Atlas 2 is the result of over 2 years bringing to life the most popular feature requests, workflow enhancements, and original ideas.
In particular the Drum Sequencer has been built from the start to be fast but flexible. The idea was to take the workflow-speed of traditional step-sequencers (like the much-loved FL-Studio one), but give it the extra flexibility of piano-roll editors when you need it. Get that idea down fast while it's fresh. then tweak in all the little flourishes that make a beat really come alive.
The new Content Browser shines once you've got a few beats. Easily bring in patterns or sounds from other beats, remake and remix them, and build a library that sounds like you. Sometimes you want to just sit down and jump straight into trying song ideas and Atlas is now the fastest way to do that while maintaining your own style.
At the start of 2020 I set a personal goal to create a beat every single day in Atlas 2 while it was being developed. Many of the beta testers did the same. The result was hundreds of major and minor improvements along the way. Sometimes a button was too hard to click, or a feature was not accessible enough, or even some feature that seemed like a good idea on paper was just bloat in reality. It all got tweaked, finessed, or fixed.
Welcome to the next level of Atlas!
Matt Weir - Product Design/Lead Developer
App
App: Standalone version
Sort your samples and write loops without opening your DAW.
App: Linux version
Still a little experimental (but that's the vibe of Linux). Available as Standalone and VST plugin for the growing world of Linux music production.
Drum Kit
Drum Kit: Multi-select drums
Select multiple drums and randomize or lock them all. Change all of the selected drums Sample parameters at once like increased their volume relative to the other drums.
Drum Kit: Drag out multiple drums
Multi-select all drums and drag them out to your file system or an external app. eg. Fill an Ableton Drum Rack with your Atlas 2 drums.
Drum Kit: Embed samples in DAW project
Guaranteed sample saving. Your sample data can now be saved along with your Atlas plugin instance. You no longer have to remember to backup or copy the individual sample files you use.
Drum Kit: MIDI follow
When toggled pressing a drum pad on your MIDI hardware will now select the drum. Perfect for quickly setting up a kit without touching the mouse.
Drum Kit: Auto volume
Atlas uses the drum category info it has worked out to set the volume in the ballpark of a mix. Hitting 'new kit' now sounds much nicer to the ears. You can still lock to your own volume setting and keep loading with more sounds later.
Drum Kit: MIDI map improvements
You can now use MIDI CC messages to various functions. Some controllers (eg. PreSonus Atom) use CC messages rather than notes for the outside buttons.
Sample Map
Map: Galaxy mode
A whole new way to look at your map, see every single sample at once. Great for finding similar samples. Works with all existing Atlas shortcuts like navigating with the arrow keys.
Map: Redesigned Create/Edit map screen with more options
Nicer to look at and faster to use. Advanced options now available for getting specific.
Map: More supported file formats
WAV, AIFF, FLAC, OGG, MP3 plus whatever codecs are supported by your OS. Pretty much everything is covered now.
Map: Set cue volume
You can now set the volume map samples play at.
Map: WASD navigation
For all those first-person game fans, left handed map navigation. (turn this on in Settings)
Map: Select on hover
Toggle this on to select and play samples just by hovering the mouse over them.
Map: Cloud maps
A special type of map that downloads samples directly from the web as needed. Low quality for finding the right sample, high quality for using in a beat. There's also an option to just download the whole map as high quality. This is how the Atlas 2 included map works and there's more to come.
Map: New Map file format
Maps are now single files for easier copying and backing up. Internally they are much more flexible and work faster. Atlas 2 will guide you through importing your Atlas 1 maps.
Sequencer
Sequencer: Import MIDI
Drag-drop a MIDI drum beat onto the Sequencer to load it. Unlike typical drum step-sequencers the original timing of the beat is preserved.
Sequencer: Export MIDI
Export MIDI as a single file or as separate files for each channel. Quickly pick and choose which Sequence Channels are exported. Render nudge and shuffle into the MIDI file or don't apply them if you want to use the groove options in your DAW.
Sequencer: New Sequence, New Channel
Quickly one-button load a random Sequence or individual Channel from your Content library. The fastest way to get a groove going and test out that new Drum Kit.
Sequencer: Variation
Take an existing sequence and let Atlas create a similar one.
Sequencer: Random
Give it up to chance to find happy accidents. Use this with 'Mirror Edit' to add a little bit of structure back into the randomness.
Sequencer: Fast velocity editing
Velocity is key to groove and the Atlas Sequencer has been designed from the start to make velocity always visible and easily editable.
Sequencer: Mix and match note timing
Want triplets or fast fills? Although Atlas feels like a step-sequencer you can quickly change the note grid to add different timings at different stages.
Sequencer: Polyrhythm
Set individual Sequence Channels to different lengths and let your beat evolve over time. Great for Techno or just getting creative.
Sequencer: Mirror Edit
Toggle this on to apply note and velocity edits to multiple beats at once across your Sequence. Super-powers editing repeating grooves. (serious game changer for creating House and Techno hi-hats)
Sequencer: Rotate notes
Sometimes you build or record the perfect beat but you can hear the first note is somewhere else in the sequence. Quickly move the whole sequence to align things right.
Sequencer: Nudge
Classic live drumming trick. Set a sequence channel (usually the snare or clap) to play earlier to add urgency to a beat or play it later to add a laidback feel. Great if layering drums to make the character of each stand out better.
Sequencer: Record in
Use that MIDI controller to quickly try ideas. Quantise on record to keep things on beat.
Sequencer: Cut, Copy, Paste
Try that hi-hat as a shaker.
Sequencer: Tap tempo
Quickly line up to whatever is going on outside Atlas or your DAW.
Sequencer: Host sync or manual BPM
Follow your DAW or find a Loop in Atlas and start your project at that BPM.
Sequencer: MIDI out
Use the Atlas 2 sequencer with an external drum machine like Ableton's Drum Rack or even hardware.
Sequencer: Export Audio
Save your Loop as rendered audio either as a single mix-down file or as individual stems. There's options to export as a perfectly-looping audio clip (sounds at the end bleed into the start of the loop), and/or with start and end sections so you capture that first hit and final cymbal properly.
Sample
Sample: New UI layout
All sample settings now quickly available to tweak.
Sample: Reverse
Much requested feature, it does exactly what you think it does. Use this with Nudge in the sequencer to get those hits right where you want them.
Sample: Variations
Add some subtle or extreme humanization and randomization to your drums. Great for making your loops less robot-like and repetitive sounding. Variations can be apply individually to volume, pan, pitch, filter, and timing.
Content Browser
Browser: Integrated with your OS
Choose where you store your content on your hard drive. No complicated formats, copy, delete, move, and backup in your OS and the Atlas 2 Browser will reflect your changes.
Browser: Maps are now stored in Browser
Easily copy and backup your Atlas Maps.
Browser: Deep navigate into content
Open a Drum Kit and easily drag out the individual samples. Over a Sequence and quickly drag out an individual hi-hat pattern.
Browser: Quick-load random content & Mix and Match
With the press of a button load a random Sequence to play your Drum Kit with. Quickly load a random Drum Kit with another random Sequence for fast inspiration.
Browser: New file format for Loops
Store a Drum Kit and Sequence in a single file for easy sharing and downloads. The convenience of audio loops but with the flexibility to change drum hits or switch up the pattern.
Settings
Settings: Adjustable UI scale
Atlas 2 can now look great on the smallest laptop and largest 4K monitor.
Settings: MIDI Learn
Quickly set MIDI mappings with MIDI learn. MIDI CC messages are now also supported.
What's
next
?
You've reached the bottom of the list, perhaps you're looking for even more...
Don't hesitate to send us a message via support if you have any ideas or requests. We consider everything sent to us and will give a good honest response about if it's feasible, already on the roadmap, or coming in next update. Atlas 1 had many major features added in free updates and this is just the start of Atlas 2...
