As I start building this groove, I can cut and paste these grooves into 26 additional patterns within a single audio engine. I was immediately inspired by a samba swing four-on-the-floor groove while auditioning the different artist templates. Once I had my basic drum groove in line, it was time to shape and craft the groove into an arrangement.Ĭonceptually, Audio Engine 1 becomes my drum stem.
Geist comes fully loaded with amazing templates and drum sounds, so it provides a great starting point for any track. (And that’s before you ever slide into Song Mode!) It’s amazing how far you can take the pattern arrangement. When you’re happy with your groove, just copy and paste the pattern number into the next available pattern slot and keep evolving and evolving. As you start constructing patterns in real time, you can keep tweaking the number of steps, essentially building and growing the size of the arrangement. You can also tweak and EQ the stems globally giving you greater control over your entire mix.įrom a workflow perspective, I highly recommend using the steps feature within pattern mode. Depending on your computer’s processing speed, you really have the ability to manipulate every little sound coming out of this machine. The automation EQ, compression and reverb features are also mind boggling, as you have total control over every single parameter within each sound on the 16 pads. When you scroll down on the various patterns, it provides a random sequence of notes on your selected pad. While you’re tweaking and arranging drum grooves, click on the insert feature, a super cool, creative tool. The Insert pop down menu has a list of patterns that you can instantly apply to any pad in pattern mode. Your process continues to flow as you audition library sounds and enhance your grooves. Geist makes it easy to audition sounds live - in real time, without stopping. When you’re in the zone creating beats, the last thing you want to do is slow down and press stop. As I started to dig in and really figure things out, I was blown away at all the creative beat making possibilities.
#Fxpansion geist 2 slots upgrade
Geist2 is available to purchase and download directly from FXpansion for $199.00 USD/€179.00 EUR/£139.00 GBP from the FXpansion website, linked below. Existing Geist owners can upgrade to Geist2 for $99.00 USD/€89.00 EUR/£69.00 GBP.Conceptually the layout is super intuitive, as the 16 pads on the front panel correlate to 8 independent audio engines that run across the bottom of the sequencer. New effects also include FXpansion’s own Bloom (creative delay and diffusion effect) and Maul (distortion and tone shaper) algorithms alongside low fidelity DAC (Digital to Audio Convertor) modelling, highquality reverb, frequency shifting, granular freezing, classic DCAM (Discrete Component Analogue Modelling) compression, filters, drive, and much more. Layer samples with individual effects and use crossfaded loop point modulation alongside Zynaptiq’s ZTX - a crossplatform technology for high quality timestretching, pitchshifting, and pitch correction - to create new sounds and textures.
Event probability, microtiming shifts for ‘off-the-grid’ organic grooves, and parameter step-automation for adding new dimensions to beats are also available.įinally, Geist2’s powerful sampling and effects engine can twist and transform sounds into something completely different. When capturing samples with Geist2’s Sampler, whether working with multiple loops or thresholdbased single hits, the integrated browser and an ability to record directly to the pads provides an environment for creating custom kits to hit that perfect beat!Īutomation of almost any parameter is possible with interacting modulators like LFOs, stepsequencers, envelopes, maths functions, and macro controls to morph and evolve sounds in new and creative ways.Įach of Geist2’s eight engines feature a 64-track sequencer with 24 pattern memories - all with individual track lengths to create evolving polyrhythmic patterns. For slicing longer loops, the refined Slicer combined with up to 64 pads allows for fast, nondestructive chopping of beats with automatic pattern extraction - easily create custom loops, thanks to drag-and-drop MIDI and audio export functionality.