By lightninrick
On 7th September 2008 Version: 5.12 Read all reviews by lightninrick
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Stability | Wusikstation is an intriguing product. It is by far the most rapidly evolving synth I own--it seems like hardly a day goes by without a message from William K, the developer, about a new feature or soundset or both. This rapid evolution is both a blessing and a burden; sometimes it seems like I spend more time keeping up with changes in Wusikstation than playing it! However, there's no question that the new features add plenty of value, and the user is under no compulsion to install every release.
The latest version is 5.28, and this review covers 5.12. This version is a very fine synthesizer indeed. The basic architecture is sample-based, with a variety of tuning, filter, LFO, EQ, and modulation options for each of four sample-based oscillators. A master mixer section allows each of the four sources to be combined at appropriate levels, and two effects to be applied as desired to individual oscillators and the overall mix. A modulation matrix provides futher flexibility; just about anything can be modulated by anything else, including an oscillator, an LFO, a MIDI controller, etc. To cap it all off, the synth does wavesequencing, which means it can do very complex sounds that evolve over time--very nice for pads in particular.
The basic sound quality of the instrument is superb. The tools for manipulating sound are abundant and excellent, and if you load a great sample into Wusikstation, you get a great sound out of it. That means that the real limitation on this synth's sound is the quality of the samples that are loaded into it. On that score, the developer offers users an absolutely massive set of sounds with a subscription (not "purchase" per se--what you buy is a subscription to download software, sounds, and updates from the website for a given period of time), covering just about everything from acoustic instruments to electronica, and these are frequently updated. However, not all the samples are of extremely high quality, and so not all the patches offered with the synth sound great. (I have looked in vain through the patches for a really good Rhodes-style electric piano, for example. Thank goodness for soundfont.it's Mr Ray 22...) It's worth taking the time to audition patches to find the really great ones, and there are more than enough great ones on offer to make the purchase worthwhile. Excellent third party content is also available in abundance, such as Manytone's fine bass sample sets. Finally, Wusikstation will load WAV files as well as its proprietary WusikSND format, and the developer has even included a simple but perfectly functional tool for creating WusikSND multisamples from WAVs. I've used this tool successfully to create Mellotron multisamples for Wusikstation usng the free Tanguiy sample set.
UPDATE on Oct 8 2008: The latest version of Wusikstation (5.6.2) offers SFZ file import. This opens up a huge world of very high-quality content, including soundsets created for such synthesizers as Dimension, Rapture, and z3ta+. I have tested this function with an SFZ version (created via the free SFZed file format converter) of the Splendid 256 MB piano soundfont, and the results are outstanding.
The synth ships with a couple of dozen skin designs, and most users will surely find something to their taste in that set. I find the layout to be increasingly easy to use as my familiarity with the synth grows, but anyone who hasn't encountered a modulation matrix before is well advised to read the manual carefully, as something as simple as setting up an LFO whose depth is increased by the mod wheel requires that modulation matrix. The interface offers no drag and drop functionality, which puts it behind a number of sample-based synths, and is a little fiddly--you have to click twice to select an oscillator and enable it, for example--but overall it's easy enough to work with, and contains few surprises.
I haven't covered a number of the tools that ship with Wusikstation, including the new drum machine, the arpeggiator, etc., etc., all of which work as advertised. Suffice it to say that this synth offers a lot of value for money. For many Windows-based users, this might be a very good choice for their first (or second, or third) commercial synth. Certainly the massive soundset and synthesis tools combined will enable a lot of music making without aditional work on the user's part. There aren't a lot of synths on the market that cover as much ground as Wusikstation, nor as well, and none that I know of at this relatively modest price point. The developer is also extremely responsive to user feedback, as a glance at the KVR forum will show, and version 5 especially seems very stable under Sonar. In short: highly recommended. |
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Last edited by lightninrick on 8th October 2008
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By glokraw
On 27th April 2008 Version: 4.6 Read all reviews by glokraw
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Stability | A short review of Wusikstation... A great strength in music creation is having both bread and butter sounds, and then a vast array of unique sounds to customize them with. Using the General Midi collection for Wusikstation, I can start with a nice 'normal' instrument, embellish as desired with synth controls and the FX section, then use the 3 extra sound slots to import other waveforms, so the imagination, and familiarity with the thousands of sounds included with Wusik, are the only limiting factors. Using Minihost, I can qickly audition the array of soundsets with just the down arrow key, and pressing the letter s, even with the eyes closed during a headache :wink: and then write down the favorite sounds, or copy them with a filemanager for a 'greatest hits' folder later. While time consuming, the end result can be a composing environment conducive to unique and high quality productions, with a very small learning curve, in one central, well organized interface. There are some utube videos available that explain arpeggios, wavesequencing, and other features, but for composing ballads, and the basic commercial genres, it is easy to create new sounds to liven up the most common styles of music. When It comes to support, The author, his customers, and many sound designers are quick to offer good advice, and quite often, bugs are squashed within a day of being reported. New features have been known to appear based on an aside in a forum post, and there is nearly always a special offer to $entice$ upgraders, or new users. New 3rd party synths and sound collections using the Wusik engine and sound format are also of the highest quality, and more are always in the works. For the professional musician looking for a stable, low cpu vsti for live performance, for a studio songwriter looking for that special edge, for a production jingle author needing fast efficiency, and for the hobbyist who loves the creative craft of making great tunes in the style of choice, Wusikstation is a great tool, that just keeps on getting better month after month, year after year! I would say dollar for dollar, this is the best of the many fine $options$ available. I look forward to the new version 5 evolving, and to using more of the great 3rd party sounds, and my own new creations that they inspire. I score it all 8, for personal taste categories, 10 for support and value for money, as they are among the best available... |
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By loggan2
On 18th March 2008 Version: 4.2.4 Read all reviews by loggan2
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Stability | recently got Wusikstation and I'm already impressed with everything, specially support. At the company forum here, I asked for some info about multi-layer crossfading using an external controller. To my surprise, it was possible only to modulate two layers, not three or more. But even more surprised I was when the author released a beta version with the option to crossfade any number of layers. I never saw this before, but again, I don't own many other VSTs.
Still, using Wusikstation is very easy, I get everything I need right in front of me. Each layer's parameters are there to be used, there's a Master area, FX areas and file-browser to handle all files.
It works like those old-school workstations, not like SF2 files I'm used to. But this is not a bad thing to be honest. You get, for example, to keep your sound file in one folder, and have multiple programs using that same sound file for several programs. Yes, you can do the same with a SF2 file, BUT, if you want to add more programs to it, you need to edit the original SF2 file. Not to mention that with SF2 files you don't get to make a program where you use sounds from different SF2 files. With Wusikstation you can. Since Programs are one file-type, and sounds another.
Its handy that is reads WAV files directly. But still, the Sample-Editor that came with it is simple to use. Many users won't even bother about that, but since I do a lot of sound-editing of my own, I had to use it. Again, the author was nice to reply to some of my questions via the support thingy.
I couldn't make it crash yet, so stability has been 100% for me.
Documentation was OK, not great, but OK. It had everything you would need to start. The youtube video-tutorials are GREAT, those helps a lot. Specially when getting started. They even got an intro video at their site, under the product's page. That's one reason I got it, since I could test it out and also see it in action even before downloading a demo version.
The demo version was nice, as I could test it, but loading new sounds was a bit strange at first, until I knew what I was doing exactly. You have a folder where you keep your sounds and another for your presets, as I said above. It wasn't too clear at first, but I noticed some info at the bottom of the sounds-page, and after reading a bit the manual, I was able to figure things out. But this shouldn't scare new users at all. The worse case scenario, you would contact the author and he would guide you, as he did with me on other areas.
Sound wise its very good. It will sound as good as the things you input it with, since its basically a sample-playback engine. It also works as a normal additive synthesizer, and has the ability to sequence waveforms in real-time. (aka wavesequencing, the old Korg Wavestation was famous for that)
But you really start to go nuts once you get to know the modulation-matrix and the different filter-types. They sound very analogish in my humble opinion. There's a SMOOTH knob that will take the zipper effect out of transitions when using an external controller. It doesn't work very well when using with modulations, but still, its a very nice touch.
I had some sound problems with the original version, but after I updated everything was normal again. (I forgot to install the latest update after I installed the main SETUP, doh!)
I got 4 DAW computers in the same room, so I asked the author if I would need 4 licenses. He said that if all computers are operated by me, it wouldn't be a problem, one license is enough. Try asking this to other companies...
One of my computers has only 512 of memory, which wasn't a problem as this vst features direct-from-disk-streaming. (or whatever you want to call this) Yes, CPU usage did increase by 20% when I activated it on the other computers, but its still nice, since I could load more instances at the same time. Specially pianos and strings on a project I was working on.
It came with mostly synth sounds, but the pianos really stroke me, they are very good and not too big. Compared to other libraries. I like mostly sampled pianos, as they tend to sound more alive to me.
This is not the best synth out there, but its sure amongst the top ones I use on a daily basis. Be prepared to expend a lot of money on extra sets by other companies, you will be addicted in no time! (but that's another good thing about it)
Not sure what else to say, if I remember something else, I will edit this on another time. Hope this is not too long, I'm used to writing for the local newspaper, so I tend to write too much at times... lg |
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By hermit01
On 27th December 2007 Version: 4 Read all reviews by hermit01
6 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Stability | The Wusikstation version 4 series is a surprisingly versatile synth. Its interface is very typical of traditional synthesizer interfaces and quite easy to use. It is 4 voice multi-timbral and the 4 voices are each presented on separate pages which eliminates any confusion that could be caused by such a complex system. It's modulation matrix makes for easy hook up of LFO's, envelopes, and on-board effects. It could list them but it's better that you try them and hear for yourself.
The sound generation of WS is created from manipulation of samples (called WusikSounds) and/or standard .wav files, user's choice. The 16-bit 44KHz processing is immaculate and provides an amazing depth of resonance and pitch. As a result of this attractiveness, there are over 3500 presets already directly available for it Wusik.com. The range of sounds, the types, is so wide it clearly demonstrates the versatility mentioned. While, due to the brilliant preset design of sound packages by Vera Kinter (Art Vera) and like programmers, it has gotten quite a reputation as an "atmospheric pad synth," this is a very misleading commendation of a synth that will, in fact, produce virtually any type of sound desired from analogue emulation to razor-edge digital sounds. It can even be used as simply a 4-voice .wav file or sample player, if desired.
My experience has been, in over a year of dealing with William K and Wusik.com, support for the product is superb. It is in constant development, as well has sporting excellent peripheral devices provided by Wusik.com (many skins, file handling software, a steady flow of new presets, a product specific magazine with added features, etc.), but the stability does not seem effected. Beta products don't seem to mean the same thing to Wusik.com as I am accustomed to. They rarely crash or even malfunction and seem to be just a precautionary step rather than a true bug elimination process. In so many words, this is a very stable piece of software and seems to remain so through version after version.
Wusikstation is my first experience with serious shareware softsynths. I've tried a few trial versions over the years but never found one by which I was so impressed as to spend the sort of money involved in their purchase. Wusikstation broke the mold for me. It is priced competitively low for the marketplace but comes "out of the box" with over 3500 presets, built-in effects of the same quality as its sound generation, and excellent support. It was a bargain I couldn't resist and have never regretted. I highly recommend it to beginners and accomplished users alike. And subscribe to the magazine, too. It's filled with articles on use of Wusikstation as well as general music and composition discussions. |
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By stratcat33511
On 25th May 2007 Version: 3.1.8 Read all reviews by stratcat33511
5 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Stability | 3.1.8 is by far the best value for the money. Every sound you need is there to do Pop Rock and Dance. There are synths and real instruments in here. There are so many great sounds in this instrument. The sounds of the presets are nothing short of incredible! And when you get around to tweaking the sounds, the interface is easy to use ( even for me ) and you can build some fantastic sounds with this instrument. The synths; arps, moogs, Rolands, Prophets, Casios, the HQ pianos, the HQ drums, many monster basses, and the effects are all I need from a synth. There are way too many useable sounds, functions and features to list here. I use this in my default template setup, because it has a great sound for every thing I use it for. And I'm now using it in everything I do! I'm just a guitar player looking for an all inclusive - use it for everything synth, and I am never short of finding the right sound with this.
Take my advice and get this awesome instrument.
It never disappoints me and Support for me has been stellar. |
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