Product Reviews by KVR Members
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I was reluctant to give this synth a 10 in every category, because to some people that might imply that it can't possibly be improved, but *anything* can be improved, and I just wouldn't feel right about giving it anything less than the best scores in all categories.
USER INTERFACE:
This is where Firebird really shines, IMHO, because you can have the greatest-sounding synth in the world, but if it's a chore to use, then, well. . . you won't be using it much! This thing is a joy to work with. The controls are presented in a logical, fashionable, and usable way. Call it German engineering. ;-) It must be understood, however, that simplicity of design does *not* imply lack of functionality or a dearth of features. Read on.
SOUND:
Although it *can* be used as a virtual analog synth, Firebird sounds refreshingly digital. The filters are simply outstanding, and there are plenty to choose from. The user has the option of selecting low, average, high, or ultra quality, which is great when you want to have several instances of Firebird active and don't have the fastest CPU in the world. I use the low or medium setting and then switch to high before bouncing tracks or rendering the song. Did I mention that it sounds fantastic? It does. ;-)
FEATURES:
A very nice arpeggiator, a good LFO that's routable to any one of several places, many quality effects, glide mode (1 key or 2), and the ability to apply "modifiers" to the oscillators (which incredibly enhances the amount of sounds you can create).
DOCUMENTATION:
The manual is basic, but well-written and easy to read.
PRESETS:
You'll want to make your own, but the ones that are included are excellent and show you what's possible. (Well, *hint* at what's possible, anyway.)
CUSTOMER SUPPORT:
Marcus provides very good support to his customers.
VALUE FOR MONEY:
It's *so* very well worth the price. For far less than 100 dollars, this is an unbelievable deal.
STABILITY:
The latest version of Firebird+ is 100% stable. It's also very quick to load and totally "glitch-free."
I've tried the great majority of VSTi synths and this is my favorite of them all. I end up using it time and time again because it's a pleasure to use and it sounds great.Read Review
USER INTERFACE:
This is where Firebird really shines, IMHO, because you can have the greatest-sounding synth in the world, but if it's a chore to use, then, well. . . you won't be using it much! This thing is a joy to work with. The controls are presented in a logical, fashionable, and usable way. Call it German engineering. ;-) It must be understood, however, that simplicity of design does *not* imply lack of functionality or a dearth of features. Read on.
SOUND:
Although it *can* be used as a virtual analog synth, Firebird sounds refreshingly digital. The filters are simply outstanding, and there are plenty to choose from. The user has the option of selecting low, average, high, or ultra quality, which is great when you want to have several instances of Firebird active and don't have the fastest CPU in the world. I use the low or medium setting and then switch to high before bouncing tracks or rendering the song. Did I mention that it sounds fantastic? It does. ;-)
FEATURES:
A very nice arpeggiator, a good LFO that's routable to any one of several places, many quality effects, glide mode (1 key or 2), and the ability to apply "modifiers" to the oscillators (which incredibly enhances the amount of sounds you can create).
DOCUMENTATION:
The manual is basic, but well-written and easy to read.
PRESETS:
You'll want to make your own, but the ones that are included are excellent and show you what's possible. (Well, *hint* at what's possible, anyway.)
CUSTOMER SUPPORT:
Marcus provides very good support to his customers.
VALUE FOR MONEY:
It's *so* very well worth the price. For far less than 100 dollars, this is an unbelievable deal.
STABILITY:
The latest version of Firebird+ is 100% stable. It's also very quick to load and totally "glitch-free."
I've tried the great majority of VSTi synths and this is my favorite of them all. I end up using it time and time again because it's a pleasure to use and it sounds great.Read Review
This isn't much of a review, but after messing around with this VSTi for a few minutes, I was so impressed that I felt compelled to rave about it a bit.
Just going through the presets (which are very well-done, I might add), it quickly becomes apparent that this little synth is capable of some very *usable* sounds. I emphasize the word *usable*, because, to me, that's just as important as the quality of the sound itself.
The GUI is nice and includes some interesting controls for making unusual (but in a good way!) sounds.
This is a very nice, unique VA synth, and it's freeware! Where can I donate?!?
I can't believe I still need to type 450 more characters. No wonder so many great VST's go unreviewed! Who has time to write a thorough review of each and every quality VST out there? By the time I'm done ranting, this review should be complete. ;-)
Let me say again that this is an outstanding freeware product. I'll be the first to donate some $ when the developer adds a "Donate" button.
As I saw on a sig recently, Long Live the Almighty Freeware Developer!Read Review
Just going through the presets (which are very well-done, I might add), it quickly becomes apparent that this little synth is capable of some very *usable* sounds. I emphasize the word *usable*, because, to me, that's just as important as the quality of the sound itself.
The GUI is nice and includes some interesting controls for making unusual (but in a good way!) sounds.
This is a very nice, unique VA synth, and it's freeware! Where can I donate?!?
I can't believe I still need to type 450 more characters. No wonder so many great VST's go unreviewed! Who has time to write a thorough review of each and every quality VST out there? By the time I'm done ranting, this review should be complete. ;-)
Let me say again that this is an outstanding freeware product. I'll be the first to donate some $ when the developer adds a "Donate" button.
As I saw on a sig recently, Long Live the Almighty Freeware Developer!Read Review
The main feature of this synthesizer is its sound: it has a VA sound that immediately gets your attention. Quality oscillators and filters and outstanding on-board effects combine to create a very nice-sounding synth.
User Interface:
Colorful and full of controls to play around with, the GUI is very nice. The knobs, for some reason, require you to make two revolutions with your mouse to get one revolution out of the knob. Aside from this minor issue, the interface is excellent.
Sound:
If you like fat analog sounds, you'll like Adventus. It is definitely best suited for dance music, but it has some very nice pads and strings, also. And there's no telling what you'll be able to get it to do if you're willing to learn how to operate it.
Features:
For less than thirty dollars, it's amazing how many features this thing has. Clicking on the buttons brings up five pages of controls for them all.
Documentation:
None, unfortunately, but the developer does have a forum in which you can ask for help.
Presets:
For such an excellent synthesizer, it's a shame that there aren't more presets available. It's capable of much more than what is represented in the default patches. These are very well-done, to be sure, but most are trance leads and basses. Including, say, 200 additional quality, varied presets would bring Adventus to an entirely new level; on par with some much more expensive synths.
Customer Support:
While not the greatest, customer support is available and your questions/concerns will be addressed.
Value For Money:
This is very well worth the cost.
Stability:
Takes a while to load, and, at least in my VST host, I need to access the GUI before I get any sound out of it (unlike other synths). The other problem is that, depending on the preset and the polyphony, this synth can easily overwhelm your CPU. With that said, it has never "crashed" on me.
I would highly recommend this synthesizer to 1) anyone who appreciates a good VA sound, who 2) has at least a moderately powerful CPU, 3) doesn't already own a commercial VA synth, and 4) doesn't want to spend a small fortune on one. If you meet these four criteria, the Adventus is definitely for you.Read Review
User Interface:
Colorful and full of controls to play around with, the GUI is very nice. The knobs, for some reason, require you to make two revolutions with your mouse to get one revolution out of the knob. Aside from this minor issue, the interface is excellent.
Sound:
If you like fat analog sounds, you'll like Adventus. It is definitely best suited for dance music, but it has some very nice pads and strings, also. And there's no telling what you'll be able to get it to do if you're willing to learn how to operate it.
Features:
For less than thirty dollars, it's amazing how many features this thing has. Clicking on the buttons brings up five pages of controls for them all.
Documentation:
None, unfortunately, but the developer does have a forum in which you can ask for help.
Presets:
For such an excellent synthesizer, it's a shame that there aren't more presets available. It's capable of much more than what is represented in the default patches. These are very well-done, to be sure, but most are trance leads and basses. Including, say, 200 additional quality, varied presets would bring Adventus to an entirely new level; on par with some much more expensive synths.
Customer Support:
While not the greatest, customer support is available and your questions/concerns will be addressed.
Value For Money:
This is very well worth the cost.
Stability:
Takes a while to load, and, at least in my VST host, I need to access the GUI before I get any sound out of it (unlike other synths). The other problem is that, depending on the preset and the polyphony, this synth can easily overwhelm your CPU. With that said, it has never "crashed" on me.
I would highly recommend this synthesizer to 1) anyone who appreciates a good VA sound, who 2) has at least a moderately powerful CPU, 3) doesn't already own a commercial VA synth, and 4) doesn't want to spend a small fortune on one. If you meet these four criteria, the Adventus is definitely for you.Read Review
I consider this to be one of my favorite synths. It's not going to rival a $200 synth that can do it all (what would you expect for seventeen bucks?!), but what it does, it does very well. Everything about it is high-quality. I find myself using it all the time.
User Interface:
This is a perfect example of how to make an elegant GUI that's also very functional and easy to operate. Like the dashboard of a BMW, all the controls are well-placed and it just plain looks good.
Sound:
Gated sounds and arpeggios are what Feldspar does best. This is not to say that it can't do anything more--far from it--but the "tempo-based modulations" are stellar and really set this synth apart. The sound is invariably warm and rich.
Features:
Although it probably isn't going to be the only VA synth you'll ever need, Feldspar can produce all kinds of sounds for those willing to learn how to use it. There are far more features than there appears to be at first glance.
Documentation:
The User's Guide, in .pdf format, is very well-written, with precise descriptions of each control and how to operate it.
Presets:
All the supplied presets are very good and useful, and there are many banks available for download on the Web site.
Customer Support:
The developer is quick to respond and very helpful.
Value For Money:
Feldspar is very well worth the small amount that is asked for it. It would be a bargain at twice that cost.
Stability:
This VSTi has never crashed on me, and behaves predictably.
Take the money that you were going to spend buying dessert tonight and buy this synth. You'll be glad you did.Read Review
User Interface:
This is a perfect example of how to make an elegant GUI that's also very functional and easy to operate. Like the dashboard of a BMW, all the controls are well-placed and it just plain looks good.
Sound:
Gated sounds and arpeggios are what Feldspar does best. This is not to say that it can't do anything more--far from it--but the "tempo-based modulations" are stellar and really set this synth apart. The sound is invariably warm and rich.
Features:
Although it probably isn't going to be the only VA synth you'll ever need, Feldspar can produce all kinds of sounds for those willing to learn how to use it. There are far more features than there appears to be at first glance.
Documentation:
The User's Guide, in .pdf format, is very well-written, with precise descriptions of each control and how to operate it.
Presets:
All the supplied presets are very good and useful, and there are many banks available for download on the Web site.
Customer Support:
The developer is quick to respond and very helpful.
Value For Money:
Feldspar is very well worth the small amount that is asked for it. It would be a bargain at twice that cost.
Stability:
This VSTi has never crashed on me, and behaves predictably.
Take the money that you were going to spend buying dessert tonight and buy this synth. You'll be glad you did.Read Review
