BARBAR

Press kit

Facts, a description and assets for writing about BarBar.

Fact sheet

Product
BarBar
Developer
Nyx Audio
What it is
MIDI plugin with two parallel parts that follow a chord progression: a figure played as a Shepard tone and an accent pattern played as a Risset rhythm, in time with the host
Chord input
MIDI from another track, recorded once and looped, or a dragged-in MIDI file. No typed chord entry
Output
MIDI notes, one channel per part. A built-in sine voice for checking the effect
Formats
AU, AU MIDI FX (Logic), VST3, CLAP, Standalone
Platforms
macOS 12 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel; Windows to follow
Limits
Pitch moves in steps and does not glide. The instrument must map velocity to loudness. Chord detection reads plain triads and sevenths best
Price
$29, with a $19 introductory price at launch
Trial
14 days, full plugin
Release date
To be announced
Press contact
press@nyx.audio
Support
support@nyx.audio

About BarBar

BarBar plays two parts over a chord progression. The Shepard part makes a short melodic figure seem to rise or fall in pitch forever. The Risset part plays the chords on an accent pattern that seems to speed up or slow down forever. Each part has its own MIDI channel and loop length, and either can be off. Both are ordinary notes that follow the host transport, so they play in time on whatever instrument is on the track.

The chords arrive as MIDI, recorded once from another track and looped, or read from a dragged-in MIDI file. There is no typed chord entry. Detection reads plain triads and seventh chords best; other chords are read as the nearest of those.

It works by layering. The figure plays in several octaves and the accent pattern at several doubling speeds. Each layer's velocity follows a bell curve, so layers fade in at one end of the range and out at the other. The pitch moves by chord tones, one repeat at a time, and does not glide. The receiving instrument must map velocity to loudness; a velocity curve control and a built-in sine voice help with that. The loops drag out as a MIDI file, one track per part.

About Nyx Audio

Nyx Audio is an independent maker of music plugins. Its first plugin is Bock, which voices chord progressions as four-part harmony. BarBar is the second.

Assets