Audio Damage has releasd Axon 2, which they describe as a major update to their (kinda-sorta) artificial-intelligence-driven FM percussion plug-in. This is what they have to say about it:
Axon 2 is a drum synth driven by artificial intelligence. (Well, "intelligence" might be a strong word. Artificial something-or-other.) An experimental instrument, Axon uses a modified artificial neural network as a sequencer, and features seven FM-based percussion voices, that are really a single 18-operator FM voice.
If that sounds weird, you ain't seen nothing yet. It is surprisingly intuitive once you get the knack of it, and is capable of all-new, complex rhythms that repeat in surprising ways. It often gets referenced as a "random sequence generator," but there is nothing random in Axon; it is entirely determinative.
The sequencer features seven "neurons" that trigger a voice and send a pulse when they have received a predetermined number of pulses. You can wire the output of any neuron to the input of any other (with built-in loop detection to prevent runaway feedback), and in this manner pre-program the artificial neural network without having to go through a "learning" phase.
The seven individual drum voices, each triggered by its attendant neuron, are 2-operator FM voices in a configuration to best make percussion sounds, with additional FM and AM busses that all voices send to and receive from. Each voice has a HPF, distortion circuit, and white noise generator to provide a full range of percussion-oriented voicing individually, while interacting with each other in new and unique ways.
Features
The video shows a pair of Axon 2 instances. The one on the left is doing the rhythm, and the one on the right is doing the melody. A bit of Eos 2 on the melody instance's outputs.
Pricing and Availability:
Axon 2 costs $59. Upgrade from the original is $10.
More information:
Developments for Korg's instrument have been slow but promising.