We’re great fans of new software and methods to break us out of our regular DAWs, great though they are, so we were pretty excited to see the creator of a 10-year project decided it’s good enough to release to the public.
Cantor is not really a DAW in the sense that most people are used to, just like Blockhead isn’t, but instead is a “music playground” which allows you to quickly build up musical and sound ideas.
The introduction video, by creator Jonatan Krogh, shows off some pretty impressive performance abilities on the macOS and Windows software. Along with built in synths, it has VST/AU plugin support so you can let it play with other modules you may have. There’s a quick sampler for taking real-world sounds into the workspace, plus 32 effects which can be combined across eight processors. Synchronisation and quantisation is always defined as a fraction of the original tempo, which can also be changed during performance, making for some slick rhythms. One can also export individual tracks or a bounce down version, for later manipulation or finishing off,
Cantor is donationware, meaning it’s completely free to download and use, with no restrictions or locked features. Of course this is open to being taken advantage of but it’s refreshing that a developer who has put so much time and effort into creating something pretty cool is willing to share it purely for the love of music and creativity. That said, donations are welcome, and if you try it out, I’d seriously encourage supporting it financially. Donors get early access to upgrades and the fuzzy warm feeling you’re helping one of the little guys to pursue something they’re truly passionate about.
Features
Explore
- 32 easy to use effects to combine across 8 effect processors for never ending sonic exploration.
- All syncronisation and quantization defined as fractions to supports Polyrhythms.
- A growing collection of in-house synths, as well as VST/AU instrument support.
- Controls pre-mapped to computer keyboard to get you going with nothing but headphones!
Create
- Looper with 8 tightly synchronized stereo tracks.
- Unlimited Undo/Redo steps.
- A/B section crossfader.
- Quick Sampler that grabs incoming sound and maps it to your keyboard.
- Easily ajustable loop sizes anywhere from samples to minutes.
Remix
- Resampling of entire output, or of specific tracks to record effect changes.
- Independent track speeds.?
- Loop scratching.
- Beat juggling with punch-in Cue points, for all or individual tracks.
- Side chaining between tracks.
Record
- A single button to record entire session and name it with the current timestamp.
- Optional multitrack recording for detailed post-processing.
- Instantly bounce all loops at any point, to recall later, share as a sample pack, or throw into your DAW.
Read more and download at www.cantorlooper.com. It does appear that the speed of development releases has increased significantly since it went public. Initially there was no Windows version, and there were also some issues with the software working fully on Silicon-based Macs.
