Have you ever wished you could use your computer keyboard as a sample player device?
Well, you actually can, thanks to Soundlplant, a software for Mac and Windows that turns the standard QWERTY keyboard into a playable instrument with ultra low latency, allowing the instant playback of any format sound files on 72 keyboard keys with no need for extra hardware.
Soundplant just got a major update, adding playlist queuing, ASIO support, and other optimizations to the computer keyboard sound triggering program.
What Is It?
Soundplant turns the standard QWERTY keyboard into a playable instrument with ultra low latency, allowing the instant playback of any format sound files on 72 keyboard keys with no need for extra hardware.
Version 45’s new ‘multi queue’ feature adds flexible playlist support, allowing several unique capabilities including triggering dozens of sounds at once from a single key, playing multiple playlists simultaneously, and realtime chaining of queues via key press to build playlists on the fly.
ASIO support on Windows brings even lower latency, higher sound quality, and expanded output device support.
Take a gander at this sound design demo called “Space Highway Ambiance”:
Also new in v.45 are a global ‘fade out all’ function, recording quality improved to 32-bit, reduced CPU usage, faster sound loading, contextual help, and many other improvements and bug fixes.
Soundplant intuitively turns an input device you’ve been practicing on for as long as you’ve been typing into a versatile multitrack playback tool. Now in its 18th year, the venerable $50 program has found wide use in studios, theaters, clubs, stadiums, and classrooms.
Users love Soundplant’s rock-solid stability for live use, low-spec system requirements, straightforward drag-and-drop sound file assignment, customizable key press and release control, and powerful flexibility as standalone software capable of mixing hundreds of sounds at once in audiophile 32-bit/96khz quality.
Here is another beat demo you can peruse:
Pricing & Availability:
Soundplant is offered as a free download at the Soundplant website which includes a 25-launch trial of the registered features.
In unregistered mode it is free for non-commercial use with limitations on some professional features.
The registered version (USD $50, or a $25 upgrade) allows expanded sound file format support, output device selection, higher quality output sample rates, recording, and ‘background key input’ global hotkey triggering. Soundplant runs on minimum Windows Vista or macOS 10.6.
