Oeksound Bloom, the highly anticipated new adaptive tone-shaping plug-in has been released, albeit with a bug or two that needs ironing out.
Rather than creating a myriad of analogue modelling plug-ins, the Finnish software developer, Oeksound, has built an incredible reputation for a few innovative processing tools that have become indispensable in the modern studio environment.
If you’re unfamiliar with Oeksound, please check out our article about Soothe 2 and alternatives that you can use to achieve similar results. In the meantime, we’ll discuss Bloom, a new multiband adaptive tone shaper.
Oeksound Bloom
Like Soothe 2, Bloom appears to sit on the cusp of dynamics and equalization processing. Which task it performs depends on how you approach the plug-in.
The Bloom interface looks rather similar to a multiband compressor plug-in but it’s not quite as much of a technical procedure to use. Each of the four bands has a threshold level and solo function, while there is an amount knob as well as attack and release.
According to Oeksound, Bloom has the power to analyze the character of a signal and applies corrective processing to the “perceived tonal balance“. This, in turn, results in a smoother and more refined overall sound. Intrigued yet?
In addition, Bloom’s adjustments are “dynamic and context-aware” and they allow you to sculpt the tonal aspects of a signal by introducing warmth, brightness, or overall clarity.
The idea is to bring a new approach to signal processing from the corrective to the creative and anything in between. All the while, one constant remains no matter how subtly or aggressively you use Bloom, the results retain a natural and organic sound.
It might not have the same hype as a musical instrument or sound creation tool, but we predict that Bloom is set to become another essential mixing plug-in for use on vocals, guitars, drums, and piano, as well as channel groups and more.
Pricing and availability:
Bloom is now available from Oeksound for $209. Meanwhile, there is also a 20-day trial free trial period available.
Currently, Oeksound is working on a plug-in scanning bug that occurs when using PACE / iLok-protected AU plug-ins on macOS Sonoma, 14.4.
The bug will present under the following conditions;
- When using macOS 14.4
- Only Logic Pro and Garageband users are affected
- iLok-protected AU plug-ins
- Using Apple’s native ARM architecture
- M2 or M3 chips only
For this reason, Oeksound recommends against updating your Mac to macOS Sonoma 14.4 for AU plug-in users on Apple M2 or M3 hardware.
However, for those already on Sonoma 14.4, the current workaround involves using the Rosetta framework when running your DAW, which may require a rescan of your plug-in library.
More about Oeksound Bloom:
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