Rhino

Rhino has undergone some significant changes since its first release and the latest (1.08) is a good time to review. As ttoz has already said, the banks which are now available for it amount to a massive library of highly usable, high quality, inspiring sounds. Since the initial release the filters have been much improved, the effects section has been expanded and enhanced, CPU usage is down and there have been several other major improvements especially to stability. In short, if you tested it early on but it didn't appeal, try it again now.

As far as value for money goes this is amongst the best. I got it at the initial launch price, but even at the current price you are getting an incredibly flexible synth with absolutely top rate support.

For evidence of the flexibility first turn to the banks. Amongst the sounds you'll hear very rich filters, syncopated rhythms and extreme effects, some of the lushest pad sounds you'll get, and absolutely crisp and clean digital sounds. Certainly it does FM very well indeed (load in the DX7 bank for example), but there's so much more to it - everything from analog basses to spacey ambient pads. For more flexibility reckon in the drawn envelopes for just about everything - for individual oscillators and their parameters plus waveshaping, velocity and keyboard tracking and so much more. Then for even further flexibility figure in the 6 definable user parameters which allow control over virtually any aspect of your sound in real-time. For evolving pads this gives Rhino a distinct advantage whereby timbres can be changed on-the-fly, mutated and developed at will.

Rhino stands out as a synth which has matured into an advanced platform for sound design. Whilst it's complicated in terms of capabilities, it's also a joy to tweak. It rewards dedication however - so if at first it seems overwhelming then a good read of the documentation may be necessary. The manual is excellent and there are tutorials for creating particular sounds or using particular techniques, which is always useful. Some learning and experience may be required to get the most out of Rhino, but even out of the box it's strong as the banks are so good.

The interface is skinnable and newer skins are available all the time, however the original one works fine for me. It's clear and easy to navigate and gives you good feedback information for parameters.

It's very difficult to summarise Rhino in a pithy way, since there is such a lot to it. If you haven't tried it, or are skeptical about it, then I would recommend downloading the trial version and just enjoying the presets. They are a great taster of what the synth is capable of... I find it difficult to believe that anyone could fail but to be impressed by both the sound quality and sheer flexibility of Rhino.

An inspiring synth. It's one of only a few that I sit down and just "play" as a standalone instrument directly using a keyboard just for the enjoyment of playing it.Read Review