By bduffy
On 2nd March 2008
Version: 1.10
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FabFilter Pro-C
I'm quite surprised there aren't more reviews of this yet; I'm a little honoured to be the first, as I feel this is arguably one of the best software compressors available right now.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised when FabFilter announced they had released a compressor. Now at this point I already had my fair share of compressors, but I was curious to see what a company with a reputation for ultra-high quality plug-ins would put out, so I downloaded the demo and got to it.
First, the GUI is striking both in its beauty and simplicity (much like their other offerings!): the colour choices complement each other and provide plenty of contrast, and the over-sized dials beckon to be tweaked. But what is really interesting here is the variety of ways the user can witness realtime feedback of the compression transfer curve, peak reduction and sidechaining. While we've all seen the transfer curve before, and I can think of one or two older plugins that attempt to show the effect on the peaks via a waveform display, I had never seen a display that shows the compressor "dipping down" over the peaks, showing you when and how it's compressing; you will see little dips on the top flatline when gain reduction occurs, and if you increase the attack, you can see how the GR happens more slowly, i.e. the dip indents to the right. This makes it valuable both for experienced tweakers and beginners, who may benefit from the extra visual representation (compression is often one of the hardest concepts to learn!).
Next I noticed an "Expert" button; click this, and amazingly the whole waveform display animates and slides "underneath" the transfer curve, revealing sidechaining options and sliders for the pass filter. Again: clear and clever graphical representation, with plenty of options, which we'll get back to.
The larger knobs above are all familiar paramaters: Attack; Release; Threshold; Ration, etc; plus a soft/hard knee switch, three types of compression characteristics and even a dry/wet knob, which I love. With all these options, I couldn't wait to hear it, so let's go!
Even with the default setting, I notice a pleasing response on my drum loop; the transients are punching through, the decay has been extended a bit and the peaks are under control. The more I experiment with more dramatic ratios and settings, the more I like it; this unit reaks of quality, and I know I'm getting hooked by the second! I try the different characteristics, and I can hear differences between them ("Classic" seems to have a softer attack, for instance), but I can't decide which I like best! Everyone wins!
And with the Dry/Wet knob, you can smash the hell out of the signal, but use the mix knob to dial the dry signal back in, New York-style! I found driving the input wasn't that great for this, relying on the threshold and ratio gave better crushed results. ;)
(Another great note about the interface: when you pause over any element, a rather adorable little word ballon will appear and explain the object in question; again, extremely useful, especially for beginners and people looking for further explanation of the Pro-C ethos.)
I then poked around with the presets, of which there are many - categorized by style (nice!) - and I even noticed "bM" after most of the presets; I wondered: is that our "bManic"!?! Sure enough, it was. He was a beta-tester and preset-maker, and could explain why this plugin felt like it was made for the KVR crowd; I really felt like someone was listening to me (like that time you were at the AC/DC show, and you felt like they were playing for YOU..yeah, you KNOW what I'm talkin' about!), and that's reflected in Pro-C; it's made by a discerning small company for the discerning few (although I think everyone should have one, of course!). My point is: the presets are excellent starting points, and very useful for slobs like me who don't spend a lot of time with things like M/S processing; and the presets help demonstrate the strengths of FabFilter's design.
The Help file is perfectly well-written and laid out, I'm glad they used a cfm-style Help, I prefer that to launching a page. Not that I've had to use the Help File much, if at all; the interface is all there, and having direct access to bManic and the developers makes it almost uncessary. But it's there for those who need it.
Support has been friendly and excellent. I submitted a request for A/B, and not only was it met with enthusiasm, it's there now in the 1.1 release, along with (!) Undo/Redo. Amazing.
Now, this compressor is not cheap. At $199, it's near the top of VST compressors, but I must be clear that it's near the top in terms of sound, quality, GUI & support. This is a full package, the "real deal"; and I did not hesitate to pull out my credit card for this. I would warn anyone who is serious about compressors to check this out immediately; one my proudest purchases. :D |
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By bduffy
On 23rd February 2008
Version: 1.1
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Schaack Audio Technologies Transient Shaper
So just when you thought you had enough transient designers, along comes this sensibly-named plug-in. Boasting perhaps the most easily understood interface for a transient designer, there is little to explain here. The first version had two dials: Attack and Release; but after a request (OK, it was my request!), they added an output gain dial, which makes it useful for matching the gain and hearing what the plug-in is doing to your signal. The 1.0 version had quite a gain-boost to it, so this is very welcome, and doesn't ruin the simplicity of the plug-in.
The GUI is pleasing, remeniscent of hardware, and I particularly love the VU meters; useful for guaging before and after levels, and again, keeps the "hardware" aesthetic going. The VU meters can be switched off also, making the GUI only a few hundred pixels wide, for those who can't be bothered with metering.
I was a little wary of the price at first, as there are several top-notch transient designer-type programs already available for free or little money. But I found that not only was this the easiest to use of all of them, with no distracting parameters, it delivered probably the most pleasing transient response as well. Drum busses instantly perked up and spanked their way out of the mix, and I could even place this on an entire mix if needed. The release does a great job of smoothing out or shrinking the length of the transients, and you can get a really neat gate-like sound from this, if you're looking for more of a special effect.
Some people may be looking for more detailed control over their transient shaping, but for guys like me who just want to get that over-processed drum kit back into the mix with minimum fuss, or pine for the one-knob magic of hardware units, this is definitely one for the books. I will be picking this up shortly, and look forward to more from this company! |
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By bduffy
On 13th November 2007
Version: 1.0
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KeyToSound (Koblo) Precision EQ
Like neilpullen, I must say at the outset that the Precision EQ experience is very similar to the Vintage EQ experience: if you like Vintage EQ, you'll like Precision EQ; the workflow is identical, and they look and feel quite similar.
Like Vintage EQ, Precision EQ offers 7 bands, with 7 filter-types, each switchable with Gain, frequency and Q-width available. The EQ graph is draggable with a spectrum analyzer, so this EQ pleases those who like to use their ears, enter digits, drag nodes or use their eyes to zero in on problem frequencies. Again, KeyToSound seem to be shooting for an all-pleasing EQ here.
The sound is very clean and transparent. I found I could bring out things like the tines on electric piano passages without disturbing the track or rendering it coarse and edgey. Likewise with a mix, and there is plenty of flexibility to do things like the cut & boost trick, while maintaining a clean signal.
And the wonderful KeyToSound low-CPU is in effect here again! Not only do you have a clean, master-ready EQ here, you have an EQ that uses such little CPU that you can use it as a track EQ, on however many tracks you like! I know I do. :D
Again, no presets, but there is a preset system, and knowing KeyToSound, I'll bet some preset-sharing will turn up online at some point; the possibility is there, and internal file-systems are always a bonus with plug-ins, giving you that second layer of preset-security.
And all this for $59? It's a no-brainer. Clean, efficient and with some of the best support in the business, you won't regret picking this up. With the drive to model analog gear often pushing up the processing demands of software EQ's, it's refreshing to find rare treasures like these that combine maximum sound with maximum performance, stability and price. Way to go, KeyToSound! A convert is born. |
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By bduffy
On 11th November 2007
Version: 1.0
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KeyToSound (Koblo) Vintage EQ
When the brand-new company KeyToSound announced the release of the rather innocuously titled Vintage EQ, with all the baggage that comes with the word "vintage", I was more than a little sceptical. Upon installation, I noticed the demo was 30-day unlimited, and I dig that, so that helped win me over a bit. Also Brian (botkiller) from KeyToSound has had a strong, friendly, professional presence on KVR, so that helped too.
At first glance, the interface (like all their stuff) is a little funky and rock'n'roll rustic-looking, but clear and understandable. The layout reminds me strongly of Waves' RenEQ, whose layout I really enjoy, and those familiar with that layout will enjoy Vintage EQ right away. You get 7 bands, each one selectable to 7 filter types, with Gain, Frequency and Q: straightforward, easy to use.
Now, since the first thing I expect from something called Vintage EQ is a sweet high end, so the first thing I did was turn on the high shelf band set to 10khz and gave it a crank, and I was thrilled to hear a soft, smooth boost on the signal; the kind of thing one expects to hear from much-loved, vaunted hardware. I find I was tempted to boost a little more than usual, just listening for when it sounded good, which is always. Very pleasing indeed, and I think many will enjoy the character of this EQ.
Next, I hesitantly glanced at the CPU meter to read the bad news, and it had barely moved. I started inserting like crazy, and as far as I could tell, I could use this EQ on literally every single track in a mix and not bottom out the processor! This EQ has to have the best sound-to-CPU ratio out there, I'm not sure what they did, but hats off to KTS for this feat.
There is full data-entry on each band, and those numbers can be click+dragged also, which is great, plus draggable nodes and even an FFT readout. Personally, I think the readout comes out a bit cramped, but it's generally useful, especially as it's adjustable to Pre-EQ/Post-EQ or off altogether. And they've included A/B and Copy A/B + B/A features, another must-have in my book.
There are no presets as of yet, but it does have its own internal preset system, which I'll count as a big bonus for the preset category. You'll always be able to port your presets, and share with other KTS users.
It seems like KeyToSound really set out to make the ultimate musicians' everyday EQ here, and I do't think they missed a thing. I started using this immediately in my projects and haven't looked back, it's been a complete pleasure to work with! And at the most reasonable price of $59 (you hear that, Mac guys?!?), you cannot go wrong with this. Even if you don't think this is the best vintage-style EQ ever, you can pick up a great, efficient track EQ for peanuts! Definitely one of the best purchases of 2007. |
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Last edited : 13th November 2007
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By bduffy
On 5th February 2007
Version: 1.2
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The Interruptor BionicDelay
Oh my God, what's wrong with me? I haven't reviewed my #1 favourite delay! Right then, here we go:
I first stumbled upon Bionic Delay when I was frantically searching for a solid tape delay to get a Pink Floyd/Animals-style effect for a song. The interface is tremendously bright, and although I like the big sliders for the feedback and effect level, the controls on the bottom are a serious setback. They're simply too small and it's very hard to dial in just a little bit of modulation or flutter, but with trial and error you can get more subtle effects (I guess the developer wasn't shooting for that!)
Now I understand the main purpose behind Bionic Delay is to get that dub sound, and that it does extraordinarily well. But I've found this to be a superior day-to-day delay, with a thick sound that manages to "stick" to your material better than most VST delays, most of which I find too soft or downright nutty to use. There's something about Bionic Deay; it just works like some cherished vintage outboard gear, and I find myself reaching for Bionic time and time again, over high-end payware delays quite often!
It is very simple to use, and it isn't really necessary to consult a manual for this one. It is very limited in the times it can do, though, restricted to tempo-synced notes and percentages in between. That's generally fine by me - I usually use tempo-synced delays anyway, but it would be nice to have more control over the times. I find this puppy has a sweet spot between 30% and 60% feedback, where it sounds best and doesn't overload. Then, if you want the dub feedback, it does this very well after 60%, and really has a nice degradation of the delay line. WARNING: it gets out of hand quick, and some solid limiting is required if you want an infinite repeat without squealing at -0db.
The presets included are excellent, very useful, give a good idea of its capabilities and come in "insert" and "send" flavours.
Another helpful element is the include low and high pass filters. As you may know, as secret to getting a delay to sit well in a mix is cutting some frequencies so it doesn't bunch up in the mix, and Bionic Delay starts up with a (unknown) percentage of EQ knocked off the bottom and top, and I find this setting is usually just right already, but you have full control here and you don't need to insert an EQ after this puppy.
The CPU could be a bit better. This is an old Synth Edit plugin, and it shows. A few of these in your project, and the CPU meter will be significantly raised, and I find Cubase gets a little choppy when I'm running many of them. But it's not bad enough to worry about, it's worth it.
Because of its great sound, and despite any shortcomings, this delay is literally on every song on my album and will be used into the future, unless I find something very similar, with better modulation, controls and lighter CPU. Until then, I urge everyone to check out Bionic Delay. Truly a classic VST effect. |
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Last edited : 5th February 2007
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By bduffy
On 18th July 2006
Version: 1.1
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Northernbeat Audio Monolisa
I'm surprised this is the first review of this wonderful little synth! Here we go then...
Monolisa was announced one day by designer Jörgen Arvidsson as his forray into synth design. After internally rolling my eyes at Y.E.T.A.N.O.T.H.E.R. Moog-type monosynth, I downloaded it and was immediately pleased with the beautiful, compact interface. Every detail is just right on this: a classic, well-designed interface that makes you want to reach out and tweak it!
Upon playing it, I was very impressed with the depth of the bass tone. I realise this is a representation of basic synthesis principles, but it seems to have its own sound, and a good one at that! Those looking for a strong, bread'n'butter bass synth need look no further than Monolisa for their needs.
The first few patches demonstrate Monolisa's bass strength quite clearly, like a "Best Of" bass synthesis, and are easily modified with the clearly laid-out interface. The leads are strong here too, many a great melody could come from these as well. I'd wager a blind test would put this synth up with some more high-profile favourites.
This is a synth that should be pointed out to all SynthEdit nay-sayers. Free, easy and great-sounding, we all owe Mr nBeat thanks for his hard work and great design. I'll be using this for years to come! |
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By bduffy
On 5th July 2006
Version: 1.6
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iLoyd iloSynth-1
You know, I need another free, SynthEdit synth like I need another hole in the head! But something about iloSynth-1 compelled me to try it. And immediately, I fell in love with this little wonder. It's not a complex synth, but it manages to turn out great sounds with its own analog flavour.
The interface is pretty, good choice of colours and I really like the dials. The bright yellow is clear and easy to reference. I like the fact that the usual SE drop-downs, etc, have been skinned and the interface is large and easy to use.
It's hard to put my finger on it exactly, but iloSynth-1 just sounds good. I can give credit to the developer for including 60 useful presets that display the wide range of sounds you can make with this. What it seems to excel at is amplitude modulation sounds, but basses and leads are strong and prominent. A few twists and turns here and there and you'll be making new patches right away.
The chorus and delay sections sound great and easily had ambience to the patches.
There is no documentation whatsoever. Frankly, it doesn't need it; there's nothing earth-shatteringly different about this synth, and hey, it's free!
I've experienced no stability issues, and the CPU light and reasonable.
All together, a wonderful little freebie. I highly recommend all to try it out. I just can't stop using this loveable synth! |
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By bduffy
On 15th May 2006
Version: 1.1
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AlgoMusic String Synthesizer
Very often on KVR we will see a thread where someone is pleading with us to help them get "that cool string synth sound" or the "ARP" sound. Well, look no further than this little secret. Well loved among those who know it, the AlgoMusic String Synthesizer is a bonafide KVR classic, one of those too-good-for-free gems that you wish was out there (and actually is!). Invented by KVR's venerable veteran Tim Conrardy, this synth was really designed with an obvious purpose in mind: to make great, phasey, analog synth string sounds, and that it does.
Upon opening it, you are greeting by a thin, soft, pleasing interface; it really looks like a gentle-sounding instrument. I think this is a fantastic and effective interface. I subtracted one point because it took me quite some time to figure out that you have to hit a button to switch to the delay section. I do like the overall size of this interface, very easy to work with in a host.
Then I started playing, and right when you hit that second preset, there it is: ARP Solina goodness! I can almost feel myself transported back to some post-apocalyptic 70's European Sci-Fi!!! The presets by TC and fellow KVR stalwart Ugo are outstanding, and this is one synth where I hardly ever need to change the presets; it's god such a good selection of sounds, it's really a set-up-and-go synth. It is very straight-forward though, if you are a tweaker, and the controls are immediately familiar to most synth users.
Really not much else to add to that! Oh yes, there is no documentation with this - but you don't really need any! - and the AlgoMusic forum here on KVR is excruciatingly helpful if you need guidance. This is a truly great synths, one of the top reasons to come to KVR. |
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By bduffy
On 15th May 2006
Version: 3
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Steinberg Cubase
This is only the second review ever of Cubase! Incredible.
Cubase SX 3 will probably go down in the books as the most deceptive update in Cubase’s history. Often billed as the “2.5” update, the worth of the changes and restoration of older features aren’t as immediately obvious as the update from SX 1 to SX 2, say, and some of the most important features have been added via small patch updates.
Steinberg tightened up the look for Cubase a little bit, but it remains basically the same as SX 2 – which made for less confusion after updating; I thought the interface was already bang-on, so small changes are appreciated here. Right away, I liked how Audio Channels, MIDI Channels, Groups, etc have different colours in the VST Mixer, something that drove me nuts about earlier Cubase versions! Colour in general has become more flexible in Cubase; you can change Cubase’s whole colour scheme, there is a bucket, automatic track colouring, etc. All very welcome features.
The keyboard shortcuts are just wonderful; there is so much control; anything can be assigned to anything, and I like Cubase’s Key Command dialogue the best out of any program: it’s the only one I can think of that gives you ample room to read the commands and lets you search easily for the commands. Changing Key Commands in Cubase is easy and effortless; I often change commands on the fly, even while recording – it’s that easy. People often wonder why we’re still using Cubase, and this is one of the reasons Cubase users stay loyal. Remember: Cubase had this feature long before others were even thinking about it! Another feature that keeps Cubase users coming back it the VST Mixer: this sucker feels like a real console. I’ve always loved how you can use the arrow keys to speed along from track to track and to turn up/down track levels, or you can cut and paste from one channel to another with hotkeys. Even without a control surface, it “feels” more like a mixer, and the graphics help too. It looks like a physical mixer, but has it’s own, original software-look to it too. No big changes here, except there is a greatly expanded Key Command set for the mixer, something I need to explore more.
A bigger addition to v3 is the Audio Quantize feature; as soon as I got this installed, my mission was to remix something. I grabbed a track from the 80s and brought it into Cubase and started messing around with the Audio Quantize feature: this allows you to set Hitpoints in a wave file and freely move the song’s beats to new positions, and the gaps are automatically stretched to match. It took a bit of time to do a whole song, but it works very well, and I could change my mind about tempo and make time changes, with the original song following along. Very nice for remixes and, I imagine, for correcting errors in live performances. Hugely powerful feature and I really welcome this.
Another great new feature is the Playback Order editor. You can now define portions of your song as verses, choruses, etc and change the playback order virtually, in real-time and hear those changes right away – without altering the timeline! This is a real godsend to someone like me, who works with multimedia productions that can change very quickly, and for trying out different things with my band’s song that I’m stuck with arranging! Amazing innovation here.
Many people will appreciate the enhanced Freeze function. Steinberg’s first attempt at freeze in SX 2 was pretty shoddy – the freeze file would bounce down the entire length of the project, even if the file has a different length! Now, it’s much more reasonable, and you can choose to keep the freeze files after unfreezing. You can also freeze insert FX, freeing up resources. Also they’ve included “In-Place” editors in the Track View; you can edit a MIDI channel’s Key Editor (Piano Roll) right underneath the track! Just assign a Key Command to “In-Line Editor” and you’ll speed MIDI editing up immeasurably.
I don’t have any external effects to patch through Cubase, but an important feature to mention is that you can use external effect gear AS INSERTS and SENDS in Cubase, and not only that, but it will do instant recall with these effects as if they were internal VST FX. This could really make things interesting in a studio, increasing the chance that the sound you laboured over for hours can be reproduced if you need to restore a session. Yamaha’s acquisition of Steinberg seems to be accelerating the development of these features, which I’m sure will be well received by professionals.
All in all, this is an excellent, stable upgrade to Cubase. I still think that nothing does what Cubase does, matching its staggering amount of features and quality. Even though I can see some places for improvement (most notably in routing flexibility), I can’t imagine using anything else. |
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By bduffy
On 15th May 2006
Version: 1 & 2
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Native Instruments (NI) Kontakt
I've been meaning to review Kontakt for some time now; it's only been my sampling workhorse for 4 years now! :lol: I've been a little reluctant to because my final chapter with Kontakt is yet unwritten, as the upgrades to Kontakt have really changed the software that I initially purchased so much that I'm thinking of leaving Kontakt. But more on that soon.
After demoing as many samplers as I could, I decided on Kontakt. Kontakt had an excellent feature list and format support and I really liked the dedicated browser, instead of HALion's and VSampler's page-by-page method. I liked how everything could be in one place, and the GUI was just gorgeous, living up to Native Instruments' reputation. Some people thought the fonts were too small, but I never had a problem with that.
Even though it's always a little intimidating learning a new sampler, I found it pretty easy to get up and running with Kontakt. The way it worked seemed to make sense to me, and it did a good job of importing my soundfonts, AKAI and Gigasampler patches. Kontakt was my pathway to a larger, better sampling world and I was really enjoying it. Kontakt wasn't working very well in SONAR at this time, but we're talking about the very first incarnation of DXi, so it was a very buggy format. Luckily, I switched to Cubase during this time, and Kontakt worked FLAWLESSY in Cubase. Sadly, that would change soon.
The manual that came with Kontakt was pretty basic and incomplete. There are things you can do with Kontakt that simply aren't listed in there. I'm not sure if the manual is updated now, but you usually have to go online and look up addendums and tutorials to find out about newer features. They probably should have offered at least a newer, inclusive pdf download so the information could be read offline, all in one place. Luckily the NI Forums are great for asking and learning.
The library that came with v1.0 was not very well received by anyone. Personally, I did not care; I was buying this strictly for the sampler, but it doesn't reflect so well on a cutting-edge company like this when the samples are 3rd-rate. Smartly, NI released a wonderful library with Kontakt 2 - a good consolation considering the upgrade price!
Now here's where things get tricky. What I've found over the lifespan of Kontakt is that the race to incorporate new features and meet the myriad of demands from the market has really messed up what was initially a very stable piece of software. Like I said earlier, Kontakt v1.0 up until v1.1 worked very smoothly in Cubase. But with each successive update, basic features would start disappearing and eventually the interface would start behaving oddly. It seemed to me that whenever they tried to advance Kontakt as a standalone, Gigastudio-style application, the VST version got buggier. Soon I could not use the mousewheel anymore (haven't been able to for over 2 years now), a crucial time-saver for browsing samples and stacked instruments. Kontakt now stole the spacebar from Cubase, forcing me to click around just to stop or play, and I experience weird mouse-slowdowns - to this day - when loading large instruments, closing the UI or clicking on folders in the browser.
I wrote NI copiously reminding them that basic functions are missing/corrupting. I got mystified responses; well mannered, but not useful. This is with one $79 upgrade already under my belt; to this day, I don't know why this upgrade (which didn't fix anything) was paid.
So a year or two later they released Kontakt 2 to the tune of $200 CAD. Now the sampler is so radically different that I can barely use it. I would think that it would be great if you've never used K1, but for now it's very confusing. Not to mention the new Kontakt Mixer has not been hooking up properly with the Cubase mixer. As of this writing, a new 2.1 update was just released that is resulting in most stereo outputs winding up as dual-mono in the VST Mixer. And still, after all this time, my mouse still slows down and some nice, basic features are still missing. So I will probably move on to something else, if I can find something that will match the features.
That's not to say "don't get Kontakt", I'm just warning any potential buyers: the emphasis has been on adding new features, not stabilizing Kontakt. But this is working very well for many users, and I'm sure if I'd started on Kontakt 2 instead of spending years with Kontakt 1, I'd be a lot happier. It is a very, very powerful sampler, lots of fun to work with, plus Kontakt has succeeded in stealing the market from HALion, and is now a standard issue format for sample libraries. I really like the draggable FX in Kontakt 2, the keyboard shortcuts are excellent and overall the K2 interface looks even better and is more clear and easy to work with.
So definitely make this the first sampler you check out. But I would take special note of customer feedback and see what people with similar setups are using. |
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Last edited : 15th May 2006
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By bduffy
On 17th January 2006
Version: 3.15
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Camel Audio CamelPhat
Looks like we desperately need a review of version 3; and with the incredible indispensability of this plug-in, I regret not submitting a review sooner.
I first discovered CamelPhat via the free version - and even though that little plug-in was limited to mono, I was blown away by how it could instantly and effortlessly enhance the basslines, synths and drums. I downloaded the full demo and resolved to buy it as soon as possible.
Then, suddenly, version 3 came out.
Wow. What an update! I could not believe my eyes and ears with this one...not only did the GUI get a much-needed kick in the rear, but the features had expanded as well.
USER INTERFACE: This is a truly gorgeous UI, one of the best out there. This is an interface that you want to touch, tweak and explore; and the thick, gold look reflects the thick character of the plug-in quite while, I think. The only reason I haven't given the UI a full "10" is because I experience an odd graphics redraw problem where one can visibly see the interface blink out and redraw its elements. It doesn't affect performance, is just mildly distracting and the devs are aware of this issue (that seems to be almost exclusively with ATI cards - why did I buy one?) and I'm sure it will be fixed soon.
SOUND: Oh yes...the Big British Tone!!! This is what it all comes down to: CamelPhat has some of the best tube-style distortion and compressors you will ever hear. Merely turning up the Tube distortion just a couple notches will help drums and bass leap out of the mix, giving the track that non-linear perfection for carving out its own sonic space.
Now add some compression, and things really start pounding. The Compressor on this is remarkably transparent or beautifully crushing at higher settings, and you can select between normal and "Phat" modes, the latter being recommended for more aggresive material, where some extra punch might be welcome. I find you can get equally good results with either setting, which is something I like about this plug-in; it isn't 100% scientific; there is a turn-it-up-and-go factor that lends itself well to quick inspiration and enhancements, which one feels is the ethos at work here.
Also worth mentioning are:
The Magic EQ, a wonderful low-end enhancer that can really come in handy. I tend to use it most often on kick drums, but of course it comes into play with basslines and synths too.
The Xcita is a very sweet, tube-like exciter, has been really helpful for adding some sheen; a welcome feature indeed.
I use the BandPass filteres quite a lot, and the Multi-Mode Filters are excellent sounding, but I must admit I haven't had a chance to fully explore them, as I tend to use CamelPhat primarily for its warming/compression features.
The Flanger...well, I'm personally not sure why this is in here. I would have rather had something like a Chorus or Doubler, something more universally useful. But no harm done!
FEATURES: Really, what you've got here is a kind of channel strip plug-in; a one-stop-shop for beefing up your tracks, or with the filters, adding sweeps or craziness. It has the familiar "Randomize" function, which again, scores points for the plug-n-go feel. With all the feature available and the great sound, just about anything is possible here.
DOCUMENTATION: Top notch, friendly instructions that really help you get your way around. I appreciated that in the FAQ's, they even told you how to make the new one sound like the old, which I was curious about! One of the easier-to-use manuals I've experienced.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT: Full "10" here. Ben and Rob have been ultra-fast in responding to any questions or problems I may have, and the forum reflects that. One always appreciates great service from real people - real developers - that one can chat with on their forum. I recieved instant help when I submitted my report of problems with the redraw, and they are working with me to resolve in Beta-tests. Wonderful service!
VALUE: Come on. $80 for this. You must be kidding! The value is insane, and I'm glad I got in before all the "pros" realise what they're missing (actually, to be fair, tons of pros DO use this!) and they raise the price!
Seriously, this is one of the single best returns on investment out there. If you want to get some Big British Meat on your tracks, you simply MUST try this plug-in, or remain in cold, brittle, digital hell forever. :D |
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By bduffy
On 30th September 2005
Version: 2.14
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Wusik Wusik Station
As a busy composer and sound designer, I'm always on the lookout for powerful synthesizers that are capable of a wide range of sounds, and I definitely found that in Wusikstation. It's like buying a full-fledged keyboard workstation that can be used for basic to radical sounds with easy browsing and loading.
Wusikstation features a powerful wave sequencing engine, which means that wave files are loaded in and can be radically mixed and manipulated to create unusual (and usual) sounds. Pads swirl and sweep with unexpected depth and complexity, and the possibilities seem endless.
I was instantly impressed with just the selection of pads. Further prodding through the presets revealed large, meaty basses, nifty sound fx and a huge selection of vintage/standard instruments - like Rhodes pianos and 303 synths - often with a Wusik edge to them, making them more original.
And that's where Wusikstation exceeds: in creating original sounds. I've never heard anything quite like Wuskistation, and that impressed me and drove me to buy it immediately. When I'm stuck or bored, I can load up Wusikstation and just start cruising through presets, and within no time, I'm writing something. It's my go-to instrument for pads and basses now, especially after purchasing Manytone's incredible Ultimate Bass Kit - one of the several (and growing number of) libraries available for Wusik. I should, then, mention that Wusikstation is also a full-fledged sampler with 1st and 3rd party libraries available.
The only complaint I would have is that the updates can be a little awkward to install to a non-power user, occasionally having to manually move and update items; but the updates have been very straightforward since v2.x. And the developer is VERY prompt in responding to calls for help, so I've never had a problem that lasted longer then a few minutes! So all is forgiven.
And all of this at a truly reasonable price. Wusikstation is cheap and comes with a large selection of presets, and all the libraries are very affordable. I think the coming years will see Wusikstation become one of the more popular synths, a la Reaktor. I certainly hope so. |
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By bduffy
On 18th March 2005
Version: 1.5
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SoftPlug.com Adventus
NOTE: Adventus 1.5 has come out since my review, and an Arpeggiator was added to sweeten the deal. Again, this fortifies it as a top choice for an "open-it-and-go" Techno synth.
This was one of two synths this year that within minutes of playing them I knew that I had to have. Immediately I was struck by its professional, colourful interface - reminiscent of a Juno crossed with an ARP - and its warm, large sounds.
The UI is very easy to read, with pleasing 3-D art for knobs, LED's, etc. One of the more novel things about Adventus is that it splits up its effects, LFO's and Options into different "pages" of the main UI; click the "FX" button and you get large displays to tweak the FX, which are very high-quality and have lots of parameters. I like how the delay has HPF and LPF controls, for instance - not often seen on onboard synth FX.
The filters are really high quality as well. These are the kinds of filters you want when doing slow filtersweeps, without getting annoying spikes and distortion, very impressive for a synth at this price.
You can get some cool FX with its two LFO's that have complex, assignable source-destination mapping. There are lots of possibilities there that I look forward to exploring.
And ultimately, this all gives you sounds that feel like they've been plucked straight out of your favourite electronic records. The well-programmed Presets leap out at you and, while I'm sure some purists would object to that much effect on a patch, the patches also sound good dry. The overall tone reminds me of early 80's synths such as Roland Juno/Jupiter or PPG Wave, with full bottom and bright highs. I can load several of these and still make out the individual instruments - despite all the FX - and it held up well in mono.
I assume because the author recognized that this could be the one and only synth needed to make electronic music, he made a "lite" version, included with the normal version, that has no FX and fewer internal connections. This is perfect if you just need a simple bassline, or if you need lots of instances (which you will!) or if you need to squeeze in that one more synth in your tune.
The only downside (as of this writing) was that I found it took unusually long to load up several instances in Cubase, I had to open the GUI to get playback from a MIDI track upon re-opening a comp, I'm not crazy about the knob movement where it seems you have to use very exaggerated circular movements to maintain sweeps, and there is no documentation yet (but it is very easy to use).
This is the best low-cost synth I've come across PERIOD. I was shocked that firstly, this was made with Synthedit and, secondly, that this cost only $30. With a focus on ready-to-go presets, I advise anyone who needs an all-in-one techno/trance/electronica workhorse to look no further. For all you users constantly inquiring about "that fat sound", get the demo today and I guarantee you'll be composing with it in no time. |
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Last edited : 6th June 2005
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| Latest 13 reviews from a total of 13 |
