Update: v24.11 & Black Friday Sale!
Hello, Audiocube Creators!
Over the past few months, I’ve been hard at work implementing your valuable feedback and introducing exciting new features. This latest update is the most ambitious one yet, completely reworking key systems, interactions, and the overall visual experience of Audiocube.
The main goal? To make the UI more intuitive, introduce powerful new devices for crafting soundscapes and generative music, and significantly enhance the flexibility, functionality, and performance of the software. With improvements to both the engine’s audio and visual elements, this update elevates Audiocube to a whole new level.
And that’s not all...
I’m thrilled to announce the Black Friday Sale! You can snag an Audiocube Lifetime License for just £49 - a massive 71% off - available until December 1, 2024.
Check out the new Audiocube in 5 Minutes video to quickly see the current state of the software!
v24.11 Update Overview: At a Glance
Here’s a quick rundown of the biggest additions in version V24.11—followed by a detailed breakdown of the most exciting updates:
Logic Boxes - New generative and experimental sequencing devices.
Ambiances - New devices tailored for creating and controlling immersive ambiance.
Sample Pack Installer - A built-in system for downloading and managing Audiocube’s core sample libraries.
Massive user interface upgrade
Reworking of the layout for easier navigation
11 new color schemes & more fonts - FairlightCMI and many more!
Improved interface flexibility & scaling for any screen
Sharper, cleaner text and icons
Improved the grid/floor renderer
More controls for toggling graphical elements
Overload protection - Push your machine to the limit without fear of crashes.
New Device List Panel - A clear overview of all stage devices, with quick access to controls.
Audio range adjustment - Fine-tune audio source propagation distances.
Improved Audio Spatializer Controls - Toggle between standard and HD spatialization with advanced customization.
Custom audio library folder - Link audio files from any location on your hard drive.
Improved login system - Enhanced security and streamlined user experience.
Project Templates - Four pre-configured templates for popular workflows.
Large performance increase - Optimized rendering for reduced GPU/CPU load and higher FPS.
Camera upgrades - Expanded controls and new on-screen gizmos for intuitive mouse interaction.
Improved Sequencer UI - Laying the groundwork for a more advanced timeline while improving screen scaling.
Project Saving Safeguards: Prevent accidental overwrites with smarter save functionality.
Drag-and-Drop Audio Import: Now supported on Windows for faster workflows.
Master Stop/Panic Button: Instantly cancel all actions and reset CPU usage.
Expanded Selection System: Multi-device control for play, stop, clone, delete, and more.
Android app - Audiocube now runs on Android, although the user interface is designed for desktops for now.
Countless Bug Fixes - So many, I’ve lost track—but you’ll notice the difference!
Logic Boxes are one of the standout features in the v24.11 update—and also one of the most challenging to develop. These innovative sequencing devices let you explore logic flows, randomness, and chaos, opening up a world of generative experimentation for your soundscapes.
What Are Logic Boxes?
Logic Boxes are designed to work seamlessly with any triggerable device, such as samplers, emitters, ambiance devices, and even other Logic Boxes. By linking them together, you can create intricate, evolving trigger flows that are ideal for crafting generative music and sound experiments.
The Six Logic Box Types:
Pulse: Sends a single trigger pulse to a connected device.
Chord: Sends a trigger pulse to all connected devices simultaneously.
Chain: Delivers a trigger pulse after a specified delay, enabling rhythmic or staggered sequencing.
Split: Randomly selects one connected device to send a trigger to.
Cycle: Sends a trigger sequentially to each connected device, with customizable cycle times between pulses.
Stop: Dispatches a stop signal, halting playback or pending actions for all connected devices.
What Makes Them Special?
Logic Boxes are all about freedom and creativity. With these tools, you can design evolving, self-perpetuating sound ecosystems, where every trigger and response builds upon itself organically. The potential for experimentation is practically limitless—whether you're creating chaotic rhythms, generative melodies, or immersive soundscapes, Logic Boxes offer unparalleled flexibility.
Dive in and start exploring how Logic Boxes can transform your Audiocube projects into dynamic, evolving masterpieces!
New Device: Ambience
The Ambience device is another exciting addition in the v24.11 update, designed to streamline the process of playing looped ambiance and field recordings. With precise controls for channel width and placement, Ambiences empower you to craft immersive, spatially-aware soundscapes with ease.
What Are Ambiences?
Ambiences are simplified sampler devices tailored specifically for field recordings and ambient audio tracks. Whether you’re adding subtle atmospheric layers or creating expansive sound environments, these devices make the process effortless and intuitive.
With Ambiences, you’ll have the tools to enhance your soundscapes effortlessly, creating audio environments that captivate and transport your listeners.
How Ambience Works:
Load Your Audio: Import a field recording or ambiance track—perfectly compatible with the new Audiocube Field Recording Kit.
Set Loop & Playback Settings: Customize how the track loops and plays back in your project.
Adjust Ambiance Placement: Easily place the audio within your soundscape.
Enable Stereo Mode: Gain precise control over the independent placement of the left and right audio channels for a truly dynamic spatial experience.
Perfect Pairing with the Field Recording Pack
The new Audiocube Field Recording Pack—available via the internal sample pack installer—features over 1GB of high-quality field recordings and ambient loops. From urban soundscapes to serene natural settings, this pack is an ideal companion for the Ambiences device.
Talking of the sample pack installer…
New: Internal Sample Pack Installer
Audiocube now includes an Internal Sample Pack Installer, making it easier than ever to access high-quality sounds directly within the software. With this new feature, you can instantly browse, download, and manage sample packs from the Audiocube Core Sound Library Database - all without leaving your project.
What Does It Offer?
The Sample Pack Installer gives you access to a growing collection of sounds, covering a wide range of styles and uses:
Instruments: Drums, basses, keys, and more.
Synth Waveforms: Raw and ready-to-use for intricate sound design.
Ambient Loops & Field Recordings: Perfect for creating atmospheric soundscapes and immersive environments.
What’s More?
Regular Updates: New sample packs will be added frequently, so there’s always fresh content to explore.
Completely Free: All sample packs are free for every Audiocube user, ensuring everyone has the tools to create something amazing.
How to Use The Sample Pack Installer
Getting started is simple! Check out the guide: [Using the Audiocube Sample Pack Installer] to learn how to navigate and download packs effortlessly.
This is just the beginning—stay tuned for even more additions to the Audiocube Core Sound Library in future updates
Custom Library Folder Location
Based on user suggestions, you can now specify a custom folder location for your Audiocube library. This is perfect for people who keep their sample collection on other hard drives, and don’t want everything stored on their main drive.
Massive UI & Graphics Rework
If you’ve used previous versions of Audiocube, you’ll immediately notice the huge user interface overhaul in this update. Nearly every aspect of the UI has been redesigned, creating a more cohesive, intuitive, and visually appealing experience.
UI Enhancements
Complete Redesign: Every UI element has been revamped with a consistent and modern aesthetic.
Intuitive Navigation: Redesigned menus and window systems feature top menu dropdowns that consolidate all the toggles and options, making navigation smoother and more familiar.
Sharper Visuals: Fonts, graphics, and rendering have been fine-tuned to be sharper and more polished—all without increasing resource usage.
Flexible Layouts: The interface now adapts to your screen and layout preferences, with stretchable elements and safeguards to prevent components from being moved offscreen.
Color Themes:
11 New Schemes, including improved light/dark modes, high-contrast themes, and eye-friendly dark modes for those late-night sessions.
Fun additions like the Fairlight CMI-inspired theme and a blueprint style.
Future updates will include a system for users to create custom themes.
Font Variety: Over 20 fonts to choose from in the settings menu.
Toggle Visual Elements: Options to control in-scene visuals like display text, device icons, meshes, and waveform displays.
Graphics Overhaul
This update also introduces a major rethink of Audiocube’s graphics and rendering system:
Lighting-Free Rendering: Transitioned away from a lit/shaded rendering system to reduce GPU usage and improve FPS. This creates a flatter, cleaner aesthetic that’s easier on the eyes while boosting performance.
Dynamic Floor Grid: The physical floor texture has been replaced with a dynamic grid rendering script. The grid adjusts its layers based on your distance from the floor, offering better visuals and functionality.
Why The Graphics Rework Matters
These changes make Audiocube not only more beautiful and functional but also faster and more efficient. Whether you’re navigating menus, customizing your workspace, or focusing on long creative sessions, these upgrades ensure a smoother, more enjoyable experience.
Audio Engine Upgrades
The latest update brings significant enhancements to Audiocube's audio engine, making it more powerful, flexible, and ready for even more exciting features in the near future.
Audio Range Adjustment
A new audio range adjustment mode gives you precise control over how your audio sources propagate:
Customizable Min/Max Ranges: Tailor the coverage of each audio source, from wide blanket coverage to tight, focused ranges.
Better Balance & Control: Adjust volume and spatialization for each source with greater flexibility, giving you another tool to fine-tune your soundscapes.
Spatialization Engine Improvements
This update introduces powerful upgrades to the audio spatialization engine, allowing you to adapt to different workflows and performance needs:
Standard Spatialization: Optimized for projects with more audio sources, reducing CPU demand.
HD Spatializer: Includes binauralization and acoustic simulation for a more immersive, high-quality audio experience—ideal for detailed soundscapes.
Switch between these modes based on your creative goals, balancing performance and rendering quality to suit your needs.
These updates lay the groundwork for even bigger features coming soon:
Multi-Speaker Workflows: Support for quad, surround sound, and more complex speaker setups.
Expanded Export Options: Adding spatial audio formats for broader compatibility and creative possibilities.
Overload Protection
The new Overload Protection feature in Audiocube allows you to fully embrace complex, experimental workflows while safeguarding your machine from crashes.
How Overload Protection Works
Monitors CPU Spikes: The overload protector continuously monitors extended CPU usage spikes, such as those caused by:
Trigger feedback loops
Excessive use of physics node devices
Automatic Panic Button Activation: Once the system detects CPU usage exceeding a set threshold, the panic button is triggered. This halts all ongoing actions and resets activity—except for audio recording, ensuring your creative work isn’t lost.
Why Overload Protection is Important
With Overload Protection, you can push Audiocube’s powerful features to the edge of your system’s capabilities, experimenting with intricate workflows and dense projects without fear of instability. It’s a safety net that encourages you to explore without limits, making Audiocube an even more robust tool for wild, boundary-breaking creative sound design.
Dive into experimentation with confidence—your machine can handle it!
Improved Selection System & Group Functions
Managing larger projects in Audiocube is now easier than ever with the Improved Selection System. This update allows you to select multiple devices—of any type—and perform actions on all selected devices simultaneously, streamlining workflows for complex setups.
New Group Actions
After selecting a group of devices, you can perform the following actions using intuitive shortcuts:
Move: Click and drag to reposition all selected devices together.
Delete: Press Shift+Delete/Backspace to remove all selected devices.
Duplicate: Use Shift+C to quickly clone the selected devices.
Play: Trigger playback for all selected devices with Shift+Spacebar.
Stop: Halt playback for the entire group using Shift+P.
This system is ideal for managing complex device arrangements, enabling faster and more efficient workflows. Whether you’re repositioning an intricate setup or triggering multiple elements for a synchronized performance, the improved selection system gives you greater control and flexibility over your projects.
New Feature: Device List Panel
The new Device List Panel brings a powerful organizational tool to Audiocube, making it easier than ever to manage and control the devices in your project.
What Does It Do?
The Device List Panel provides a clear, structured overview of all the devices in your scene, showing:
Device Type: Quickly identify what each device does.
Sample Information: See what sample is loaded in a device.
Other Key Details: Helpful information to keep track of your setup.
Functionality at Your Fingertips
Each device in the list has dedicated function buttons, allowing you to:
Play: Start playback for the selected device.
Stop: Halt playback or actions on the device.
Delete: Remove the device from your project.
Focus: Instantly locate and view the device in your scene.
Why It’s Useful
This panel simplifies managing complex projects by giving you a centralized control hub. Instead of manually navigating through your scene to interact with devices, you can handle everything directly from the panel—saving time and reducing hassle.
Customizable & Future Enhancements
Resizable Window: Adjust the panel to fit your workspace.
Upcoming Features:
Multi-Selection: Perform group actions directly from the panel.
Enhanced Visuals: Icons and design improvements for a better aesthetic.
Expanded Controls: More functionality to make device management even smoother.
The Device List Panel is another step towards making Audiocube as user-friendly and efficient as possible—helping you focus more on creativity and less on logistics!
Upgraded Camera Controls
The latest update brings significant enhancements to Audiocube’s camera system, introducing new keyboard shortcuts and powerful on-screen controls for a more intuitive and streamlined experience.
New Camera Features
Orbit & Focus Mode:
Hold the Alt key to unlock a dynamic orbit and focus mode. This allows you to effortlessly navigate and focus on specific parts of your scene.
On-Screen Controls:
Quick Access: Adjust rotation, position, height, and angle directly with your mouse.
Snapped vs. Free Movement: Choose between precise snapped controls or fluid free movement for maximum flexibility.
Why It’s Better
These upgrades provide smoother, faster control, letting you:
Navigate complex scenes with ease.
Achieve precise camera angles and positions effortlessly.
Work more efficiently without relying solely on keyboard shortcuts or manual adjustments.
Laying the Groundwork
These upgrades also pave the way for tablet and mobile mode, ensuring the camera system is optimized for touch-based inputs in future updates.
With these enhanced controls, Audiocube’s camera system is now more responsive and user-friendly, giving you the tools to navigate and interact with your projects like never before!
Improved Sequencer Window
The Sequencer Window has undergone significant upgrades, transforming it into a more functional and versatile tool for your projects. While this is just the beginning, these updates lay the groundwork for even greater improvements in future versions.
Resizable Window: Adjust the size of the sequencer to fit your workflow and screen layout, giving you more control over your workspace.
Subdivision System:
Snap your timings to a grid for perfectly quantized beats.
Adjust subdivisions to match your desired tempo and rhythm, offering more precision in arranging your tracks.
Coming Soon: Waveform Display Foundations: Preparations have begun to display sample waveforms, making it easier to visualize your audio tracks.
Coming Soon: Multiple Samples Per Track: The groundwork is being laid for supporting multiple samples on a single track, opening up more creative possibilities.
These improvements bring the sequencer closer to becoming a powerful, flexible timeline for crafting intricate arrangements. Whether you’re building beats or experimenting with generative music, the updated sequencer makes editing and organizing your project much easier and more intuitive.
Stay tuned—this is just the start of a larger overhaul, with even more features and functionality on the horizon
Download the Latest Version!
Ok, I’m going to leave it there… That covers the most exciting upgrades - but I think this article is long enough already!
It’s time for you to explore Audiocube yourself and get a feel for the latest version!
Coming Soon: Next Upgrade Plans
I’m already making a large list of plans for the next update cycle. I think the next version will really push the software into something amazing.
Reworked Mixer System: I aim to make the audio mixer far more flexible, allowing you to add, rearrange, and customize audio effects on the fly. The design will seamlessly integrate with the new UI scheme and functionality.
Spatial Audio Formats & Multi-Channel Output: I’m exploring Wwise integration to enable multi-speaker setups for surround sound systems. Additionally, I’m researching spatial audio formats to see how Audiocube can project into immersive audio spaces.
MIDI Output: Imagine capturing MIDI clips directly from generative tools like Emitters and Logic Boxes - it’s coming soon!
FX Zone Enhancements: These devices have immense potential, but there’s still work to be done. I plan to refine and expand their capabilities.
Mobile & Tablet Mode: I’m designing an alternate UI optimized for mobile and tablet devices. It’s a fun challenge and one I’m excited to tackle!
I’ll be starting development in the next few weeks, so make sure you send in your feature requests!
Thank you once again for your continued support, ideas, and enthusiasm. The future of Audiocube is looking brighter than ever, and I can’t wait to bring these updates to life!
See you next time,
Noah!
