All Reviews by LlunaSol

By LlunaSol
On 13th September 2004
Version: 1.0.4

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Wusik Wusik Station

Finally the workstation age has come to the VSTi arena. After a long period of VA obsession finnally we got a 6 layers wavetable synths not for techno but for musicians and made by a musician.

I've never rated 10 on a synth on every category, but that time was necessary (don't believe me, have a look for yourself):

- 10 in User interface: clever GUI arrangement, skins options with many "looks" (and more to come)
- 10 in Sound: crisp and warm sound sound, wide wavetables selection
- 10 in Features: such a powerful engine that you'll never finnish its possibilities (and new features to come)
- 10 in Documentation: intro video, intro pdf and well documented 50 pages pdf
- 10 in Presets: one of my favourite points on WS wonderful list of inspiring sounds (probably all of them)
- 10 in Customer Support: well is WilliamK, you all know, someone ready to support you before making business
- 10 in VFM: I really think that the price is too low
- 10 in Stability: thanks to an extensive and clever public betatesting

All that is not an enthusiastic answer from a surprised fan, I've betatested many synths, but there have been many synths that had been a hype, just for having two or three oscillators and one or two filters, but when a serious musician finds such an easy architecture for creating complete soundtracks with a key (alla classic Wavestation) we can finnally concentrate on making music.

I've found easier to explain that way, because the engine is so complete that would take pages to detail and the sound is so inspiring that you simple have to download it and start enjoying, but beware, you could spend the whole night just with 4 or 5 presets and there are about 6 banks!!

Last edited : 13th September 2004

By LlunaSol
On 25th March 2004
Version: 1.24

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Wusik EVE - Electronic Vintage Ensemble

Despite having tested (even beta-tested) many, many synths (hard and soft) I only usually only write reviews here at KVR for the ones that have impressed me a lot. EVE is one them.

For me the most important issue on EVE would be "instant usability", something arguably to other romplers but with a "charmful personality, almost with a romantic edge". The concept is superb, wonderful list of ready-to-play patches of vintage keyboards. No more
investing time on creating patches, it offers all I expected from a real vintage collection, classic vintage (almost mithicals) machines, perfectly sampled, but clothed with an intelligent and perfectly layout synth engine. The vangelis-feeling is everywhere, but also the funk pioners or great symphonic and progressive rock feeling.

The engine parameters are cleverly arranged to get fast access to 3 layers. 3 layers allowing different keyboard maps and different velocity ranges means a keyboard players heaven. It all works easy and smooth. Being a rompler its really easy to any owner used to substractive synthesis to create lots of new patches, rich sounding and ready to great performance usage thanks to an easy way to assign keyboard sensibility to different parameters.

The list of sounds is great (many of them simply superb) and widely assorted (considering that I got the second bank, which means a total 256 patches). Many are just intents to create basses or weird fx sounds that could be interesting as fx layers on more imaginative pads sounds, and on that sense useless slots. This is a synth specialized on clear and dense vintage sounds, those coming from machine that made early Tangerine Dreams, Vangelis, Tomita, JMJarre or Klaus Schulze what they are: fathers of the pure electronica.

On my opinion CPU usage is not so low, but pretty fair considering the crips sound and fast reponding (with my low latency 24 bits card) sound.

Manual is clear and complete, easy to read, with an excellent addedum referencing all the vintage hardware that has been used. A good point both for novices and nostalgics. The support is premium from Dash, something that has been said many, many times. Stability with no question thanks to great betatesting and long experience on the development team. Great product, excellent sound, clear documentation, fast support: so 10 on value for money. One of the best addition to a well choosen soft synths arsenals. Among my more used 6.

By LlunaSol
On 12th February 2004
Version: 3

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VAZ Synths VAZ Modular

VAZ Modular 3 has just appeared and it deserves to be rated. I'll justify my rating later, but it's easy to understand that any modular system with a top-notch sound would be 10 in most cathegories since it covers so many possibilities that excels over most software synths.

Someone said that VAZ was the most saved secret on sound arsenals, and that's true since VAZ+1.7 hit the market long before the VSTi revolution. Since then I've enjoyed the hard or soft, but always warm and rich sound of it. The sound is superb, probably couldn't be better on a Virtual Synth (hardware or software).

As a modular system I won't avoid to say that VAZ is the "real" modular concept after all my experience. People may by surprised by its menu popups systems to link modules at beginning. Other synth painting "realistic 3D" cabling just look nice on screen, VAZ modular simply allows to "connect everything everywhere" and on that sense it has the real Moog spirit on it (this is my honest impression). The popup menu connectivity is so clever that Martin Fay already introduced it on his first VAZ ever and is still, for me, the best way to work on a "computer modular". Other elements are so well integrated and easy that once you learn it is the most fast modular system I ever met (and I know most of them).

The new version adds many new modules, but considering that some modules (sequencers, oscillators and filters) hide several levels of use and options it means literally that using the "small modules" approach on Nord Modular or Creamware's Modular, VAZ3Mod would list the double number of modules that it already lists. Another good detail of great base-design.

After long beta-testing processes its stability is rock-solid, its DXi and VSTi integration is superb (it can work as monochannel or multichannel, windows resizable, synth on any VST host as any other freewy-ware out there) and the standalone version with its practical 16 channels mixers allows to use any laptop as a high-performace station everywhere.

There's no weak points but I haven't rated less than 10 on two categories. Documentation. Well, VAZ Modular has always being sold through email sending (fast serving as another good argument for it), so the documentation is not bad but it's a help file that could be better, specially for starters and people with a short synthesis background. Presets. Well, considering the modular possibilites there's so much to explores that the miriad of 1/2 oscs models inside the library doesn't make justice. The sampling and granular possibilites would require to be sold on a CD full of professional patches and wave files. That could push VAZ Modular to a completely new level and public perception.

There's still new things that could be implemented, new modules (and I bet some are on the way to a 3.1 version) but it's suffice to say that VAZ Modular simply can not decive any one with a good electronic music knowledge. For me it's a classic still not surpased.

By LlunaSol
On 14th June 2002
Version: 1.04.105

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SK Vivaldi

I see myself using more and more Vivaldi, because it's one of those synth which is basically "useful". It has a strong FM character on its own, of course, but I have to admit that I've been surprised by how responsive is and how easy is to get tons of sounds from it.

It has some strongs points, one that this FM synth is the closes one that I've used to an analog in terms of easy of use and predictability on its structure, another is that it can sound FMish and surprisingly quite analog, so it allows to cover a wide palette of sounds (just check its internal bank), but one of the most importants is that it's a 4 layers synth which allows to create wonderful patches.

The interface is clear and has get the most of it's possibilities once you understand you got 4 tabs on right for the 4 layers and each one has its elements on the left tabs. The 3 levels of CPU use allows using lots and lots of instances on a medium machine. No documentation still, but it's support is premium.

I sincerelly recomend it, because being free is a real present, but sounding so fine, it's one of my favorites. Triangle II and Vivaldi are now my first choice of sounds, despite having several commercial synths. Impressive :-) Thanks Stefan!

Just check it! :-)

(No, still, no documentation, although I wouldn't mind.)

By LlunaSol
On 22nd April 2002
Version: 1.1

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Tobybear Borderliner

I'm not used to review synths but I have to admit that this one has surprised me a lot. The interface is extremely confusing but probably this is one of its strongest points :-)

I think that the words that mostly defines Borderline is surprisingly new and fresh. It sound extremely metallic, not bass at all, but good for weird sounds or leads so rich in high harmonics that will stand up any background like was usual with Casio synths. Weird phase distortion sound. It's difficult to defined but worth the time I've spent with it. Don't expect a classic synth but a completely new assortment of sounds despite it's basic substractive architecture.

The presets set is good showing a good range of possibilities. It's a pity but it's monophonic.

Last edited : 22nd April 2002

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