Shortcircuit 2 is not just a sampler for playing sound libraries. It’s a full-fledged musical instrument designed for creative sound design and music writing. Developed by the Surge Synth Team, Shortcircuit 2 puts speed, logic, and sound quality first.
Shortcircuit 2 Philosophy
The plugin was created as an alternative to simple sample players. The main focus here is on the convenience of working with individual samples. Adding and editing samples is as fast and intuitive as possible. You can simply drag a sample into Shortcircuit, and it’s immediately ready for use in your song. The hierarchy of samples allows you to place them directly at the top level of a multi-instrument. Grouping samples is available for multi-sampling and creating drum kits as needed.
Sound Quality
Sound quality is the highest priority in Shortcircuit 2. The plugin uses high-quality Sinc interpolation to ensure that your samples sound as good as the source material, regardless of the note’s pitch. All filters and effects are calculated with the accuracy required for them to sound correct, and oversampling is used where needed to prevent aliasing. Mathematical calculations (64-bit for IIR filters, 32-bit for others) guarantee sound purity. Any sample rate is supported, integrating into any modern production process.
Powerful Sampler Engine
The Shortcircuit 2 engine offers impressive capabilities:
- Maximum Polyphony: up to 256 voices per plugin instance.
- Multiple Outputs: up to 16 mono and 8 stereo pairs per instance.
- Numerous sample playback modes.
- 2 filter slots per voice with 28 different filter types, including standard and unique algorithms such as distortion, EQ, bit reduction, ring modulation, FM. Even analog oscillators are available.
- 3 step LFOs per voice (work as 32-step step sequencers or LFOs with wavetables).
- 2 AHDSR envelopes per voice.
Modulation System and Group Effects
Shortcircuit 2 has a powerful modulation system that allows you to modulate a wide range of parameters, including envelope times and loop points, in addition to traditional assignments. Group LFO and group modulation routing are also available. Group effects are available: 2 effects per group (7 types). This allows processing to be applied to individual sections of the instrument.
User-Friendly Interface and Import
The Shortcircuit 2 user interface is optimized for quick editing at the sample zone level. Quick editing of multiple zones saves time. The “In context” preview function allows you to evaluate the sound directly in the working environment. Advanced Drag & Drop support simplifies the process of adding samples.
Shortcircuit 2 supports importing instruments and samples from various formats:
- RIFF wave files (.wav) (8/16/24/32-bit, 32-bit float, mono/stereo, any sample rate).
- AKAI S5000/S6000/Z4/Z8 banks (.akp) (partially).
- NI Battery kits (partially).
- Soundfont 2.00 (partially).
- Propellerhead Recycle 1 & 2.
Shortcircuit 2 is a tool for those who want to delve deep into the world of sampling, create unique sounds, and have complete control over every detail. Try “shortcircuit free” and see for yourself!
