Product Reviews by KVR Members

with the release of Gypsy just around the corner, i thought it was a good time to write the first review of RA. this is a world class instrument for creating all types of international sounding projects.

the sampling quality and playability of these rare instruments is fantastic and inspiring. the collection is very large and as a result, many of the instruments are presented with fine detail in regards to the articulation of the instruments. in its top patches, these instrumental details are revealed by making use of keyswitching in the kontakt engine.

some of my favourite instruments in RA are ones like the daduk, koto, mandolin, middle eastern string section and many more, especially instruments that i didnt even know existed until i bought this. yali tambur? i never played a yali before!

i have to say though, i'm sure the creators will agree with me that the collection is meant to inspire you and help you create ethnic sounding compositions, but i think anyone who really digs this instrument will be reminded that there is no substitute for getting out and travelling around the world to record the sonic gems of this planet.

When Beast first came out I used to have these spiritual moments with the instrument demo that forced me to buy it. I love using it as a lead synth. It can do some beautiful sounds that just put me into a trance. I like to compose all types of music and this synth has helped me explore the heavier electronic genres. A commonly harsh criticism of this synth is that it is too dirty, but with a name like Beast I don't know what else these people expected. Yes, some of the presets are downright nasty and in my tastes unusable, but for the most part I like presets such as Spacey Violins that really punch through on a track on a cool monophonic solo. Oh and the pitchbend is set at an octave or two making it REALLY fun.

The price was great. There is also a manual that explains everything. The knobs on the interface are nice to look at. However, originally I found the synth to be a little confusing in regards to the four oscillator setup, but the manual clears up all the confusion. My friend in design school says that for an object to possess perfect design it must be obvious how to use it immediately. Oh well synths are more complex than every day objects.

Bottom line: this is a more wild bass synth. It is definitely not for everyone but if you like trying new things in your music by all means try out the demo. You might find it to be aurally stimulating like I did. Maybe it's because I'm a guitar player I like these dirtier bass and lead sounds. Anyways, great job Refx I really like it!