eaReckon has announced the release of BloXpander, a new software plug-ins host originally designed to meet the requirements of musicians and engineers in "live" situations (but it can find a place in the studio as well). eaReckon is a one man company founded by Philippe DECUYPER aka PFozz (Edrum For Free, Toontrack external consultant, Digital Drummer Magazine contributor).
BloXpander's interface is visually attractive and clear, the construction of projects and the access to prepared instruments and effects is very fast. The plug-ins manipulation is direct (especially when BloXpander is coupled to an external MIDI controller).
Main features:
- Software host for VST plug-ins.
- Full featured virtual console:
- 24 channels.
- 4 Auxiliary bus + 1 Master bus.
- 6 inserts per channels (theoretical 174 Instruments / FX slots).
- Advanced support for external MIDI controllers (lets you control the mixer and plug-ins):
- Control up to 8 plug-ins (8 parameters each) with just 8 potentiometers + 8 buttons.
- Displays the controlled targets names on screen.
- Lightning fast configuration procedure.
- Mackie Control protocol supported.
- Advanced routing:
- Global management of MIDI and Audio streams (MIDI VST Fx supported).
- Assign the same MIDI input port to several channels (MIDI Split).
- Assign the same Audio inputs to several channels (Audio Split).
- Assign any available audio and/or MIDI output or the Master bus to any channel.
- Pre/Post fader selector (aux sends).
- Specific routing solutions for "multi out" and "sidechain capable" plug-ins.
- Audio inputs monitoring.
- Outputs Solo and Mute functions.
- Inserts Bypass function.
- Full screen friendly and fast interface:
- Designed as the panel of a hardware unit.
- Touch screen friendly (for critical functionality).
- No main menu and no massive amount of overlapping windows.
- Auto-created visual representation of your plug-ins (GUI screenshots).
- "Drag 'n Drop" your plug-ins and their states from insert to insert (copy / move).
- Supports multi-screens.
- Netbook friendly (accepts a resolution of 1024x600 pixels and makes any "large" plug-ins moveable).
- "Libraries" system:
- Store and callback a plug-in and its state from one double-click on a large zone.
- Custom management of your favorite plug-ins and presets.
- "Sets" and "scenes":
- Store and callback the complete state of BloXpander ("Scene") from one double-click.
- Organize your scenes as "sets" (easy and fast access to what you need during a show).
- Categorized Plugins library ("The Case").
- Optimized and secured operations:
- Analyze your plug-ins compatibility from a stand-alone tool (limits the eventuality of the main application malfunctioning).
- Fast launching.
- And more:
- Tempo adjustment (« Tap tempo » feature).
- MIDI panic.
- Plugins transparency.
- "Shell" plug-ins compliance.
Pricing & Availability
With an MSRP of €69, BloXpander is available as a downloadable product for Windows (XP/Vista/7). Toontrack EZdrummer Lite is included and BloXpander users will be eligible to upgrade to EZdrummer (Full version) at a special price (more info at upgrade.toontrack.com).
A demo version is available from the eaReckon website.
