlterBoy and PrimalTap (in freeze mode). We think this change is for the better! However, if you think the out-of-sync sound is an important part of some of your tracks, we recommend you bounce or freeze those tracks to preserve the exact sound they have today.

MacOS Catalina Support Coming Soon

If you’re a MacOS user, you’ve probably gotten word that many DAWs and plug-ins, including Soundtoys, do not yet support MacOS Catalina. Unlike previous releases of MacOS, Catalina introduces new security safeguards and ends support for 32-bit applications and plug-ins, creating a significant challenge for plug-in developers. We’re hard at work updating and testing our products, and we will have an update soon.

What’s new in v5.3

macOS and PC:

Plug-in activation window now includes support for Activation Codes, which will be distributed to customers who purchase a new product (not an upgrade) from our web store, and will allow those licenses to be activated without an iLok account (optional).
Little Plate is now included in the 5.3 license group for new Soundtoys 5 customers.

macOS-only:

macOS Mojave is now officially supported.
Graphics issue that was causing several components of the Soundtoys graphical user interfaces to display incorrectly on macOS Mojave has been resolved.

What’s New in v5.2.3

All Soundtoys Plugins updated June 4, 2018 (Maintenance Update 5.2.3.13619 (Mac) and 5.2.3.13636 (PC))

Little Plate now included in the Soundtoys 5 installer
Fixed rare audio dropout/glitches under certain circumstances
Fixed crash that could happen sometimes on session recall
Fixed sluggish animation of tweak drawers on high DPI monitors on Mac
Fixed rhythm editor to allow for creation of multi-bar rhythms
Fixed “update nesting too deep” alert
Added support for MIDI triggering to AAX versions of FilterFreak and PrimalTap
Fixed CPU spiking in certain instances
Fixed AudioSuite support for different stem formats (mono-mono, mono-stereo, stereo-stereo) for Tremolator, Decapitator, Devil-Loc Deluxe, FilterFreak 1 & 2, Little Radiator, Radiator, and Sie-Q
Fixed occasional crash when rendering in Reaper on Windows
Fixed preset sorting in macOS High Sierra
Audio Units plug-ins will now scan correctly without requiring a restart in macOS High Sierra
Locked knob titles will remain red when GUI is closed and reopened
Fixed Pro Tools automation hotkey support for Effect Rack, as well as compound parameters like Delay Notes/Time in EchoBoy
Fixed Pro Tools automation hotkey support for all plug-ins on Windows
Fixed session recall in AU Lab
Fixed balance offset in in PanMan Random & Triggered modes
Updated VST plug-in names to make them consistent with AU and AAX versions when displayed in DAWs. *This included Little Plate, Little AlterBoy, Little Radiator, Little PrimalTap, Little MicroShift, EchoBoy Jr., and Sie-Q.

What’s new in 5.2:

EchoBoy Jr. is now available in Soundtoys 5 and Effect Rack
EchoBoy Jr. is now included with individual EchoBoy 5 licenses and installers
Some Effect Rack presets now include EchoBoy Jr.
Fixed an issue where certain AAX plug-ins did not support multi-mono operation
The LFO rate parameter can now be automated in PhaseMistress and FilterFreak 1 & 2

What’s new in 5.1

Sie-Q was added to the lineup.

What’s new in 5.02

Features:

Plug-ins with the Analog Mode option now have a new “Op Amp” style to replace the Version 4 “Digital” style that was removed. In the previous version 5 release sessions using “Digital” defaulted to “Clean”. They now default to “Op Amp”. This will address the sound differences that some customers heard when recalling old sessions.
PrimalTap has a new Auto Gain switch added to the Tweak menu. When enabled, the output will automatically be lowered proportionally as the input gain is raised. This is the new default behavior for PrimalTap. Old sessions and user presets will open with Auto Gain set to “Off.”
Preset names, when edited, now display in italics to indicate an edited state

Fixes:

Preset names are now displayed correctly when sessions that were last saved with V4 are recalled (instead of reading “Default”).
Fixed an issue in PrimalTap where the Rolloff feature was not filtering the feedback loop as intended. (Note: this update will change the sound of some presets and sessions but is the correct and intended sound and behavior of PrimalTap).
Fixed an issue where Devil-Loc and Devil-Loc Deluxe knobs could jump to minimum or maximum when clicked in a certain area.
Fixed a problem where the delayed signal in EchoBoy might drop out under certain conditions.
PhaseMistress default settings will now sound identical to the default preset.
Preset names are now pre-populated when using the Save As… option.
Resolved a Windows problem where alerts could be hidden behind other windows.
Fixed issues that would cause the compare light to come on unnecessarily with certain plugins and presets.

New in Soundtoys 5:

Effect Rack, PrimalTap, and Little AlterBoy plug-ins
New authorization options
Workflow enhancements

Getting Rhythmic with SoundToys Plug-ins

SoundToys guru Mitch Thomas demonstrates the basics of using SoundToys plug-ins to create rhythmic effects, and then dives deeper with the powerful Rhythm Editor in part 2.

More...

v5 Soundtoys Crystallizer