Reviewed By tommyzai [all]
December 3rd, 2012
Version reviewed: 2.0 on Mac
*Disclaimer: I'm a songwriter, producer, and educator. My writing style may seem a bit over-the-top like a billboard ad, but my user review is sincere and authentic. I only write about a product I think is extraordinary, hence the high rating. I don't work for developer. In fact, I rarely work at all. :-) I hope you find my findings useful. — Tommy Zai
Ultra Analog VA-2 by Applied Acoustics Systems is a versatile subtractive synth that covers the full spectrum of analog sounds. I was, and still am, a big fan of VA-1, but VA-2 is all that and much more. Like its predecessor, this synth does not directly emulate any specific vintage gear; but is a unique virtual analog beast in it's own right. There are many great factory presets that show off the synths capabilities; however, I found it easy to start from scratch and create my own patches. The low-end delivers deep, punchy basses that are free of mud. Great synth brass! But, what I like most are the sweeping, atmospheric sounds. They are really creepy and set the perfect mood for my tracks. The filters and resonance help to create a smooth and pleasant texture. Tracks recorded with VA-2 are alive and sit well in the mix — not lost or overshadowing by the other tracks. I could not hear any weird alias artifacts from the oscillators in any of the factory or custom-made patches — so nice and pure. What a treat.
PROS
CONS
CONCLUSION
Ultra Analog VA-2 lives up to its name — Ultra + Analog. It can do it all really well – thick basses, warm strings, deep pads, punchy plucks, and crisp leads, etc. It doesn't have the some of the frills and gravy other synths pile on, but it has more than enough raw, juicy meat! I agree with Hollin Jones of Music Tech, "Ultra Analog is a joy to use." This plugin could easily be the go-to subtractive synth for any e-musician, producer, or sound designer looking for the vintage analog sound. Tommy Zai gives Ultra Analog VA-2 two oscillators up! Thank you AAS for creating a timeless virtual analog synth.
REVEW OF PREVIOUS VERSION
Ultra Analog VA-1 by Applied Acoustics Systems is a rich, warm, fat analog monster worthy of much more attention. On the surface it appears to be a simple little plugin, but under the hood there must be a lot going on! It can produce punchy, powerful bass and cutting leads. The interface is neat, clean, and easy to navigate. Most of the work can be done on a single window. The CPU consumption is light. The look is cool. The sound is super. The only thing I would suggest improving is the size of the little switches on the interface. Otherwise, this is one big, fat, fantastic classic analog sounding soft synth that is a great bang for the buck! It is exactly what the name suggests — Ultra Analog.
Heck, your in-depth, knowledgeable and utterly "pro" review convinced me Jimmie. Off to buy UA 2 now.
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Hey Jimmie, it's not your English that's the problem, I think your English is fine. A review is supposed to be more than "gosh, it's great, I love it", though. That's merely an opinion; a review is supposed to be informative, which means that you should write about why and how you came to this conclusion. The only information I can glean from your "review" is that you like it - now why the hell would I need to know that? Sorry if this sounds personal, but I think that the KVR review section could be such a treasure trove of information, and yet it gets abused time and again. Maybe you should read the KVR guidelines for submitting reviews.
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Okay, that's fair enough. Sorry if I was a bit too harsh, I realize there was no bad intent. On the subject of UA2: I really wish it had been more awesome, because all they did was give it a makeover, instead of enhancing it and adding features. It is what it was... a nice synth that's been overtaken by the modern posse (Diva, Synth Squad, Monark, etc.)
IMO, VA-2 sounds exactly the same as VA-1 (except for the new fx), that is not very analog at all.
It's a shame that, after all this time, they only refurbished the GUI and the fx, while leaving the synthesis engine out.
Yes Sir..They did the same thing with Lounge Lizard too...They gave it a new GUI and a few FX,but it is essentially the same as the previous version...Not really an upgrade at all...Just a coat of paint :)
Does anyone know for a fact that Ultra Analog VA-2 and Lounge Lizard EP-4 are really just "re-treads"? It was my understanding AAS had been working on them a while, and made some improvements. Now, I'm starting to wonder.
Admittedly, now that I read the Website, it appears the "new" stuff is mostly the effects. The sounds themselves come from a "renewed factory library" for UA VA-2 and a "new" factory library for LL EP-4. Not really sure what that means, other than they got rid of some of the older, cheesier sounds for UA VA-2. LL EP-3 was okay (though not my "go-to" for EP sounds); I'm not sure how many "new" electric piano sounds you can model--or really need to, for that matter.
Ultimately, what's important here is that the two OPs were able to resolve an obvious misunderstanding. I've been guilty of doing a quick "opinion piece" when I should have written a review, too.
The sound engines are exactly the same...All they did was add a few FX and a new GUI...They didn't gut the building...They just painted it on the outside :)
Nice analogy.
I downloaded the UA VA-2 demo, and while it doesn't seem that much different from what I had, it's not bad. I would have gotten it on sale, but I doubt I would have paid full price for what amounted to a "new coat of paint"...and some nice effects. ;)
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