By munchkin
On 18th July 2004
Version: 1.03
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Zero-G Wired - The Elements of Trance
Where do I start? Ok, £74 - that's all it costs - almost the same as a new sample CD. But you get a whole lot more!
Wired - EOT is based on the Intakt beat slicer/sampler from Native Instruments. If you haven't tried Intakt then I suggest you do so if you're into chopping up/mangling your loops. It's a very versatile beast. Individual samples can be tweaked with effects and with filters and envelopes. Sounds can be routed to multiple outs. Everything from drum loops to synth arps can be sliced and diced and then effected to your hearts content. It takes minimal cpu to run (3% on my AMD 2400XP) and unless your sampling at 192/32 the sounds won't take up too much ram. No crashes so far touch wood. It seems very robust and stable.
Now back to Wired. Installation is straight forward - there is a 14 day grace period before registering. Copy protection is challenge and response. I registered over the net and just added the license to my NI account. New users without an account will be asked to create one during the reg process. I was up and running in minutes. Wired includes an Intakt manual which covers everything.
Wired is a sample player. Ok, so you can't load your own sounds but the ones on offer are very versatile and are appropriate for a range of dance styles. There are drum and percussion loops, single hits, synth, pad and FX loops and single sounds. They're mostly aimed at Trance but I think anyone making dance music will get something out of Wired.
The sounds are set up as construction sets and as individual sounds so Wired is quite versatile. I like the way the sounds are set up. I wish more instruments were so easy to audition sounds. The sound is clear and punchy on my system. It seems like time has been spent matching levels and compiling sounds that work well together.
Sounds can be manipulated with effects and the usual synth parameters such as filters, lfo and envelopes. The filter could be better IMO and I think they should've included reverb - but then one of the biggest recurring problems in a mix is too much reverb so perhaps the idea is to spare us that sin.
Customer support, hmmm. NI are a bit corporate in this department. After I registered I tried to download the DFD for Wired but it was nowhere to me seen. Perhaps we don't get one? I also have Adrenaline (based on Intakt) and it came with info about a link to download a DFD program. But this was nowhere to be found. So the mysteriously missing DFD extension remains to be solved.
If you have Intakt then you'll be pleased to know that Wired banks and presets can be loaded into it and used with your other samples and loops. But Wired is versatile enough in it's own right and definitely has enough banks and presets to fullfill most dance musicians needs.
Wired won't do it all in the mix but combined with other synths it will enhance any track. It offers a lot of sounds and editability for low cost. Try the demo in store! |
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Last edited : 18th July 2004
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By munchkin
On 6th January 2003
Version: v1.11
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FXpansion DR-008
If you haven't tried Dr-008 and you use another drum machine/sample player which isn't giving all you need then now is the time to test Dr-008.
The most useful aspect of Dr-008 is it's interface in my opinion. It's very quick and easy to understand how to set up a kit in Dr-008. I like the fact that samples or drumsynths can be assigned to notes. This makes it easy to programme midi notes in a sequencer and to play using a keyboard.
The drum synths are very functional and cover a wide range of presets for familiar kit sounds. I would have liked to see more cymbals and claps but it's easy to programme these. The ability to use samples as well as synth sounds is a great advantage over most other drum vsti's out there.
The modular concept of Dr-008 bodes very well for the future and this is another strong point in its favour. The possibility to add bass and lead synth modules could lead to the Dr-008 becoming a much more versatile instrument.
The reason I wrote this review was to discuss the benefits of using Dr-008 with MusicLab's plugins, SlicyDrummer and FillinDrummer. Both plugins can be used in Dr-008 and offer the facility of midi drum rhythmn sequencing. Drum sounds in Dr-008 can be played using MusicLabs plugins and these patterns can then be programmed in a sequencer.
The MusicLab plugins contain pre-programmed midi loops and multiple instances of the plugins can be opened in Dr-008. So the whole process of creating loops, fills and endings with whatever sounds you like is phenominally easy.
Dr-008, although reasonably expensive in my opinion, is a very versatile instrument and the added bonus of third party development in the shape of the MusicLab plugins has to make the Dr-008 an essential purchase for any musician who needs a drum programming work horse.
Now if only Fxpansions and MusicLab can get together and provide us with a more competitive bundle offer then I think those who have yet to buy will be in seventh heaven. |
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Last edited : 6th January 2003
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By munchkin
On 5th January 2003
Version: latest
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Native Instruments (NI) Dynamo
I bought this a while back and I haven't used it since. The most annoying thing is the copy protection. There is a constant request for the cd which is extremely annoying. I found Dynamo unusable because of this.
Sound quality is good but CPU usage is very high. Its versatility is offset by the few instances my computer can handle. I think the included ensembles are quite versatile but the fact that NI have released only two more and have not updated Dynamo is not good enough in my opinion.
There are other more useful VSTi's out there which consume much less cpu. It's possible to buy a synth and drum machine/sample player for the cost of Dynamo and as other companies have a much better updating policy I can't recommend Dynamo if value for money is a consideration.
Dynamo is a product of its time but time and development in the soft synth world has moved on. |
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By munchkin
On 18th December 2002
Version: 1.1
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Cakewalk z3ta+
I've been using this synth since beta and now we are at v1.1 of the DXi. Rene, the synths maker, has been very supportive and has tried to impliment a few of the suggestions I've made. Even down to the types of presets available! I'm sure this has been the experience of others. The support is excellent.
I love the presets and as I tend to tweek presets rather than create sounds from scratch I would like to see more than the 3 banks available now (I'm greedy I know!). I won't repeat what everyone else has said but I will agree that this is very much a sound designers synth and as such I would like to see a much more comprehensive manual with tutorials. I remember the manuals that came with the hardware synths I have - they were usually very comprehensive and covered everything from synthesis tutorials to more advanced applications of the synth. This synth really needs that kind of documentation if all levels of user are going to get the most out of it.
CPU usage has been optimised and as the releases have progressed I've notice a decrease in cpu usage. I've compared this synth with others I have and I would say that sound for sound it is very competitive regarding the amount of cpu resources it uses. I believe it will be optimised still further with future releases.
The arpeggiator is very useful and works very well but I would like to see a more comprehensive arp. I think this may be on the cards. One of the great things about buying a synth from rgcAudio is that they continue to develop their synths in relation to user feedback.
The interface could look more modern but it is easy to use.
The quality of sound is excellent. The sound seldom swamps the mix and is able to cut through because it is such good quality and so distinctive. I would urge people to try the demo as this synth may not be to everybody's taste. By which I mean that if you are after a high quality preset synth then you may be more happier with a sample based synth. |
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| Latest 4 reviews from a total of 4 |
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