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Getting Started

Thanks for your interest in GRM Tools Atelier! Here are a few steps to get you started making sound with Atelier.

Installation

Running the installer will install on your system:

  • The standalone application in /Applications;
  • The GRM Tools Atelier plug-in, in all the supported plug-in formats:
    • AAX for use with Avid Pro Tools, in /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-ins;
    • AU for use with Apple Logic and compatible hosts, in /Library/Audio/Plugins/Components;
    • VST3 for use in most other hosts, in /Library/Audio/Plugins/VST3;
  • Example patches to get you started.

Authorization

On the first start (app or standalone), you will be invited to authorize your beta copy. Follow the indicated steps, and paste the code that was sent back to you. Once the authorization popup disappears, you are ready to go.

Application audio & MIDI setup

Then, set up your audio interface. In the status bar, click the gear icon to reveal the settings:

A screenshot showing Atelier's audio setup popup

  • select an output device, and enable all channels connected to your speakers
  • optionally select an input device and enable the corresponding channels
  • optionally set up any MIDI controller below
  • watch out for feedback if you have a microphone near your loudspeakers, then untick "Mute audio input"

The number of output channels set up determines how many channels the processors will work with.

Use as a plug-in

Atelier can be used as a plug-in in a VST3/AU/AAX host. The plug-in and the standalone app offer the exact same functionality; patches created on one can be used with the other.

And now?

When first started, Atelier greets you with an empty patch, showing the list of available processors. Sound is passed through, unaffected.

A screenshot showing Atelier's splash screen

Note

Subsequently when the application is started, it opens the last opened patch.

Insert a processor from the splash screen and start playing around. All controls are documented in the info area in the status bar. Click the "+" buttons to add other modules, either processors or modulators. Processors process sound in series, from left to right; drag a module from its title bar to move it. Drag a wire from the colored round handle of a modulator and start modulating a parameter.

A screenshot showing Atelier's patch browser

In the status bar next to the file icons is the patch browser. Click it to bring up the factory-supplied library of patches, draw some inspiration and explore the capabilities of GRM Tools Atelier.

In the sidebar are two meters and their associated gain sliders: input and output.

A screenshot showing Atelier's recorder

Once satisfied with the result, either save the patch (File > Save) or record an audio file in real time by clicking the "Record" button in the bottom right corner. The recording has as many channels as the number of outputs configured and is 32 bits floating point, so you don't have to worry about clipping.

The resulting file will be saved on the desktop by default, or in the current patch's directory. Click the "Burger" button to view all recordings and modify the destination directory.

Note

In the recorded file list popup, files can be dragged e.g. to your DAW's window, or directly in the Atelier window (processor row), which makes a new instance of Play. Perfect for on-the-fly resampling!

Happy patching!