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Rapture
by Cakewalk
35 members are watching Rapture for news
Product Rapture
Developer Cakewalk
Primary Type Synth (Wavetable)
Price (MSRP) $199
Buy Cakewalk Rapture from zZounds.comCakewalk Rapture available at SameDayMusic.com
Buy Cakewalk Rapture from zZounds.comCakewalk Rapture available at SameDayMusic.com
Plug-in Formats
Instrument(s)VSTDirectXAudio Unit
Operating System Availability
Operating
System		 Latest
Version		 Download Is it
Available?
WindowsWindows 64 / x64 1.1 Demo / TrialReleased
Mac OS XMac OS X Universal Binary 1.1.1 Demo / TrialReleased
Miscellaneous Information
Copy Protection Unknown
Supported Sample Formats include sfz
Banks & Patches Download Banks
Average User Rating Average rating - 8.938
Compatibility Unknown
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Rapture

Rapture is described as "the ultimate wavetable synthesizer for igniting the sounds of today's pop, dance, and electronic music". It combines an advanced modulation system with an non-aliasing wavetable resampling engine.

Feature Highlights:

  • Wavetable synthesizer with "cutting edge" sound manipulation capabilities, well suited for electronica-related music styles.
  • Non-aliasing resampling engine.
  • Over 500 sound programs.
  • Six fully-programmable, stereo sound-generating Elements.
  • Multi-waveform Oscillators with ring modulation.
  • Two 16-mode filters per oscillator with LoFi and Drive.
  • Over 40 Envelope Generators, LFOs, and Step Generators.
  • Comprehensive MIDI Modulation Matrix.
  • Mix and modulate all Elements through global FX and dynamic Step Generator.
  • Graphical envelope generators and LFOs for ease of use.
  • Expandable with native support for SFZ sample formats.

Rapture offers comprehensive sound design capabilities with patches that blend up to six different Elements. Out of the box you get a collection of over 500 programs including Basses, Leads, Pads, Arpeggios, Textures, Electronic Percussion and Sequences.

At the heart of Rapture's six-part sound engine are powerful, multi-mode wavetable oscillators. These wavetables provide a virtually endless array of sonic possibilities, plus you can multiply each oscillator up to 9 times across the stereo field with controlled detuning. Rapture's high resolution anti-aliasing rendering engine ensures that every note of every voice will be pure and vibrant.

Rapture offers over 40 Envelope Generators, LFOs, and Step Generators per patch. These Step Generators breathe life into your sound, allowing for dramatic trance gate effects and percussive rhythms. With graphical step sequencing of sound parameters, Rapture provides a modern extension to traditional envelopes and LFOs, allowing you creative control of Pitch, Filters Amplitude, and other parameters.

Rapture's global and per-Element FX stages provide the finishing touches to your sounds. In the Global FX Stage Rapture offers 3 multi effect units with 9 Delay and 3 Chorus types, 3 Parametric EQs, and a dynamic Step Generator for volume with independent L/R control. The per-Element FX stages offer the multi-effect units and EQs mentioned above, plus two 16-mode filters per oscillator with LoFi and a 5-mode Overdrive section for additional control.

A comprehensive MIDI Control Matrix provides for extensive MIDI controllers mapping of all of Rapture's functions, with the added sensitivity over modulation depth and smoothness control. An X-Y pad lets you assign multiple Rapture parameters to X and Y axes, allowing you to intuitively glide between various parameter levels with ease.

User Reviews by KVR Members for Rapture.

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By x_bruce
On 12th March 2007
Version: 1.x

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x_bruce

4 of 4 people found
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  GUI
Sound
Features
Docs
Presets
Support
VFM
Stability
User Interface:
Rene and company have done a good job at Cakewalk. Rapture's interface is quite functional although it may take some time getting used to it.
Having done so, you will be pleasantly surprised at the amount of data squashed into this multitimbral or single channel instrument; you decide as you work with it.


Sound
I was somewhat concerned when I saw the word wavetable synthesis as part of Rapture's features. The synthesis is wavetable based, but the wavetables are frequently single and relatively tiny.
The good news is the wavetables are well designed and enable a large number of sounds, mostly of the synthetic type, and frequently used as a performance based synth.
Many of the presets use two or more of the six channels available. They are similar to Korg's Combination patches and fairly similar to the Korg Radias' implementation of its various synth engine's techniques. The major difference being the Radias has 128 waveforms, one per sound, and a huge synth engine beyond, but both use extensive splits, layers, Mod Matrix expressions that some synths just don't feature.

Lastly, the synth engine, besides being compact but brutally capable, features many forward-looking ideas such as large, changeable controls of envelopes and functions such as pitch, filter cutoff and resonance ala Absynth.
Unlike the prior reviewer, I don't feel Absynth and Rapture are all that similar. Their approach is not at all similar. Also, comparing Rapture to M42 isn't exactly fair.
Keep in mind I'm a big fan of M42 and it's cousin M41, but they too work differently and can't get the same ammount of sounds per patch, nor can they work multitimbrally. They have two oscillators whilst Rapture has up to six, and they are heavily editable in comparison.
They are different synths and that is the only reason I point these things out.


Features
Though it took me a couple of weeks to really get the idea behind Rapture I'd have to say it is a massive synth!
The presets sometimes didn't serve it well, nor did the somewhat skimpy manual - though it should be pointed out that while skimpy, the manual is exceptionally good and if read, will teach you the synth's 'way' of making sound.
When I say the sounds are sometimes a disservice, I don't mean the quality. In fact, there are some star sound designers and Cakewalk has released two new sets.
Also, you can import your own samples. They are meant to be small, but I experimented with wavetables as I know them and got PPG/Wavetable type sounds. That said, you can get those sounds once you understand the way Rapture works.

One of the most pleasant things about Rapture, and this is where the synth programs can confuse, is that it can make perfectly simple, deep synth sounds as well as sizzling leads and patches that range from tepid to non-stop undulating and changing.
And to me, that's the beauty of Rapture. As a lot of people go for the incredible and flashy things it can do, I like synths of this type to be able to do everything, particularly since they have the capability to.

The arpeggiator is excellent, consider using it over several channels. The LFOs have over 100 waveforms. There is an X/Y controller and waveshaper ala' Z3ta.
There isn't a sound you can't make in here, but that speaks for digalog sounds, not rompler stuff.

Documentation
Great manual in many languages but short. Though short it is fact filled and that is better than most any hard or soft synths out there.

Presets
As mentioned, the sound developers and patch designers are like a who's who of great quality work. There's about 400 patches in a nicely designed database that helps you find what you are looking for.

Customer Support
Cakewalk and RGC audio have always offered great service to me. I'd expect nothing to have changed.
Value For Money
The first week I got it I questioned Rapture's value. There are a lot of killer synths at the $200 /$300 range. But once I learned to use it, the value is very, very reasonable.

Stability
I have yet to have a crash with Rapture and I'm using it on a Athlon XP2400 with 1 gig of ram. It does use considerable ram so don't bother if you don't have a gig minimum.

Conclusion
Slick design, smart interface with many options and excellent quality sound.
Pros: can take the place of a few synths
Cons: you probably have those synths
Realization: You may have a lot of the sounds Rapture can do all over your synth library, but there is a nice syncronicity to Rapture's sound.
It is in the Native Instruments, VirSyn range of sound quality and should be a serious contender as your next synth.
 
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By zerocrossing
On 9th February 2007
Version: 1 (Demo)

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zerocrossing

4 of 5 people found
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  GUI
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Wow, I'm shocked no one has reviewed this, so I guess I will. It's my first review.

First I'd like to say that I'm mainly a guitarist, but I cut my teeth in synthesis on old modular stuff at an audio engineering school in NYC, and later saved for a Roland Juno 106. That type of education doesn't get you all that far and I ended up in Music retail. Anyway, I *LOVE* synthesis and in the vain of Adrain Belew and Robert Fripp spent years in love/hate relationships with guitar synths.

So, over the last year I've had to dismantle much of my hardware rig and move to software. It's been a fun ride so far. Recently I asked myself, "why did you ignore Rapture?" I think I thought why have another wave table synth since I had the Korg Legacy Suite. Silly of me. Rapture is a totally different animal So I downloaded a Mac and PC version of the demo software and had at it.

I was blown away. This synth is about to become my go-to synth, I'm sure of it. Sure it's geared towards modern electronica, but the ability to import an audio file to use as an osc makes it AMAZING in a similar way that Absynth (another of my favorites for different reasons) is. This baby can ring like a DX, yet pump like a minimoog... often at the same time. Few VSTi's can really get a filter to "quack" in that really warm organic way that Rapture can. As an ex Virus C user I think Rapture does a better job at modern dance sounds and is easier to program. A A/B'd it to Albino too and I found it better to my ears as well.

Speaking of program, I spend my days (that often run into nights) as a graphic designer/animator and there is precious little time for making new tones. Most of my time has to be spent playing or I end up being a sound designer, which while very fun, isn't as fun as playing IMO. No problem here as Rapture comes with a TON of presets and there isn't a bad one in the bunch.

Then there's the arp and step/wave sequencing ability... wow. It's not quite an M1Galaxy (which I love) synth but boy can you get lost in the evolving, pulsing morphing madness this synth can do.

So... if you have $200, I'd say don't hesitate, go to your favorite retailer and pick this up. It really seems like it could be a "desert island" synth. My only request to Cakewalk is this: Why no MIDI learn with the X/Y pad? Silly. If you want to see how this is implemented perfectly, check out Zebra2 (which btw, is one of my favorite synths ever). Seem silly to include this and expect people to use a mouse or trackpad to control it.
 
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