Replicant 3 might be the most unique of Audio Damage’s entire stable of plug-ins. The new version is rebuilt from the ground up, comes packed with new slice effects, and yet has a more capable, cleaner UI. It might just be the kind of software update that re-launches IDM as a genre.
If you didn’t know Replicant and Replicant 2, they were basically all-in-one slicer-dicer sound manglers, capable of making stuttering rhythms out of anything, with intuitive controls. Replicant 3 does all that but in a way that’s both more controllable and more open.
It’s everything you might wish for, basically. A better, cleaner UI. Preset management that works the way everything should but nothing does. CLAP and LV2 support and Linux compatibility alongside VST3, AUv2, and AAX. An iOS version (that’s about to drop). It’s made to work with touchscreens. It’s made to work with MIDI.
Just making stutter effects with Replicant was already fun, but now this is really a more general slice-and-dice multi-effect.
We’re suddenly in a very nice season for plug-ins. The fact that this does now do so much has the potential to transform it from a one-glitch pony into a tool you’d go deep in to replace other effects. And I’m all for really getting deep with one versatile tool rather than juggling a bunch of plug-ins and dialing up their presets because you can’t understand how they work.
Replicant fans, in particular, let us know if you plan to pick this one up.
Here’s what’s new, from the source – it’s like 2007 came back but way better:
Rewritten from bare metal to take advantage of advances in DSP since the original was released.
Replicant 3 includes an all-new, easier-to-understand GUI.
REPLICATOR engine now has arbitrary number of steps, from 3 to 16 per measure, and SIZE control has multiple size modes, from dotted notes through to nontuplets
Along with the original STUTTER slice effect, Replicant 3 acquires DELAY, REDUKT, and RINGMOD slice effects.
Event FX now includes ENVELOPE feature, for cross-fading slices.
Manual trigger (for touchscreens) and MIDI trigger for full non-sequenced control of the slicing engine.
Our new-style preset manager, featuring XML-based cross-platform/format presets.
Windows – VST3, AAX, CLAP
macOS – VST3, AAX, CLAP, AUv2
Linux – VST3, CLAP, LV2US$69.00 for new customers, or US$20.00 for existing Replicant 1, 1.5, and 2 owners.
There is not a demo video yet. Those who know, just know.
Obligatory promo video, presumably of ChatGPT5000. Mmm, oysters. (Jeez, in our timeline, probably Tyrell wears a greasy sweatshirt, Tyrell Corp just turned out to be a massive Ponzi scheme/scam that lost everyone’s money, and the replicants they made were just the damned owls giving annoying quasi-fascist answers like a slightly more high-tech Billy Bass. But anyway, enjoy Blade Runner.)