Minimal Audio releases Stream, a subscription-based platform providing a constant flow of inspiration.
Stream is a subscription-based platform that provides high-quality samples and, more importantly, makes it easy for users to find the right sound at the right time. It’s in a similar territory to Loopcloud, a platform we frequently cover here with various offers.
There are quite a few of these platforms around, which means a developer has to give us a good reason to choose one over another.
Before I even looked at Stream, my interest was already piqued by the simple yet forward-thinking approach that Minimal Audio has demonstrated through previous releases like Rift, the ultra-creative multi-effects plugin.
As expected, the Stream interface is impeccably presented, and as I alluded to above, it’s not just about providing great sounds; it’s about creating an improved workflow.
The sampled sounds come from Minimal Audio collections like Elevate, Element, and Bloom, and you can filter sounds by Type, Category, Genre, and Key and search by tags.
As a longtime searcher of my personal sample collection that I know is around eight folders deep (mostly named New Folder) on one of a possible handful of external drives, I know too well the nightmare of being unorganized.
Joking aside, having unorganized samples on your hard drives has a hugely negative impact on creativity. And as a previous Loopcloud user, I also know the joys of finding everything I need quickly. So, Stream ticks a few boxes immediately; it has fantastic sounds that are easy to find and store.
Stream also allows you to add sounds to your favorites and view/search sounds you downloaded separately from the main Stream library.
If you use a lot of samples and you’re looking for a more efficient way to work, Stream could be a perfect fit. A monthly subscription costs $5 (free trial available), and you get 50 monthly credits (one credit per sample).
A cool feature of Stream is that you can unsubscribe anytime without losing accrued credits or access to downloaded samples.
Sample packs are often relatively cheap, and you could argue that grabbing a five-dollar pack with hundreds of sounds is better value than subscribing to get 50 credits per month.
But the workflow and organization of Stream are worth the $5 to me, not to mention the variety of sounds, which is constantly increasing as new content is added.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Stream is that we are just seeing step one of an extensive roadmap to see it integrate with all major DAWs and provide access to all Minimal Audio sounds and effects from one ever-expanding platform.
I’ve been impressed by Minimal Audio over the last year or so, and besides the quality of the sounds and effects, I just like how they approach making music in such a creativity-inspiring way.
I expect Stream to grow into an exciting go-to platform for producers as Minimal Audio continues to explore new ways to share its sounds and effects with music-makers.
Check out: Stream ($5/month subscription with a 30-day free trial)
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3 Comments
Jamie
onoh god not yet another subscription
Jed
onActually, its a good option. I use subscription by Loopcloud. Sometime you need only one or two sounds from the whole pack and you dont need to purchase it.
Steve
onTotally with you on that.
for me though, a massive part of the fun is playing around with all the noise making toys available and making my own samples.
Same with presets…never use ’em.
I do use drum samples tho, but end up processing the hell out of them.
If the resulting music is s****…so be it, but I have a lot of fun making it:)
Hate suscriptions.