Minimal Audio seemingly came out of nowhere as a new kid on the block with their initial plugin release Rift – a modern looking, well thought out multi fx distortion plugin that quickly gained traction with producers old as new. Rift instantly filled out a gap in the need for plugins that let you alter your sounds in a quick but also deep manner, spitting out production ready sounds with a click and a twist.
Control random
Enter Rift 2.0, a free upgrade to license owners, stuffed with even more presets, multiband capabilities, light/dark mode and a reduced CPU load, just to mention the top additions. The categorized presets are once again wonderfully diverse, letting you quickly browse and adjust by hitting the randomizer, and with the addition of multiband zones in version 2.0, you can go even deeper down the rabbit hole. The smart level of randomization setting is really handy for doing either heavy and sound altering rerolls of a given preset setting, or just altering things a little bit.
It’s incredible how much value randomization has from a sound design perspective, but also on a productivity level, for quickly flicking through and discovering new territory. It´s definitely my favorite feature added to a range of newer plugins in recent years. Because we are almost always searching and digging, hoping to find a sliver of uniqueness. You hardly ever start a new track knowing how it will sound. But when you hear it, you will know. And Rift lets you save it and reapply it on something different, for a similar feel.
It’s incredible how much value randomization has from a sound design perspective, but also on a productivity level, for quickly flicking through and discovering new territory.
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Smooth distortion. It’s almost an oxymoron, right? You want to make it sound heavy, but Rift hardly ever makes it sound harsh in that clipping +10 db kind of way. This is basically what playing with Rift is like. It’s really hard to make mistakes and kill your sound when working the modules, which is done in the same and easy drag and drop fashion as the likes of Serum, which means if you know modular, you’re in for even more control. There’s such a high ceiling for creativity here. I’m also pretty sure that Rift was used in creating most of the upfront sound packs that Minimal Audio also release on a regular basis, apart from making plugins.
Smart, not AI
Rift 2.0 sounds huge and should really be something to consider in the quest for defining ‘your own sound’. It’s pretty silly and overwhelming just how much you can alter the simplest tom drum pattern, a snip of your voice or a dry sine pad and give it new life, even without interacting with the preset. It actually feels a bit like cheating, but then again, not as much as it would just asking an AI to make your sound. This is you and the code working together to find new ways.
On a deeper level, the modulation possibilities are really something as well, and Minimal Audio basically let you have each parameter control any other parameter, which would demand a lot of tinkering and insight into modular setups to really work with intent. But even here you can easily conjure more happy accidents and add to your sound pool. In essence you could probably achieve somewhat similar results chaining different effects in your DAW, but never with the quickness of intently setting up or randomizing and tweaking Rift 2.0.
So should you get Rift 2.0? Well, if you have the 129 Euros and like to work you own sounds, this is a no brainer. If you already own the likes of Trash 2 or Saturn 2, some delays and filters as well, though, it all depends on your knowledge of those plugins and envisioning a final sound from a multi effect palette.
If you know what you’re after (and know what you’re doing), you could probably get similar results by putting in the hard work. But Rift is quite a companion, not to mention a real timesaver, even in this mindset as well. Try it, maybe you will have a happy accident along the way.
