SONIC MULTILATOR Upright Video Game Machines

“Style is whatever you want to do, if you can do it with confidence.” GEORGE CLINTON
The Crow Hill Company thanks you for your purchase. Designed by professional composers with you in mind.

We’re a small team and have worked hard to make everything as intuitive as possible. Our hope is this user manual can offer further help to best explain how to install and use our plugin.

In order to help you make music, your music, we have taken time to make this user manual to aid you in getting the best out of your purchase.

However, if you find yourself still stuck with any thing we have a great set of FAQ and videos at: thecrowhillcompany.com/faqs

ABOUT KEY FX

As with many development process, new discoveries are made and by-products are produced beyond the original scope of the project. In 2024 we released our first “Demon Drop” – Circuit Drums, an analogue electronic drum library which had many unique features. One of which was the ability to trigger FX live from the front panel or via your keyboard.

When developing Concussion Drums we refined this feature and felt it too good to simply be confined to our drum libraries, indeed just our own libraries! So we have “broken out” this feature into its own dedicated plugin. You will be able to use this on any Software Instrument or Audio Track you desire to distort, mutate and mangle on the fly as part of a performance. No automation tracks required!

Key FX is an unusual audio-plugin as it not only modulates sound but it does this according to a MIDI input. Whether that be an external device or indeed from your internal sequencer / piano roll.
Whilst standard audio-plugins tend to behave the same between DAWs (i.e.insert into track or auxiliary and boom you’re away) these hybrid audio/MIDI plugins vary operationally between DAWs.

Right, let’s mutate some sounds, bring our old dusty virtual instruments to life and massively annoy the neighbours.

DOWNLOAD AND INSTALLATION

Installation of Crow Hill products couldn’t be easier courtesy of our dedicated installer app•
Make sure you have this downloaded as you will require this to install Glass Strings.
We’ve also prepared a simple overview of how the app works but also a suite of quick installation guides specific to your choice of DAW.

Everything you’ll need is located here:
thecrowhillcompany.com/crow-hill-app

OPERATION

Key FX is a multi FX plugin with a difference. Instead of inserting, setting and forgetting, KeyFX is designed for you to trigger the effects in realtime via MIDI. Like any MIDI note event these can be played in live via any controller keyboard then adjusted, quantised, transposed (to select a different effect say) in your piano roll. There are 12 effects (spread over one octave) to play, many of which will sync to your host tempo. Effects can be “played” as single hits or polyphonically stacked. Key Effects can be used on any audio or software instrument track with your MIDI notes being transferrable between tracks without the faff of editing and copying automation data.

1. OUTPUT LEVELS – Metering so you can wonder why you can see the signal but can’t hear it.
2. MASTER OUTPUT – Gain stage to boost / trim output level to your track mixer.
3. OCTAVE TRANSPOSE – Select which octave you want your trigger FX keyswitches to sit.
4. ACTIVE EFFECTS – Effect currently being triggered
5. EFFECT LATCH – Turns your keys into switches, hit once to latch on and again to latch off.
6. EFFECT RATE – For tempo-synced effects (tap delay, beat repeat, stutter, filter) this will alter the subdivision of the effect being triggered.
7. DRY/WET MIX – Adjust the mix of your original audio signal / virtual instrument signal vs the mutations manifested by KEYFX
8. KEY INFO – Instructs what effect sits on what key.

USING INSTRUCTION

USING WITH CUBASE

1. Create an Audio / Software Instrument Track
2. Insert KEY FX into the channel
3. Create a MIDI track
4. Assign MIDI routing OUT to your Audio Track

USING WITH PRO TOOLS

1. Create an Audio / Software Instrument Track
2. Insert KEY FX into the channel
3. Create a MIDI track
4. In MIDI OUT Dropdown assign to any channel in “KEY FX”

USING WITH REAPER

1. Create an Audio / Software Instrument Track
2. Insert KEY FX into the channel
3. Create a MIDI track
4. In MIDI Hardware OUT Dropdown assign to “KEY FX MIDI”

USING WITH STUDIO ONE

1. Create an Audio / Software Instrument Track (we’ve called the track KEYFX here)
2. Insert KEY FX into the channel
3. Create a MIDI track
4. In MIDI OUT Dropdown assign to “KEY FX”

WITH LOGIC

1. Create a Software Instrument Track (we’ve called the track KEYFX here).
2. Insert KEY FX onto the track, found in “AU MIDI-CONTROLLED EFFECTS”
3. Create a secondary Software Instrument Track for your “Source” sound. You can mute this track if you wish. (we’ve called the track STRINGS here)
4. In Key FX, set the side chain of the plug- in to your “Source” track.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Help! My Plug-In’s interface is entirely blank.
Don’t worry. Looks can be deceiving, this means the plug-in is unable to locate the audio (. blob) files.
Ensure your external drives are connected and restart your digital audio workstation (D.A.W).
Unable to locate your blob files, lost track of where you installed them, or had the misfortune of misplacing a drive? Simply re-run the installer to be up and running in no time.

We recommend frequent back-ups of your system, as well as archiving your instrument installer files to ensure a speedy recovery should it ever be needed.

How Do I Relocate My Instruments Audio Files?
The simplest way to relocate your instrument’s audio files (blob) is to use the Crow Hill App. From there you can move files, uninstall, reinstall and update all of your Crow Hill instruments & effects.

CREDITS

KEYFX wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the efforts of these amazing, talented and generous individuals.
Development: ………………..Calum Minuti-Goold
Tech Stack: …… ……. Stephen Tallamy

Packaging Design & User Manual:…. Christian Henson But most of all, to you for buying it. Without you we wouldn’t get to play with such a wonderful train set.

EULA (END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT)

ANY PERSON OR ENTITY (“User” or “You”) USING OR OTHERWISE ACCESSING OUR PRODUCT OR ANY OF THE CONTENT AVAILABLE VIA THI PRODUCT SHALL BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT (“Agreement”). OUR PRODUCT IS AN INSTALLABLE SOFTWARE PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, AUDIO RECORDINGS, VISUAL ASSETS AND CODE, AND THE TERM (“Product”) SHALL BE CONSTRUED ACCORDINGLY.

1. Contracting parties. The Product, together with all content, data and other materials (“Content”) are owned or controlled by Crow Hill Productions Limited, having its Registered Office at c/o Co Young & Co, 3rd Floor The Bloomsbury Building, 10 Bloomsbury Way, Holborn, London, WCIA 2SL (“we” ‘, “us” “, “our” or “Crow Hill”). When you register with (or therwise access) us, you are contracting with Crow Hill. The licence granted to you by us is effective from the date you download, install or use the Products) (whichever is earliest) and shall remain in force until terminated by us.
2. Use of the Product. The Product and the Content is intended only for the purposes specified or implied therein, your use of the Product and the Content is entirely at your own risk. You shall be solely responsible for all of your use of the Product. Please note, whilst we endeavour to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the Product and the Content may not be wholly accurate or up-to-date, complete or free of defects, and are subject to change at any time. The Product is provided without any representations or warranties of any kind (implied or express) to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. We, unless otherwise stated herein, own or control all relevant intellectual property rights contained in the Product and the Content. You may not publish, distribute, extract, re-utilise, or reproduce any part of the Product or any Content in any form other than as expressly allowed herein or as otherwise provided for by us, (or under applicable laws). Save as expressly set out in this Agreement, the Product is for your personal use only . We will not be responsible if your use of the Product or of the Content does not fit your particular intended purpose.
3. Licence for Download and Use of Products. By purchasing a Product (and subject to your compliance with this Agreement), we grant to you a non-exclusive, non-sublicensable, non-transferrable license to download (on not more than two devices concurrently) and use the Products you purchase from us, for personal use, PROVIDED ALWAYS that you use the purchased Sound File(s) only within your own newly-created sound recording(s) and/or performances in a manner that renders the Sound File(s) substantially different to the original sound of the Sound File in each case. The Products (and all recordings and/or compositions incorporated therein) are our property and are licensed to you only for use as part of a live or recorded musical performance. You may use these sounds for any commercial or non-commercial purpose where you have combined them with other sounds within one or more musical composition(s) and/or recording(s), in which case they are permitted to be shared with or given or transferred to any third party or uploaded to any file sharing site or offered for resale or public transmission. This license expressly forbids resale or other distribution of the Products or their derivatives, either as they exist in the library, reformatted for use in another sampler, or mixed,combined, filtered, re-synthesised or otherwise edited, for use as sounds, multi-sounds, samples, multi-samples, sound sets, programmes or patches in a sampler, microchip, computer or any sample playback device. You may not sell any Products), or give away any Product (s) for use by any other person(s). Products may not be used in or in relation to any competitive products that are sold or relicensed to any third parties. Except as expressly permitted herein, to the fullest extent of applicable law you may not copy, modify, distribute, sell or lease any Product, and you may not reverse engineer or attempt to extract the source code of any Product. Product(s) may not be used in datasets for, in the development of, or as inputs to generative Al programs. For the avoidance of doubt, your license with us is personal in nature and shall not be transferred to any other individual or corporate entity. You shall take all reasonable and practicable steps to protect the Product, together with any ancillary items that are sold with the Product, for all unauthorised copying or use. You shall ensure that in no way is the Product modified or in any way adapted to benefit use by an unlicensed third party.
4. Ownership. Ownership of, and title to, the Products (and all digitally recorded sounds and/or copies therein) is held by us. Copies are provided to you solely to enable you to exercise your rights hereunder. When you purchase any Product(s), you are purchasing a limited and personal licence for use (and not ownership) of Product(s). Except as expressly authorised in this Agreement, you may not rent, lease, sell, sublicense, distribute, transfer, copy,reproduce, display, modify or time share any Product(s) (or part or element thereof).
5. Intellectual Property, All rights not expressly granted to User are reserved by us. The Products are licensed, not sold, to you to be used for your own original musical compositions and productions. All copying, lending, duplicating,re-selling or trading of any Product or other Content is strictly prohibited, save as used for or incorporated into your original created works. Only you, as the original purchaser of a Sound File, has the right to embody and reproduce that Sound File within your music compositions/productions. This license is granted for you as a single user only (and is given on a worldwide basis). You agree and acknowledge that we have a proprietary interest in all sound recordings,and that any use by you that frustrates the purpose of this Agreement or seeks to prevent our payment process (including without limitation by the selling, renting, or otherwise using or distributing un-integrated Content) may cause irreparable loss to us in a way that could not be adequately compensated by damages. For the avoidance of doubt,no ownership of copyright is transferred by us to you hereunder. The brands, products and service names used by us and in the Content are trademarks or trade names of ours or our trading partners unless otherwise stated.
6. Warranty and Indemnity. You warrant that you will abide by all applicable laws when using the Products and the Content. User hereby warrants and represents that User has the right and power to enter into and fully perform all of its obligations under this Agreement; User will defend, indemnify, and hold us harmless, our parents, subsidiaries,affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents, with respect to any claim, demand, cause of action, or debt o liability brought by or claimed by any third party, including attorneys’ fees, to the extent that any such claim is based upon or arises out of a breach of any of User’s representations, warranties, covenants, or obligations.
7. No Endorsement. At no time, will we pre-screen or monitor, and therefore endorse, (and we expressly disclaim any and all liability in connection with) any third-party content or any other materials created or exhibited or otherwise exploited by our Users.
8. Termination of this Agreement. We may at any time terminate this legal Agreement, in our sole discretion without prior notice to you and without reimbursement, if we have reasonable grounds to believe that you may have breached (or acted in a manner indicating that you do not intend to or are unable to comply with) any term herein or if we are legally required to do so by law. You acknowledge that we will cooperate fully with investigations of violations of systems or network security at other sites, including cooperating with law enforcement authorities in investigating suspected criminal violations.
9. Liability. You agree that our liability to you hereunder shall be limited to the amount you have actually paid to us for all products or services hereunder of, if greater, GBP100. Except as set out herein, we shall not be liable for any indirect or consequential loss of any kind in contract, tort or otherwise arising out of your use of the Product or th Content or in relation to the goods and/or services that we provide. Nothing in this Agreement shall operate to limit or exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence.
10. Warranties. TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW IN YOUR TERRITORY, ALL OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING,WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR THE WARRANTY OF NON- INFRINGEMENT. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, WE MAKE NO WARRANTY THAT (A) THE SERVICES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, (B) THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, (C) THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE SERVICES WILL BE EFFECTIVE, ACCURATE OR RELIABLE, OR (D) THE QUALITY OF ANY MATERIALS OR SERVICES OBTAINED OR FROM ANY THIRD PARTIES’
    BY YOU FROM US, OR FROM ANY THIRD PARTIES’ WEBSITES TO WHICH WE ARE LINKED, WILL MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS OR BE FREE FROM MISTAKES, ERRORS OR DEFECTS. THE USE OF THE PRODUCTS AND THE SERVICES IS AT YOUR OWN RISK AND WITH YOUR AGREEMENT THAT YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER DEVICE OR SYSTEM OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM SUCH ACTIVITIES.
11. Indemnity. You agree to indemnify us for any loss or damage that may be incurred by us, including without limitation reasonable legal fees, arising from any breach by you of any warranty or other term herein or your misuse of any material or information obtained through the use of the Products or the Content.
12. Complaints. If you would like to notify us of Content, which you believe does not comply with this Agreement or otherwise is objectionable, please notify us via www.thecrowhillcompany.com/faqs making sure to include both the link to the infringing Content and the reasons as to why you believe there is an infringement.
13. Hacking. You agree and undertake not to attempt to damage, deny service to, hack, crack, reverse-engineer, or otherwise interfere with the Products and/or the Content in any manner. If you in any way cause such damage, you agree to pay all financial damages we incur as a result. We will cooperate with the authorities in prosecuting any User who Interferes with the Products or the Content or otherwise attempts to defraud us or any other parties. We reserve the right to deny any or all access or service to any User for any ason, at any time, at our sole discretion. You that we may block your access, and at our sole discretion to disallow your continued use of the Products and/or the Content. We reserve the right to take any action we may deem appropriate in our sole discretion with respect to violations or enforcement of the terms of this Agreement, and we expressly reserve all rights and remedies available to us at law or in equity.
14. No Partnership. Your use of the Product and/or the Content creates no partnership, client, fiduciary or other professional relationship.
15. Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties on the subject matter hereof.
    There are no understandings, agreements, or representations, oral or written, not specified herein regarding this Agreement.
16. Force Majeure. We will not be liable or responsible for any failure to perform, or delay in performance of, any of our obligations hereunder that is caused by events outside our reasonable control including but not limited to: natural disasters (fre, storms, floods), governmental or societal actions (war, invasion, civil unrest, labour strikes), infrastructure failures (transportation, energy, electricity), or any epidemic or pandemic.
17. Severance. If any part, term, or provision of this Agreement shall be held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, unenforceable, or in conflict with any relevant law, the remaining portions or provisions shall still remain valid and continue in full force and effect.
18. No Waiver. No waiver, express or implied, by either party of any term or condition or of any breach by the other of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of any breach of the same or any other provision of this Agreement.
19. Variation. This Agreement may be varied from time to time and any such amendment will be applicable from the date and time such revised terms have been made publicly available. Your continued use of the Product constitutes agreement with and acceptance of any such amendment or other changes.
20. Law and Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England.
21. Contacting Us. If you have any questions, please contact us at www.thecrowhillcompany.com/faqs

Documents / Resources

SONIC MULTILATOR Upright Video Game Machines [pdf] User Manual Upright Video Game Machines, Video Game Machines, Game Machines, Machines

References

• User Manual