Reformer Pro & Total Bundle 1 by Krotos Review

Krotos did modernize in early May 2018 Reformer Pro to its newest version. We did examine the previous version of Reformer Pro. It’s time to evaluate the latest version.

Krotos founder Orfeas Boteas comments: “Reformer Pro uses artificial intelligence and advanced signal analysis to allow you to perform sound effects with your voice or any other audio input. The software profiles the input sound in real-time, and then drawing from a palette of user-selected library sounds, use that profile to sculpt a new sound effect. With this latest update, we are very excited to be unveiling the world’s first Dynamic Input technology, offering users a whole new way of interacting with their libraries, enabling them to perform them like instruments using the UI, automation, or MIDI.”

Krotos added to the May 2018 release:

• The World’s First Dynamic Input – create dynamic sound design without an audio input, use automation or midi to control your libraries, trigger transients directly, based on frequency via velocity-sensitive midi input, switch between an audio input and Dynamic Input for different ways of interacting with your own libraries, add variation quickly and efficiently, create continually evolving sounds using ‘continuous mode’ (perfect for environmental effects or electronic textures) and combine with Extended Library View for a comprehensive range of results from a single library.
• Extended Library View – refinement of the results you hear from any library, precise control over each voice’s selection, and sample previewing and muting.
• Transient Engine – perform impacts and drum hits with a live audio input in real-time or any audio file in your DAW, add extra definition, layer multiple transients using two or more voices, trigger based on amplitude threshold and response, mix between transient and ‘classic’ Reformer Pro engines, tightly control momentary playback using attack and release, and use the Extended Library View to select/deselect ephemeral material from a library.
• Library Expansion– new ‘Electronics Bundle’ and ‘Water Bundle’ available to purchase.

Krotos tools have been review before. We did take a look at Weaponiser Fully Loaded and Dehumaniser 2. Both have been recognized as excellent tools and on their topic as valuable tools for a professional sound designer. Krotos in our view is one of the leading innovative plugin developer of modern sound design tools in the sound industry. Krotos did send a review copy with no strings attached.

Installation

Run the installer downloaded from krotosaudio.com. The plugin used iLok for copy protection and based on your license issued it will be reflected in the tool. A free trial of Reformer Pro can be used for 10, fully-functional, and without a permit.

Sound

Reformer Pro enhanced what are borings sounds and makes them fit better to picture, for music producer this tool can take your average score and produce some unheard underscore beds or strange noises that you can use in your project. This feature helps in the ongoing demand for entirely new timbre and sounds.

Reformer Pro includes an ecosystem which supports your sounds and as well new sounds that can be bought.

Reformer Pro ships with a collection of valuable libraries:

• Black Leopard Pro
• Electronic Pro
• Fruit Squash Pro
• Leather Pro

Where this tool shines is when you need to enhance dull and uninteresting recordings that need to be spiced up. I went wild and fed random clicks, noise and merely lousy record to it and got based on the selected target library refreshing toons out of Reformer Pro. These kinds of experience define an inspiring sound designer plugin. Combine it with the other tools from Krotos before or after the tool, and you set yourself up for a large variety of new sounds for your collection and customers.

Reformer Pro runs on a Yearly or Monthly Subscription Model, that works for a professional sound designer (yearly) and for an amateur sound designer who wants to produce some effect sounds for a limited time (Monthly). This is a Krotos plugin; you may ask where is the monster inside. The Monster inside is that you can change every sound with up to four different references and create something new and appealing. The flexibility to adopt a tone and blend it with four new sound sources allows you to continually create new sound effects that will make your work stand out.

Krotos did include tools to allow you to embed your sound libraries. The analysis tool is easy to use, and you will experience a bit on how many sounds can be included from a specific folder. Overall the tool analysis a folder containing WAV files and the result is a good library.

The tool reposts back if the samples are too short (less than one sec), after importing a new sound library you need to reload Reformer Pro. I did feed instruments, foley, textures, and drones into the tool; my advice is just to try your libraries. As the import takes the time make a small subset and import through the analysis tool small version to see how it sounds and helps you in your work.

Reformer Libraries

I did receive from Krotos the Total Bundle 1, which gets any professional sound designer ready for the next job. This total bundle is a comprehensive roundup of all Reformer Libraries. You receive libraries based on content from BOOM, SoundBits, Coll Anderson and the Krotos libraries. As the number one suggests it is a selection of existing sound libraries (see below) and there is room for Total Bundle 2 and more bundles.

If you are professional and have your business depending on providing sound effects the costs of the Total Bundle 1 is beneficial to your bottom line. As a semi-professional, I would advise looking into smaller bundles and single libraries to build your overall library over time. From a business point of view, the Total package makes financially the most sense when you look at your costs.

To give you an idea what is included in the total bundle let’s look at some of the added libraries.

Cinematic Metal Bundle (Provided by BOOM Library)

This immense collection of uniquely designed hits is made for easy access to a wide range of different metal impacts.

Computer Sound FX 2.0 Bundle (Provided by SoundBits)

400ish designed computer interface, noise, glitch, alarm, bleep, processing, loading, interaction, malfunction, access, and 8-Bit-Sound effects.

Leather (Provided by Krotos)

A collection of subtitle clothing movements to impacts and many more, this is an excellent appetizer to the other clothing libraries from Krotos.

You can start here to look here at the content of the Total Bundle 1, overall an excellent selection to get you started.

User interface & Usability

The interface is simple you do select the replacing four libraries and move on the pad the small yellow dot to blend the incoming source sound. The tool is as easy to use as it gets when you design a quick to win productive tool with no fuzz attached.

The big part of the plugins is occupied by the Visualiser. The Visualiser is sensitive to frequency and amplitude. The outer-most (yellow) ring displays the frequency of the processed (wet) signal.

Reformer Pro Rating:  Five out of five stars

Reformer Pro has been updated by Krotos in a brilliant way. The tool is prepared for the professional sound designer. The possibility to add your sound sources, auto creates sound libraries with the included analysis tool rounds up this excellent tool. The now added sound libraries (at costs) are adding even more value.

Total Bundle 1 Rating:  Five out of five stars

Total Bundle 1 comes with a perfect collection of sounds that are provided by industry-leading companies like BOOM, SoundBits, Coll Anderson and the Krotos. The quality of the libraries is exceptional.