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All Reviews by mikebeck


By mikebeck
On 13th June 2006
Version: 2.0

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Wusik EVE - Electronic Vintage Ensemble

As I went to write this review, I saw that funkychickendance had just written one, and pretty much wrote what I was going to write!
One of the major things I like about this synth is that you can start from one of the many presets or easily load from one to three "analog" sounds but if you want to go crazy, the layering and effects routing allow you to make sounds as weird or obnoxious as you want in seconds. Very flexible.
The included samples are of very good quality, and the GUI is easy to learn and use. It's very easy to get from bank to bank and find a preset without much digging in menus.
I have emailed support a few times with questions and was answered quickly and my questions were thoroughly resolved. To be clear, I have not had trouble with the performance of the synth, I simply had questions about how some things worked.
I like how there are a lot of supplied sounds and presets, but it's a bonus feature that you can add on if you want. Again, see funkychickendance's review, which lists some specifics.
Very good value for money. I'm in the process of still learning it, and am now experimenting with doing a song completely with EVE 2, drums and all.
 
    

By mikebeck
On 7th June 2006
Version: 1.0

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NUSofting Microrock Pro

Microrock Pro is a unique instrument in that it combines a synth and guitar (or string) modeling to make sounds unlike the usual analog synth emulations heard in many software instruments.
For someone who is coming to keyboards and synths from a guitar background, the interface makes it easy to find sounds. The control for positioning a guitar pick anywhere along the string is intuitive, and will be intuitive for non-guitarists as well once its tested.

The sounds are mostly like electric guitars played through effect units, and there are a wide variety of tones that can be made either through tweaking a preset or starting from scratch. The pick and pickup tones, combined with distortion, delay, chorus and wah filtered through the common synth ADSR controls provide a lot of variety. I find it most useful for lead lines, as if playing a MIDI guitar or a densely effected guitar. You can simulate power chords also, though.

CPU usage was light on my Powerbook, which is a nice bonus.

The presets are handy for trying out varied sounds, and while there aren't a ton of them, they are sufficiently spread out in the sound spectrum.

Support is quick and friendly in the KVR DashSignature/NuSofting forum, and is also responsive via email. Microrock Pro has never crashed or behaved oddly for me and my questions about it were answered fully.

With the low price and high quality results, its an easy 10 in terms of value for money. Another plus is that its fun to use - quick and easy to play with the settings without getting lost. Highly recommended.
 
    

By mikebeck
On 28th March 2006
Version: 2.2.2

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LinPlug Alpha

I do not have an extensive synth background. I needed something I could use right away, and be able to cover a lot of ground quickly and easily. I think Alpha offers this and more.

The GUI is easy to understand, and is well-designed. The controls all work very well - no glitches that I've found. The preset browser makes it easy to find what you're looking for and quickly audition the included or added-on presets.

I give the sound a 9 only because I thought it could use more "power" at times. This is likely the result of my inexperience. Most of the time the sound is great, and I can get a wide variety of sounds out of this synth.

At first glance, it may seem lacking in features, based on screen shots of other monster synths. What's there, though, allows for a lot of flexibility. After getting familiar with it, there was more to it than I originally thought.

The PDF documentation is clear and thorough, and all controls are explained. The glossary of synth terms is helpful for beginners.

One of the big benefits, especially for me, was the included 750+ presets, so I can immediately hear the breadth of sound possibilities and see how they are constructed. With this many presets, there are bound to be many I will never use, but there are very many I found useful without needing any tweaks, too.

I haven't needed much support, since this is an easy to use product, and it's never misbehaved for me. Any questions I've had, though, have been answered quickly, by Linplug staff, in the Linplug forum here at KVR. Also, the purchasing/download process was quick and trouble-free.

The value for money is easily a 10. For $59, I think I've gotten more than my money's worth. And it's gotten me interested in Linplug's other products.

Alpha has been perfectly stable, as I've already mentioned. I've used both the VST and AU formats within Peak Pro 5, Tracktion 2, Digital Performer 4.6, and a few other hosts with no crashes or glitches.

I guess it's obvious enough by now that I'm happy with Alpha. It's an affordable, workhorse gem of a synth.
 
    
Latest 3 reviews from a total of 3