Tone2 Releases Firebird 2 for Free

As a thank you to their customers, Tone2 has re-released their first synth, Firebird, in a new version and made it absolutely free.  Firebird was the precursor to Gladiator and includes early incarnations of some of the same tech.  Unfortunately for Mac users, this one is Windows-only.   Here's what they have to say about it:

New features and enhancements: - Enhanced sound: Less aggressive treble, more smooth - Ultra quality is selected by default - Lower CPU because of SSE2 support - Faster loading and saving of songs - Smart installer which automatically detects the correct location - Enhanced host compatibility - Accidentally visiting the website by clicking on the logos is not longer possible - Reworked some graphics - First patch was clipping in some hosts Changes: - The product is now freeware - Keyfile is not longer required - Iqm is switched to off by default Further notes: - V2.0 is downward compatible with previous versions - CPU can reduced by selecting a lower quality in 'setup' - For technical reasons there will be no 64 bit or Mac version - You're allowed to share Firebird2 with all your friends - If you like Firebird please support us by buying other Tone2 products

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]

Tone2 Releases Gladiator 2.4

Tone2 have released version 2.4 of their awesome Gladiator 2 synth.  For those unfamiliar with it, Gladiator 2 uses what Tone2 refers to as "Harmonic Content Morphing" Synthesis. HCM allows extensive manipulation of waveform spectra by mathematically combining it in various ways.  The end result kind of sounds like a wavetable synth taken to the 100th degree.

Here's what the update includes:

• 64-bit compatible for Mac VST and AU & PC Standalone
• Improved, easier registration
• Recorded graphics for improved response
• Various minor bug fixes and minor improvements.

Tone2 Releases Analog Soundset for Saurus

A few months ago, I reviewed Tone2's latest release, Saurus, a softsynth aimed at reproducing vintage analog timbres.  While I thought it was a great synth that could sound vintage, the sounds it ships with don't all do a very good job of showing that off.

Here to fix that problem is a brand new soundset for Saurus called, appropriately enough, "Analog".  From the sound of the audio demos, it sounds like this set does a much better job of showing off what Saurus is truly capable of.  The soundset consists of 214 sounds and sells for $49.

Tone2 Updates AkustiX to 1.1

Tone2 has updated their AkustiX Enhancer to version 1.1.  AkustiX is a mutli-effect designed to compliment the process of mixing and mastering with EQ, stereo width, phase enhancer, multi-exciter, and "smart filter" effects.  The new version boasts improved sound quality, reduced latency, 64-bit versions for Mac, and more.  Tone2 is available for Windows (VST) or Mac (AU/VST) for $59.  The update is free to registered users.

Review: Tone2 Saurus

Product: Saurus Analog Synth
Developer: Tone2
Format: PC (VST) and Mac (VST and AU)
Price: $119
Demo: Audio demos and Downloadable Demo 

Saurus is the newest release from German software developers Tone2.  This time out, their aim is to reproduce the analog sound of classic synths in an easy to program environment and without a lot of CPU overhead.  Let's have a look!

INSTALLATION
Installation and authorization is as simple as downloading the installer and locating the key file you're issued when you purchase Saurus.  Once you've done that, so long as you don't move or delete the key file, you're good to go!

DOCUMENTATION
Documentation comes via a concise, but thorough PDF manual.  No complaints here.

INTERFACE
As you might expect, the interface of Saurus is made to look like the lovely knob-laden vintage synths, right down to the dust rendered on the keyboard (a nice touch).  Everything is easy to read and clearly laid out and should be more or less immediately familiar to anyone with a background in subtractive synthesis.

The top left of the interface hosts the patch browser.  Here you can increment sound by sound, select sounds from a drop-down menu, switch banks (which are organized by category), initialize sounds (or just the arpeggiator or mod matrix.  You can also load sounds manually from another drive here.

Below this, you'll find the oscillator section.  Saurus's voice structure consists of 2 analog modeled osciallators, each with it's own dedicated sub oscillator.  All of the expected classic analog waves are found here in addition to some variations similar to some of the waves on the Roland Alpha Juno synths.  The main oscillators include pulse width controls, and the ability to use hard sync or ring modulate.  Additionally, there are the F/A Noise controls.  These allow you to create noisy timbres using FM or AM.  Unfortunately, there is no proper white noise generator on Saurus.  While the FM and AM can get close, the noise that results from these processes sounds a bit more like the digital noise produced by old video game chips.  Cool, but not a substitute for the real deal. [EDIT: Actually, there turns out to be a white noise generator, but it's only accessible from the modulation matrix.  This is very unintuitive and unnecessarily complicated.  A dedicated knob, please.]   In addition to tuning and mixing controls for the oscillators, there is a button to activate the analog drift to simulate the imperfections of analog oscillators.  I'd have preferred an amount knob here to let me control the amount of drift, as it seems a bit subtle at its current setting.

Saurus is equipped with a single multi-mode filter featuring 12 and 24db variations on lowpass, bandpass, and highpass filters.  The expected cutoff, resonance, key and envelope amounts are all here in addition to a drive effect for dirtying up sounds, filter FM, a feedback control, and a dedicated ADSR filter envelope.

There are additional ADSR envelopes for amplitude and an aux envelope for modulating the parameters of your choice. The amplitude envelope section also includes all the voicing controls allowing you to select mono and poly modes, glide, and controls allowing for 2 or 4 times unison with spread control.

Two LFOs are available for modulation purposes including all the standard analog waveforms, phase and frequency controls, as well as an option to sync to note values of the host DAW.

The arpeggiator/step sequencer shares a window with the modulation matrix.  You can switch between them easily using tabs.  The arpeggiator (which can be used as a modulation source) is fully featured and easy to program.  Lots of fun to play with and really more like a step sequencer than a lowly arp (although it does that job well, too).  The mod matrix provides tons of sources and destinations making this a mod freak's dream. A total of 15 slots split across 3 tabs are available, meaning you aren't likely to run out.

Finally, Saurus is equipped with a simple effects section providing chorus, reverb, delay, and tube effects.

I really have to hand it to Tone2 here, as they've managed to find a very nice balance between lots of sound sculpting options and simplicity.  While I never would've recommended a synth like Gladiator 2 to a beginner, Saurus is much easier to pick up and logically laid-out.

IN USE
I have to admit that when I first started going through the presets, my first thought was, "Well, this definitely sounds like a Tone2 synth."  Now, I happen to be a fan of their previous instruments, so that's definitely a compliment.  What I wasn't hearing, though, was that analog vibe that they had sought out to replicate.  On the contrary, many of the sounds sounded like standard virtual analog to my ears.

It wasn't until I really spent some time with the synth that it's analog nature started to reveal itself. This is a synth that is very capable of creating convincing analog emulations, but it can also go beyond that, and unfortunately for Tone2, I think more of their presets fall into this "beyond" category than do the convincing analog sound.  Don't get me wrong, the non-analog sounding patches sound fantastic, but I think it would've been a wiser decision to restrict the factory presets to sounds that really pop out as sounding vintage versus stuff more akin to a Virus.

The filter of Saurus is the real star of the show in my opinion.  The lowpass filter in particular has the nasty screeching quality the MS-20 had and the drive can really beef up the synth's sound.    The oscillators sound good, although they still sound a bit too perfect to my ears.  There is a "living" quality to the oscillators in FXpansion's Strobe or u-he's DIVA that I'm just not hearing here.  Maybe a little more control over the amount of imperfection would be helpful here.

The modulation capabilities are really generous and open up lots of fun possibilities for eager programmers.  Effects are simple, but sound good and can really add some dimension to sounds.  It might be nice to see some more vintage type effects here like a phaser or a spring reverb.  A simple EQ might be nice too, as I sometimes felt the sounds could use a little more low-end warmth.

Soundwise, it's difficult to compare Saurus to classic instruments.  It certainly can pull off Alpha Juno sounds convincingly.  It can do vaguely Moog-y and ARP-y sounds, but overall Saurus kind of has it's own sonic identity.  I should also mention that Saurus has quite modest CPU requirements, so if something like DIVA brings your computer to its knees, this'll likely work better for you.

THE VERDICT
Saurus is proof that your first impressions aren't always correct.  The abundance of modern sounding presets Saurus ships with mislead me to think this was just another bog standard virtual analog. If you know what you're doing, though, you'll find there are lots of convincing analog tones in here waiting to be discovered.  So how does it compare to other contenders such as Strobe or DIVA?  I'd say it's not quite at the level of those two, but it's damn good, cheaper than either of those, and less of a hit to the CPU.    If you just want a preset machine that is going to give you tons of vintage tones, you might consider looking elsewhere, but if you like to program your own sounds, you should definitely give them demo a spin.  It's a lot of fun to program! [8/10]

Tone2 Announces "Saurus"

Tone2 has announced their next product, Saurus, which appears to be an analog-style softsynth. No other info is available at the moment, aside from the fact that they say it will be released "soon". As always, I'll try and get a review up for it when it comes out.

Review: Tone2 AkustiX

Product: AcustiX Audio Enhancer

Developer: Tone2

Format: 32 and 64-bit VST and standalone for PC. VST and AU for Mac.

Demo: Demo version (which shuts down after ten minutes of use) on the product page.

Price: $79

Tone2 have made quite a name for themselves with their excellent Gladiator 2, ElectraX, and other synths, but this time out, they've switched things up a bit and presented us with AkustiX, an effect plug-in they describe as an "audio enhancer" designed to help give your mix a more polished sound.

INSTALLATION

Installation of AkustiX comes via a download and standard installer. Once your plug-in is installed, you locate a keyfile you received with your order, and you're good to go!

DOCUMENTATION

The manual for AkustiX comes via a 16-page PDF (only 9 of which contain the actual information). It describes the functions of each portion fairly well, although it could probably stand to go a bit in-depth. Most of the functions are relatively easy to figure out just via experimentation, though, so this isn't a huge deal.

INTERFACE

The overall look of AkustiX is very similar to Gladiator 2's with a dark background and a blue preset display, offset with orange and grey elements. All of the controls are nicely sized and labels are easy to read.

The Browser is found in the top left portion of the interface, allowing easy navigation through the presets, file operations (saving/loading presets and banks), and a bypass switch that allows you to A/B the effected and dry signal. A volume control is also found here.

Immediately to the right of that is the first effect block, called the Psycho EQ. This is basically a dynamic EQ that boosts and EQs frequencies in a non-linear way that is supposed to mimic the way human hearing works. The end result is supposed to be a signal that sounds louder without necessarily being all that much louder. There are four controls here: Dynamic Fatbass, Loudness Mix, Loudness Bassboost, and Tone. Dynamic Fatbass is essentially a bass enhancer designed to make a signal sound louder by boosting its bass. It sounds very nice on individual bass and kick tracks, but I found it to get a bit muddy with full mixes unless you're extremely subtle. The Loudness Mix and Loudness Bassboost are made to work together where Loudness Mix controls the overall wet/dry mix of the loudness effect, whereas the Loudness Bassboost specifically controls the bass levels. This was a bit more effective on full mixes, as it allows you to keep the low end a bit more under control. The Tone knob is a simple control for adjusting the overall tonal balance of the signal, allowing you to brighten or muffle the sound as needed. A little bit goes a long way.

On the next row of controls down, you'll find the Ultra Stereo effect, which is divided into Virtual Surround and Silky Surround controls. The Ultra Stereo section is intended to alter the perceived spaciousness and distance of the mix and can also be used to "stereoize" mono mixes. The Virtual Surround parameter allows you to add a decent sense of space so long as you don't over-do it. On the other hand, I found the Silky Surround to be anything but. It tended to destroy the punch in drums and added a strange, almost mechanical/metallic quality to audio at higher settings.

Next to this is the Phase Enhance, which has two controls, Lazer Punch and Diffuse Cream. While these effects are intended to "mask non-lineararities in loudspeakers and simulate a more natural dispersion of sound, I didn't find them terribly useful. Lazer Punch is supposed to add an "analog" type punch to signals, but to my ears, it just adds a chirpy quality to attacks (much like a laser sound effect). I didn't find it to sound particularly analog, nor did I think it added much punch. A good sound design tool for psy-trance kick drums? Absolutely. Useful for adding punch to a whole mix? Not so much. The Diffuse Cream is supposed to add a "soft, silky" analog quality to your mix, but I just found that it sucked all the life out of everything I used it on. It might be good on individual pad or string tracks (or anything without much of a fast attack), but I thought it sounded awful on full mixes.

Next to this is the Multi Exciter. This is similar in function to other audio exciters that are intended to add brightness and sparkle to whatever you feed through it. The controls here are a Mix control (for setting the wet/dry mix of the effect), and a Frequency control for setting the frequency the exciter does its thing on. I'll be honest, I couldn't notice much difference with this effect applied even with the Mix knob cranked. Sweeping through the Frequency control didn't achieve much audible difference except at the very low end, where it introduced an odd "rattling/sizzling" to high frequency sounds.

On the very right of this row, you'll find the Smart Filter, which is tasked with adding clarity and openess to your mix. It features a Clarity Enhance knob, which is the parameter for adding this clarity. At lower settings, this adds a subtle bit of crispness to high frequency elements, but at anything over 50%, I once again got the sizzling artifacts and the transients sound smeared. The Noise Reduction is decent enough for basic noise reduction duties and at extreme settings, could be used for some interesting sound design as it adds a bit of a digital warping sound.

On the bottom row is the Stereo Enhance section, which uses the old trick of delaying one side of an audio signal by a small amount to produce an exaggerated stereo field. What makes this one special is that it is multi-band, allowing you to dial in different settings for your low, mid, and high frequencies. Each band consists of a Gain, Widener, and Delay control. If you've got a pretty well-arranged track, this works pretty nicely. It's more subtle than the Ultra Stereo effect, and the control by frequency band allows you to use it on a full mix without widening bits you don't want to widen. Only the mid band has a frequency control. It would be nice to add this control for the low-end and high-end as well, to allow users to get a bit more precise. There is also a Mono button for checking mono compatibility.

Finally, we have the generously-sized Display section which gives you a real time look at the frequency or phase of the effected signal, depending on which mode it is in. My only real complaint here is that it ceases to function when the effect is in bypass mode. It would be nice, since this section doesn't effect the sound quality, if it were to still remain active in bypass so users can compare the dry and effected signal.

IN USE

While Tone2 seems to intend for AkustiX to be used on full mixes, I found it was hard to get results that sounded great across the entire mix. While a parameter might sound nice on the high end, for example, it may at the same time, mess up the low-end. Indeed, I found most of the presets to sound pretty lousy on most of the mixes I fed it. Dialing in more subtle settings can help tame things a bit, but I still don't think that's where the strength of this plug-in lies. On individual tracks, I found AkustiX much more useful. Effects that might have ruined the transients of drum and bass sounds, often sounded great on an individual pad or string sound track, for instance.

Aside from some of the oddities mentioned previously, there are audio artifacts when turning the knobs (a bit similar to the clicking/sizzling sound). These aren't a deal breaker, but are a bit unpleasant to listen to. Granted, this isn't the type of effect you're likely to tweak in real time onstage, but as you're trying to dial in settings in the studio, it can be a little distracting.

One feature I think would be immensely useful for AkustiX is an overall Wet/Dry knob to set the level of all the effects at the same time. As this is a plug-in that works best when used subtly, such a control would be a nice addition.

Overall, AkustiX is a mixed bag. Tone2 obviously have the interface pretty well sussed out. It's easy to figure out and unless you want to know the technical explanation of how each effect is working, you probably won't need to crack the manual if you're familiar with plug-ins in general. As a general sound-shaping tool for individual tracks, AkustiX isn't bad, but in all my experimenting, nothing jumped out at me as something I HAD to have. And in some instances, I didn't find certain effects to be pleasing no matter what I did with them. Your mileage may vary, so the best bet is to download the demo and give it spin yourself. As an overall mastering/mixing tool for full mixes... well, it's certainly cheaper than many other plug-ins aimed at the same purpose, but one could argue you get what you pay for and mastering certainly isn't an area where you want to skimp, in my opinion. [6/10]

Tone2 Introduces AkustiX Enhancer

Tone2 has released AkustiX, an enhancer plug-in for Mac and PC.  Here's what they have to say:

"AkustiX Enhancer is available now! It’s a collection of six essential enhancement tools combined into one intuitive user interface.  Ideal for tracks as well as full mixes AkustiX features six powerful effects: Psycho EQ, Ultra Stereo, Phase Enhance, Multi Exciter, Smart Filter and Stereo Width. Each effect is based on the latest developments in research and offers multiple ways to enhance the sound of your recordings drastically by using psycho-acoustic processing. "

Review: Tone2 ElectraX

Product: ElectraX softsynth

Developer: Tone2

Formats:
PC: Windows XP, Windows Vista 32 bit or 64 bit, Windows 7 32 bit or 64 bit, Windows ME; Intel Pentium4 compatible CPU with at least 800 Mhz; 512 MB RAM
Mac: Mac OSX 10.4 or higher; G4, G5 or Intel Mac with at least 800 Mhz; 512 MB RAM

Demo: Audio Demo, Fully functional trial demo with time limits.

Price: ElectraX $199, Voltage! Expansion Soundset $49

Two years ago around this time, I did a review of Tone2's flagship synth Gladiator 2. It was (and still is) a fantastic and deep synth that was perhaps hampered a bit by a cluttered, almost haphazard user interface. Ever since then, I was curious to see what Tone2 would do next in the synth scene. That answer came late last fall when they released ElectraX. Though I'm a bit late to the table with this review, I wanted to make sure I gave it a spin. So let's check it out. (Note that Tone2 was generous enough to include their new Voltage! Expansion Soundset with the review materials, but since I run a patch programming business, I'll recuse myself from comment there. Suffice it to say if you like the presets Elextra ship with, you'll probably like these. Check out the demo on the webpage.

WHAT IS IT?

In a word, ElectraX can be described as a Supersynth without being hyperbolic. Imagine an architecture with three oscillators with sync and FM capabilities, 2 freely configurable filters with 23 choices of filter apiece, 4 envelopes, 3 LFOs, a step sequencer (here called the Step LFO), a flexible mod matrix, an arpeggiator and an insert effect. Now take that architecture and quadruple it. So each sound in ElextraX can be made up of essentially 4 entire synths layered/split however you like. This would be impressive itself, but when you realize that each oscillator of those synths can be assigned to Virtual Analog, Sample Playback, Wavetable, Supersaw, and Noise/Fractal modes, you can see the possibilities expanding still further. Add another effect slot at the Master level, and you have ElectraX in a nutshell.

INSTALLATION

Installation is fairly straightforward. When you buy ElectraX, you receive an installer that is watermarked with your identity, as well as a keyfile ElectraX will look for upon start-up. With the installer run and the keyfile moved to the appropriate folder, you're good to go. You can have installations on multiple machines as well.

INTERFACE

First of all, all fears that a synth this complex would have a nightmarishly cluttered interface can be laid to rest. Tone2 has come a long way when it comes to interface design and I can report that this is a much more organized and pleasant to program synth than Gladiator 2. Tabs are used to select displays for items with multiple versions (ie envelopes, LFOs), and the layout follows the signal flow in a much more logical way. The interface also fits on my 13" laptop screen which was an issue with Gladiator 2 when I reviewed it. Multiple skins are selectable to not only allow customization, but to provide a quick and easy way to differentiate between the 4 synth engines within a patch.

If I may make one gripe, before I get into the details, there is one thing that bugs me about this interface. On the white skin, buttons that are selected go from a solid charcoal color to a light grey. While I understand this is meant to signify the button lighting up, I think most people are used to interfaces where light grey indicates something that is off or unselectable, while the darker, more solid options are on or selectable. This isn't a huge deal, but it's a bit confusing at first and sort of flies in the face of usual interface design.

On to the interface itself. The top level of the interface contains the items that make up the simple view of the interface (selectable via the EDIT button). This includes a browser that divides sounds into folders based on categories, Next Sound/Previous Sound arrows, a heart button that allows you to highlight sounds you really like in their own special folder, and the file menu which allows loading and saving options, among others.

In the center, is a window for quickly altering the instrument's volume, a simple 3-band EQ for sculpting the overall tone of a sound, and a modwheel knob, useful mainly as visual feedback when the modwheel is being engaged. You'll also find the HELP button which contains direct links to Tone2 as well as MIDI mapping of knobs, and the edit button which closes or expands the interface from simple to full view.

At the top right, you'll find the Master effect slot with selectable Mix level and various options for the Reverb Hall, Reverb Cathedral, Reverb Room, Delay, Delay Band, Ping Pong, Multitap, Chorus, Ensemble, Flanger, Phaser, Rotary, Trancegate, Compressor, Amp Sim, EQ, Surround Encode, and Vocoder effects available.

Below this basic level, you'll find the sound sculpting guts themselves. The oscillator section is the heart of this. You can select any of the four built-in synths and turn them on or off freely. Each of these contains controls for octave, interval, fine tuning against the other oscillators, as well as a Tone control, which allows you to dial in an overall brighter or duller version of the waveform to taste. In between the three oscillators, you'll find buttons allowing hard sync between oscillator 1 & 2 or oscillator 2 & 3, as well as knobs for FM level for FM effects between oscillator 1 & 2 or oscillator 2 & 3. There are also pulse width knobs that perform slightly different functions according to which synth engine you're using.

The center section is where you assign each oscillator to the Virtual Analog, Ultrasaw, Noise/Fractal, Sample Playback, or Wavetable modes. You can set each oscillator to be either free-running, or to start a particular part of the wavecycle (important for punchy sounds like synth drums, and some basses), as well as get some visual feedback as to how the waveshape changes as you're altering it. Along the top of this section, you can also set key ranges for each synth, so you have flexibility as to how you use those engines. You could layer all 4 synths for monster leads, or you could split the keyboard into four different sounds for use when performing live, etc.

The mix knobs for each oscillator allows the user to select how much of each will be routed to the 2 filters. Serial, parallel, and other combinations are easy to set up this way. Each of the two filters provides controls for cutoff, resonance, drive (with selectable Tube, Soft, Fuzz, Asym, Crusher, and Shaper modes), envelope and key amounts, and a selection of 19 filters ranging from multiple slope lowpass, highpass, and bandpass filters, to EQs, to more esoteric options like comb and vowel filters. Pan and volume controls are available, as is an "Analog" mode said to give the filters a less stable, more organic sound, and a ring modulator allowing you to make all sorts of crazy Dr. Who sounds and beyond.

The bottom part of the interface is devoted to the modulation portion of the synth. Here you'll find a nicely-appointed arpeggiator, a settings section that allows you to set, for instance the polyphony mode, playback quality, velocity mapping, between patch copy and paste options, as well as some nice INIT modes that will start you out with a basic sound of the specific type you're looking to make (ie Subtractive Monosynth, FM, Sync, etc.). This section promises to provide a patch randomizer in a future version, but this is not yet implemented. A shame, as Gladiator 2's randomization is one of the best I've used in terms of getting musically useful results. Hopefully the random version here will be the same or better.

To the right of this, you'll find the insert effect, which is applied to each separate synth. The same options for the Master Effects are available here.

At the very bottom, you'll find tabbed displays for the 4 envelopes, the 4 LFOs (3 normal, 1 step LFO/sequencer), and the two pages of modulation slots. Just about any modulation control you might expect is available to modulate pretty much any destinaton you like. Setting up modulation is as simple as selecting a source, a destination, and an amount. 2 tabs with 5 slots each give you 10 overall slots for whatever modulation madness you care to do. I WOULD like to see audio signals themselves available as modulation sources in a future version, as this would allow for some pretty "out there" sounds.

Now multiply what I just said by four.

IN USE

As you might expect, a synth with such a mighty architecture is capable of some massive sounds. From thick, ultrafat monosynths, to complex, evolving arps, vocoder drum beats, multi-layered sequences, digital pads, massive tranceleads and everything in between, this is an insanely flexible instrument. The truth is, even sounds using only 1 of the patches built-in synths can yield convincing, solid sounds, so you may find for every day applications, using all 4 separate synths to be overkill.

The overall sound of ElectraX is bright, punchy, and undeniably modern. While ElectraX is capable of "vintage" type sounds as well, this isn't its forte. This is virtual analog (among many other forms of synthesis) with an eye on the future and the clean, present sound you'd expect from that. WIth that quality comes a price, and if you're using the ultra-high quality mode, that price comes in the form of CPU load, especially if you're playing big chords. All things considered, the CPU use isn't as high as you'd expect considering its featureset, and honestly, many sounds will sound just fine at lower quality levels should you need to save processing cycles.

Although ElectraX is a brand new instrument, you can easily see how its been built upon the foundation of Tone2's previous products. Areas that were weak on Gladiator 2 have been renovated and retooled, what worked has been kept, and whole new levels of flexibility have been opened up. If you're looking for a great "do everything" synth, this would be a great place to start, especially given the price to feature ratio. [9/10]

16 Free Gladiator 2 Patches from Waveformless

"Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?" - Airplane

What does this have to do with anything? Nothing, really. I just love that movie. At any rate, today I am happy to offer you 16 free patches for Tone2's excellent Gladiator 2 softsynth.

Use them and distribute them as you like. All I ask is that you not try to sell them, and that if you upload them or pass them on to your friends, that you let them know about Waveformless. Enjoy!

GO GET THEM!

Sound Design with Gladiator 2: HCM Synthesis Explained

Mark Mosher from Modulate This! gives an overview of Tone2's excellent Gladiator Synth. (Read my review of of Gladiator 2 here.)

Review: Tone2 Gladiator 2

Product: Gladiator 2
Manufacturer: Tone2
Type: AU/VST synthesizer
Support: http://www.tone2.com/html/tone2_support_help_contact.html
Platforms: VST for Windows 95 or later, VST & AU for OSX 10.3 or later.
Price: $199
Demo: Available at http://www.tone2.com/html/gladiator_2_vsti_au_synthesize.html

Although Tone 2 isn’t exactly a household name in the world of music software, you are probably familiar with their work, as they were the brains behind the ubiquitous Vanguard softsynth released by ReFX a few years ago. Part of the appeal of that synth was its ease of use, but with that ease of use came a lack of flexibility that might be frustrating to hardcore sound designers. Anyone who felt that frustration with Vanguard would do well to check out Tone2’s latest creation Gladiator 2.

I somehow missed the first incarnation of this synth, so I can’t really comment too much on how the new version differs in use, but there is a PDF file that comes with it explaining what has been updated. In brief, the updates include new waveforms, higher quality over-sampling , improved filters, additional unison modes, new effects, improved modulation capabilities, and more.

INSTALLATION
After running a standard installer, you copy a key-file sent to you by Tone2 to your plug-ins folder and you’re ready to rock. It doesn’t get much more simple than that. Hooray for no dongles!

THE MANUAL
Gladiator 2 comes with a very thorough PDF manual that not only explains the functionality of the synth very well, but even includes a number of tutorials to guide you through using the different functions. I think this is the best way to learn a new synth, so I applaud their inclusion. Although I will note that in the Welcome Tutorial, they instruct you to use the ‘Spec Formant’ modifier on a waveform and, at least on my machine, that resulted in no sound whatsoever. Actually, going through the presets, it appears that I don’t get any sound out of any patch using the Spec Formant modifier. A bug perhaps?

SO WHAT IS IT?
Gladiator 2 uses a kind of synthesis Tone2 has dubbed HCM synthesis, which stands for Harmonic Content Morphing. A bit similar to wavetable synthesis, each waveform in Gladiator 2 is actually a series of harmonic ‘snapshots’ that can be played back in varying orders and patterns. If you think of how a note on an acoustic instrument sounds, you’ll realize the initial attack is usually very bright, and the harmonic content of the sound evolves as the note decays. HCM attempts to mimic this and apply it to synthetic sounds (although it can do acoustic sounds, this is definitely not its strength). The result can be anything from a subtle, organic-sounding harmonic shift to more radical, artificial-sounding rhythmic loops and wavetable effects reminiscent of the PPG or Waldorf Microwave synths.

THE INTERFACE
Gladiator 2 is a seriously deep synth, but rather than hide everything behind heaps of menus or pages, Tone 2 manages to fit everything all on a single page. The layout takes a little getting used to, but once you have a feel for where everything is, it’s quite logical and easy to navigate. It is big, though. So big, in fact, that when I tried to use it on my 15” Macbook, it didn’t fit on the screen. Perhaps the addition of a scroll bar or something to the interface for people using smaller screens might be a nice addition. As it is now, there was no way for me to see or reach the parameters at the bottom inch or so. That said, let’s have a look at what’s on offer.

At the very top of the interface is the category and preset browser. These work about as you would expect and helpfully include an INIT button to initialize a new sound and a RANDOM button for generating random sounds as starting points to your own programs. The results from this are generally quite good, although occasionally they resulted in either no sound at all, or dangerously loud sounds (the manual recommends inserting a brick-wall limiter on the Gladiator 2 channel when you are using the RANDOM function). Next to this are settings for volume, quality (for setting the amount of oversampling to prevent aliasing), FX MIX, and Microtuning (which slightly detunes notes in a chord for a fatter and clearer sound). There is also a HELP button here, but all it does is bring up a window telling you where the manual is. This seems rather pointless to me. If you’re going to have a HELP button, it should bring up in-program help or at least automatically open the manual.

This is all you see when you first open Gladiator 2, so if you want to get into making your own sounds, you need to hit the EDIT button which opens the rest of the interface allowing you access to all the sound programming controls.

Gladiator 2’s architecture is based around 2 pairs of waveform oscillators and a 5th oscillator for various types of noise and attack transients (a very nice touch). The waveforms (or more accurately wavetables… Tone2 calls them ‘morphtables’) range from your standard basic synth waveforms to vocals, pianos, strings, guitars, percussion and all manner of other acoustic and synthetic sources. From here, you can apply any of dozens of ‘modifiers’ which alter the harmonic spectra of the morphtable. There are far too many modifiers for me to list here, but suffice it to say that these can do anything from slight variations on the original timbre to all out sonic mangling. Just this ability alone expands the timbral possibilities nearly infinitely. Still more variety is available via a number of different options for combining the oscillators within a pair. Of course you can simply mix them, as on a standard synth, but you can also have them combine only the odd harmonics of one wave with the even harmonics of another and a number of other less conventional methods. Cross-modulating with FM and AM is also available.

Next up are controls for the MORPHMODE, which effects how the MORPHTABLES play back and how much of the MORPHTABLE plays back. Everything from playing through one to all manner of looping back and forth are available here. You may also notice two buttons marked RESYNTHESIS and VOCODER. At the moment these do nothing, but apparently, they are to eventually become available as paid “expansions”. There’s been a lot of controversy about this online and I have to say I agree with the general consensus that one shouldn’t have to pay to add functionality to a synth they already paid for. Either include it as standard, or don’t.

Below the standard PITCH and MIX settings, you’ll find OSCILLATOR 5. As mentioned previously, this is a specialized oscillator for playing back various types of noise (everything from standard WHITE, PINK, and BROWN to human breath, applause, water, etc.) and attack transients (including acoustic sounds like guitar picks or piano hammers to synthetic laser blips for adding attack to synth basses). This oscillator is much more basic than the others and lacks the MODIFIERS, but they really aren’t needed here.

Everything is then routed on to the FILTER. Although there is only one filter, there are over 40 different varieties to choose from standard low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass variations to vowel filters, comb filters, filter FM and all manner of other goodies. The filters all sound excellent and impart a lot of character to the sounds. They’re also extremely fast and tight (when was the last time you played a synth with a 30 or 40db filter?!) The filter envelope is located here along with controls for altering the shape (logarithmic/exponential), key following, and velocity modulation. The velocity control was a bit confusing to me as even when set on its maximum, it doesn’t modulate the cutoff very much. This can be remedied by setting up velocity to modulate the filter in the MODULATION MATRIX, but it seems to defeat the purpose of having a VEL knob on the filter.

Below the filters we find the AMPLITUDE ENVELOPE (pretty standard) and settings for DISTORTION (7 different varieties), tempo-synced delay, EQ and two effects slots which each offer several varieties of reverb, delay, chorus/ensemble, filters, distortion, and more. The quality of the effects are excellent, but don’t offer a lot in terms of programmability (only 2 parameters per effect). However, there is enough variety among the effects offered, that it is unlikely to make you feel like your hands are tied, and of course you can always apply external effects.

Under the effects section, are the 2 LFOs and AUX ENVELOPES (selectable using tabs) to use as modulation sources. The AUX ENVELOPES are pretty standard, but the LFOs are more flexible than usual, offering all the conventional shapes along with rhythmic patterns and more esoteric selections.

For rhythmic patterns, however, you are better off using the STEP LFO located below the standard LFOs. This is essentially a basic 16 step analog sequencer where you shape the LFO by sliding each step up or down until you have created the pattern you desire. This allows for the popular trance gate effects, but with much more flexibility (even allowing you to choose the ‘shape’ of the steps).

At the very bottom is a section for UNISON and SPIRIT MODE. UNISON acts about as you would expect, stacking several detuned voices at once for a bigger, thicker sound. SPIRIT MODE is Tone 2’s attempt to emulate the nonlinearities of pitch one might find on a vintage analog. 19 different variations are available, each one affecting the sound in a different way.

Next door to this, we find the ARP, although merely calling it an arpeggiator really sells it short. It is, for all practical purposes, an analog sequencer allowing you to define pitch intervals, velocity levels, and slides in between steps. It’s a lot of fun to play with and is dead easy to use.

Next to the ARP is a small window for setting the range of the pitch wheel, and GLIDE settings if you want them.

Finally, we have the MODULATION MATRIX which has 12 slots divided over two tabs. This works pretty much as one would expect and provides enough sources and destinations to keep any programmer happy.

SO WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
It didn’t take long for Gladiator 2 to become one of my favorite softsynths. The presets are mostly trance-oriented, but this synth is so much more than that. The sheer depth of possibilities for sound design contained in the oscillator sections alone are mind-blowing and the innovation and originality of some of the ways you can alter your sounds is something you’re not going to find in too many other synths.

Because of some of its more unconventional features, it can take a little while to get up and running with Gladiator 2, but honestly, for me, experimenting and playing around with all the various modifiers to see how they would effect the sound was half of the fun. And as I mentioned before, the manual is very well-written and helpful in getting you up to speed.

If you’re looking for a virtual analog type synth, you are going to be hard pressed to find one that sounds better than this, and with the ability to do AM, FM, Phase Distortion, and wavetable type sounds, you’re also not likely to find a synth this flexible. Some of the preset sounds suffer from the same over-brightness that plagued Vanguard, but that doesn’t seem to be across the board fortunately. At the moment, Gladiator 2 seems to be a bit of a best kept secret, but I don’t expect that to be the case for long. This deserves to be every bit as popular as Vanguard, if not moreso.

Here is a demo I threw together in about 20 minutes using only factory presets and a drum loop. No external effects, compression, or EQ was used – just the sounds coming straight out of the instrument.