KVR Audio

V'ger · Post by **V'ger** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:16 pm

Ultra Analog is a true gem in my opinion and slowly rising on my all time favourite VSTi list, and I like String Studio a lot too. Haven't tried Tassman yet but should be good.

Krakatau · Post by **Krakatau** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:23 pm

i own the modeling collection, that implies the entire "pro" range ...haven't yet really taken the time to get in deep with all of them
Fine physical models in general though (Tassman, string studio, chroma phone)
Very fine e-piano (lounge lizard) still unequaled in term of features/flexibility IMO
And ultra analog has been a very good surprise too...

Aiynzahev · Post by **Aiynzahev** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 5:16 pm

Chromaphone looks really good. Next sale I'll probably get it.

Tassman, the same.

Lounge Lizard is well known for being one of the best at what it does.

String studio... I wish I gave it more time before I sold it. Will probably buy again.

Ultra Analog, well you have my review here on KVR where I gave it 9/10 despite is relatively basic features.

Very unique products in my opinion. A little expensive though but they often have great deals going.

5Lives · Post by **5Lives** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 5:43 pm

Wow - clearly a lot of love still for AAS. Thanks for the thoughts. I will try out the demos - I think some of the more unique ones like Chromaphone and String Studio are most intriguing to me since I have other "standard" synths (Virus, Zebra, Omnisphere, etc.) and use Pianoteq for my e-piano needs. Trying to limit duplication and instead broaden the palette more these days.

jcrisman · Post by **jcrisman** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 5:55 pm

I was fortunate enough to pick up the following in various sales...

String Studio VS-1
This one I love, and frequently gets used. There are many useable presets as well as being a tweak-able VSTi. Also, the accessory sound banks are worth having in addition to available third party sound banks (Himalaya, Taotekid, and Xenos come immediately to mind).

Lounge Lizard Session
Nice electric pianos in the vein of Rhodes and Wurlitzer. I paid $20 on Cakewalk for mine, but with the glut of available electric pianos I'd pause to pay too much more than $20.

Strum Acoustic Session
There are some useful acoustic guitars on this one too, though again there are many newer guitar options on the market (e.g., Mildon Strummer and Spicy Guitar) that make the original retail price tag seem a bit steep in comparison. This too was purchased as a Cakewalk special some time ago for $20.

himalaya · Post by **himalaya** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 6:00 pm

Chromaphone and String Studio are certainly unique. Even now, there aren't any string synths which emulate some of the more esoteric sounds which String Studio does. But Tassman is also a unique instrument. Its mix of VA, acoustic modeling, FM, and waveshaping can give some superb hybrid sounds. However, it really needs a big monitor as some synths are HUGE, and on small monitors you'd need to scroll sideways - which is a right PITA. You can actually get a lot of the sounds covered by Tassman from Zebra, but it may be more work to create them.

String Studio is often misunderstood. I suppose some people got it to create ultra authentic string sounds (no wonder though, it is a string emulation synth after all), but I think its main strength is new string sounds, those which do not exist, but sound like they do, if you know what I mean. It's got an incredible depth and resonant, organic sound (if edited right).

Integratron · Post by **Integratron** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 6:27 pm

I have some of their stuff - I think it's first class.

burkek · Post by **burkek** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 6:44 pm

I have the Ultra Analog and Strum Electric. Ultra Analog has been a "go-to" synth for me over the past year, and I've really extended it's usefulness through the purchase of additional banks. Plus, they're Canadians, and what's not to love about a Canadian?

KEv

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 6:51 pm

I'll chime in. I still think that Ultra Analog goes in my top 10 VA for sure. Tassman is also very good, though a bit buggy. I submitted a bug report and the response I got was, "Yeah, it's broken." Maybe it has been fixed since then, but I never got the courtesy of a "Hey, try this fix, see if it works..." email.

Still, I got it on sale and it's a great value even with the bug (only applies to one of the wind modules) Programming it is a bit of a bitch, but who cares, it comes with a ton of great and tweakable patches.

Next on my list is Chromaphone for sure. Maybe String Studio at some point.

My only criticism of the company is that they seem to get an instrument "done" and leave it. Ultra Analog would benefit from some programming love, like a better preset browser and a real mod matrix. The way one has to assign aftertouch to a patch is perhaps one of the stupidest kludges I've ever come across.

osiris · Post by **osiris** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:08 pm

I had Ultra Analog, but never used it until I got Xenos Modern Era soundbank
http://xenossoundworks.com/ultraanalog.html
The man pulled sounds out of UA that I didn't know were possible. Well worth the extra few dollars.

JerGoertz · Post by **JerGoertz** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 8:29 pm

I have Ultra-Analog, String Studio, and Tassman.

I haven't used the other 2 much in the relatively recent past, but Ultra-Analog can get you some very nice synth sounds. The best bass patch I ever programmed was on that synth.

vata44 · Post by **vata44** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:08 pm

I absolutely love the sound of Ultra Analog... the GUI is kind of dated and sucks IMO, but the sound... I would trade it over many others.

As for Tassman, sounds awesome, but I hated programming it.

I want Chromophone and LoungeLizard, just don't have the $'s

Just hoping the No Brainers will come back soon...

SLiC · Post by **SLiC** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 4:05 pm

ultra analog is great, very low CPU usage, 64 bit and sounds great...
Try 'soft 1' under leads for a cool mellow sound (I use a lot). Its funny- I have Diva, and yes it sounds great, but I'm always fighting CPU load or having to freeze, I can run just about anything with UA and get great sounds- I come back to this a lot when I want a soft analog lead or pad...very overlooked and despite being older and not frequently updated, its a great instrument. I also have Tasman etc, but rarely use it, ultra analog is far simpler and gets the sounds I need quickly and like I said, pretty low CPU hit.

Jace-BeOS · Post by **Jace-BeOS** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 4:25 pm

i have to agree with the comments about the AAS GUIs being poor. They can be visually nice, but they're not at all well designed structurally. It's a real bother to work with them, especially the preset library system. Tassman is especially annoying in that you cannot run the audio while editing the structure. AAS is clearly a company that knows programming, not human-computer interfacing.

If AAS listened to its users on their product forums, they could make wonderful changes and have a much more accessible product range. i'm not sure why it seems they are so content to publish a product and then leave it without much more than minor compatibility fixes for many years. As owner of five of their products, i feel a bit annoyed that they neglect these products overall usability while pushing out more product that is seemingly just a variation on their existing code-knowledge. There's no reason why Tassman couldn't be updated to produce all the sounds of their individual products... except marketing. It makes them more money to have various products under the same code-base than to revise Tassman.. Right?

warp x · Post by **warp x** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 4:56 pm

I only have Ultra Analog. Very nice synth, gets quite a bit of use.

Applied Acoustics (AAS) opinions?