the MAIM VST plugin and Jørgen Lund's 32-bit build of it
written by ida deerz on December 23, 2023
this post was previously published on cohost.org!
the following post was a response to @strangebroadcasts' comment on cohost, which reads as follows:
This should be the correct version
- it should only need the
Visual C++ Redistributable
, but it will most likely already be installed.
as some additional context, Jørgen made a previous post talking about a new plugin called MAIM, by Wildergarden Audio . it's an MP3 compression plugin that uses actual MP3 codecs to achieve the effect. it wasn't available as a 32-bit VST, but since it's open source, Jørgen went and compiled a 32-bit version just so i could use it! all the credit here really should go to him.
since writing this post, i ended up using MAIM on nearly all of my tracks... it's an incredibly powerful sound design tool when used right. it's fun to use it in the place of a filter to do transitions, but beyond that... you can do stuff like setting the bitrate extremely low to the point where all it does is generate sine waves and other noise, then running that through autotune to get something chromatic/musical out of it.
MAIM has become a staple in my music production arsenal, and that wouldn't have happened without Jørgen's efforts! not to mention, it's also a neat look into cohost's community at the time; a space full of nerds and enthusiasts ready to help eachother out just for fun. i don't think you see that on other social media often at all.
i've switched to Ableton Live 12 and as such i can now use 64-bit plugins. but if you do still want a 32-bit version of this plugin, the link is up there!
MAIM is an incredible plugin and i've been enjoying doing weird sound design stuff with it so much. from what i can tell, there aren't any other plugins that do the same thing; there's a few plugins that simulate the sound of MP3 compression, but none that directly implement any MP3 codecs directly like MAIM.
i've wanted to try using MP3 compression in my music for ages. previously i'd either have to fake it or use effects that sound similar, like a FFT (fast fourier transform) plugin, or i'd have to take the audio i wanted to compress and manually export it to MP3 using Audacity. getting it to sound the way i want would just be a long process of trial and error. plus, i wouldn't have any direct control over how it applies the compression. but MAIM works in realtime and gives you control over every parameter!! it's SO cool.
i'm stuck on an older version of Ableton Live that doesn't support 64-bit plugins or VST3s. Jørgen went out of his way to compile a 32-bit VST2 version of the plugin (linked above) just because i asked — i'm so thankful for that and i really don't think this should go unnoticed!! compatibility with older software/hardware is important!!