Crystal Pads is the latest addition to The Crow Hill Company’s ever-growing product range, and according to the developer, it represents “a new attitude towards controlling sound to fit your music”.
The new library comprises a set of layered pad sounds that are said to blend particularly well with acoustic instruments. Users are provided with independent control over three stems (or partials, as they’re referred to by Crow Hill), both via the plug-in’s GUI or by MIDI CC, making it possible to create sounds that change and evolve in real time without needing to rely on modulation. Further processing is provided by some built-in macro effects, and a pumper effect that provides a range of dynamics-based processing that pushes into gating territory.
Here’s a quick look at the included partials, and what the company have to say about them:
- Glassy: Fundamental root tones.
- Harmonic: Adds greater complexity and richness.
- Unexpected: Long looping sonics that feature ‘moments’, and enable compositions to ‘come alive’ unexpectedly without it ever feeling like the compositional flow is being dictated by the tools.
Compatibility
Crystal Pads is supported on PCs running Windows 10 or later, and Macs running macOS 11 and higher. VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available. AAX on Windows is not currently supported, although the company say they are hoping to have resolved the issue by the end of June 2026.
Pricing & Availability
Crystal Pads is available now, priced at £29 including VAT.
