U-he announces MFM 2.5 delay/echo plug-in public beta, new CLAP plug-in format

16 Dec 2021 by Lyubomir Dobrev | Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes

· Source: U-he (KVR Audio forum)

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U-he is a celebrated synthesizer and effects plug-in developer that’s onto stuff lately. First things first, its deep MFM delay/echo plug-in is ripe for a subtantial update. Second, U-he is developing an open-source plug-in format together with Bitwig and other industry bigwigs. It’s called CLAP and there’s very little we know about it, other than it’s the kind of plug-in format which U-he envisions in place of the current VST/AU/AAX paradigm.

MFM 2.5 changelog, price and availability

MFM 2.5 has entered public beta, receiveing a brand new user interface among everything else. Other highlights include a new input section with input gain, filter and a transient balance parameter. A new output clipper is added to protect audio levels from excessive feedback. There are also new Granular and Diffusor effects to play with! The complete change-log is available below:

Native support for Apple Silicon chips (M1)
macOS Monterey compatibility
Completely overhauled GUI
New input section with gain, filter and transient balance
New Granular effect
New Diffusor effect
New output clipper
Improved filters
Improved GUI performance
Added meters for delay lines
Support for Oddsound MTS-ESP
Improved handling of junction links on Windows
Preferences and MIDI learn section added
Factory preset library sorted and polished
Added VST3 support
Improved preset browser
Improved soundset installation
Various Mac and Windows installer improvements
System info displayed in GUI (revision, OS, plugin format)
Ctrl A/B replaces fixed Breath and Expression modulation
Added “set as default” button to Ctrl A/B section

MFM 2.5 new GUI · Source: U-he

The price for MFM2 will stay at EUR 79 during the beta period, and jump to EUR 99 for the official release which is scheduled for early 2022.

New CLAP plug-in format

As for the new CLAP plug-in format, Urs Heckmann himself had this much to share initially:

It’s a new open-source plug-in format we are co-developing with Bitwig and some other collaborators. It’s still very much work in progress right now. We hope to have a working beta version available in the coming months. Stay tuned. A safety net, an opportunity and something possibly a lot better in many ways than the status quo. Even if it never picks up, it will still be useful for us. Also, what’s not to like about an open standard which does not require a vetting process, a law degree or learning a new language to get started?

I’d say this makes it pretty clear where Urs, Bitwig and the others involved are headed with the CLAP format. It sounds like classic ‘bust the system’ open-source ethic applied to audio plug-ins, which is very welcome. Urs followed up the initial announcement by telling all about CLAP on KVR – read here.