Electronic musician and software developer Kieran Foster, also known as Illformed and Dblue, has passed away. Foster was the developer behind Glitch, an influential multi-effects plugin initially released for free in 2005, and its commercial sequel Glitch2.
In memory of Foster, who passed away last month at the age of 47, his sister Joni has made the Illformed Glitch2 plugin available as freeware, with the help of Foster’s friends and collaborators Taktik and Beatslaughter.
Glitch2 is a sequenced multi-effects plugin designed to “slice, dice, chop, screw, twist, turn and mangle your sounds into radical new forms”.
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The plugin is equipped with eleven unique modules covering reversing, time-stretching, pitch-bending, delay, distortion, ring modulation, beat repeat, trance gate and more. Glitch2’s step sequencer allows the user to switch the effects on and off rhythmically by entering sequences into each module’s lane, with per-module controls for volume, mix, filter and pan.
There are also a ton of options for randomization and mutation onboard. Glitch2’s Randomizer module applies a random effect each time it’s triggered, with adjustable probabilities for each module, and both sequences and parameters across all modules can be individually randomized or mutated.
Both sequencer patterns and snapshots of parameter values can be stored as Scenes, and up to 128 scenes can be created in each Glitch2 Program. Scenes can be triggered in real-time via MIDI notes from your DAW or controller, making Glitch2 a powerful tool for incorporating sequenced effects in live performance.
“Glitch can be as gentle or as brutal as you like,” reads the description on the Illformed website.
“Add the occasional splash of retrigger or stretcher to single hits within your drum loop, or fill the entire sequencer with random effect blocks for a totally chaotic trip down the digital rabbit hole… the choice is yours!”
Both Glitch and Glitch2 were ahead of their time upon release, and influenced the development of countless glitchy “FSU” (Fuck Shit Up) plugins that take a similar approach to sequenced sound-mangling, such as Sugar Bytes’ Effectrix and Devious Machines’ Infiltrator.
Foster’s friends and family have shared a memorial on the Illformed website that describes him as “one of the brightest stars in the musical sky… leaving the world a legacy of his music, sound, art, legendary software and overwhelming goodness of character.”
“It’s with tears in our eyes and our hearts full of sadness but also joy that we remember him and will never forget,” the memorial concludes.
Glitch2 is available for macOS, Windows and Linux in VST/VST3/AU formats.
