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iDkILLER
Reviewed By Neuromancer [all]
January 30th, 2004
Version reviewed: 1.0 on Windows
User Interface: 'Seems pretty straight-forward and efficient. The 'killer synths' series have a very distintive look to them, which most people may or may not have an opinion of by now. I find iD-Killer's interface to be efficient; it's easy to follow and doesn't clutter the screen. :)
Sound: Phase-distortion. This synth is similar to the CZ-series made by Casio in the 80's. Since I've never owned any of those, I can't comment on how 'authentic' it is, but I find PD(and iDk) to have a very unusual character. It's somewhere between FM and Analog(to sum it up quickly), and I like the fact that the sound of this synth can easily be made as fat or thin as you need it to be. Yes - there IS a place for thin sounds in some mixes! Of course, if you don't like PD sounds, you might not be interested in this synth, which is understandable.
Features: Not a boat-load of features here, but I suspect the developer was trying to keep it simple on purpose. No filters here(true to the design of the CZ series, I believe...), but there are some resonant waveforms that will do the job nicely if you need some resonance. I would've liked more modulation options, and maybe some more waveforms(or even oscs). Variable 1-16 note polyphony. 8 seems to work well on my setup(1.9 ghz AMD athlon 2600). No built-in effects, but again I don't see a problem here since most(not all but most) sequencers/hosts/whatever you want to call them have effects.
Docs: Well-written, thoughtly explained docs on the Novakill website. Very helpful if you aren't an illiterate Neanderthal. * raises hand *
Presets: Not many here(16), and I would've liked more - but I think this is a limitation of Synthedit(?). The presets are not bad, but they are so easy to edit that it's not really a problem if you don't like them.
Support: I haven't needed any yet, but the developer(Bones) seems to be very active on here, and from what I've seen so far has been very helpful.
VFM: It's free, it does the job is was made for more than adequately, and it didn't crash my pc or studio apps. To me, this is great VFM. I honestly don't see how any one could go wrong with something like this, unless of course you don't like PD sounds. :)
Stability: About 14-19% on my 1.9 ghz AMD. You can reduce the cpu usage by turning down the 'unison' voices. No crashes so far. Seems stable enough.
Of course, no one should be taking my word for anything I've said here - so give iDkiller a whirl. If you are looking for something a little different, this is yet another good place to start.
Read ReviewSound: Phase-distortion. This synth is similar to the CZ-series made by Casio in the 80's. Since I've never owned any of those, I can't comment on how 'authentic' it is, but I find PD(and iDk) to have a very unusual character. It's somewhere between FM and Analog(to sum it up quickly), and I like the fact that the sound of this synth can easily be made as fat or thin as you need it to be. Yes - there IS a place for thin sounds in some mixes! Of course, if you don't like PD sounds, you might not be interested in this synth, which is understandable.
Features: Not a boat-load of features here, but I suspect the developer was trying to keep it simple on purpose. No filters here(true to the design of the CZ series, I believe...), but there are some resonant waveforms that will do the job nicely if you need some resonance. I would've liked more modulation options, and maybe some more waveforms(or even oscs). Variable 1-16 note polyphony. 8 seems to work well on my setup(1.9 ghz AMD athlon 2600). No built-in effects, but again I don't see a problem here since most(not all but most) sequencers/hosts/whatever you want to call them have effects.
Docs: Well-written, thoughtly explained docs on the Novakill website. Very helpful if you aren't an illiterate Neanderthal. * raises hand *
Presets: Not many here(16), and I would've liked more - but I think this is a limitation of Synthedit(?). The presets are not bad, but they are so easy to edit that it's not really a problem if you don't like them.
Support: I haven't needed any yet, but the developer(Bones) seems to be very active on here, and from what I've seen so far has been very helpful.
VFM: It's free, it does the job is was made for more than adequately, and it didn't crash my pc or studio apps. To me, this is great VFM. I honestly don't see how any one could go wrong with something like this, unless of course you don't like PD sounds. :)
Stability: About 14-19% on my 1.9 ghz AMD. You can reduce the cpu usage by turning down the 'unison' voices. No crashes so far. Seems stable enough.
Of course, no one should be taking my word for anything I've said here - so give iDkiller a whirl. If you are looking for something a little different, this is yet another good place to start.