Product Reviews by KVR Members
All reviews by pHuzZ
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id had the mda skinless version in my virtual rack for a while but it never really got much use because of the hassle of scrolling donw all those plain sliders in the massiva default interface ... so when i saw the imageline skinned version for only $19 it was a bit of a no-brainer ...
gui ... nothing flashy but makes the dx10 SOOOO much more usable ... like all the imageline synths it has a clean uncluttered look and i find the graphical envelope displays extremely useful [i wish ALL synths had this feature ... as a visual artist i find it much easier to understand / program sounds if i can SEE the effect my tweaking has ... numbers mean nothing to me]
features ... the addition of the usual imageline effects is nice [as is the fact you can switch them off] ... the parametric eq is a cool touch [especially as you can effectively use it as a crude filter]
docs ... minimal but useful ... an html file that explains the function / use of each control on the interface ... functional but an overview of how fm synthesis works would be nice too
presets ... loads of em in there ... covering all the usual fm bases [pianos / bass / percussion / bells] ... useful as they are or as a jumping-off point into the world of fm synthesis
support ... not had to use it but the instrument was delivered to my inbox within minutes and ive not heard too many complaints about imageline / fruity support overall
vfm ... $19 ... cheap as chips
stability ... hasnt crashed on me yet [massiva / win xp PRO]
sound ... im not the biggest fan of the fm sound but it is a useful thing to have in your rack and can produce some timbres you cant get any other way ... the dx10 does the fm thing very well for a synth with relatively few parameters [compared to other fm synths ... just look at fm7 !! ] ... its good for those metallic bell-like sounds and can produce some strong bass timbres tooRead Review
gui ... nothing flashy but makes the dx10 SOOOO much more usable ... like all the imageline synths it has a clean uncluttered look and i find the graphical envelope displays extremely useful [i wish ALL synths had this feature ... as a visual artist i find it much easier to understand / program sounds if i can SEE the effect my tweaking has ... numbers mean nothing to me]
features ... the addition of the usual imageline effects is nice [as is the fact you can switch them off] ... the parametric eq is a cool touch [especially as you can effectively use it as a crude filter]
docs ... minimal but useful ... an html file that explains the function / use of each control on the interface ... functional but an overview of how fm synthesis works would be nice too
presets ... loads of em in there ... covering all the usual fm bases [pianos / bass / percussion / bells] ... useful as they are or as a jumping-off point into the world of fm synthesis
support ... not had to use it but the instrument was delivered to my inbox within minutes and ive not heard too many complaints about imageline / fruity support overall
vfm ... $19 ... cheap as chips
stability ... hasnt crashed on me yet [massiva / win xp PRO]
sound ... im not the biggest fan of the fm sound but it is a useful thing to have in your rack and can produce some timbres you cant get any other way ... the dx10 does the fm thing very well for a synth with relatively few parameters [compared to other fm synths ... just look at fm7 !! ] ... its good for those metallic bell-like sounds and can produce some strong bass timbres tooRead Review
SimSynth Live
Reviewed By pHuzZ [all]
October 5th, 2002
Version reviewed: 1.0 on Windows
bought this purely because ive had the standalone simsynth2 for ages and love its sound but since i really got fully into vst [i used to be purely audio] its more and more of a hassle to sub-sequence in simsynth and import to my main sequencer ... the chance to own a vsti built around the same synth engine was too good to pass up ...
good stuff ...
.3 [or 6 if you double ['warm'] them up real quality oscillators ... leading to a ...
.big big sound [oberheim / moog hybrid if you like]
.excellent filter [oberheim-style state variable filter]
.no-nonsense gui ... everything is clearly laid out [and the little graphical envelopes are useful too ... if a tad on the small side]
.built-in effects packs [all switch-offable if you so desire] ... the delay / phaser / and reverb are so-so imho but the parametric eq is pretty cool as an extra
.pretty light on the old cpu cycles
.handy little lfo for livening stuff up
overall ...
a nice simple to program yet very characterful synth capable of everything from throbbing bass to screeching leads ... firmly in the va camp [but thats no bad thing really] ... will probably see most use from me as a bass synth [might finally dump the venerable tau from my virtual rack] as its capable of some truly fat [pHAT ? ] noises ...
... the first vst ive bought cos of instrument nostalgia [though not hardware yearning in my case :-) ]Read Review
good stuff ...
.3 [or 6 if you double ['warm'] them up real quality oscillators ... leading to a ...
.big big sound [oberheim / moog hybrid if you like]
.excellent filter [oberheim-style state variable filter]
.no-nonsense gui ... everything is clearly laid out [and the little graphical envelopes are useful too ... if a tad on the small side]
.built-in effects packs [all switch-offable if you so desire] ... the delay / phaser / and reverb are so-so imho but the parametric eq is pretty cool as an extra
.pretty light on the old cpu cycles
.handy little lfo for livening stuff up
overall ...
a nice simple to program yet very characterful synth capable of everything from throbbing bass to screeching leads ... firmly in the va camp [but thats no bad thing really] ... will probably see most use from me as a bass synth [might finally dump the venerable tau from my virtual rack] as its capable of some truly fat [pHAT ? ] noises ...
... the first vst ive bought cos of instrument nostalgia [though not hardware yearning in my case :-) ]Read Review
Energy PRO
Reviewed By pHuzZ [all]
October 3rd, 2002
Version reviewed: 1.5 on Windows
interface ...
some people would call this ugly but i like it ... its very functional and i find it clean and clear to use ... everything on one page and logically laid out
sound ...
pretty much a one trick pony but it does that 'vaguely-303' type sound as well as you need ... i primarily use it not for bassy sounds but for high-pitched burbling liquidish noises and this it does real well
features ...
again not a huge featureset ... but the thing it does [step-sequencing in a vst plugin coat] it does very well and fills a gap in the market [although there do seem to be a few more of these in development now ... jorgens phraseSEQ amongst them] ... its much more than just an arpeggiator ... more of a limited featureset sequencer ... has some well chosen and useful little effects built-in too ... the facility to have unlimited patterns to play with is a bonus too [good for fills and variations]
documentation ...
never jorgens strong point i have to say ... on the other hand it is fairy easy to get to grips with if youve got some basic synth / sequencer knowledge
presets ...
doesnt ship with any but there are quite a few energy packs available from the massiva website and these are of reasonable to good quality
support ...
jorgens support and advice is second to none ... often to be found here or on the massiva forum or on the massiva yahoogroup or always ready to answer direct e.mails ... never fails to respond or offer a fix in just the sapce of a few hours ... nice bloke
value ...
$19 ... need i say more ?
stability ...
i use it in massiva where its ROCK solid ... not heard any other host users complain either though
overall ... jorgen has once again spotted a hole for a specialised plugin and has filled it admirably ... he has a knack for producing stuff that [at least for me] works in an entirely predictable and intuitive wayRead Review
some people would call this ugly but i like it ... its very functional and i find it clean and clear to use ... everything on one page and logically laid out
sound ...
pretty much a one trick pony but it does that 'vaguely-303' type sound as well as you need ... i primarily use it not for bassy sounds but for high-pitched burbling liquidish noises and this it does real well
features ...
again not a huge featureset ... but the thing it does [step-sequencing in a vst plugin coat] it does very well and fills a gap in the market [although there do seem to be a few more of these in development now ... jorgens phraseSEQ amongst them] ... its much more than just an arpeggiator ... more of a limited featureset sequencer ... has some well chosen and useful little effects built-in too ... the facility to have unlimited patterns to play with is a bonus too [good for fills and variations]
documentation ...
never jorgens strong point i have to say ... on the other hand it is fairy easy to get to grips with if youve got some basic synth / sequencer knowledge
presets ...
doesnt ship with any but there are quite a few energy packs available from the massiva website and these are of reasonable to good quality
support ...
jorgens support and advice is second to none ... often to be found here or on the massiva forum or on the massiva yahoogroup or always ready to answer direct e.mails ... never fails to respond or offer a fix in just the sapce of a few hours ... nice bloke
value ...
$19 ... need i say more ?
stability ...
i use it in massiva where its ROCK solid ... not heard any other host users complain either though
overall ... jorgen has once again spotted a hole for a specialised plugin and has filled it admirably ... he has a knack for producing stuff that [at least for me] works in an entirely predictable and intuitive wayRead Review
interface . . .
initially confusing and fiddly on the more general view settings . . . but the more you use it the more intuitive and well-laid out you realise it is . . . all the drag n drop features make it a doddle to set up your kits and tweak them on the go . . . i wouldnt describe it a pretty but it sure is functional
sound . . .
obviously the sample-based stuff depends on your samples but all the individual drumsynths sound excellent [not tried attack but im not sure it could be MUCH better than this . . . the ability to use the mda drumsynth inside dr008 is a fantastic touch too
features . . .
an absolute shedful !! . . . and pretty much all top quality . . . personal favourites ? . . .
- import of lm4 [and [in beta] battery] kits
- the vsi[i] embedding and sequencing [beta again]
- the ability to preview samples for your loop in realtime
- the drag n drop support [dr008+pHatpro=rhythm bliss]
documentation . . .
exemplary . . . very clearly laid out step-by-step stuff
presets . . .
well not exactly . . . but the regularly updated selection of free kits available to registered users are of excellent quality [especially now the wizlive kit is back online] . . . and the recent addition of the kits from the gmedia boxed version online just makes this aspect of the plug all the better
support . . .
angus is THE man . . . always available to answer queries / sort stuff out . . . always willing to take the time for his customers and very forthcoming [to me at least] with beta versions of new modules for testing etc.
value . . .
not exactly cheap [but not expensive either . . . compared to its nearest rivals like battery / attack . . . which youd need in combination to touch dr008 performance] . . . but excellent value for money considering the scope and capabilities of this plugin
stability . . .
its never EVER crashed on me
overall . . .
if you couldnt have guessed . . . i absolutely LOVE this thing !!Read Review
initially confusing and fiddly on the more general view settings . . . but the more you use it the more intuitive and well-laid out you realise it is . . . all the drag n drop features make it a doddle to set up your kits and tweak them on the go . . . i wouldnt describe it a pretty but it sure is functional
sound . . .
obviously the sample-based stuff depends on your samples but all the individual drumsynths sound excellent [not tried attack but im not sure it could be MUCH better than this . . . the ability to use the mda drumsynth inside dr008 is a fantastic touch too
features . . .
an absolute shedful !! . . . and pretty much all top quality . . . personal favourites ? . . .
- import of lm4 [and [in beta] battery] kits
- the vsi[i] embedding and sequencing [beta again]
- the ability to preview samples for your loop in realtime
- the drag n drop support [dr008+pHatpro=rhythm bliss]
documentation . . .
exemplary . . . very clearly laid out step-by-step stuff
presets . . .
well not exactly . . . but the regularly updated selection of free kits available to registered users are of excellent quality [especially now the wizlive kit is back online] . . . and the recent addition of the kits from the gmedia boxed version online just makes this aspect of the plug all the better
support . . .
angus is THE man . . . always available to answer queries / sort stuff out . . . always willing to take the time for his customers and very forthcoming [to me at least] with beta versions of new modules for testing etc.
value . . .
not exactly cheap [but not expensive either . . . compared to its nearest rivals like battery / attack . . . which youd need in combination to touch dr008 performance] . . . but excellent value for money considering the scope and capabilities of this plugin
stability . . .
its never EVER crashed on me
overall . . .
if you couldnt have guessed . . . i absolutely LOVE this thing !!Read Review
i bought this pretty much on impulse cos i thought i needed a decent vsti organ emulator [and couldnt / cant afford b4] . . . id already got a couple of linplug instruments [cronoX and rm III] and trusted the company . . . they didnt disappoint . . .
good stuff . . .
.looks good
.sounds great [nice and dirty . . . just how i like it]
.the tempo-synced leslie acceleration just ROCKS !! [why hasnt anyone done this before ? ]
.great presets . . . to use as they are or build on and tweak
.havent needed it for daorgan yet but linplug support is second to none
.pretty good on cpu usage
.hasnt glitched or crashed since i started playing with it earlier this week
. . . all in all . . .the only organ emulator i personally will ever needRead Review
good stuff . . .
.looks good
.sounds great [nice and dirty . . . just how i like it]
.the tempo-synced leslie acceleration just ROCKS !! [why hasnt anyone done this before ? ]
.great presets . . . to use as they are or build on and tweak
.havent needed it for daorgan yet but linplug support is second to none
.pretty good on cpu usage
.hasnt glitched or crashed since i started playing with it earlier this week
. . . all in all . . .the only organ emulator i personally will ever needRead Review
Cyber FREE
Reviewed By pHuzZ [all]
April 6th, 2002
Version reviewed: 004 on Windows
- of all the simple freeware samplers/sample players out there this is the one i reach for most often
- it may not look as nice as helios or 3s but once you get your head round the multiple gui layout all the info and parameters are nice and easy to access - on a functional level gui works pretty well
- documentation is minimal at best [bare bones info on the webmassiva site] but if you have a basic knowledge of sampling its real easy to figure out - if you do have a prob with anything jorgen [the author] is usually very helpful [and can be found hanging around kvr quite a bit if you fancy a chat]
- sound quality is as good as i will ever need [and obviously relies on how good your samples are to a certain extent] - it has all the features you would want in a simple sampler [asdr envelopes for filter and amplitude / editing of loop points / import of loop points] but no bells and whistles - it does exactly what it says on the tin
- on my setup stability is rock solid - no problems whatsoever
Read Review
- it may not look as nice as helios or 3s but once you get your head round the multiple gui layout all the info and parameters are nice and easy to access - on a functional level gui works pretty well
- documentation is minimal at best [bare bones info on the webmassiva site] but if you have a basic knowledge of sampling its real easy to figure out - if you do have a prob with anything jorgen [the author] is usually very helpful [and can be found hanging around kvr quite a bit if you fancy a chat]
- sound quality is as good as i will ever need [and obviously relies on how good your samples are to a certain extent] - it has all the features you would want in a simple sampler [asdr envelopes for filter and amplitude / editing of loop points / import of loop points] but no bells and whistles - it does exactly what it says on the tin
- on my setup stability is rock solid - no problems whatsoever
Read Review
