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String Synthesizer
Reviewed By ouroboros [all]
January 20th, 2005
Version reviewed: 1.1 on Windows
A quick disclaimer: I do not own, nor am familiar with, the ARPs or Solinas of yesteryear.
That said, what a gift this is! I'm a sucker for nice pads and great strings. Often though, I find it hard to have a distinctive pad that "sits" in the mix. StringSynth does both: sounds great and mixes well. Compared to other free string/pad instruments, this seems to have a more ethereal quality. It also is a bit more versatile than others, with the possibility to tweak up a few leads and even a bass or two.
An overview of my thoughts on String Synth:
PROS:
SOUND: With the pitchbend controls, this can be a very expressive little synth. Which leads me to mention that String Synth does allow nice control over portamento, Vibrato, Pitch bend, delay. These FX really make or break string sounds in my mind. I found that some of the presets sound similar when first tested, but upon playing them, the settings make a drastic difference in the sound achieved.
GUI: - This is one of my favorite GUI's. It is clear and small but easily navigated. Pushing the blue squares on the top of the display changes the controls underneath them, as if they were tabbed panels. I wish more synths did this, as you don't have to move the mouse much to access another set of controls. Overall, it is very clean and functional.
SUPPORT: I have found Algo Synth to be very responsive to feedback and questions. While I have never had any inquiries or problems with String Synth, Algo Music has been generous with their responses in other issues.
PRICE: It is very generous to offer this synth for free since a small fee would also be reasonable. Algo Music has certainly been very kind to the vst world.
CONS
CPU: This 'lil guy can eat a lot of CPU, especially with a high polyphony. Anyone who downloads this is hopefully aware that it is a Synthedit creation and uses CPU accordingly. It's not prohibitive, but it can be substantial. This is more an issue for luddites like me still working on sub 1ghz Athlons/Pentiums
OTHER: Two other thoughts occur to me, but they are really negligible in the big picture. A numerical display for the faders might have been nice and secondly, a sine waveform/combination to complement the saw and pulse waves would have been nice as well for reeeealllly mellow pads. These are hardly cons though, and do not detract from the excellent execution of this fine string synth.
NOTE: documentation=5. There is a cc chart included but nothing else. Of course, the controls are pretty basic. I wish there were a N/A value, but there isn't so I split the difference. It is free you know.Read Review
That said, what a gift this is! I'm a sucker for nice pads and great strings. Often though, I find it hard to have a distinctive pad that "sits" in the mix. StringSynth does both: sounds great and mixes well. Compared to other free string/pad instruments, this seems to have a more ethereal quality. It also is a bit more versatile than others, with the possibility to tweak up a few leads and even a bass or two.
An overview of my thoughts on String Synth:
PROS:
SOUND: With the pitchbend controls, this can be a very expressive little synth. Which leads me to mention that String Synth does allow nice control over portamento, Vibrato, Pitch bend, delay. These FX really make or break string sounds in my mind. I found that some of the presets sound similar when first tested, but upon playing them, the settings make a drastic difference in the sound achieved.
GUI: - This is one of my favorite GUI's. It is clear and small but easily navigated. Pushing the blue squares on the top of the display changes the controls underneath them, as if they were tabbed panels. I wish more synths did this, as you don't have to move the mouse much to access another set of controls. Overall, it is very clean and functional.
SUPPORT: I have found Algo Synth to be very responsive to feedback and questions. While I have never had any inquiries or problems with String Synth, Algo Music has been generous with their responses in other issues.
PRICE: It is very generous to offer this synth for free since a small fee would also be reasonable. Algo Music has certainly been very kind to the vst world.
CONS
CPU: This 'lil guy can eat a lot of CPU, especially with a high polyphony. Anyone who downloads this is hopefully aware that it is a Synthedit creation and uses CPU accordingly. It's not prohibitive, but it can be substantial. This is more an issue for luddites like me still working on sub 1ghz Athlons/Pentiums
OTHER: Two other thoughts occur to me, but they are really negligible in the big picture. A numerical display for the faders might have been nice and secondly, a sine waveform/combination to complement the saw and pulse waves would have been nice as well for reeeealllly mellow pads. These are hardly cons though, and do not detract from the excellent execution of this fine string synth.
NOTE: documentation=5. There is a cc chart included but nothing else. Of course, the controls are pretty basic. I wish there were a N/A value, but there isn't so I split the difference. It is free you know.Read Review
I really enjoy this synth. It is easy to program and sounds great.
UI:Please note that the newest GUI is completely redesigned and looks great. Simple, clear, catchy. Doesn't hog the screen. Plus, I like sliders much more than knobs.
Sound:Wow. It just sounds great. Very thick sounds possible. Despite the name, this is not a 303 clone only. It is very flexible and capable of a wide range of basses, leads, and maybe even a pad for a creative type. The filters seem nice, as well.
Documentaion: Straightforward pics of synth with midi labels. No tutorials, but its awfully simple.
Presets:decent variety
Customer support: I have no idea, never having contacted them, but they do have an active forum on the site, primarily in Japanese.
Value for money: It is a great time to live in when synths that sound like this are free...
Stability: This leaves a bit to be desired. Occasionally, loading user presets hangs the machine, or loading a preset and then cycling through the OEM presets, the user preset vanishes and/or resets to the original. Still very usable though.Read Review
UI:Please note that the newest GUI is completely redesigned and looks great. Simple, clear, catchy. Doesn't hog the screen. Plus, I like sliders much more than knobs.
Sound:Wow. It just sounds great. Very thick sounds possible. Despite the name, this is not a 303 clone only. It is very flexible and capable of a wide range of basses, leads, and maybe even a pad for a creative type. The filters seem nice, as well.
Documentaion: Straightforward pics of synth with midi labels. No tutorials, but its awfully simple.
Presets:decent variety
Customer support: I have no idea, never having contacted them, but they do have an active forum on the site, primarily in Japanese.
Value for money: It is a great time to live in when synths that sound like this are free...
Stability: This leaves a bit to be desired. Occasionally, loading user presets hangs the machine, or loading a preset and then cycling through the OEM presets, the user preset vanishes and/or resets to the original. Still very usable though.Read Review
