Spire retails for €69.
Showing posts with label Softsynths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Softsynths. Show all posts
Monday, May 13, 2013
Reveal Sound Releases Spire Softsynth
Spire retails for €69.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Review: KV331's Synthmaster 2.5
Product: SynthMaster
Developers: KV331 Audio
Format: Windows (VST, RTAS), Mac (VST, RTAS, AU). 32 or 64 bit.
Price: $129
Demo: Available on the website. Demo disables saving patches and begins sounding random
notes after ten minutes. Audio
demos also on the product page.
I want to start this review out with an apology to KV331
Audio. They were kind enough to
send me a review copy of SynthMaster late last fall when my band was out on
tour. However, the case is this is
quite a complex synth, and I knew it would take me quite some time to put it
through its paces, so rather than deliver a lazy, quick review, I wanted to
take the extra time to make sure I got things covered. Once you read the review, I think you'll see why it took so long!
WHAT IS IT?
SynthMaster might best be described as a synthesizer
jackknife in that it provides a semi-modular environment for multiple types of
synthesis. What types? How about virtual analog, additive,
wavetable, wave-scanning, FM, phase modulation, physical modeling, and SFZ
sample playback? Combine this with
both analog and digital modeled filters of various types, 11 types of effects,
and extensive modulation capabilities (over 650 modulatable parameters), and
it’s clear SynthMaster is an ambitious synth. So does SynthMaster live up to its potential, or is this a
case of “Jack of all trades, master of none”? Read on…
INSTALLATION
To install SynthMaster, download the version you need and
run the installer. When you’ve
purchased it, you will receive a serial number which unlocks it. That’s it. You’re good to go.
DOCUMENTATION
Documentation comes in the form of an illustrated 41-page
“QuickStart Guide”. If you own a few softsynths and are generally familiar with subtractive synthesis, you'll likely only need to crack it for some of the more esoteric features (of which, to be fair, there are quite a few).
INTERFACE
The main part of the interface is split into four squares, each of which houses a different function. Each of these windows is tabbed to allow you to quickly switch in between further pages. One thing that is especially awesome is that each of these areas has a Save function allow you to save just the settings to that particular set of parameters. That way, if you have a specific type of envelope setting you use a lot, for example, you can save it and then recall it whenever you need to use it programming a new sound. Very handy!
The top left section houses tabs for the structure and settings for each layer. Here, you can select whether a layer is in Mono or Poly mode, change the pitch bend range, turn unison on or off, turn the arp on or off, and choose a mode for the routing of the two filters with Split, Parallel, and and Series options. A nice display shows the structure of the layer and allows you to quickly turn parts in the voice path on and off, as well as setting wet/dry levels for the Layer's effects. At the very bottom, you can add two different kinds of Portamento and control the specifics of the Unison mode.
A click of the tab switches us over to the controls for the layer's Arpeggiator. This was the one area where I wished the display was a bit larger. It's workable, but the Glide and Hold buttons for each step are pretty damned tiny. The Arpeggiator consists of multiple different modes, up to 32 steps, Glide and Hold settings per step, and your options for the note value of the arpeggiator. The Volume knob allows you to set the Volume of all the steps at once if you need them to be uniform. Duration controls the Gate time for each note, and Swing adds - wait for it - swing. Just about everything you might want in an Arpeggiator. And if that wasn't enough, it can alternately be used as an analog-style step sequencer, opening up the door to all manner of cool rhythmic modulations. This switches the display to a display similar to the piano roll sequencer in your DAW, making it extremely easy to program melodies. Very nice! MIDI sequences can also be imported if you prefer to build sequences that way.
The next three tabs feature controls for each layer's Layer Effects. These consist of nicely featured Distortion, Lo-fi, Ensemble, EQ, and Phasers.
The bottom left consists of the Oscillator related controls. Each layer offers two independent oscillators. Each of those oscillators can use a variety of different synthesis types. The display above is the Basic mode. This is the mode for your tried-and-true virtual analog sounds. The standard sawtooth, sine, triangle, pulse, and white noise options are available, but that's not all. There's also an insanely generous selection of sampled single-cycle waveforms sourced from all manner of classic gear, and if that's not enough, you can load in full samples in SFZ format.
A "Pitch Drift" function allows you to simulate the imperfections that make analog synths so appealing. Of course, you can also abuse it into Boards of Canada like warbling at higher settings. You can also control how the oscillator's pitch is tracked across the keyboard, set the oscillator's Volume, Tone, Phase, Pitch, Pan and more with a series of knobs along the bottom.
The Additive mode allows you to combine up to eight different waveforms, each with its own volume, pan, frequency, detune levels. Although additive synthesis is typically performed with sine waves, you can use any of the previously-mentioned waveforms or samples. Since 8 partials is not a lot by additive standards, the ability to use different waveforms is helpful in trying to create more complex timbres. Of course, if you stick to traditional analog waveforms, you can simulate the voice structure of old Roland synths like the SH-101, where you can add different amounts of saw, pulse, sine, and noise to shape the tone.
Two "2D" Envelopes are next. These are multi-stage envelopes offering up to 32 stages, each with their own length. However, unlike a standard multi-stage envelope, this envelope is in two dimensions and outputs an X and a Y for use in modulation. They are also loopable.
Two "traditional" Multi-stage envelopes are available with settings identical to the 2D envelopes, but they only output a single value for modulation.
The two layer LFOs offer not only the expected analog waveforms, but also a Step mode with up to 32 steps, and a Glide mode with is similar, except that it smoothly glides in between values as opposed to the hard transitions of the Step mode. LFOs are syncable to your host's tempo with controllable phase and speed.
The Key-scaling modulator offers 4 different key-scale maps for modulating parameters according the position of the key played on the keyboard.
At the far right of SynthMaster's interface you'll find the modulation matrix. This is about what you would expect allowing you to assign a source, destination, and amount. Alternately, you can assign modulation by right clicking on a parameter and choosing your source. This will automatically add the modulation to the Matrix, which is a much more stream-lined way of setting up modulations in such a complex synth. A tab allows you to open up some Global Settings for the synth, and knobs at the bottom let you set the master volume, as well as the volumes of each individual layer. Bypass switches allow you to switch a layer on and off, and the Tune control allows you to tune the instrument as a whole.
Now, keep in mind what I've just long-windedly described is just ONE layer of the two available and you can start to understand the depth of programming Synth Master offers.
Switching away from the Layer 1 and 2 controls, if we select the LFO tab at the top of the interface, we gain access to four additional LFO's. These are identical to the Layer LFOs except they operate at the Synth level and not just the Layer level.
Beneath the LFO tab, we find the FX tab which lets you set up global effects that operate on the entire sound as opposed to the layer-specific effects. Available effects include a Vocoder, Chorus, Echo, Reverb, Compression, and Tremelo. The right column allows to control the FX routing for both layers and globally, and lets you control the wet/dry balance of the global effects.
Finally, we have the Browser tab. This allows you to sort through your patch library according to Instrument Type, Attributes, Music Styles, Author, and Bank. At the bottom are 8 "easy knobs"that can be assigned to modulate any parameter, with the idea being that if your are overwhelmed by the thousands of modulatable parameters on offer, 8 of the most useful controls can be assigned to these knobs and that's all you have to deal with. What makes it most useful, however, is that you can assign multiple modulations to a single Easy Parameter knob, allowing you to make quite drastic changes in the sound with the turn of a single knob. Two X/Y modulators are also available for assignment.
CPU USE
As you can imagine, there are a lot of variables that come
into play in regards to how much of a CPU hit SynthMaster delivers. Simpler voices and low voice counts
will definitely result in lower, barely detectable CPU drain. But more complex patches can eat up
enough to max out my Mac Pro Quadcore if I play two-handed chords. Fortunately, SynthMaster offers
multiple quality levels [Draft, Good, Better, Best], each upping the sound
quality, while requiring more CPU power.
So even if your machine isn’t state of the art, you can build your
arrangements in Draft mode and
bump the quality all the way up when you render your tracks down. It would be nice if they offered the
ability to set separate quality levels for just screwing around and for the
actual rendering. U-he’s DIVA
offers this feature, and that kind of “set it and forget it” convenience is
something I’ve come to appreciate.
THE VERDICT
I wonder how many people will skip the wall of text above and just get to this point. I can't say I blame you, but I always strive to be in-depth with my reviews and the amount of firepower this synth offers is pretty obscene. Before I even get to the sound, I want to emphasize how well thought-out and designed this synth is. As I was learning to use it, I found myself uttering the phrase "Man, they've thought of EVERYTHING". Just the sheer amount of THINGS you can alter about the sound will send hardcore synth programmers into a state of pure geek lust. I get the sense that KV331 really studied what was available in the synth market, adapted some of the features they liked, and invented new ones where they felt there was an absence. But what is most astounding about this synth is that it manages to cram all these features and parameters in a package that is easy on the eye and not nearly as overwhelming as it could've been.
Soundwise, SynthMaster is a beauty. It has a very clear, hi-fi sound to it with a mostly digital sheen to it. That's not to say it can't do analog sounds well. It can. But I found these took a bit more coaxing to sound convincing than other sounds. Fortunately, SynthMaster provides an abundance of ways to coax, as should be clear now. But buying SynthMaster to use as a virtual analog is missing the point a bit, I think. With multiple types of synthesis combinable in a single patch and such depth of programming offered as a whole, this is a forward-looking synth with an eye on the future.
I see SynthMaster especially to two different types of users. Obviously, the amount of features and synthesis types gives this a hard to beat bang to buck ratio, so people who want lots of different types of synthesis without having to buy a separate synth to do each one are going to want to check this one out. But who I really see this appealing to are the hardcore synth geeks. If you like to program your own sounds, there aren't many options on the market that offer the depth of programming SynthMaster can. Little touches like being able to individually save parameters for each section of the synth to import into new sounds are fantastic time-savers and are the types of things I really appreciate as a sound-progammer.
If you already have a ton of different types of softsynths residing on your hard drive, you might not find you "need" SynthMaster, but I'd encourage you to check it out and spend some time with it anyway. While it's true you probably already have tools that can individually do things that SynthMaster can do, but you'd be hard-pressed to find it all in one place and with such an elegant interface.
I'll admit, I underestimated SynthMaster. When I first heard of it, I listened to some demos and thought it sounded pretty decent, but it kind of faded into the background noise of all the other synths on the market. Upon rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty with it, however, I am seriously impressed. I like it when synth designers trust me. Instead of playing it safe and eliminating features "you'll probably never need", I like when they give me the whole 64-Crayon pack to color with. And that's what KV331 have done with SynthMaster. [10/10]
Monday, January 28, 2013
Dmitry Sches Releases Mac Version of Diversion
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Waves Announces First Softsynth
Review: Tone2 Rayblaster
Product: Rayblaster Synthesizer
Developer: Tone2
Format: PC (VST
and Standalone, 32 & 64-bit) and Mac (VST, AU, 32 & 64-bit)
Price: $199
Demo: On the product page.
Whenever a developer or manufacturer comes forth boasting of
a “revolutionary” or “radically new” form of synthesis, more times than not, it
comes across more like a small
tweak to tried and true methods that have been around for decades. So it was with a healthy dose of
skepticism that I approached Tone2’s latest offering, Rayblaster. Rayblaster uses a technique Tone2 calls
IMS, or Impulse Modeling Synthesis.
So is this a brave new world of synthesis, or more of the same? Let’s find out!
WHAT IS IT?
IMS is a bit difficult to explain, and to be honest, I’m not entirely sure
I understand it fully, but basically, IMS replaces the typical static waveform
with tiny “bursts” of sound interspersed with silence. The order of the bursts and various
other aspects can be altered in a way not unlike granular synthesis. Apparently, however, the small bursts
of silence help replicate the way our hearing works, allowing Rayblaster to
have more apparent loudness and cut through a mix.
In most ways, IMS sounds are programmed similar to
subtractive, with one important difference – there are no filters. That’s because the oscillators can
utilize not only waveforms, but also impulse responses of real-world or
imaginary filters (it can import drum loops too!).
In most other ways, however, Rayblaster programs like the
softsynths you’re used to.
INSTALLATION
Installation takes place via an installer specifically for
the full version (the demo version is a different installer, in other
words). Copy protection takes
place via a keyfile, as with previous Tone2 products. Easy!
MANUAL
As is standard these days, the manual comes in the form of a
PDF. Oddly, this appears only to
be available from within the plug-in, although once it takes you to the PDF
online, you can, of course download it to your device of choice. For the most part, everything is well
laid out and easy to understand. There are some things (for instance, the “oscillator window”
parameter) that aren’t really explained in depth at all, though. So perhaps more thorough explanation in
spots would be helpful. Also an editor with English as a first language might
be in order, as there are quite a few grammar and spelling errors
throughout. There's nothing that gets in
the way of understanding the plug-in, though.
INTERFACE
Rayblaster shares the
easy-on-the-eyes look of previous synths with a grey background, and orange or
blue displays. All the controls
are easy to read and nothing feels crowded.
The top left section of the
interface is occupied by the two oscillator displays. Up to two waveforms (or filter impulses) can be loaded into
each oscillator and blended between using mix controls. Various parameters controlling the
sound of the oscillators are present here allowing you to brighten sounds by
controlling the kinds of harmonics they produce, add three different types of
noise, and alter other properties of the way the impulses are constructed and
played back. One beef with the
interface here, the display always reads “LOAD WAVE 1” and “LOAD WAVE 2”
whether you’ve selected a waveform or not. It would be helpful to have the name of the waveform
displayed here if a waveform has been selected.
Next to the oscillator displays
are the oscillator parameters.
Here you can set key-tracking amounts for the pitch of each wave, pan
settings for each oscillator, low cut and damping controls for each oscillator,
oscillator sync and BPM synchronization (especially helpful when using drum
loops), as well as phase, analog drift and ring modulation settings between the
two oscillators. If you have just
waveforms loaded into your oscillators, the formant control will change the
formant of the oscillator (a separate tune control is independent of
formant). If, however, you have a
filter model loaded in, this acts as your filter cutoff.
Next door to this section is
another display from which you can set-up the Arp/Gate, apply effects to your
sound, and an extensive modulation matrix with an abundance of sources and
destinations to keep your twisting your sounds for days. The Arp/Gate can
function either as a standard arpeggiator or as a modulation step-sequencer for
some nice rhythmic possibilities.
The effects section allows you to apply up to two effects at once (out
of 19 available effects types).
Just about every type of standard effect you’d want can be found here
and while they aren’t going to rock the effects world, they sound very good and
offer a decent balance of flexibility and simplicity.
Directly below the display,
you’ll find Rayblaster’s two LFO’s.
6 different LFO shapes are available with selectable frequency and
phase, as well as the option to sync the LFO to the host tempo.
The leftmost bottom row of
controls houses the general controls for the synth such as glide amount, pan,
unison spread, overall patch volume, and the dedicated amp envlope. Next to this, is the main patch
display. The bulk of this consists
of the current patch name and patch category. The bottom displays whatever the currently selected
parameter name and value is, for precise adjustments. At the top of the display you’ll find the File menu. This section allows you to load and
save patches, separately load or save arpeggiator settings to transfer between
patches (nice!), the ability to export any of the waves loaded into an
oscillator as a WAV file. This is
also the area where you import drum loops or resynthesized sounds. To me, those functions seem like they
should be located in the oscillator display as part of the Load Wave
function. Additionally, this
section includes an Edit menu that allows you to initialize and copy different
parts of a patch, a Help menu that links to the manual and a tutorial video,
and a Buy Sounds menu that links to additional patches you can purchase for the
synth if you so choose.
Finally, there are an additional
two freely assignable ADSR envelopes with adjustable slope.
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE?
Depends on how you use it,
really. It can do evolving digital
sounds, convincing analog emulations, Waldorf-like wavetables, modern granular
textures… Rayblaster definitely
sounds like a Tone2 synth. It cuts
through a mix nicely and has a beautiful, modern sheen to it. I’m not sure I find that IMS offers
anything truly radical or new from a sonic standpoint, but there is no denying
that this is a great-sounding synthesizer.
IN USE
The only real problem I
encountered (I am using Logic Pro 9.16) were occasional audio drop-outs on
polyphonic patches that appeared to be unrelated to CPU load (at least Logic’s
meter wasn’t showing any spikes).
This didn’t consistently happen, but it happened enough to be annoying. CPU use varies from
patch to patch, but is generally quite reasonable. However, a “Low CPU” quality mode is selectable should you find the
drain too much while working out arrangements.
THE VERDICT?
Whether Rayblaster appeals to
you or not really depends on what you expect out of it. If you own other Tone2 synths and want
something radically different-sounding from their previous efforts, you might
want to skip this one. If you’re
new to Tone2 synths, however, this isn’t a bad place to start as it offers a
good balance between the simplicity of Saurus and the sound-warping depth of
Gladiator 2 while offering sounds somewhere in between those two synths. The unconventional method of
programming may be off-putting to novices, but conversely may appeal to old
pros bored with subtractive synths that shape sounds in more usual ways. And, of course, the ability to capture impulse of any real or imagined filter and import it will be a big selling-point for filter freaks. No doubt, Rayblaster
continues Tone2’s track record for great-sounding synths and deserves a spin with the demo. [8/10]
Monday, November 26, 2012
Korg Releases iPolysix fo iPad
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Review: D16 Group LuSH-101
Product: LuSH-101
Developer: D16 Group
Format: Windows (VST) and Mac (VST and AU)
Price: $199
Demo: Audio demos and Demo version available on the product page.
“Vaporware”.
It’s a term any reputable software developer dreads having associated
with one of their projects. If
you’ve never heard of it, it refers to a product with a development time so
long after its initial announcement, that
people begin to doubt it will ever see the light of the day. After about 3 years in development,
many people were beginning to write off D16 Groups’s promised “SH-101 on Steroids”
as just that. To make matters
worse, the product was initially saddled with the truly awful name “SH101ter”,
which somehow suggested a goiter filled with feces. Thankfully, though, LuSH-101 (the product’s new name) has
finally seen the light of day .
Was it worth the wait?
Let’s find out!
WHAT IS IT?
Describing LuSH-101 as a mere emulation of the famous Roland
SH-101 monosynth sells it short significantly. Instead, D16 have used the 101 as a starting point and
re-imagined it in a 21st century version. Building on the 101’s rather basic synthesis functions,
LuSH-101 adds new features like extra envelopes and LFO’s, oscillator sync,
unison, Supersaw, a mod matrix, built-in effects, and the ability to create
monster sounds by layering up to 8 synths (or splitting them… or using an
instance multi-timbrally).
INSTALLATION
Installation is your run of the mill affair. Authorization comes in the form of a key file you can locate anywhere on
your hard drive and point the software to when you authorize it.
MANUAL
As is pretty standard today, the manual comes as a PDF
file. The illustrated manual
weighs in just under 100 pages, which hints at how deep things can get with
this synth. Your basic synthesis
functions are easy enough to figure out on your own, especially if you’ve used
an actual 101, but some of the less obvious functions such as building layered
patches and the like will probably require you to crack the manual once or
twice.
INTERFACE
The interface for LuSH-101 is beautifully rendered replica
of a 101 crammed full of extras.
The standard white skin looks pretty slick, but if you want it in a
different color, a la the real 101, a future update will make the interface
skinnable.
At the very top of the interface you’ll find the preset
browser and settings section.
There is also a section that allows you to select which layer you’re
working on, that lets you mute or unmute layers, and even “padlock” layers to
prevent accidental changes, which is a nice touch. This is also where you can select which “page” for
programming you’re on… the synthesis section, the mod matrix, or the mixer.
Beneath this, you’ll find the layer settings that allow you
to quickly transpose, detune and pan the current layer. You can also set a key range for the
layer if you want to build a split.
Additionally, there is a Unison function and an insert effect which
offers options like decimators, vowel filters, ensemble choruses, distortion,
and more.
The basic building block in LuSH-101 is called a
Timbre. This is a single
sound. Up to 8 Timbres can be
combined per patch. They can be
layered, split, or set up to respond multi-timbrally to different MIDI
channels.
The first synthesis functions are the Pitch/Sync
controls. Already we can see an
expansion on the original 101 architecture. Along with standard controls for pitch modulation and
frequency, this is where you set up oscillator sync, a feature not found on the
original 101. LuSH-101 achieves
this via a “hidden” oscillator in conjunction with the square and sawtooth
oscillators on the front panel.
Sync can be modulated with either an LFO or envelope, and an adjustable
mix slider lets you find a balance between the synced sound and the original.
To the right of this you’ll find the controls for PWM, which
again can be modulated via any of the envelopes or LFOs. The Source Mixer is found next door to
this and allows you to mix different amounts of saw, square, suboscillator, and
noise (available in several colors!
Nice!). The suboscillator
offers more waveshapes than the original as well. This is also where you’ll find the controls for the Supersaw
mode. Different in sound and
function than the Unison function, this is a nod to Roland’s JP-8000 and helps beef
up the sound significantly without using additional polyphony.
Next to this, you’ll find the filter section. Expanding on the 101’s original
low-pass filter, you’ll also find highpass and bandpass options here. All filters can either be in the rather
well-behaved “Normal” mode, or the “SH-101” mode which gives the filters the
squelchy, acidic resonance the 101 was known for. Modulation amount sliders for all the envelopes and
LFO’s are available, as well as keyboard tracking modulation. Resonance can also be modulated independently
via Env 2 and/or LFO 2. The main filter is followed by a simple highpass filter
(no resonance) which can be useful in thinning out sounds and creating more
high-frequency type sounds like bells and airy synths.
On the next row down, you’ll find controls to modulate the
VCO or the VCF via either (or both) the pitch wheel or mod wheel. Beside this you will find LuSH-101’s
two envelopes and two LFO’s. Both
envelopes have reversible polarities, and multiple trigger modes, including
repeating modes using the LFO, helpful for making instant-sequenced
sounds. The LFO’s offer 6
different waveshapes including random and noise. A nice additional feature is the keyboard tracking of LFO frequency. Applied to pitch modulation, this opens
the door to very simple FM-type sounds.
Finally, we have the Arpeggiator and Gater sections. The arpeggiator is a fairly standard,
although well-featured host-syncable arpeggiator with a number of available
modes. You can expand the types of
rhythms you can get with this with the gater that lets you trigger a gate in
just about any rhythmic pattern including ties for extending note values. These two form a powerful team in
coming up with interesting patterns at the touch of a key.
The Mod Matrix gives you 9 sources and over 50 destinations
(although not all destinations are available for all sources). You simply add a mod slot by pressing
the “+” button, assign a source and a destination, and then use the bi-polar
slider to select a modulation amount.
Nice and simple. One note,
there is a destination for panning that is misspelled as “paning”.
The third available page for creating sounds is the Master
Mixer. Remember how I told you
that a LuSH-101 sound could be comprised of 8 different timbres? Not content to just provide you with
basic controls over the balance of these, D16 has provided a full-fledged
8-channel mixer. You’ll find
standard volume and panning controls to adjust the balance and stereo position
of sounds, but each channel also has its own compressor, three-band EQ, and effects
sends for the reverb, delay, and chorus effects, whose controls reside next to
the mixer. This kind of attention
to detail is what tells you D16 made good use of the long development time. Indeed, just about every aspect of this
has been so obviously obsessed over and tweaked to perfection, the development
time suddenly makes sense. They
weren’t dragging their feet, they were honing this synth to a razor’s edge.
THE SOUND
In a word, LuSH-101 sounds spectacular. The lows are warm and organic, the mids
punchy, and the highs sharp and clear.
To my ears, they’ve pretty much nailed the sound of the 101, but beyond
that, they’ve really nailed the early Roland sound in general. The oscillators are lively, the filter
beautifully squelchy, and the envelopes are snappy. Add the amazing-sounding insert and send effects, the
additional synthesis features, and the ability to layer 8 instances of the
synth engine into a single patch, and you’ve got a monster on your hands.
CPU USE
That monstrous sound comes at a price, however, and that
comes in the form of the CPU usage.
Obviously, this depends on the polyphony you’re using and how many
layers your sound is made up of, but only u-he’s DIVA really compares in how
much CPU it uses. Even firing up
the plug-in without playing a note put the CPU meter in Ableton Live on my 13”
Macbook showed between 7-9% CPU use.
Fortunately, there are lower quality modes that will allow you to work
out arrangements before rendering.
I do hope, however, that future versions will work on making things a
bit less processor-intensive. On
the one hand, processors are getting faster all the time, and I think the
amazing sound quality is a fair trade off for the processor load, but a more
efficient version would certainly be more practical to use. And this is a really versatile synth
you might really find yourself wanting to build entire arrangements with, so
the ability to use more instances at once would be a big bonus.
THE VERDICT
I had high hopes for this synth when it was first
announced. As a former owner of a
101, I really did miss its sound, but as I find myself working in the box more,
I also wished I could have that sound with all the conveniences of instant
recall, automation, and the like.
After spending some time with LuSH-101, I no longer regret selling the real
deal. LuSH-101 not only captures
the sound of the 101, but jettisons it into the present day and expands on the sound
significantly without losing the original character that makes that simple
synth such a classic. Three years
of development may seem like a long time to some of us, but after working with
LuSH-101, the painstaking detail and design work that went into this synth
becomes obvious. I only ran into
one possible bug in my time working with the it, which was in Live. Using my laptop keyboard to play notes
stopped working the moment I changed any parameter. D16 has already issued one update, however, with new ones
already planned and announced on their webpage, so I trust that any bugs that
arrive will be squashed quickly.
Simply put, this synth is a beast. If you’re a fan of the classic Roland sound, this should be
a no-brainer. They’ve nailed the
sound and opened up whole new worlds of sound with the added features and
immaculate-sounding effects. I was
a bit skeptical when I initially saw the $199 price-point, but after putting
LuSH-101 through its paces, I feel like that’s a bargain. Just buy it, already! [10/10]
Thursday, October 11, 2012
D16 Group Announces Release Date & Pricing for LuSH-101
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Cableguys Introduce Curve 2
Cableguys have announced version 2 of their Curve synth. You can download a fully-functional demo here. The new version is totally free for existing Curve users and until November 1st, it is available to everyone else at the special price of $129 US.
Here's what they have to say...
• Sound Features - Curve features aliasing-free oscillators with custom waveforms, noise generation and broad FM options. Waveform crossfades provide for changing timbres; a comprehensive unison mode delivers fat lead sounds, wide pads and massive sound. Drawable LFOs deliver everything from melodic and rhythmic patterns to dubstep wobbles and punishing bit-crushing effects. Flexible filter routing, a feature-rich mono mode plus legato and glide, are all designed for great depth of control.
• Preset Library - Curve's preset library is a shared online database, providing a constant source of inspirational sound. Public preset sharing allows an ever-increasing number of great presets, public preset voting will help you manage the vast number of sounds, all from within the plugin. Curve ships with an excerpt of this ever-growing sound library. Macro knobs let you explore vast sound variations quickly, for quick access to those parameters that define the core of a sound.
• Elegant Interface - Curve shows you everything important at a glance, featuring high contrasts and a fresh color scheme. Inbuilt MIDI assignment allows you to set up external MIDI controllers quickly.
• Curve Community - Since the first beta of Curve 1.0, the Curve community has steered the synthesizer's future by submitting feature requests, comments and bug reports, and by sharing presets. Curve 2 is the result of our users submitting wishes and uploading great sounds. Big thanks to all of you!"
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
TAL Releases Version 2.0 of U-NO-LX
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Review: Linplug CrX4
Developer: Linplug
Formats: PC (VST) and Mac (VST and AU)
Demo: Audio demos and downloadable demo (emits noise periodically) on Product Page.
Price: $149
One of Linplug's earliest products was the CronoX synth, a ROMpler-type synth that mixed samples and synthesis much in the way the popular ROMplers in the 90's did. Three further revisions and many years later, we have Linplug's latest: CrX4, a radical update that brings this type of synthesis into the 21st century.
WHAT IS IT?
You can think of CrX4 as the Swiss Army knife of sample-based synthesis. Although it has built-in virtual analog oscillators you can use, most of CrX4's sounds come from the manipulation of samples via a number of different specialized sample engines. To be clear, though, this is not a sampler. CrX4 generally works using a single sample versus multi-sampled, round robin, multi-velocity layered super samples. While this sounds restrictive, the different sample engines help you get a lot more mileage out of a single sample than you would imagine.
INSTALLATION
Installation takes place via your run-of-the-mill installer with authorization coming via a simple serial number system.
MANUAL
The manual is a 70-page PDF file downloaded with the synth. It's well-written and quite easy to understand. Although much of the synth will make sense right out of the box if you have a decent grip on subtractive synthesis.
INTERFACE
As we've come to expect from Linplug, the layout of CrX4 is clean, easy-to-read, and logically laid out. As I just mentioned, anyone familiar with subtractive synthesis will feel at home rather quickly with the basic architecture of the synth. CrX4's architecture is based around 4 "Generators" (each of which can be either a VA oscillator, a noise source, or one of three sample engines), 2 multi-mode filters with dedicated envelopes, an AMP envelope, a free MOD envelope, 4 LFO's, a mod matrix, dedicated multi-effects, and an arp/step sequencer that can also work as a mod source. So pretty nicely appointed, then.
Let's start out by examining the different types of Generators. The first of these is the Oscillator Generator. This is not sample-based and uses waveforms familiar to analog synths that are continuously variable between pulse and saw waves, with in-between settings offering a blend of the two. You'll find your standard fine and coarse tunings (or even select for the oscillator not to track the keyboard at all), the option to have your oscillators free-running, or always retriggered, and, very cooly, an aliasing amount knob that allows you to add digital grit to your sounds if you feel like recreating the rough sounds of early sample-based synths like the Ensoniq ESQ-1.
The next Generator is the Noise Generator. Far from just offering a "level" knob, the Noise Generator here has a lowpass filter and a highpass filter (each with independent resonance controls) which can be mixed between using the Mix knob. As you can imagine, even before you hit the synth's main filters, you already have quite a bit of tone-sculpting options. There is also a "rough" button that provides a more gnarly, digital version of noise when the tuning settings are set to low values.
The first of the sample-based Generators is the Time Sampler Generator. This Generator allows you to load a single WAV or AIFF file and alter its length and pitch independently and in real time. The sample can be mapped to the whole keyboard, or just a range if you want to use each Generator in your patch to create a split zone in the keyboard.
Next up is the Wavetable Generator. As you can imagine, this uses the WAV or AIFF you feed it to build a Wavetable like you might find on a Waldorf synth.
Finally, we have the Loop Sampler Generator. This operates more like your standard sampler, allowing you to loop sustaining sounds adjusting sample start, loop start, and loop end, using loop-smoothing, etc.
The Generators all share the same tuning controls, individual volume controls, and filter-routing knobs that allow you to route a Generator to either filter, or a mixture of both. Many of the generators also offer a "spread" parameter that is essentially a "supersaw" unison type effect that does its thing without eating up extra polyphony. The sample-based Generators also have optional waveform displays you can view to visually set loops and the like. The final bit of note is that each set of two Generators can be cross-modulated via AM or FM for some really out there digital sounds.
CrX4's two filters are identical to one another. They each offer lowpass, highpass, bandpass, and band-reject filters in either 12 or 24db versions. The Standard filter allows you to select one of the four filter types, whereas the Free filter makes the transitions between filter types continuously variable, allowing you to blend the characteristics of multiple filter types. Cool! Each filter includes its own saturation setting for dirtying things up, cutoff, resonance, filter type, keyboard tracking amount, envelope amount, velocity amount, and pan settings. You can set the balance between the two filters and use dedicated Edit Menu to copy and paste settings in between filters. You can also select for the filters to run in parallel or serial.
The filters share a dedicated envelope for modulation. These are Attack Hold Decay Sustain Release envelopes. What makes them especially nice is that you can select a slope type for the A, D, and R segments of the envelope allowing you to go from linear to logarithmic curves to allow you to really sculpt the envelope beyond the standard controls.
You'll find the AMP envelope up in the MAIN section which includes a number of global controls. Here you can select oscillator precision, Glide settings, the number of voices, and velocity settings. There is also a Chord Memory function here if you want to store a chord to play back whenever you hit a key.
The MOD envelope has the same design as the others, but can be assigned to modulate any parameter you assign to it in the mod matrix.
The 4 LFO's are identical to one another and are assignable as mod sources via the Mod Matrix. 9 different waveshapes including random are available, as are settings for frequency (syncable, of course), delay, attack, phase, and symmetry to help you further tweak your LFO modulations. The LFOs can be run in either polyphonic or monophonic modes, as well.
The Mod Matrix offers 10 slots with 30 available sources and 56 destinations, so you can see that the modulation possibilities are pretty extensive. Everything operates here are you would expect it to with the source on the left, the destination on the right, and the positive or negative modulation amount in the center.
Next, we round things up with a programmable arpeggiator that can be used in the standard fashion, or as a step sequencer to modulate the destination(s) of your choice. You have up to 32 steps at your disposal and the level of flexibility puts this close to an analog step sequencer depending on how you assign it to modulate.
Finally, everything is sent through the built-in multi-effects which offers bit-crushers, EQ, stereo enhancement, a gater, flanger, reverb, phaser, chorus, 3 types of delay, and a filter. There are six effects slots in all with each group allowing the selection of a certain number of effects. This is more than enough to add polish and depth to your sounds and is flexible enough that plenty of customization is possible. Of course, each of the individual effects have their own range or parameters that can be individually programmed for further customization.
THE VERDICT?
As you can see, Linplug didn't hold back on the features with this synth. With so many synthesis types on offer and such well-thought-out programming features, you'd be forgiven for thinking CrX4 is a difficult synth to come to grips with. On the contrary, thanks to a nicely laid out user interface, CrX4 is quite simple to use once you get yourself up to speed on some of the ins and outs of the different types of generators.
The Sample Generators sound very good and can handle WAV or AIF files up to 24-bit/96k. It's a lot of fun loading in your own material and twisting them beyond recognition. The Waveform Generators are fine for what they are, but honestly, if you're looking for virtual analog type sounds, you'd do better to look elsewhere. I found the waveform generators a bit sterile here. The Aliasing knob is a really nice touch I'd like to see on more synths, though. Really helps to add some interesting dirt.
The filters sound nice, although, again, they're not exactly full of character. This is more apparent with the synth waveforms, though. They seem much more effective on sampled material for whatever reason. Speaking of which, CrX4 ships with over a GB of sample material to get you started. While there are some acoustic/"real" instrument sounds, most of the sounds are decidedly synthetic and digital. I like this, personally. Too many sample-based synths try to be all things to all people and you often end up with a boring selection of the same old sounds every other workstation has.
As you might expect for a synth of this type, it really excels at pads, effects, and evolving sounds. It's a lot of fun time-stretching a bunch of sounds beyond recognition and setting them off one another. The built-in effects are also really nice sounding and can do a lot to bring sounds to life. CrX4 is less successful for bass type sounds. There are some nice ones, to be sure, but the overall tone of CrX4 seems to be biased more towards the highs and high mids than the low end. As such, it's a synth that cuts through a mix very well.
If you are looking for a synth that offers some interesting, unique textures and loads of programmability, you should definitely give CrX4 a spin. In an age where so many manufacturers are laser-focused on recreating analog sounds, it's kind of refreshing to play an instrument that wears its digital sheen with pride! [8/10]
Thursday, September 13, 2012
D16 Group Announces Imminent Release of LuSH-101
LuSH-101 uses the basic architecture of the 101 and expands on it from there adding an extra envelope and LFO, a Unison mode, built-in FX, and an 8 layer set-up that allows you to build seriously big sounds with 8 layers, or control each layer independently. A specific release date and price have yet to be announced, but it appears that our long wait is about to end.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Linplug Releases CRX4 Softsynth
- Filter saturation can be modulated
- Loaded loop sampler presets have samples now loaded successively (no gaps)
- Filter may be routed in serial or parallel
- LFO's speed can be modulated
- Up to 4 loop samplers
- Invisible, automatic master limiter
- Envelopes switchable between ADSFR and AHDSR mode
- Envelopes shape now individually adjustable for every phase
- Switchable MIDI Program/bank change (may be disabled in setup)
- Chorus now with invert switch
- Oscillators can be run up to +12 dB now
- Oscillators allow +-5 octave pitch modulation now (+-3 or -2/+5 before)
- Oscillator FM and AM now with much wider range (more intensity)
- Oscillator balance can be modulated
- All-on-one-edit-page design
- Larger sample display
- Extended envelope parameter modulation (sustain, hold)
- LFO frequency range up to 275 Hz
- New LFO waveforms (impulse, peak and random pulse)
- LFO one-shot mode
- Symmetry now working for LFO Noise too
- New noise oscillator with double filter, pitching and cross modulation
- Reworked oscillator with variable aliasing (thus compatible with CronoX 2 and 3).
- Switchable CronoX 2 sound compatibility (automatically on loading CronoX 2 presets).
- Editing functions (typically load, save, copy, paste and init for many modules)
- All sample content comes now in WAV format (for easier processing outside CrX4)
- New preset browser with full size bank or patch view
- MIDI-CC indicators next to preset name
- About 300 reworked CronoX 3 presets + about 200 new presets
CRX4 retails for $149. Or, upgrade from ChronoX 2 or 3 for $29.
Monday, August 27, 2012
U-he Updates Diva and Zebra
- • Installers now ready for Mountain Lion
- • Junk and Favourite files now recognize Windows-type line breaks
- • Zebrify: fixed mono/left/right modes
- • Symbolic links can no longer create endless loops
- • Fixed microtuning (.TUN) file related crash
- • Diva: fixed Tune modulation
- • Fixed info text bug while saving in Windows VST
- • Zebra: fixed hanging notes while switching presets
- • Fixed "silent synth" in large Win64 projects
- • Diva: fixed crash / silent voices while tweaking cutoff
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
