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All Reviews by Lunch Money


By Lunch Money
On 15th November 2004
Version: 1.08b

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Wusik Wusik Station

I acquired this instrument ridiculously cheap as part of a group buy (Canadians, be sure to check out Wusik.com's Interac offer).

I find the User interface to be above average in usability, and far above average in appearance. This is partly due to the fact that WS is skinnable, and there are already a large handful of alternative skins. It's fairly easy to navigate, though a few buttons are in out-of-the-way places that aren't immediately obvious. A half-hour of tinkering or reading the manual will get you sorted quickly, though.

The sound is fantastic. The possibilities are limited only by the wave files you choose to use for your tones. The standards are included (sine, saws, noise, etc.), but the real beauty starts to come out when using more complex sounds like acoustic instruments. I don't own another commercial synth of any sort of stature, so I cannot draw comparisons, but suffice it to say that the included sounds are wonderful and the third-party sounds are inspired.

Features... well, this synth can cover all the bases. It's not just a 'workhorse', though. The wavesequencing, included effects, multi-outs, and the ability to use your own effects make this an artfully executed piece of versatile code!

Documentation is adequate, if not spectacular, and the devoted developer and loyal user base are always willing to help.

Presets? It comes with one of the best sound-sets ever assembled, in the form of Famous Keys. This, in addition to the other included sounds, provides the user with a wide range of presets right from the beginning. A quick browse through the forum or Wusik.com will have the user armed with another stack of free presets and sounds. A small bit of money here and there will buy additional soundsets (and accompanying presets) created by well-known sound designers.

Customer Support has been extremely quick and friendly. Can't fault Wusik for the personalized attention they give! The developer and users make regular posts and answer questions quickly on the forum, as well.

Value for money was ludicrously good. At the full price ($99.95 US) this instrument would be a bargain. At the group buy price, I practically stole it from Wusik.com. I used the money saved to buy a few third-party sound sets, and I continue to feel that I've underpaid somebody somewhere.

In terms of stability, I've had one isolated problem, which was a tendency for notes to 'stick' when hot-switching patches (hot-switching is usually only done during auditioning, not during composition or playback of a song). The developer is already working on a fix and is beta-testing for the next stable release. I'll update the review when it's sorted out. Also, it's certainly not pervasive in all patches, and I can go entire sessions without encountering a stuck note. Other than that, it has never actually crashed on me, so the code base seems otherwise robust and stable.

Get this product before Wusik starts charging a proper price for it. ;) (Actually, they are continually finding ways to make it cheaper, so a price hike is never going to happen, but get it anyhow!)
 
    

By Lunch Money
On 8th July 2004
Version: 1.01

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Wurr Audio Engineering GreenMachine Amp II

As a guitarist who primarily uses electric guitar, it has always been important to me to find the right tone for the job, whether it's a subtle bit of distortion, or a fully effected signal for soaring leads.

Having used all of the freeware VST that I'm aware of, as well as demo versions of Amplitube, I can honestly say that there's no better value for your money than GMAII.

Though some may be puzzled at the choice of green for the interface, I find the entire colour scheme very easy on the eyes, and each section of the signal modification chain is separated from the next, making it easy to make or modify your own patches. Furthermore, I don't feel as though I'm being 'tricked' by real-world amp 'lookalike' GUIs.

The sound speaks for itself. I've used the plugin for all ranges of tones, from clean to sonic mayhem. My personal taste hovers more in the 'crunch' tones, and here it excels, delivering clarity with each note, without sacrificing aggressiveness and responsiveness. It's certainly possible to get a broader range of tones than the "Tube 50, Tube 100, or Solid State" (also, Brit/US modes) imply. Above all else, and one of the real selling points, is that this plugin is capable of smooth and realistic distortion at cleaner settings.

Feature-wise, it may not be bursting with hundreds of add-ons like other software in the same category, but the flexibility of the features that are offered give it huge value. Standards like chorus and delay are there, and you will also find an authentic-sounding wah, good cabinet sims, an interesting ADSR feature, a noise gate, and other features.

Documentation is clear, and covers every feature in an easy-to-understand way. I'd like to see more in-depth tutorials; for example, tips on how to build a massive wall of guitars sound, or other tone recipes for relative newcomers to amp sounds.

There aren't as many presets as I would normally like to see; however, it is rare that so many presets are actually usable 'right out of the box'. There's not a lot of redundancy, making the current somewhat weak roster more robust by virtue of variety and usability.

I haven't needed customer support, but Patrick was always quick and responsive in the beta phase, and he's easily found here at K-v-R.

Stability hasn't been an issue.

For overall value, I don't think this can be beat. Bassists have been taken into account, as well as other potential instruments (incl vocals), which make it usable for other applications. I can't think of any features that I actually "miss", and when I do decide to take my sound into strange new worlds, there are a wealth of free plugins that will take my sound elsewhere (odd filters, modulators, etc.). With the Green Machine Amp II, you have all your fundamentals covered, and then some.
 
Last edited : 8th July 2004     
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