OBSCURA SOUNDTHE 88 ARCHIVEBAG 0

Catalogue · OBS-8801 — OBS-8803

The 88 Archive

Three separate music tools for guitar and bass effects, layered synthesis and drum programming. Each one is a release with its own sleeve.

Liner notes · Why this exists

It started with a shelf of records

These tools are inspired by the music of The Smiths, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, New Order, Ride, My Bloody Valentine, The Stone Roses and the independent scene around them in the 1980s and early 1990s: the jangle and chorus, the cold drum machines and sequenced synths, the walls of fuzz and the reverb that never quite ends. TRACE, HALOWEFT and OBSCURA DRUM are instruments for chasing those sounds.

The artwork comes from the same shelf. The designers behind those records — Vaughan Oliver and v23 at 4AD, Peter Saville and Central Station Design at Factory, the sleeves of Creation and Rough Trade — made a record something to hold and keep. Each release here gets its own sleeve in that spirit, made from the plug-in’s own artwork.

Factory sounds are written as sound directions for alternative, post-punk, dream pop, shoegaze, synthpop and ambient music. They are not reproductions of named artists or recordings, and imply no affiliation with or endorsement by any artist, designer or label named here.

Listening to

  • The Smiths
  • The Cure
  • Depeche Mode
  • Joy Division
  • New Order
  • Ride
  • My Bloody Valentine
  • The Stone Roses
  • Slowdive
  • Echo & the Bunnymen
  • The Jesus and Mary Chain
  • Siouxsie and the Banshees
  • Lush

Looking at

  • Vaughan Oliver / v234AD
  • Peter SavilleFactory
  • Central Station DesignFactory
  • The label’s sleevesCreation
  • Duotone sleevesRough Trade
  • Tinted cover starsThe Smiths

OBS-8801 · Guitar & bass effects

TRACE // 88

What remains after the chord.

A guitar and bass effects plug-in for clear picked tones, textured drive and spacious ambience. Combine amp and cabinet voices, chorus, tremolo, glitch, dual echoes and reverb, with a built-in tuner and 124 presets across 18 collections.

  1. Side ATexturesVoice · Motion · Echo A · Space · Glitch + Rhythm
  2. Side BAmp + CabPedal Drive · Amplifier · Speaker Cabinet · Rhythmic Echo B
  3. IndexTunerChromatic tuner · A4 430–450 Hz · Mute Output
Digital release · downloadComing soonComing soonListen
OBS-8801 · Fig. 01Actual interface
TRACE // 88 Textures view, preset Gloom Service – Chorus Clean: Voice, Motion, Echo A, Space and Glitch + Rhythm panels above input conditioning, amp tremolo and final-stage controls.
Textures — chorus, echo, space and glitchGloom Service - Chorus Clean
Explore TRACE — 8 screenshots
  • 106Presets
  • 18Dedicated arps
  • 16Step sequencer
  • 3Layers

OBS-8802 · Layered synthesizer

HALOWEFT // 88

Light, woven into sound.
OBS-8802 · Fig. 01Actual interface
HALOWEFT // 88 Synthesis view, preset Chapel Prism: Layers + Oscillator, Filter + Console and Dual Envelopes panels above pitch controls and an on-screen keyboard.
Synthesis — layers, filter and envelopesChapel Prism

A layered software synthesizer combining virtual analog, string and organ voices, and sampled textures. Explore 106 presets, including 18 dedicated arpeggios, with a 16-step sequencer, chorus, dual echoes and spacious reverb.

Digital release · downloadComing soonComing soonListen
Explore HALOWEFT — 6 screenshots
OBS-8803 · Drum machine & pattern builder

OBSCURA DRUM // 88

Rhythm Archive

OBS-8803 · Fig. 01Actual interface
OBSCURA DRUM // 88 Pattern Builder, kit Black Tile, Bar A: eight drum rows across 16 steps, with step detail, performance fills and final-stage controls below.
Pattern Builder — Bar A, eight rows and editable step detailBlack Tile / Bar A

An eight-voice drum machine with 88 kit and pattern presets. Build rhythms of up to 32 steps with swing, probability, ratchets and live fills, then export your pattern as MIDI. Shape the kit with individual voice controls, room, echo, crush and tape color.

  • 88 kit and pattern presets in 18 descriptive collections
  • Eight drum voices with individual source, tuning, decay and tone controls
  • Up to 32 steps, independent row lengths, swing, probability and ratchets
  • Momentary performance fills, clear/undo controls, kit saving and MIDI export
Digital release · downloadComing soonComing soonListen
Explore OBSCURA DRUM — 4 screenshots

Which one?

One effect, two instruments

TRACE changes the sound of a guitar or bass you play into it. HALOWEFT and OBSCURA DRUM make their own sound from MIDI. They are three separate plug-ins, bought and installed separately.

  • TRACE // 88what remains after the chordOBS-8801 · OBSCURA SOUND

    TRACE // 88

    Audio effect

    What it is
    An audio effect
    Where it goes
    On a track carrying your guitar or bass
    What you play
    Your guitar or bass, through it
    Presets
    124 in 18 collections — 88 guitar, 36 bass
    Also has
    Chromatic tuner
  • HALOWEFT// 88OBS-8802Light, woven into sound

    HALOWEFT // 88

    Instrument

    What it is
    A MIDI instrument
    Where it goes
    On an instrument (MIDI) track
    What you play
    Notes from MIDI or its on-screen keyboard
    Presets
    106 in 18 collections — 18 arps
    Also has
    Arpeggiator and 16-step sequencer
  • OBSCURA DRUM// 88OBS-8803 · RHYTHM ARCHIVE
    What it is
    A MIDI instrument
    Where it goes
    On an instrument (MIDI) track
    What you play
    Patterns from its own step builder
    Presets
    88 kit + pattern presets in 18 collections
    Also has
    Live fills and MIDI export

Inner sleeve

Buy, download, play

  1. 01BuyAdd one release or all three to your bag and pay through a secure hosted checkout.
  2. 02DownloadYour receipt email and your downloads page hold the macOS installer for each release you bought.
  3. 03PlayRun the installer, open Ableton Live and load it from your plug-ins. TRACE goes on an audio track; the instruments go on MIDI tracks.

Check your setup first

Runs on
macOS on Apple Silicon
Formats
VST3 · Audio Unit · Standalone
Tested in
Ableton Live
Not supported
Windows · Intel Macs
Listening room
Bright clean / dark close doubleSame synthesized DI phrase: dry at 0:00, first preset at 0:05.25, second at 0:10.50. Level matched.
Presets & timings
  1. 0:00.00 Dry synthesized DI
  2. 0:05.25 Jangle Management - Bright Clean
  3. 0:10.50 Double Booked - Wide Clean

Synthesized DI comparisons; no recorded guitarist or bassist. The same phrase is level matched across dry and processed segments.

Arp - Glass SpiresTwo held chords feed the synced arpeggiator.

Original MIDI performances through the plug-in. No external effects.

Black Tile — gated glasskick box + snare wire; cymbal dark.

Original factory patterns at their saved tempos. No external effects.