Product Reviews by KVR Members

LuSH-101 is a thick, juicy, versatile synth that derives its lushness from multilayers and state of the art synthesis features (oscillators, filters, envelopes, etc.) and effects. D-16 Group has an uncanny knack for developing unique and inspiring audio plugins, and LuSH is no exception. It is a flexible and fantastic virtual audio instrument. I've always been a D-16 fan, enjoying their sound, features, and product names. When they first changed the name of this synth from Shioitor to LuSH-101, I was worried that they were selling out. .. breaking away from their cutting edge, dare-to-be-different ways, but soon after launching this thing I smiled — LuSH is the perfect name for this VSTi. They also could have called it, abundant, delicious, dense, heavenly, lavish, or voluptuous. :-). It's certainly the opposite of bare or sparse.

LuSH not only sounds good, but it looks good. I'm a visual guy, and the interface means a lot to me. This GUI is easy on the eyes and a pleasure to work within. Everything is in the right place and is the right size for inspirational tweaking. If you don't have time to create something from scratch, there are more than a thousand well thought out and designed presets in the factory library that you can adjust to taste. The preset browser is intuitive and user-friendly. Like all D-16 Group plugins, LuSH has it's own personality. It's diverse and capable of doing tracks for any kind of electronic music, whether it be alternative, ambient, dubstep, drum and bass, house, industrial, new wave, retro, second wave, soundtrack, or techno. There aren't that many synths that can produce both warm analog sounds and a crisp clear digital sounds. LuSH can!

Is this the only synth you will need? It could be, but of course if you are like me you will want more! I wouldn't let go of my other favorites. If I could change one thing about it — I would make CPU demand more efficient. It's too heavy a load for one synth, but then again. .. it's 8 synths in 1, so it's not bad at all, is it? The price is good. The customer support is great. The sound is wonderful. I give LuSH five stars. Thank you D-16 for creating another masterpiece!

Predator by Rob Papen is an amazingly simple, yet powerfully deep synth. The interface is well organized; knobs and controls are accessible and easy to use. Creating sounds from scratch is fun and rewarding, and for those who are less adventurous, the synth comes with a vast array of presets from the master himself, Rob Papen. One of the most enjoyable features are the randomize buttons, which allow the user to generate new sounds without much effort. This vicious beast has 128 waveforms, not just saw, square, sine, and triangle. There are also many ways to modulate and tons of high quality effects

Predator suits any kind of electronic music, and can produce many kinds of sounds — cutting leads, meaty basses, soothing pads, atmospherics, rhythmic soundscapes, etc., but where it really shines is with leads and arpeggios. For this reason, Predator is an electronic dance music producer's dream synth. Tracks created with this synth usually sit well in the mix, standing out just enough, but not getting lost and buried. Grrrrr, a gentle roar. The only area whereby I would suggest improvement is the patch browser it could be more intuitive. Otherwise, it's all there and is an extremely stable plugin. It has never crashed on me, launching smoothly and performing well in Logic, Studio One, and Numerology. Considering the depth of the sound, CPU demand is not bad, and the sound quality of the most recent version is fantastic, without any noticeable aliasing.

Customer/User support is excellent. Rob and Jon are active on the threads and respond to emails within a day or two. They are great people creating great plugins — a pleasure to deal with!

I highly recommend Predator to any electronic musician or producer looking to add a powerful, killer VSTi to their plugin collection. This synth cannot do it all, but what it can do — it does REALLY well. It successfully combines the sonic nuances of analog and digital to deliver a punchy modern sound that you may quickly become addicted and never be able to live without. That's what happened to me! I've been going to counseling and a recovery program for nearly a year, and it hasn't helped. I keep launching every chance I get! Thank you, RPCX, for creating such a ferociously addictive synth. Tommy Zai gives Predator three thumbs up. Love it!

BTW, if you search online you will find many threads on electronic music forums comparing synths, i.e. this synth versus that synth. Don't be surprised if Predator is mentioned a lot!

SynthMaster v2.5 by KV331 Audio is a fantastic all-round, do-it-all, hybrid soft synth, unlike anything else out there! For years I've been bothered by the fact that the big name synth companies leave out a cool feature or two — short changing us users somewhere along the way, forcing us to supplemental gear to make up for deficiencies — to fill in the missing sonic pieces. I have often thought to myself, "If they only included this or that it would be a great synth." Well, I can't think of anything to add to this baby! SynthMaster does it all within its semi-modular architecture — Additive, A Mod, F Mod, P Mod, PW Mod, R Mod, Physical Modeling, Wavetable, plus AIFF/WAV and MIDI import, not to mention a lot of cool filters, oscillators, and effects. It has accurately been nicknamed the Swiss Army Knife of soft synths. SynthMaster is complex enough to keep an audio tweaker busy for an eternity and easy enough to keep a novice from throwing his/her laptop out the window in a fit of frustration. The array of features including in this synth is astonishing, but what really stands out is the variety and quality of sound it can produce. It does everything from clean, smooth, and warm to dirty, nasty, and eerie.

There are so many pros — too many to list, but naturally there are some cons. The CPU could be a little more streamlined and the effects could be reduced throughout most of the preset collection. Less is more, especially when working with a sound so organically lovely. Cut back on that FX! Be naked, stand up proudly and declare, "I AM A SOUNDMASTER PRESET AND I SOUND GREAT." Will SynthMaster replace Diva for analog warmth, Predator for aggressive leads, the D-16 line for their niche, or Lounge Lizard for EP? NO! But, will it provide an amazingly powerful core synth that you can call upon to do just about anything? YES! For me, it's not a desert island synth, but it is a tasty dessert, filled with just about every sweet flavor. And, you know what they say, "Life is short, launch your dessert synth first!"

I highly recommend SynthMaster to any professional electronic musician, sound guru, or producer looking for a deep, solid foundation synth. .. or the amateur looking for one good synth that is packed with all the synthesis types that are ready to learn and explore. When I first heard the name and saw the price I assumed it would be a little synth pretending to be big, but I soon discovered it's actually a big synth being offered at a little price. Great value! Tommy Zai gives SynthMaster three thumbs up, 4.5 Stars, and 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10. Thank you KV331 Audio.

The last version thoughts are at the bottom. .. .

INTRO
RealStrat v4 by MusicLab is an excellent Fender Stratocaster software emulation that is extremely playable and great sounding.

GETTING STARTED
The purchase, download, install, and authorization process is simple. In no time, users will be up and running. There are no dongles, just a simple license file. Another cool thing new users will quickly notice is the size of the package. The application itself is only 45MB and is linked to a sample library of a mere 915MB. I get amazing quality audio without filling my hard drive with a zillion levels of questionable samples. I believe MusicLab incorporates a combination of samples and algorithms to accomplish this dead-on emulation. Regardless of what's under the hood, RealStrat has exactly what is needed and sounds great.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The interface is clean, modern, and inviting. The learning curve is moderate. It should only take a couple hours to learn where everything is and how it works, but after that. .. you'll be jamming away.

IN ACTION
When I first launched RealStrat, I smiled and thought to myself, "MusicLab has done it again!" Just like RealGuitar, this electric version has excellent performance modes. I turned up the volume on Solo Mode and played a cool little lick for my guitarist, who had his back turned at the time. He quickly spun around and was in shock for two reasons: 1. I'm a terrible guitarist, and what I played sounded great. 2. I was using a plugin. I had to prove to him I wasn't playing a loop sample. I'm grateful to no longer have to spend weeks learning key-switches. For me, this software is fun right out of the box. I just launch and let my muse carry me away.

Just like the "real" Strat, this virtual version is capable of a wide variety of tones, ranging from clean funk to crisp surf to aggressive speed metal arpeggios to down-n-dirty blues licks. In addition, users have access to all the nuances that make a guitar performance sound authentic — mutes, harmonics, scrapes, slaps, fret noise, pick noise, volume swells, feedback, wah-wah, hammers, slides, legato, etc. All of these little features help to recreate spontaneity and a human feel. It's very playable and allows users to quickly create chord progressions, record lead and rhythm tracks, and even final tracks (with a little extra effort in adding nuances).

WHY A STRAT
Even though many players use a Stratocaster, whether it be real or virtual, they can sound totally different from one another. David Gilmour chose it as his main instrument because it was the guitar which, "allowed the player to express his or her personality the best." It's perfect for sounding exactly like another player, or like no other player.

OVERALL FEATURES I DIG
• Attractive GUI
• Fast loading
• Excellent workflow
• Stand-alone and plugin
• Randomize dynamics
• Drag-n-Drop patterns
• CPU efficient
• Extremely stable
• Small footprint
• Responsive developer — usually answers my Q's within a day
• Good value.

NEW V4 FEATURES I ESPECIALLY DIG
• The new Song Mode is much better for composing. It's easy to insert chord changes into the Song Track via the Smart Chord Selector. Patterns can also be inserted on the fly.
• The Advanced Humanize Engine helps to add more realism to the performance with a simple mouse click. Randomization options include sound, timing, velocity, and pitch.
• Another convenient new feature is the ability to export a MIDI file from the Song Mode, which, like patterns, can then be dragged and dropped into a DAW or MIDI editor. I believe the tracks are exported as Standard MIDI, making it universally accepted by other apps and instruments.

SUMMARY
RealStrat continues to be the best sample-based Stratocaster emulation on the market. And, the best just got better with the release of version four, which is a robust upgrade containing several new features and improvements. I highly recommend this audio software to anyone creating music digitally, who wants or needs a virtual Strat for jamming, composing, or recording. The sound is all there! Words that come to mind are: VERSATILE! FLEXIBLE! AUTHENTIC! This is almost as good as the real thing! For nearly 60-years, the Fender Strat has represented the ultimate in electric guitar versatility, and RealStrat helps to carry that tradition in software form. When you don't have much money, you need to make sure every penny is spent wisely. This is a great value — lots of bang for the buck. I've paid more for confusing sample libraries and hiring the wrong "guitarists." All in all, this virtual guitar is fantastic. Will RealStrat replace a virtuoso guitarist? Probably not! But, it could possibly replace you and me. LOL. I highly recommend this fine audio software to any eMusician, producer, etc., who wants to write, produce, and record sensational electric guitar parts that have a classic Fender flavor, whether it be rhythms, leads, or FX. Thank you MusicLab! Great stuff.

RealStrat v5 by MusicLab

INTRO: RealStrat v5 is the latest virtual Stratocaster offering by MusicLab. It includes two Strat combination options. A RealStrat Standard version that is an updated version of v4 and RealStrat Elite, which is a completely new supercharged version that has been deeply resampled at each pickup position. Both versions boast an attractive, neatly organized new interface that's both eye-pleasing and inviting — seasoned users will have no problem navigating v5, and new users won't be scared-off (however, there will be a learning curve).

PROS: The features that made the first four versions a success are still there, fully intact, i.e., the sound, strum-ability, play-ability, humanization, etc. There are many improvements and new features, most notably the new Multi-Performance Mode (live control of solo and strum and chord positions). This makes it much easier to sequence realistic sounding guitar tracks. I especially dig the Song section. I have a friend who boasts about the Key Switch FX in chordal mode — this is a deep instrument. I've only scratched the surface, but having fun — not stressed, lost, or overwhelmed while demoing. There is a new option that allows users to choose between a black & white and color guitar theme. V5 features increased control over timbre via the three pickup configuration and pick position options. The Bridge & Neck combination is exceptionally rich and REAListic. The 12-string versions are a nice surprise.

CONS: Learning curve increase. Larger sample size footprint for Elite version. Otherwise, I found no negatives, only positives.

SUMMARY: The best virtual guitar emulation app/plugin just got better. This is a fun, playable, great sounding virtual instrument. All-in-all, this is an outstanding and significant update that is well worth the money — especially purchased on a special sale. Great job, MusicLab! I continue to be a proud user.

https://www.musiclab.com/products/realstrat/info.html.

Chromophone by Applied Acoustics Systems is the biggest little plugin I ever tried. Applied Acoustics Systems calls it a "percussive synth," but I have discovered that it can do much, much more! As promised, it shines when creating percussive sounds, but surprisingly, it is capable of lovely strings, pads, and ambient sounds (soundscapes, pads, textures, etc). By turning a few knobs I have created some fantastic ambient Wah Wahs that add a hypnotic pulse to my tracks. The sound is fantastic — expressive, crisp, clear, and pleasing to the ear. Chromophone is a joy to launch. It's also very light on CPU usage, which is always a good thing. I highly recommend this plugin to any electronic musician, regardless of genre!

Lounge Lizard by Applied Acoustic Systems is a wonderful electric piano plugin based on physical modeling, not samples! It doesn't use much CPU and the sound is splendid. You can probably find exactly what you need from the list of presets, but if not. .. it's easy to tweek and create unique EP sounds. I have read a lot of debates about what is the best Rhodes VST. IMO, Lounge Lizard sounds better and is easier to work with than the original and the many sample library emulations. I used to be a sample guru, but after checking out this AAS plugin I can see the many advantages of a Physical Modeling electric piano — no loop points, no out-of-tune samples, no key-mapping, etc. It's also nice to free up space on the hard drive. But most of all — it sounds great and sits wonderfully in the mix. Lounge Lizard is dynamic and inspirational set of virtual EP keys!

*Disclaimer: I'm a songwriter, producer, and educator. My writing style may seem a bit over-the-top like a billboard ad, but my user review is sincere and authentic. I only write about a product I think is extraordinary, hence the high rating. I don't work for developer. In fact, I rarely work at all. :-) I hope you find my findings useful. — Tommy Zai

Ultra Analog VA-2 by Applied Acoustics Systems is a versatile subtractive synth that covers the full spectrum of analog sounds. I was, and still am, a big fan of VA-1, but VA-2 is all that and much more. Like its predecessor, this synth does not directly emulate any specific vintage gear; but is a unique virtual analog beast in it's own right. There are many great factory presets that show off the synths capabilities; however, I found it easy to start from scratch and create my own patches. The low-end delivers deep, punchy basses that are free of mud. Great synth brass! But, what I like most are the sweeping, atmospheric sounds. They are really creepy and set the perfect mood for my tracks. The filters and resonance help to create a smooth and pleasant texture. Tracks recorded with VA-2 are alive and sit well in the mix — not lost or overshadowing by the other tracks. I could not hear any weird alias artifacts from the oscillators in any of the factory or custom-made patches — so nice and pure. What a treat.

PROS

• Clean, well-organized interface.
• Handy performance window — easy to navigate.
• Powerful without being too complicated.
• Convenient preset management.
• Sounds great.
• Well-rounded, great sounding factory library.
• Nice array of effects (compressor, limiter, eq, chorus, delay, phaser, flanger, distortion, filter, wah-wah, reverb, etc.).
• 64-bit.
• Handy arpeggiator.
• Efficient — low CPU.
• Small HD footprint, .dmg is 20.9 MB/no samples used.
• Responsive developer.

CONS

• GUI is compact, which can be good at times, but my weary eyes would like the option to scale to a bigger size J.

CONCLUSION

Ultra Analog VA-2 lives up to its name — Ultra + Analog. It can do it all really well – thick basses, warm strings, deep pads, punchy plucks, and crisp leads, etc. It doesn't have the some of the frills and gravy other synths pile on, but it has more than enough raw, juicy meat! I agree with Hollin Jones of Music Tech, "Ultra Analog is a joy to use." This plugin could easily be the go-to subtractive synth for any e-musician, producer, or sound designer looking for the vintage analog sound. Tommy Zai gives Ultra Analog VA-2 two oscillators up! Thank you AAS for creating a timeless virtual analog synth.

REVEW OF PREVIOUS VERSION
Ultra Analog VA-1 by Applied Acoustics Systems is a rich, warm, fat analog monster worthy of much more attention. On the surface it appears to be a simple little plugin, but under the hood there must be a lot going on! It can produce punchy, powerful bass and cutting leads. The interface is neat, clean, and easy to navigate. Most of the work can be done on a single window. The CPU consumption is light. The look is cool. The sound is super. The only thing I would suggest improving is the size of the little switches on the interface. Otherwise, this is one big, fat, fantastic classic analog sounding soft synth that is a great bang for the buck! It is exactly what the name suggests — Ultra Analog.

Tassman by Applied Acoustics Systems is an amazing virtual analog synthesizer. This thing is a monster! I don't think there are any other physically modeled modular synths out there like this one. It's truly unique in look and sound. How can this plugin not make the top 10 VSTi list? The interface is simple, user-friendly, and fun. It's color coded to keep things neat and clean. There are lots and lots of great presets that are easy to tweak, but it's also fast and fun to construct your own instruments. The best part about Tassman is the sound — truly amazing, responsive, and as another reviewer called it. .. "MUSICAL." I highly recommend this plugin for designers, players, and producers of any genre!

Version 3:
I had an accident and could no longer play guitar. :- (. I missed having guitar on my tracks, especially acoustic accompaniment and riffs. I tried using my synths, but they sounded like synths! I needed something real — something human! Waiting for friends to come over and play parts for me became inconvenient and embarrassing. I needed to find a way to lay down tracks on my own. I needed a virtual guitarist! I went on a mission, buying and trying nearly every guitar library ever made. A couple of them weren't bad, but most of them left me cold or frustrated. I was tired of filling my hard drive with thousands and thousands of samples that were packaged in a non-user friendly interface. The last thing I wanted to do was spend more years learning complicated key-switches. By the time I got a track down, the inspiration was lost. I was discouraged and frustrated until I tried MusicLab's RealGuitar. It's fantastic.

The interface is neat, clean, and fun! I'm a visual person, and I love seeing the notes on the virtual neck. The way the keyboard is laid out is intelligent, giving total control over the type of strum, fret noise, slide, tremolo, and all the other little squeaks and articulations. The strum engine is a snap to work with and as powerful as you need it to be. I think they call it the "Struminator." The built-in rhythmic patterns usually give me exactly what I need, and if not. .. I can simply make adjustments or create my own patterns. All in all, RealGuitar is easy to use, sounds realistic, and sits perfectly in the mix. This is the first sample-based virtual guitar plug-in I've found that truly emulates the real thing. I've got pretty good ears and most of the time I cannot tell if it's real or RealGuitar. I feel like I'm playing again! Thank you, MusicLab, for creating such a great product. :-). I'm saving up to buy RealStrat and/or RealLPC.

Version 4 (update):
RealGuitar v3 by MusicLab is an amazing piece of audio software and represents the finest in virtual guitars, and it just got better with the release of v4. Like many previous version users, I had to consider whether or not to upgrade. After reading through the list of improvements and new features, it was impossible for me to pass on this one, and I'm glad I went for it.

The new Song Mode alone was enough to justify upgrading. I'm a songwriter, and I work in a linear fashion, measure by measure and in structural parts, i.e., intro, verse, pre-chorus, rise, climb chorus, bridge, middle eight, etc. The Song Mode in RG4 helps to create backing tracks in a familiar and natural way — as if I had a guitar in my hands and could play it well. The Time line enabled easy navigation along the song. And, to make the workflow as simple as possible, chords are inserted into the song track and patterns are drag-n-dropped into it.

The Pattern Library Browser has been improved, and provides faster access to over 1200 guitar rhythm patterns that are neatly categorized and selected with the help of the Pattern Filter. Any inserted pattern can quickly be multiplied or edited throughout the song. Chord edited has also been enhanced. Other improvements include Humanizing (sound, timing, velocity, pitch), FretNoise (trigger) FX, Transpose, Harmonics, etc.

Version 4 is a significant update, and I'm glad I grabbed it!

Version 5 (update):
RealGuitar v5 a BIG BIG upgrade that is very impressive. Most notably MusicLab added a new guitar sample set called "Steel String." This is in addition to their "Classic" model. There are easier than ever switching between soloing, strumming, string picking, etc. via key velocity. It takes a little time to get used to, but with the right touch it's a breeze. There are many other additions and improvements. All-in-all, the upgrade is well worth it, and I continue to be happy. Thank you, MusicLab!.

Vielklang has changed my song writing process forever! I bought it hoping it would help me create an occasional harmony or two. Wow! I got so much more than a simple harmonizer. This plugin instrument is like having your very own musical harmony/theory genius buddy at your side, who is never too busy! I don't know how it works, but it seems to carefully analyze whatever melody you feed it and then quickly revealing several harmony options to choose from. I have many tunes in my head and like to get them out as quickly as possible. I'm not a musical theorist, and before using Vielklang I struggled with the harmony part of my productions. Figuring out the scale, root note, progression, etc would bog down my creativity and often the original inspiration would be lost. With Vielklang I can now focus on finishing songs, and they sound much better.

I have also used Vielklang in the classroom as a teaching tool for ESL students, learning disabled, and young adults with speech difficulties. I have found that creating and reciting harmonies is an effective tool in smoothening out vocal/speech patterns and helps with intonation and elocution. .. and it's fun to use. It breathes life into my lessons.

Creating harmonies used to be like jogging in bad shoes, and now it's like playing my favorite sport on steroids! I should mention that the interface is a pleasure to work with. .. so clean and clear. I'm a visual person and seeing the notes is pleasure. Hey, the price is good too. I have paid ten times as much bribing music theory gurus to help me create a harmony or two. zPlane has developed a fantastic plugin instrument that can provide creative options and enhance anything that has notes. I will keep it and update it as long as I have a melody in my noodle and someone nearby with at least one ear! Thank you zPlane.