Xphraze

User interface: Logical screen layout, good and relevant context menus and keyboard shortcuts (try arrow keys in phaze/cell editor). Personally, I don't like the "organic" GUI style, but that's of lesser importance.

Sound: Being - basically - kind of a rompler, the sound depends a lot on the supplied multisamples. They are generally good, but some of them are not looped as well as they could be --- and there are IMO way too few of them. I am sure that Wizoo will release extra sample refills, but that's just more $ up my pocket. Filters are OK, but nothing special. All in all, good - but not remarkable - sound quality. The FX are not really worth using, though, but this is even mentioned in the manual.

Features: The phraze/cell editor and the modulation design (including the vector modulation) allows for some real extreme sound design. With the option of using your own samples, the possibilities are endless. Personally, I especially like to use Xphraze as a quick sketching tool for polyrytmic and odd sig figures.

Documentation: OK - good. Some keyboard shortcuts are undocumented, though.

Presets: Too few and too narrow selection. These days, I expect no less than 300-400 high quality presets with a commercial softsynth in this price range, and with Xphraze there should have been *a lot more* to demonstrate the sonic possibilities of this instrument.

Customer support: If not for Michael from reFX, who is very active on this forum, I would have given a 0 in this category. Steinberg has the worst support that I know of. So as long as Michael is doing the support, I give a 9. When/If Steinberg takes over, I'll be back to edit :-)

Value for money: OK - even though it should have come with many more samples and presets. The options of the phraze editor and vector modulation makes it worth the $.

Stability: Not a glitch so far.