~~Computer Music Reviews Sharing~

Rain Recording Element i7 £2089 (PC)

2009-05-07T23:47:00.002+08:00

A true behemoth of an audio PC, but is this heavy-hitter worth its weight in gold?

Although any modern computer can be used to produce music, that's not to say that it'll always run smoothly or be powerful enough for the most demanding software. Professional musicians in particular can't afford to waste time (and hence money) because of a temperamental or underpowered setup. Rain Recording's PCs are purpose built for audio work, and the Element i7 we're looking at here sports Intel's mighty new Core i7 processor. Our test unit has a few extras, too, namely a solid state system drive, Vista 64 and acoustic damping. The basic Element \1 starts at £1599 for a package with two 500GB hard drives and Windows XP Pro.

Everything is housed in a hefty aluminium case that's 60cm deep and almost as tall. There's plenty of space for upgrades like DSP cards, extra drives, etc, and the interior is very tidy. A flap on the front conceals four USB slots and a FireWire port. There's also PCI FireWire card (Tl chipset), providing ports on a separate bus.

The system is preinstalled with Acronis True Image, which makes back-ups a breeze, and something called RainZone, which is basically Windows XP running in a Virtual PC shell, enabling you to browse the internet and access email (or whatever else you'd like to do), safe in the knowledge that if you screw up the virtual OS, the 'proper' OS will be unharmed.

The system is quiet and doesn't hum like your average desktop, though it's not 'silent' due to the soft purr of the fans. As an experiment, we disconnected the fans and found that it remained stable when running the tests described in the Clocking off boxout The Core i7 920 chip is intended to operate at 2.6GHz, but can be overclocked in the BIOS or with MSI's Overclocking Center app in Windows. We got it to around 3.6GHz before it became unstable.

Drive rattling is almost inaudible due to the NoVibes hard drive cradle (we reckon this and the acoustic panels should come as standard). The Intel solid state drive is, of course, entirely silent, and its speedy performance makes for a slick, responsive system.

This is by far the most powerful PC ever to grace the cm test bench and, what's more, we experienced no erratic behaviour during our trials. Of course, there are much cheaper Core i7 systems to be found online, and you may consider building a similar one yourself. However, the big selling point of a package like the Element i7 is the reassurance that it's been put together with audio performance and stability in mind. And it's all done by professionals, who will be able to give you audio-specific advice, should you run into computer woes during the lifetime of the unit. For some users, this will be more important than making a short-term saving.

Contact: Rain Recording, 0845 0943964
Web: www.rainrecording.co.uk
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Clocking off
Overclocked to 3GHz, running a 44.1kHz Cubase 5 project, we created an audio channel with a WAV file and an instance of IK Multimedia's T-RackS 3 Deluxe running the Warm Suite preset in Oversampling mode. T-RackS 3 is very CPU-intensive (it's mainly intended for mastering), so we kept on duplicating the track and found that we could run a whopping 32 channels before dropouts - the computer remained responsive at all times, too. By comparison, our Core 2 Duo laptop struggled to manage six or seven channels with the same setup! In a real-world mix, we were able to use 12 instances of T-RackS 3 (in Oversampling mode), four of Overloud TH1, one Toontrack Superior Drummer 2.0 and more, reaching about 85% on Cubase's performance meter. With T-RackS in Lowest Latency mode, the meter was around half that. As for hard drive performance, we were able to play around 125 tracks of 24-bit audio at 44.1kHz.
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System spec
(PC) Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz
(overclqcked to 3G Hz), MSI X58 _
Platinum motherboard, 3GB DDR3 RAW ATI HD4350 graphics, Intel X25-M 80GB^
SSD, Seagate Barracuda 1TB 72OOrpm
hard drive, Windows Vista Ultimate 64,
AcoustiPack damping, NoVibes drive
cradle, 12x USB port, 5x FireWire port
(two buses), Dual Layer DVDR/RW drive,

Alternatively
3XSSA-i7 PowerDAW N/A»N/A»£1620
A comparable system also built for audio. Price is for the basic spec

Inta-Audio i7R Music PC N/A»N/A»£1499
Another i7 920-based music PC. Again, the price is for the base spec

Verdict
FOR
- Solid, tidy build
- Very powerful and responsive
- Audio-savvy system support for life
- Lots of expansion space
- RainZone is a smart idea
- Quiet operation...

AGAINST
- ...But not 'silent'
- It ain't cheap!
If you've got the moolah and need a rock-solid, high-performance audio computer, you won't find this one lacking

MARK: 8/10
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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 £4oo (PC/ MAC)

2009-05-07T23:36:00.002+08:00

Is this latest addition to the Saffire line a gem of an audio interface or just lacklustre?

Buying a new audio interface might not be the most exciting way to splosh your dosh, but pick the right one and you'll certainly feel like you've got your money's worth.

The Saffire Pro 40 is a rackmountable FireWire unit powered via an IEC cable. There are eight analogue ins on combo connectors (mic or line, XLR or balanced/unbalanced jack) with LED meters and gain pots. Phantom power is switchable in banks of four, and two ins have buttons for instrument input and -9dB pad.

As for outs, there are ten of 'em, all line level on 1/4" jacks, balanced or unbalanced. The twin headphone sockets mirror the signals at outputs 7/8 and 9/10 and have separate volume knobs. On the digital side, there's S/PDIF in/out via RCA plugs, and eight channels of ADAT in/out on optical connectors. There's MIDI in/out, too.

The front panel monitor section has a master volume knob, plus Dim and Mute buttons. The software control panel, Saffire MixControl, offers further flexibility - see boxout for more info.

Putting the Saffire Pro 40 into action, the sound quality is immediately impressive. Like a number of other companies' interfaces, this one uses the JetPLL jitter-reduction technology, which we've praised before. The Pro 40 has tight bass and snappy dynamics, and it's free of the graininess that interfaces at the more affordable end of the market can exhibit. The headphone outs sound great and are plenty loud enough.

Crystal clear
The mic pres are clean and clear, as you'd expect from Focusrite. As for stability, as long as we launched the MixControl app before our DAW, it was all plain sailing. We made an eight-channel multitrack recording with all outputs and 16 mixes active, at 96kHz and 128 samples latency, and operation was glitch-free.

More than one application can use the Pro 40's ASIO drivers at once, with their outputs mixed automatically. There's a useful feature called Loop Back, too, whereby the output from one app can be internally routed to the input of another. We used this to pipe our media player into Cubase, so that we could listen to it through IK Multimedia's ARC System room correction. Nice.

There are a fair few interfaces like this on the market, but you still have to pick wisely. The Saffire Pro 40 is definitely one of the best around, and it has an attractive price, too. The inclusion of the Focusrite Plug-in Suite (worth £50) adds further value to the package.

Contact: Focusrite, +441494 462246
Web: www.focusrite.com
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Channel tunnelling
Using the Saffire MixControl app, you can create 16 mono mixes (or eight stereo/ combination thereof). Each has 18 mono channels (or up to 9 stereo) that can come from a hardware input or an out from your DAW. This is ideal for making monitor mixes for musicians, and you can name channels and mixes, then save the lot for total recall. In the routing area, you determine which signal appears at which physical output: it could be a DAW output, a mix, or an input signal (ie, for zero-latency direct monitoring). There are preset routings, but annoyingly, you can't save your own.

The monitoring section lets you designate the outputs that are controlled by the volume control, which can be the knob on the unit or the one in MixControl - this is handy for controlling multiple monitor levels - when using surround sound, for example. Similarly, there are presets, but you can't define your own.
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System requirements
(PC) 900MHz CPU, 512MB_RAM,
Windows XP/Vista 32/64

(MAC) 1Ghz CPU, 512MB RAM, OS X 10.4

Test system
(PC) Core i7 920 3GHz, 3GB RAM,
Windows Vista 64

Alternatively
PreSonus FireStudio Project cm130» 9/10 » £489
Broadly similar but has two analogue TRS inserts, only one 'phones out and simpler routing

M-Audio ProFire 2626 cm127» 9/10 » £479
Another solid FireWire rack interface, this one can operate in standalone mode, too

Verdict
FOR
- Quality sound and clean mic pres Flexible routing software
- Good value
- Drivers work with multiple apps
- Dual headphone outs

AGAINST
- Software may baffle some
- No standalone preamp operation
- Can't define routing/monitoring presets
- No way to use multiple units

The Saffire Pro 40 boasts a fine sound and solid features, and the keen price point gives it an edge on the competition

MARK: 9/10
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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

EKS Otus £579 (PC/ MAC)

2009-05-07T23:19:00.003+08:00

their game with a device that could tempt CDJ-worshipping jocks to the software party

EKS are a fairly new company from Finland who, in a short time, have made a name for themselves with their XP5 and XP10 controllers. Their latest offering, Otus, looks to be an altogether more serious affair, however...

Out of the box, Otus has the appearance of a very sexy CDJ unit, and it's especially alluring in low light, as a warm and dangerous-looking orange LED trim glows on almost every edge. The 7.5" jog wheel is the centrepiece of the device, and there are also looping, start, track skip and eject buttons (two of the latter), plus a touch-sensitive pitch control fader-strip with three settings.

Then come two sets of three-band EQ controls with gain pots for each, and another pair of assignable rotaries (ideal for controlling a headphone cue and mix control section).

And we're not done yet! It's perhaps not apparent at first glance, but in each of the four corners of the device are a large push button and a rotary controller. The XY pad with dual buttons can even do double duty as a trackpad mouse controller, and to the right of this section are six more touch-buttons that are subtly reminiscent of those found on 'futuristic' early-80s hi-fi systems.

Otus pocus, diplodocus!
Finally - and here's the most stunning touch -double-tapping the central A/B mode button causes the orange glow of the various lights to switch to green, remapping the controls to function as a second virtual deck. The sheer number of LEDs and trimmings means there's never any doubt as to which deck you're currently controlling. Holding the Switch button acts like a temporary Shift key, flicking over to the other mode only for as long as you hold it down. We can't say enough good things about this simple yet elegant way of doubling up the controls.

But is it all good? Well, the aluminium casing forms a sturdy raised platform that's designed to

"The sheer number of LEDs and trimmings means there's never any doubt as to which deck you're currently controlling"

sit comfortably on top of a turntable (if space in the booth is cramped), but the buttons and knobs feel a tad flimsy, as though they wouldn't stand up to repeated travelling and gigging.

Then there are some questionable design choices. Rotaries with a centre detente can be useful for EQ and panning, but in almost every other case, they're a nuisance. And then there's the touch-sensitive pitch control. Why not just a fader? No DJ we know of would fancy cueing up a track and controlling the pitch in this way. A filter cutoff control, maybe, but then the XY pad can be employed for such duties.

And speaking of the latter, as cool as having a mouse feature is, EKS need a simple button to switch this function between mouse and MIDI control. In the version we tried, both are enabled by default, and it wasn't easy to disable the mouse - hence we didn't dare use the MIDI pad functionality, lest we inadvertently caused havoc with the mouse! Just as we went to press, EKS announced a firmware update that improves on this function by enabling the user to activate each mode using a preset, though we hope that a dedicated hotkey will be forthcoming, too.

So, as a controller, it's a mixed bag - brilliant in some respects, but a letdown in others. However, it's much more than a controller. Alongside the USB port, there are two sets of analogue RCA outputs with a matching S/PDIF RCA output for each, and a %" headphone jack. Otus is also a portable interface designed for external mixing, through a mixer, with minimal fuss - this makes it much easier to set up in a busy club than a control vinyl system like Serato or Traktor Scratch.

Alternatively, you can go for an even simpler configuration and mix internally, using the headphone jack to cue your tracks, thus requiring only a stereo set of inputs on the club mixer. Also, and we reckon this is far more applicable to most potential users, it means that you technically don't need an external mixer, which could be ideal for playing at home, at some type of function, or perhaps in a pub/bar that doesn't have any proper DJ equipment.

Mixed blessings
So, what's the verdict? Well, as a versatile MIDI controller, we love the range of controls on offer, but they're slightly too DJ-oriented to be perfect for all occasions, which is understandable. Still, it is one of the coolest-looking MIDI controllers on the market, and it has a wide range of uses.

As a DJ controller, it would work very well in a pair, and enables very good control, though it simply isn't as sturdy to the touch as top-end CDJ units, which aren't much more costly than the Otus. Even the otherwise solid jogwheel doesn't offer anything approaching CDJ-1000-esque resistance.

As for being a single DJ unit for two decks, despite offering the best implementation we've ever seen on a single device - and a really useful audio interface to boot - performing anything other than basic mixing with one unit still isn't really practical.

If you need a versatile, fun and vaguely portable MIDI device for general software control purposes, though, you won't find much better. As a sexy controller with multiple stereo audio outs that's ideal for Ableton Live, it's especially appealing.

Finally, if you need MIDI and DJ control, and you're aware of Otus's shortcomings, then you almost certainly won't be disappointed.

Contact: office@eks.fi
Web: www.eks.fi
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Getting soft
Otus is primarily designed as a universally-compatible MIDI controller, but obviously it requires some software to control. Most modern DJing applications make it a fairly painless process to assign knobs and buttons to functions, but it's always easier when you already have a template. The one we tried out was for Traktor Pro, and eventually EKS hope to have all of the main apps covered in this respect - their website currently offers a number of installation and setup walkthroughs for different packages.

Unfortunately, though, unlike their XP series controllers, which can make use of EKS's own cross-platform Bison 1.0 DJ software, Otus can only control version 1.1, which, at the time of review, was not quite finished. Instead, they offer Deckadance LE, which natively supports Otus via the HID protocol, which is much more responsive than MIDI. And it's fair to say that, to get the best out of Otus, you're going to need software that communicates with HID, such as Bison 1.1 or Deckadance LE. Hopefully more applications will be added to this currently short list in the future.
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System requirements
(PC) Windows XP, USB port

(MAC) OS X 10.4,USB port

Test system
(MAC) MacBook 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo,
2GB RAM, OS X 10.5.6

(MAC) Mac Pro Dual 2.8GHZ Quad-Core
lntelXeon, 4GB RAM,OS X 10.5.6

Alternatively
M-Audio Torq Xponent cm117» 6/10 » £449
Not as sexy or versatile as Otus, but it does offer control of two decks simultaneously

BehringerBCD3000 N/A»N/A»£160
At the other end of the scale in terms of versatility and DJ performance, but it's certainly an all-round solution

Verdict
FOR
- Huge range of controls
- Good for general purpose MIDI control
- Built-in audio interface
- Looks well sexy in low light!

AGAINST
- Could be sturdier
- Not practical for controlling two decks
- Touch-sensitive pitch slider is unwieldy

The multi-talented Otus might not be the ultimate DJ controller, but as an all-round performance solution, it's a winner

MARK: 8/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Audio Damage Rough Rider Pro $49 (PC/ MAC)

2009-05-07T23:02:00.002+08:00

AD are known for exotic effects, but with Rough Rider Pro they've decided to buck the trend. Are they playing it safe?

Audio Damage have built up an enviable reputation for consistency in cm, with almost every release receiving top, or nearly top, marks. However, looking back over their list of products, they pretty much specialise in groundbreaking plug-ins, or at least very original takes on older ideas. The only obvious exception to this was their awesome ADverb (originally called Reverence). However, now they've unleashed another 'traditional' effect -it's a multiband version of their acclaimed freeware compressor plug-in, Rough Rider. And, this new one has been given the Pro treatment.

At first glance, the familiar Audio Damage layout is evident, which is an encouraging start. Less impressive, though, is the very small interface and hard-to-read displays - this has become a worrying trend with Audio Damage. It's easier to overlook with their more creative plug-ins, but, if you can't tell whether something is -1OdB or +1OdB on a tiny dial, you're in trouble.

Each band has the expected compression parameters: Ratio, Attack, Release, Sensitivity (ie, threshold) and Makeup, as well as a metering section that shows the input, output and gain reduction levels. Annoyingly, there's no bypass switch for each of the individual bands. Sure, you can set the knobs to zero to achieve the same result, but it's a fiddly way of doing things.

Riding roughshod
Sound-wise, though, things improve greatly. We tried out Rough Rider Pro on a variety of material, including finished tracks ready for mastering, and found the bass frequencies to be particularly punchy. However, the mid- and top-end started to become a little digital when pushed hard, especially when compared to really high-end multiband processors.

A quick flick through the presets reveals a whole range of creative uses. You can squash signals pleasantly, or drive them to distortion. For such purposes, we can't really fault it.

Ultimately, a plug-in should be judged on a number of factors - its practicality, sound quality and ease of use being right up there. Naturally, there's no debating the usefulness of a multiband compressor, and Rough Rider Pro is particularly strong in creative applications, too.

As for the quality, bearing in mind the plentiful options out there, this plug-in is capable of some serious results. It's impressive how much you can tighten up your bass, and it's even acceptable for mastering electronic material where transparency isn't essential.

But, Rough Rider Pro is not the most accessible of plug-ins. For example, there's no A/B button (very useful when applying dynamic effects) or auto-gain. Ultimately, the interfacie niggles and obstructions make using AD's latest a bit of a chore, which is a great shame.

So, while the sound is excellent for the price, and more than a match for higher priced competitors, we can't award Audio Damage their usual top marks. While it's worth getting hold of this plug-in, Rough Rider Pro is very much in need of a revision.

Web: www.audiodamage.com
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Band manager
Unlike many other multiband compressors, Rough Rider Pro offers three bands instead of four. But we reckon this is ample for most uses and, indeed, most users - without prior experience, additional options can simply translate into more ways to mess things up.

So, for the best results, use the on/off buttons to isolate the band you want to dial in, then use the frequency sliders to select the range (the high and low cutoff points define the mids), Then, adjust the settings as you would any other compressor.

The only other thing you need to worry about is whether to run things in Multi or Series mode. The former splits the three bands, processes them separately and recombines them at the output stage, while the latter sends the signal to the top band, then the middle and finally the bottom. Both are useful, but we found Multi mode to be very clinical, while Series is more traditional and less surgical.
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System requirements
(PC) PIII 800MHz, 512MB RAM, Windows XPSP2 or Vista

(MAC) G4/G5/lntel CPU, 512MB RAM,
OS X 10.4

Test system
(MAC) Mac Pro Duel Intel Xeon 2.8GHz_ Quad-Core, 4GB RAM, OS X 10.5.6

Alternatively
Sonalksis CQ1 N/A»N/A»£160
Showing its age now, but still a good multiband compressor

Waves C4 Multiband N/A»N/A»$400
Never ones to disappoint, this Waves plug-in is a stunner

Verdict
FOR
- Excellent sound
- Versatile range of applications
- Great presets
- Innovative band-routing option

AGAINST
- No A/B button
- Hard tomake out the display
- No band-bypass switches
The sound and features are right on the money, but this isn't the smoothest operator available right now

MARK: 8/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

E-MU Emulator X3 £350 (PC)

2009-05-01T18:35:00.002+08:00

E-MU spearheaded sampling in the early 80s with their groundbreaking hardware - can they do the same in software?

E-MU almost single-handedly brought digital sampling to the masses with their Emulator series of hardware samplers, the first of which debuted in 1981. It goes without saying that the company have amassed a fair bit of knowledge and notched up a number of innovations in the three decades since. Emulator X3 is, as the name suggests, the third virtual instrument in the software-based Emulator X line, which, as we shall see, has a lot more to offer than the hardware of yesteryear.

X factor
Emulator X3 carries on where its predecessor left off. This Windows-only instrument is available in both standalone and plug-in flavours. There are versions for both 32- and 64-bit operating systems, and the new Xstream engine that powers X3 is said to be optimised for both, with intelligent multicore/processor support, too. Thankfully, the company has ditched the oddball copy protection scheme that required their own MID! interface to be connected in order to fire up the software.

X3 ships with a huge selection of some of E-MU's finest sounds, including the entirety of the bank from their rather brilliant and trend-setting Xtreme Lead hardware ROMpler. There's a 1.4GB monster of a grand piano in the set, as well as a complete GM bank. Coming from the company that took full advantage of the analogue revival with their Vintage Keys module, you'd expect X3 to contain some serious vintage sounds, and these are among the most impressive patches in the bundle. There are some especially sweet Hammond Organs, complete with churning Leslie effects. Orchestral instruments are also accounted for, and there are some decent single-hit and ensemble FX included, too.

Of course, this being a sampler, you can bring your own patches to the party. It'll import all major file types, including WAV, AIFF and REX, and will handle resolutions up to 192kHz/24-bit. If you've got Akai, SF2, Kontakt, GigaSampler or HALion patches lying about, and even Elll and ESI patches from E-MU hardware, you can bring those in, too, courtesy of the included special version of Chicken Systems' Translator (the only limitation being that it only converts to X3

"There are LFOs, envelope generators and processors, along with E-MUs superb Z-Piane filters"

format). We had mixed results with this, depending on the formats used. Older, common formats like Akai and SF2 worked a treat. However, on the flip side, a patch translated from GigaStudio 4 crashed X3 instantly, despite appearing to have been converted successfully. Unfortunately, Kontakt 3 files aren't supported, but Kontakt 2 patches seem to work well enough. Format quirks aside, Translator enables users to avail themselves of a variety of material.

Freaky tweaker
Emulator X3 really comes into its own as a sound design tool, with a few features in particular warranting special attention. First off, X3 is that rarity of rarities - a sampler that actually samples from a variety of sources. Indeed, it has a full complement of features designed to eliminate the tedium normally associated with sampling. Among these is Synthswipe, a tool with which external sources (hardware or software) can be automatically sampled. X3 can even pitch and automap your recorded material - it's one of the easiest of such processes we've come across.

If you insist on doing the work yourself, samples can be mapped by dragging and dropping them into the target key zones. X3 will then recognise any embedded data, such as the root note and loop points, and behave accordingly. In addition, it'll even attempt to suss out the best loop points for you.

Further delights await the intrepid sample manipulator. There are the expected LFOs, envelope generators and effects processors, along with E-MU's superb, morphing Z-Plane filters. Presets of these have been implemented in quite a few of the company's instruments over the years, but this time around, they've upped the ante somewhat, especially with the inclusion of the Morph Filter Designer, which enables the user to create custom shapes, all via a simple interface built into the filter section. The Morph Filter Designer is ridiculously easy to use and can transform a sound into something entirely different with a only few minor tweaks.

New for X3 is Xtractor, a tool by which a single instrument (most obviously vocals) in a mixed piece of audio can be isolated, eliminated, processed or pitchshifted. It seems to work like a band-pass/reject filter, but with some parameters specifically designed for the manipulation of the selected instrument. We got mixed results. For instance, isolating a vocal in dense musical passages was difficult - it worked much better with sparser arrangements.

X-rated
Software samplers aren't exactly thin on the ground, but none of them can claim the extensive legacy that bolsters the Emulator X3. This is a refined and powerful instrument that embodies E-MU's considerable expertise in both sampling and sample-playback synthesis. Emulator X3 fully realises the potential of the Emulator heritage and then some. The price might be off-putting at first glance, but it's not out of line with the competition, and considering the quality of the bundled content, you get serious bang for your buck.

Web: www.emu.com
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Xtractor enables you to isolate individual instruments, such as vocals, based on frequency and stereo position
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Blow your beats to bits with the excellent Region Xplode function!

Xplosive beats
Coming from the company behind the popular Beat Garden sample library, you'd expect Emulator X3 to be bursting with rhythm-centric features, and E-MU don't disappoint. They've beefed up X3's beat-oriented functions.

Firstly, TwistaLoop can now analyse and export tempo maps of an entire song, if you so desire. This will be useful for working with live musicians, and it's pretty easy to use. Simply open the Beat Analysis tool to slice up the file, adjust the resultant markers if necessary, and select Export Tempo Map. Having done so, you'll be rewarded with a MIDI file that can be dropped into your sequencer of choice. It worked very well in our tests, though we were careful to tweak our markers to perfection before exporting.

The new Region Xplode beat slicer will chop up a rhythm, map the parts and export the timing as MIDI - simply drop in a loop, cut it up using the same method described above, then click over to the Voice page, where you can access the regions. After that, it's a matter of right-clicking to initiate the Xplode function. The individual hits of your loop will be neatly mapped across the keyboard as you like, and you'll also have a MIDI file correlating to the slice positions. You may never need to fire up Recycle again!
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System requirements
(PC) 1.5GHz Pentium IV/AMD K6, 512MB RAM, Windows XP/Vista

Test system
(PC) AMD 3000+,512MB RAM,
Windows XP, M-Audio Fast Track Pro,
Sonar 8, FL Studio 8, energyXT2

Alternatively
Native Instruments Kontakt 3 cm120» 10/10 » €399
A behemoth of a program with lots of third-party sample pack support

Steinberg HALion 3 cm78» 7/10 » £335
Age-old now, but its simple, intuitive interface sees it live on

Verdict
FOR
- A refined, powerful sarnpler
- Autosampling of hardware!
- CustomisableZ-PIane filters kick ass
- Groovy Multi-Function Generators
- Excellent bundled content

AGAINST
- Xtractor can be finicky...
- ...as can Translator

E-MU have been designing and building groundbreaking samplers for decades and it shows in this deeply featured and highly refined soft sampler

MARK: 9/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Camel Audio Alchemy £179 (PC/ MAC)

2009-05-01T11:08:00.005+08:00

Camel Audio claim their latest instrument is the "ultimate sample manipulation synthesiser", but does it really have the Midas touch?

At first glance, you might mistake Alchemy for a common or garden ROMpler, as it comes with a ton of sample-based patches that can be tweaked with the built-in synthesis engine and effects - sounds that would take an age to create from scratch. Unlike most ROMplers, though, this instrument also enables you to load your own samples.

Alchemy's architecture centres around its four sound generating modules, which are known as Sources. These are a little more complex than your average oscillator and have three types of synthesis under the hood -Additive, Spectral and Granular. Aside from tinkering with the presets, the simplest way to get sound out of the instrument is to use the Additive element in virtual analogue mode. This gives you a variety of simple wave shapes, a symmetry control for width-modulation effects, and a voice count knob, which goes all the way up to a staggering 600 - this last is particularly useful in the virtual analogue unison and harmonic detune modes, creating huge sounds and so-called 'super-saw' tones.

Alchemy has a built-in library of instruments, effects and loops in audio format, and you can import your own WAV or AIFF files. However, it's not possible to create your own keyzones within a Source module. Alchemy will load SFZ files (SoundFonts), though, so the truly dedicated could create their own multisampled patches with the help of an external editor.

Patching things up
When importing a sample, you're presented with a choice of modes that correspond to Alchemy's elements: Additive, Spectral, Additive and Spectral, or Granular. These determine how the audio is analysed and which of the modules are most appropriate. For example, Additive mode works well with single-note samples, where the frequencies present in the audio are analysed over time and resynthesised. Not only does this process sound great, but the volume, pitch, pan and phase of the individual harmonics (aka partials) can be edited in a separate panel. This area includes an envelope that can be used to view the volume, pitch variation, pan and phase characteristics of individual partials over time, along with a typical additive synthesis

"Many samplers feature granular processing, but Alchemy is particularly adept"

harmonics editor for altering these values.

The Spectral element works well on complex samples, using a combination of noise and sine waves to resynthesise the audio. It's possible to set this element to use just sine resynthesis (or only noise) to create unusual effects, and audio can be edited with a spectral display showing frequency over time. Editing is done graphically, using a variety of brushes, just like a paint program. While this isn't the most precise way of doing things - you can't realistically draw in chords or melodies - it's possible to enhance transients with a specialised brush, and you can copy and paste by selecting an area of the spectral display as a brush.

If Granular analysis is selected, the audio is sliced into thousands of tiny chunks, enabling tempo and pitch to be adjusted independently of one another. Many soft samplers feature granular processing capabilities, but Alchemy is particularly adept, offering eight different window types (which affect each grain's amplitude envelope), a Density control (with low values creating unnatural stuttering effects) and a grain Size parameter. Each Source has Stretch and Position knobs that can be modulated to create outlandish effects, such as slowing the audio down until it becomes a single, repeating waveform. Straightforward, non-granular sample playback is also available.

Panning for gold
As well as these sound-generating elements, there's also a section for applying up to three filters in series or parallel to each Source, in addition, there are 15 different filter modes, including the usual low-/high-/band-pass options, and less common ones like ring modulation and tube emulation.

The outputs of the four Sources can be combined in various ways using the Morph panel. This has nine different modes, the simplest of which, Xfade, mixes the output of the Sources together, with the X and Y axes controlling the balance between all four. More intriguing still are the morphing modes - for example, select Morph and a single Source is heard at once, with the X and Y controls being used to change between the parameters of each generating module. So, if one Source is tuned down an octave, morphing between that and one that isn't will result in a smooth pitchbend rather than a crossfade between the two signals. Other, far more specialised modes blend between more specific controls, such as the parameters of certain elements or envelope times. The X and Y values themselves can also be modulated, bringing to mind the vector synthesis instruments of the past.

Once all four Sources have been filtered and mixed/morphed, the signal is pumped through another pair of filters, which are even more comprehensive, with 50 different types on offer. For each of these, there's a knob that sets the balance between serial and parallel routing -a very nice touch.

Aside from the synth's Performance, Arp and Effects sections (see boxout), the rest of the interface is taken up with the modulation panel. Almost all of Alchemy's parameters can be modulated via the LFO, AHDSR envelope, multiple segment envelope generator (MSEG), sequencer, note property or performance parameter. A single LFO, AHDSR, MSEG or sequencer is available at first, but you can add more at will - up to 16, should you require them.

The supplied preset library is good, although the quality is inconsistent. But to use it as a mere ROMpler would be ignoring the software's fantastically deep sound design capabilities. Alchemy offers a robust array of sampling and synthesis techniques that make it a compelling prospect for those eager to expand their creative arsenal, and it's the perfect partner for a more traditional sampler or synth.

Contact: support@camelaudio.com
Web: www.camelaudio.com
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The partials editor tweaks individual harmonics over time, making Alchemy pure gold for sound designers
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With Simple mode enabled, the interface collapses to show just the Performance section

What a performance!
In addition to Alchemy's Sources, filters and modulation panels, the synth also has Performance, Arpeggiator and Effects sections, which are accessed at the bottom of the interface.

The Performance screen offers eight knobs and two virtual XY pads. All of these work as additional modulation sources that can be applied to multiple parameters at once, just like the rest of the synth's mods. You can store eight 'snapshots' of the Performance settings in the Remix pad and morph smoothly between them by dragging a cursor around the pad - it's very similar to the Sound Variations system used in Native Instruments' Kore.

The Arpeggiator panel sports its own step sequencer, with up to 128 steps, each of which has separate settings for value, length and swing. The output can then be applied to the arpeggiator's amplitude, pitch and panning knobs, and extra sequencers can be created as necessary.

Finally, the five-slot Effects section houses filter, EQ, distortion, delay, reverb, modulation, pan, gain and dynamic effects. Rather excitingly, their settings can be modulated too, making this section incredibly useful and well-integrated when it comes to sound design.
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System requirements
(PC) 3GHz _CPU, 1GB RAM, Windows XP SP2 or Vista, VST host

(MAC) G5 CPU, 1GB RAM, Mac OS X 10.4.9, AU/VST host

Test system
(PC) 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 6400, 2GB RAM, Windows Vista, Cubase 4

Alternatively
Native Instruments Absynth 4 cm108» 9/10 » £230
Not as good for full-on sample manipulation, but amazing for evolving atmospherics and sound design

Spectrasonics Omnisphere cm133» 10/10 » £299
Not the cheapest of instruments, but this is a great-sounding ROMpler with an incredible synthesis engine

Verdict
FOR
- Great modulation system
- Sensible interface design
- Awesome synthesis/sampling engine
- As deep as you care to take it
- Practically unrivalled sample control
- Comes with some great patches...

AGAINST
- some lacklustre ones

Alchemy is an astonishing instrument that will delight hardcore synth and sampler lovers no end

MARK: 9/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Apples GarageBand '09 £69 (MAC)

2009-05-01T11:00:00.005+08:00

The consummate beginners' DAW is back in its updated 2009 guise, but is it aimed at producers or those wanting to learn an instrument?

When we recently suggested to Apple that ^ deciding what new features to add to GarageBand must be difficult - the company must continue to give users a reason to upgrade to its Logic products, after all - the response was a nod and a wry smile. In some ways, the software has become a victim of its own success: pros now use it to draft their tunes, and many home users find it to be so comprehensive that they simply don't need to buy anything else.

So, where to take it next? As before, the application ships with the latest version of the iLife software suite, and for the GarageBand '09 update, Apple have gone off on something of a tangent. As we'll discover, this is good news for people who want to learn to play music, but not so great for those who use GarageBand for production purposes.

A new front door
Boot the software for the first time and you're presented with an updated splash screen that lets you choose from a range of options. You can now pick from a range of project templates (eg, Songwriting Loops, Piano, Acoustic Instrument), and each of these provides a different configuration of pre-loaded tracks for you to work with. It's a nice enough touch, but sadly, there's currently no facility for adding your own template(s).

You can also choose to enter Magic GarageBand mode, which automates the process of creating songs in a variety of styles. This has been extended slightly since GB '08 -there's now level adjustment, an Arrangement Track, randomised selection of instruments and even a recording option - but it's still very much aimed at total novices.

Speaking of beginners, the opening splash screen also provides access to the new Learn to Play feature, and to the Lesson Store, from which you can buy Artist Lessons. These are seriously impressive and, in fact, make most other on-screen tuition look positively antiquated - see the Look and learn boxout for the full lowdown.

Click through to the main GarageBand application and the first thing you'll notice is that several cosmetic changes have been made.

"Apple confirmed that the technology behind the new amps and effects has come down from Logic Pro"

Your selected Software Instrument is now accompanied by a nice graphic in the Track Info section, and the Loop Browser now appears to the right of the timeline, rather than below it.

Most obviously, the software's main background colour has turned darker than the light grey of before, with the result being that GarageBand now looks very much like a baby version of Logic (which is essentially what it is). It's no more intimidating, but the '09 update does feel a touch more 'pro'.

Amped up
Appearances can be deceptive, though - dig a little deeper and you realise that, from a recording perspective, the GarageBand feature set has actually changed very little. One area that has been addressed, however, is that of guitar amp and effects modelling.

These types of processing were included before, but they weren't considered a standout feature. This time around, you get a dedicated Electric Guitar option when you create a new track, and choosing this puts the Track Info panel into its Guitar Track mode. This gives you an amp graphic at the top (you can choose from five models) and a selection of ten stompboxes below.

A decent selection of presets is included, and these are named in such a way that you usually know what you're going to get before you call them up (examples include Bluesbreaker, Honky Tonk and Seattle Sound). You can also create your own guitar rig: up to five stompboxes can be used in each preset, and both these and the amps are editable via their tidy interfaces.

The sound is pretty respectable, too - Apple confirmed to us that the technology behind the new amps and effects has come down from Logic Pro, and just that little bit more quality is audibly evident.

GarageBland?
Like its predecessors, GarageBand '09 is a pleasure to use, but given that we're partly reviewing it from the perspective of an existing user who's thinking of upgrading (those who buy a new Mac will get it pre-installed anyway), we have to say that we're a little disappointed.

From a production point of view, there's simply not enough here to justify spending £69. It feels like Apple have made a conscious decision to hold back on adding any more DAW-type functionality, presumably to entice those who are outgrowing GarageBand's features to upgrade to Logic, which is a shame.

It's also worth bearing in mind that, if you want to run GarageBand '09, you need to have OS X 10.5.6 (Leopard) installed. If you don't already own this, that's another cost (£83) you'll have to take into account.

There is a bigger picture to consider, though. GarageBand '09 ships with three other excellent apps (iMovie, iPhoto and iWeb), and we're well aware that many cm readers use these, too. If their new features (and there are quite a few) appeal, iLife '09 is a no-brainer; but if you don't play guitar and have no desire to learn either that instrument or the piano, upgrading to it on the strength of the GarageBand update alone would be a mistake.

Contact: Apple Store, 0800 048 0408
Web: www.apple.com/uk
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New amps and effects gives six-stringers even more options for jamming along with Magic GarageBand
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There are high-def video tutorials included with GarageBand '09, with Artist Lessons available online

Look and learn
It's clear from the way Apple are marketing GarageBand '09 that the new features they're most proud of are those under the Learn to Play banner.

Specifically, we're talking about nine Basic Lessons for both piano and guitar (one of each comes as part of the installer, and the rest can be downloaded with no further charge) and the Artist Lessons available from the all-new Lesson Store.

The standard piano and guitar tuition is good - though, obviously, spending plenty of time practising your instrument remains the key to learning how to play it - but it's the Artist Lessons that are the real coup. For £3.95, you get a sumptuous high-def video guide that features a celebrity musician teaching you one of their most famous songs on either piano or guitar - the likes of Sting, Ben Folds, Fall Out Boy, OneRepublic and Norah Jones have already signed up, and Apple say that more artists are going to be working with them in the future.

The lessons feature notation, tab and chord displays, as well as a virtual keyboard/fretboard. What's more, they're brilliantly presented - the only snag is that you'll need to have an Intel processor rather than a PPC model in order to run them (and the same goes for the Basic Lessons, too).
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System requirements
(MAC) Intel/G4/G5 867MHz CPU (Learn
to Play requires Intel dual-core CPU),
512MB RAM, 4GB drive space, OS X 10.5.6

Test system
(MAC) Apple MacBook Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 2GB RAM, Mac OS X 10.5.6

Alternatively
Steinberg Sequel 2 cm131»7/10»£80
Easy to use, with plenty of content, but no plug-in support holds it back

Apple Logic Express N/A»N/A»£199
GarageBand users who need more production power should try this

Verdict
FOR
- slicker interface Artist Lessons are fantastic
- Decent guitar amps and effects
- Magic GarageBand is more flexible...

AGAINST
- ..but does anyone use it? No new production features
- Requires OS X 10.5.6

The best version of GarageBand yet, but if you only want to employ it for music production, you won't be missing out on much if you skip the '09 update

MARK: 9/10
Subscribe to Computer music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Steinberg Cubase 5 £499 (PC/ MAC)

2009-03-30T15:48:00.004+08:00

Back in the 80s, Steinberg spawned the sequencer as we know it but is the latest Cubase still the daddy or suffering a mid-life crisis?

There aren't many software titles that can claim to have been around for over two decades, but Cubase is one of them, having been with us in one form or another for 20 years now. For anyone still unfamiliar with this iconic app, it's modern incarnation is a one-stop, 'do it all' DAW, featuring audio and MIDI sequencing, virtual instruments, loads of effects, a virtual mixer, automation system, and so on.

Technically, this is the second time Cubase has reached version 5, as following 2000's release of Cubase 5 VST, Steinberg ditched the digit and launched the vastly overhauled Cubase SX in 2002. Eventually, the SX tag was dropped and we find ourselves once again at v5.

Before looking at the more subtle improvements, let's tackle some of the big ones, the most impressive of which is the spruced up Sample Editor with its VariAudio pitch editing. This is similar to Celemony's Melodyne but tightly integrated into the app. While it's not the first DAW to get this (Samplitude and Sonar have similar systems), it is probably the slickest.

VariAudio operates on monophonic audio -typically vocals, but other instruments can work too. Large coloured 'segments' that look like notes on a piano roll identify each note, and a fine continuous line called the micro-pitch curve shows the actual pitch. Clicking a segment plays it back immediately. Typical uses of VariAudio include editing the pitch of individual notes by dragging them; applying pitch quantising so that notes are more in tune; and 'straightening' notes to remove wavering pitch or suppress vibrato. You can shift the timing of notes, too.

Get under the hood of VariAudio and there are more subtle adjustments to be made, such as altering the start or end pitch of a segment, or 'tilting' its pitch curve; exporting the notes as MIDI data; and setting the notes via MIDI. With the latter, you step through segments with each key press.

There's also a real-time pitch correction effect called - wait for it - PitchCorrect. You can quantise to a chromatic, minor or major scale, or a custom one defined by clicking notes on the on-screen keyboard. It offers the expected features such as speed of retuning, tolerance, transposition and formant-shifting. It's only a shame that it doesn't offer diatonic (ie, in key)

"Quality-wise, both VariAudio and PitchCorrect sound the business"

pitchshifting too. Quality-wise, both VariAudio and PitchCorrect sound the business.

Revered reverb
The other new audio effect for Cubase 5 is a convolution reverb named Reverence. It comes with a library of impulse responses, some with surround versions too, and you can import your own. Once loaded, you can view a waveform or spectrogram (frequency response over time). You can set the predelay; scale the IR to set the decay length; set the size of the room (this seems to work by 'skewing' the frequency response); set the mix between early and late parts of the signal and where they're divided; apply EQ; and engage auto-gain and reverse.

A matrix at the top of the GUI lets you recall up to 36 reverb setups - very handy! Sonically, it's much like any other quality convolution reverb; that is to say, excellent. Downsides are that it introduces a small amount of latency, which can make it unsuitable for live tracking/monitoring, and that the smooth parameter changing sometimes means a delay before you hear the results of your tweaking.

There are two new instruments in Cubase 5, both of a rhythmic bent. The most unusual is LoopMash. The idea is that you throw in rhythmic loops and they're chopped up, with the slices analysed for similarities. Select a master loop, hit play, and slices are pulled from all the loops to 'recreate' the master loop using different sounds. Sliders determine how likely it is that a given loop's slices are selected. There are further options, but that's the crux of it.

If your loops aren't already tagged with their BPM in MediaBay, LoopMash doesn't always get the slicing right, so odd-length loops or beats running at double-speed can occur. We often experienced a confusing error complaining about the region being outside the file, too. LoopMash is a groovy concept, but the bottom line is that getting good results out of it is generally more hassle than its worth.

The other new plug-ins are MIDI Monitor, which is handy for investigating MIDI issues, with its List Editor-style display, and the dynamic duo of Groove Agent One and Beat Designer. These make it easy to knock sweet grooves together, and Beat Designer's flam function can even be used to dial in buzzing, IDM-esque rolls.

Automation renovation
Automation has received a kick in the pants for v5, with an Automation Panel giving quick access to relevant functions, some of which were previously only in Steinberg's high-end Nuendo DAW. You can easily hide and show various types of automation, and suspend (suppress) reading and writing of certain things; for example, you could record automation of volume changes but not EQ tweaks. The Trim mode is supposed to enable you to manipulate volume or aux send automation, for situations where you want to apply a further volume fade or similar. Unfortunately, it results in a curve with unwanted spikes - Steinberg are aware of the issue and will fix it in an update.

In previous versions, using the controller lane in a MIDI part and track automation to control the same parameters could be problematic, but a new rule-based system means you can specify what happens if there's a conflict. Another previous bugbear of ours was that the tempo curve and time signature were defined in a separate window, but this has been solved too, with dedicated Tempo and Signature tracks.

Express yourself
If you've ever used an orchestral library - or any instrument with multiple articulations - you'll be familiar with drawing in keyswitching notes or using CCs to flip between playing techniques. While this seems sophisticated enough, Steinberg are taking it to the next level with VST Expression. This gives an Articulation lane in the Key Editor with named rows for each technique, and you paint in the ones you want to use - the correct symbols appear in the Score Editor too. This new system uses Expression Maps to tell Cubase how to access specific articulations of an instrument, and third-party vendors such as Garritan say they'll be supporting VST Expression in future. In any case, it's pretty easy to make your own maps. One neat new bonus comes in the form of 14 real instrument patches for the included HalionOne ROMpler, all of which sound great and come with Expression Maps.

Other very welcome improvements include Channel Batch Export for exporting multiple channels (perfect for creating stems); sorting of VSTs by vendor/category for easier plug-in browsing; overhauled GUIs for the MIDI plug-ins, Logical Editor and Input Transformer; and a Remaining Record Time floating window.

Laptop users will appreciate the new Virtual Keyboard, which has a two-octave mode, like a tracker. On the subject of small-scale setups, we should mention that while a minimum display resolution of 1024x768 is recommended, the multiwindowed approach of Cubase really benefits from a larger screen or, indeed, screens.

Our big grumble with Cubase is that it still doesn't have a general purpose sampler, while almost all of its competitors do. Groove Agent One is a step in the right direction, but it's for beats only. The MediaBay media browser, meanwhile, doesn't live up to its full potential as yet. For instance, most third-party samplers don't seem to like drag-and-drop of sounds from MediaBay, and sample packs generally aren't tagged for MediaBay. Unless you tag everything yourself, using MediaBay to access samples is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Take 5?
For first-time buyers looking for a complete production solution, Cubase 5 is up there with the best of 'em, while for those coming from another DAW, features such as VariAudio and VST Expression are no doubt highly attractive.

As for upgrading, if you use third-party products like Melodyne, Guru, etc, then the likes of VariAudio and Groove Agent One might not hold such appeal. For serious users, though, workflow features like Tempo/Signature Tracks, VST Expression and Batch Channel Export may be of greater value in the long term, and Cubase 5 scores strongly in this department. We should also mention that Cubase 5 was stable throughout our testing and that Cubase 4 projects opened without a hitch. There's the cutdown Cubase Studio to consider too, which lacks facilities like VariAudio and Reverence.

Contact: Steinberg: +49 (0)40 42236115
Web: www.steinberg.net
Info: Upgrade from Cubase 4/SX3, £166 Cubase Studio 5, £332 Cubase Studio update, £107
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VariAudio enables you to edit the pitch and timing of vocal lines with ease, and it's totally non-destructive
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Left to right: LoopMash is a good idea but we'd have preferred a new sampler; Reverence shows a spectrogram and photo of the reverb space; and articulations show up in the Score Editor too
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Turn to PitchCorrect for subtle tuning correction, wild T-Pain-style effects, formant shifting and more
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Groove Agent One Is the perfect companion to Beat Designer

Beat dis!
The new Groove Agent One is a simple MPC-esque drum sampler. Sounds are added to the 16 pads by dragging, and you can velocity-layer up to eight on each (but you can't stack them to play back together). On a per-pad basis, you can set levels, panning, looping, tuning, assignment to the 16 stereo outs, filtering, amp envelope and more. There are 43 good-quality kits supplied, and you can also import Akai MPC files in .pgm format. One great trick is that you can slice a loop in the Sample Editor, drop the resulting clips onto Groove Agent One, and drag a MIDI clip that triggers the loop back onto the Project Window, a la ReCycle.

Beat Designer is GA One's step sequncing counterpart (but it can drive any other instrument, of course). It's a MIDI effect plug-in with a resizable GUI (some of the other plug-ins could do with this!) whereby you click to toggle cells on and off, and drag to change velocity, shown by colour. Each drum can use one of two swing settings, and there's an offset lane for moving sounds ahead of or behind the beat. You can apply two, three, or four-stroke 'flams' to each individual hit, with the timing and velocity of them definable by the user. There are numerous options for editing beats and transferring them to MIDI clips too.
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System requirements
(PC) 2GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, Windows XP
or Vista 32/64,4GB drive space

(MAC) G5/lntel Processor, 1GB RAM, OS X 10.5.5 or later, 4GB drive space

Test system
(PC) Core i7 920,3GB RAM, Windows Vista 64

(PC) Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 2GB RAM, Windows Vista 32

Alternatively
AbletonLive8 N/A»N/A»£TBC
The new version of the DAW that dares to be different is out soon

Apple Logic Studio cm119 »10/10 » £312
Terrific-value package containing the slick Logic Pro DAW

Verdict
FOR
- Integrated VariAudio pitch editing
- VST Expression is a real time-saver
- Great virtual MIDI keyboard!
- Truly useful workflow improvements
- New plug-ins are great...

AGAINST
- ...but LoopMash is a letdown
- Some minor cosmetic bugs
- Still no sampler!

A solid update to an already great app ensures that Cubase remains a front-runner in the great DAW race

MARK: 9/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Artificial Audio Obelisk €99 (MAC)

2009-02-26T15:22:00.002+08:00

Do you draw the line at traditional effects plug-ins? Then step right this way and let's get spectral...

If you're the kind of musician who shies away ^ from getting any more adventurous with effects than the occasional dash of delay and a bit of chorus, you can probably turn the page now. However, if you think effects are meant to do much more than just spice up tracks and should, in fact, be called upon to totally transform your sounds, then read on (and have that credit card handy). At the time of writing, Obelisk is available in VST and AU flavours for OS X, with a Windows version imminent.

Essentially, Obelisk splits the incoming signal into 256 or 512 individual frequency bands. Each of those bands can be processed with its own delay, filter and noise gate. That in itself ought to be enough to tantalise the tweaker in you, but it's only the start. Each effect is represented as a coloured line in the Analyzer Point View, which is a sort of spectral inspector that displays the incoming or outgoing frequencies, level, beat grid (for the delay) and more. Effects can be edited by creating and moving points on the coloured lines representing them. Because the frequencies are displayed in a graph underneath, it's quite easy to get a visual handle on what you're doing. There are also global editors for the various processors.

As you'd expect, delays can be synchronised to host tempo, though it's a lot more fun to let them fly wild and modulate with one of the 2D LFOs (more on those in the boxout). There's a dedicated Feedback line in the Analyzer Point View that can be manipulated with the same ease as the delay Time line. This is a great source of entertainment, though it can easily get out of hand. Thankfully, Artificial Audio have provided a Rescue button to clear the delay buffers, putting an end to any runaway feedback.

The filter is seemingly quite mundane until you realise that any filter mode or combination of modes can be created by clicking and dragging in the Analyzer Point View. In actuality, the filter is more like an individual volume control for each of the frequency bands. It's easy, intuitive and highly effective.

The Gate line offers, as you've probably guessed, a noise gate with individual threshold control for each band. Any signal above the threshold at a given point gets through. This is a fantastic sound-shaping tool that works incredibly well with sustained audio. Attack and release times are defined globally.

Finally, Spectral Shift enables you to move the frequency bands up or down before they're returned to the signal path. This is a very strange effect that will suit experimentalists well.

Spectrally for you
Obelisk is utterly infused with ingenuity. It's the sort of plug-in that can engender entirely new ideas from even the most mundane source material. Unlike some experimental effects, Obelisk is no mere mangier of material. The results can be both rhythmic and tuneful. Even the dullest drum beat can be transformed into a skittering trance pattern or dub rhythm.

There are a few niggles; some gate patches load slowly, so skipping through presets in real time isn't feasible, and the plug-in also has an inherent latency of 1024 samples. Still, these are minor complaints considering the complexity on offer, and latency is part and parcel of such spectral, FFT-based processing. Artificial Audio are fairly new to the game, but, with Obelisk, they now have our unbridled attention.

Contact: bernd@artificialaudio.com
Web: www.artificialaudio.com
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To another dimension
Artificial Audio's approach to modulation is as off-the-wall as the effects included in Obelisk. Where many developers would settle for an LFO with a smattering of modulation destinations, these developers have provided three LFOs that can be lashed to any point in the Analyzer Point View. More importantly, they're described as 'two-dimensional'.

To all intents and purposes, each of the LFOs is split into two, with each one controlling the movement of an 'LFO ball' on either the X or Y axis in a 'vector pad' form. You can snap the LFO waveform to adjustable beat positions for tempo-synced effects, defined internally or by the host.

Each 2D LFO can have five potential target points from the Analyzer Point View. Simply click Learn and the desired target point, then all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the show, as your effects dance and sway to the modulation's sources.
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System requirements
(MAC) 1GHz CPU, OS X 10.4 or above, AU/VST host

(PC) XP/Vista version imminent

Test system
(MAC) 2.16GHZ Intel iMac, OSX10.4.11, 2GB RAM, Cubase 4, Live 7, Logic Pro 8

Alternatively
M-Audio Spectron N/A»N/A»$130
Created by iZotope, offering band delay, morphing, panning and more

Soundhack Spectral Shapers N/A»N/A»$99
Quartet of spectral plug-ins, with gate, pan, filtering and morphing

Verdict
FOR
- Innovative approach to effects
- The results are surprisingly musical
- 2D LFOs are awesome
- Elegant filter design
- It looks gorgeous in action!
AGAINST
- Some inherent latency
- A few presets are slow to load

Spectral effects are nothing new. but Obelisk's implementation makes it a joy to use. and a musical one at that

MARK: 9/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Tone2 Gladiator 2 €149 (PC/ MAC)

2009-02-26T15:08:00.002+08:00

Tone2 have pumped up their killer synth for another bout but can this Gladiator still deliver a knock-out blow?

There's an old adage that you're surely familiar with - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. This concept is sometimes ignored by companies that rework and revamp their products to the point where they bear scant resemblance to the original article. Still, other developers charge upgrade fees for little more than a new coat of paint and a few bug fixes. Tone2 have struck a near-perfect balance with the v2 update of their popular Gladiator synthesiser, though. It offers enough fixes and additions to tease open the wallets of hesitant buyers, but retains everything we liked so much about the original.

Enter the arena
If you don't already know, Gladiator is a cross-platform synthesiser for PC and Mac in both VST and AU formats. It makes use of Tone2's HCM synthesis, which essentially breaks a sound down into a collection of harmonic snapshots called a morphtable. We liked the approach before, and our opinion hasn't diminished with their second shot.

At first glance, it would seem that little has changed. However, a closer look reveals significant alterations, with more changes and additions hiding among its numerous menus.

Among the most obvious of the new tools are a quartet of pan knobs in the Mix section and a massively overhauled Osc 5 module (the Sample/Noise oscillator) that now offers Semi and Fine tune controls in addition to the original's Octave knob. Tone2 have added another 25 waveforms to Osc 5 as well, and you can now use it as a sub-oscillator to give your patches some extra grunt.

The old EQ section has been reduced in size (but not functionality), making room for a dedicated Feedback delay module to morph echoes and filter delay effects. Thankfully, the feedback can be tied to incoming MIDI controller messages for real-time control, or modulated by a source selected in the matrix.

A welcome inclusion is the 24dB Moog-style low-pass filter, which sounds excellent and is handy for adding vintage character. Less obvious changes include new Quality Modes (Ultra and Linear), increased polyphony (256 voices) and an additional 6657 waveforms. You can now toggle between LFOs 1 and 2 with one button. Ditto for a pair of new Aux Envelopes. There are half a dozen new Unison modes and new effects, including phaser, flanger and reverb. In fact, there are many more tweaks and enhancements than we can't possibly go into.

Clearly, Tone2 have pulled out all of the stops. They've improved the presets, the synthesis engine and the sound quality. For example, the glitches that occurred when changing presets in version one have been significantly reduced, though not removed entirely.

Gladiator was already a winner, but v2 simply exudes quality. And, considering the depth of malleability, it's remarkably easy to program. If you're looking for rich, evocative sounds, it's well worth €149, and owners of Gladiator 1 would be nuts not to upgrade for €69.

Contact: tone2@tone2.com
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The big tease
Tone2 are savvy chaps - they know that many users will be buying Gladiator 2 solely for the presets, with no intention of diving into the murky depths of programming. To that end, both versions of Gladiator have a faux expansion slot. Clicking this takes you to the Tone2 site, where you can, in theory, purchase expansion packs for your instrument. None were available at the time of writing, so we can't comment on them, but presumably it'll be a painless process.

Annoyingly, some of Gladiator 2's so-called new features are more tantalising than they are tweakable. Peppered throughout the interface are buttons that promise sonic delights such as vocoder effects, resynthesis and the ability to load waveforms into Osc 5. However, clicking these brings up an explanation about said function - it's only available as part of an expansion. We feel that's a bit much for an instrument that's already been paid for.
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System requirements
(PC) 900MHz CPU, 192MB RAM, 90MB _ HD space, Windows XP/Vista， VSThost

(MAC)700MHz CPU, 192MB RAM,OS X_ 10.3, 90MB HD space, AU/VST host

Test system
(MAC) 2.16GHZ iMac, 1 GB RAM, OS X 10.4.11, Cubase 4, Logic Pro 8, Live 7

Alternatively
Devine Machine Krishna Synth cmi15» 7/10 » €199
Modulations and resynthesis offer a path to sonic nirvana

Camel Audio Alchemy N/A»N/A»£179
A potpourri of unusual synthesis technologies

Verdict
FOR
- Knockout sound
- An arsenal of new waveforms
- Punchy new Moog-style filter
- Action-packed effects
- Powerful new presets

AGAINST
- Glitches when changing patch
- Some features sold separately!

Tone2 have turned their prize-fighter into a world-beater, though some functions are only available with expansions

MARK: 9/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Voxengo LF Max Punch $70 (PC/ MAC)

2009-02-26T15:03:00.004+08:00

If you want maximum bass and the kind of punch that could floor an elephant Voxengo's latest might be the answer

Getting your low end right can be a tricky business. Voxengo's LF Max Punch covers similar ground to existing bass processors (Waves MaxxBass, for example), offering synthesised sub-bass enhancement and dynamics processing. In fact, it's the successor to two previous Voxengo plug-ins, LF-Max and LF-Punch, making both of these obsolete as it incorporates all of their functions along with numerous further improvements.

On the technical side, LF Max Punch works by splitting the signal at the input stage, processing the low frequency (LF) aspect only, then recombining the two signals at the output. The split or crossover point is adjustable from 20Hz to 3OOHz, and it's this setting that's the key to achieving the desired result.

Immediately following on, you'll find the 'punch' process, which ties in with the crossover, affecting the dynamics at that point. It ranges from -12dB to +12dB, and so is subtractive as well additive. Next up, the Saturator allows you to drive or distort the signal (-2OdB to +5OdB) in both normal (linear) and pumping (non-linear) modes. To keep things in check, this section also includes both low- and high-pass filters.

In the LF Output Mix section, each element of the processing has its own on/off toggle switch and gain control (+/-24dB), with a Mix Gain knob for blending the LF signals. Then there are a few more extras: the Sub Gain adds in a synthesised harmonic one octave below the input crossover point, the Mono option centres the entire LF portion of the signal, and the Monitor switch lets you hear just the processed signal.

In addition to some large, bold meters, the Out section includes overall level and separate Dry Mix controls for blending the original signal back in with the processed one. Finally, there's a selectable DC filter with three slope types (6dB, 18dB and 36dB) for removal of very low frequencies up to a maximum of 20Hz.

Boom box
The plug-in also enables you to level each process separately, which is enormously practical. And, if you really want to hear what's going on, the Monitor switch lets you hear each element in isolation.

In our tests, we started with bass guitar and found that, with a high crossover point, saturation of the majority of the low frequencies added solidity to the sound without touching the higher 'attack' frequencies.

The kick drum, with its fixed frequency range, was best treated with the punch processor. The crossover frequency was also critical here, with the Punch Gain acting like a transient shaper.

Overall, the hardest element to use was the sub bass processor, and it seemed to work best on fixed-frequency sounds such as kicks.

LF Max Punch offers an affordable take on the bass enhancement process, effortlessly producing results that are much harder to achieve in other ways. And the reasonable price makes it an even more attractive option, cm

Contact: via website
Web: www.voxengo.com
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Global domination
LF Max Punch incorporates Voxengo's global plug-in settings. We've mentioned the routing/grouping system before when reviewing recent Voxengo efforts, such as VariSaturator and Elephant 3, but to recap, it enables grouped editing for multi-channel signals (stereo, 5.1 surround, etc). But there are other global features...

First up, there's oversampling: 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x and Auto. This can be used to make the plug-in run at a higher internal sample rate, increasing the sound quality (and the CPU hit). The Auto mode runs the plug-in in the CPU-friendly 1x mode, unless you're bouncing down, whereupon it will jack things up to higher-quality settings.

For visuals, in addition to the five colour schemes, you can also scale the plug-in window to 80,100 or 125%. Finally, if you need a little help with the interface, you can activate context-sensitive hints, which will then appear on the bottom menu bar.
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System requirements
(PC) windows XP/Vista32/64, VST host Intel/PowerPC CPU, OS X 10.4.11, AU/VST host

Test system
(MAC) Apple Mac Pro Dual Core 3GHz, 3GB RAM OS X 10.4.11, Logic Pro 8

Alternatively
Waves MaxxBass N/A»N/A»$200
The clear interface is a bonus, and it's nicely priced for a Waves plug-in

Aphex Aural Exciter and Big Bottom bundle N/A»N/A»£310
It's TDM-only, but this one's based on Aphex's harmonic-exciting original hardware classic

Verdict
FOR
- Flexible and effective
- Useful Monitor feature
- Mono setting for centralising bass
- Voxengo's global options system
- Competitive price

AGAINST
- Not a 'must-have' processor
- Interface functional rather than stylish

It's a specialist processor, but LF Max Punch could be just what's needed to give your bottom end a kick in the pants

MARK: 8/10

Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Studio Devil Virtual Bass Amp $69 (PC/ MAC)

2009-02-26T12:58:00.000+08:00

The virtual amp market is flooded for guitarists, but if you prefer four strings to six, this one will be of particular interest

When we reviewed Studio Devil's self-descriptive Virtual Guitar Amp back in crn122, we awarded it a perfect 10 score. That plug-in sports a great range of tones, is very easy to use and, best of all, can be had for around the price of a single hardware stompbox. Just over a year down the line and Studio Devil have released a bass equivalent, which is sure to appeal to those seeking affordable but effective bass tones.

Just like VGA, VBA has a simple, single-screen GUI. It's split into four sections, the first being the Preamp panel, which has Gain, Bass, Treble and Mids controls - this last has an associated Freq knob, to set the centre frequency. In addition, there's a Boost switch, as well as two blue buttons for engaging the Bright and Deep settings. Next up is the Power Amp section, featuring a Drive control and Limiter (ranging from soft to hard). There's a choice of two cabinet setups - 4x10" or 1x15" - or a Dl setting (ie, no cab emulation). Finally, there's a seven-band graphic EQ - see boxout.

Tone of voice
Studio Devil pride themselves on their analogue-style sound, and the first thing that strikes you about VBA is how warm it is. The bottom end is full and powerful, but the mids and top end are still very crisp. As good as the 'regular' sounds are, engaging the Boost takes things up a further notch or two. This drives the virtual amp circuitry hard and produces a natural overdrive that further exposes VBA's warm, valve-like tones.

The power amp's Drive control also pushes VBA into overdrive territory, though this is more aggressive and less natural-sounding than the Boost control - great for those looking for over-the-top, piledriving distortion.

Overall, VBA is very easy to use. The straightforward, amp-apeing layout means even inexperienced engineers will be able to generate great tones with an absolute minimum of head scratching. While there are only ten presets provided with VBA, they're all useable and range from classic, clean tones right through to aggressive, overdriven metal ones.

One small gripe we have is that the plug-in lacks a built-in tuner. Granted, it's a compact unit and space is tight, but, in practical terms, a separate unit has to be loaded to tune up while jamming or recording. However, this is a small point and it doesn't detract from the fact that VBA is an excellent bass amp plug-in that certainly fills a gap in the market.

While it's true that IK Multimedia's Ampeg SVX bass amp plug-in has performers and producers alike salivating over its 'as good as the hardware' tones, VBA comes in at a fraction of the cost and has pretty much no competition in its price range. With this in mind, Studio Devil have created another must-have plug-in for anyone recording bass guitar or using live samples. And, best of all, it's cheaper than the average stompbox pedal.

Contact: via website
Web: www.studiodevil.com
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Graphic art
In the modern world of computer music, where ultra-flexible parametric and paragraphic EQs are de rigeur, you could be forgiven for thinking that a seven-band graphic EQ is a waste of space on such a compact unit.

However, Studio Devil claim that the EQ is "tuned specifically for bass guitar" and we're inclined to agree with them. Boosting the 62 and 125Hz faders adds power to the bottom end without compromising clarity. The 2 and 4kHz sliders bring out just the right amount of fret rattle, without making the bass parts sound unnatural.

We also spent quite some time dialling in different EQ curves and found that even the most radical adjustments still sounded musical - no mean feat for a seven-band unit. Suffice to say, our initial scepticism about such a no-frills function has been quelled, as it's clearly one of Virtual Bass Amp's best features.
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System requirements
(PC) Windows, VST/RTAS host
(MAC) OS_X VST/AU/RTAS host

Test system
(PC) HP Pavilion 2.8GHZ CPU, 1GB RAM

Alternatively
IK Multimedia Ampeg SVX cm103» 10/10 » £269
Many more amps and cabs, with a selection of effects, too, but it's also far pricier than Virtual Bass Amp

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 cm120» 9/10 » £450
The Software Edition is £270, and while it's guitar-focused, it has a couple of good bass amp sims

Verdict
FOR
- Great value
-Thick, warm tones with definition
- Responsive controls
- Good EQ section
- Boost button works magic

AGAINST
- No tuner
- Not so hot without Boost engaged

Studio Devil have struck gold once again, and with bass amp sims thin on the ground. VBA could really hit the spot

MARK: 9/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Image-Line Gross Beat $99 (PC)

2009-02-26T12:39:00.003+08:00

Prepare to scratch to the max with an effect that aims to put the power of the turntable into the hands of computer musicians

Gross Beat is by no means the first plug-in to emulate the functionality of turntables - in the past, instruments such as Bioroid Tumtablist Pro and effects like dblue Glitch (both freeware) have aped the extreme pitch manipulation of audio made possible by record decks.

Gross Beat takes the idea to a whole new level of complexity with a sophisticated graphical user interface, volume as well as pitch control, and comprehensive live performance abilities. The catch is that that's all Gross Beat does - you don't get any glitch effects here, just DJ-style volume and pitch manipulation. So, is it worth your $99, or would a free plug-in suffice?

Scratch the surface
The majority of Gross Beat's interface is taken up with the Envelope Mapping Panel, which is used to edit both the volume and playback position of the input audio signal, with icons for selecting Time or Volume mode.

Volume editing is the more straightforward of the two. The horizontal axis represents time -four beats to be exact, with no customisation possible. The vertical axis represents volume, with 100% at the top. Points are created on the display by right-clicking the panel, and by default these snap to eighth-notes and jump from one value to another, rather than ramping smoothly. However, it is possible to change the snap resolution or turn it off entirely, and also select a variety of shapes, including various curves with definable gradients.

Using the Volume mode of the Envelope Mapping Panel, you can emulate a DJ's use of a crossfader to create rapid on-off stutters and swift fades. This isn't a particularly sophisticated effect, but it comes into its own when combined with Gross Beat's Time manipulation mode. With this engaged, the Envelope Mapping Panel's vertical axis represents time, with real-time at the top of the grid, and two bars earlier at the bottom. Any deviation from the top will result in the virtual record needle moving to some point into the past. If you've used the Sample Offset parameter in Ableton Live's Clip Envelopes before, you'll be familiar with this concept.

A virtual 'spinback' is made possible by creating a steep slope that takes the virtual stylus to two bars earlier over the space of a single beat. Likewise, moving the record back and forth for scratching is doable, and, when combined with crossfader-style volume patterns, can mimic the effect fairly realistically. Alternately, using stepped points, the beat can be played from different positions, making it easy to perform cut-up effects.

Gross Beat is, essentially, a basic effect that does a few simple things well, without going overboard. Yet, it's customisable and care has been taken to make sure that it's useful both live and in the studio (see boxout). So, if you think it sounds good on paper, you'll most likely find it lives up to your hopes. It's no replacement for a real turntable, though, so there's no need to stick your 1200s on eBay just yet.

Contact: info@image-line.com
Web: www.image-line.com
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Live and direct
Gross Beat offers plenty of potential for those looking to utilise its audio-mashing effects on the stage. The Time and Volume processors have 36 pattern slots per patch, making it easy to swap between them on the fly. This is done by clicking the relevant scene on the main interface, by striking a MIDI note, or by using MIDI CCs to scroll through the various modes on offer.

If using MIDI, Gross Beat can be instructed to return to the previous scene as soon as the note is released, to go back after a new pattern has played through once, or to simply stay on the selected patch - handy for creating live fills and variations. It's also possible to control the wet/dry mix of both the volume and time effects, or even to use CC to manipulated the time offset parameter - 'scratching' with a knob on your MIDI controller! Using these features together, you can come up with effects that aren't possible with vinyl.
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System requirements
(PC) 2GHZ CPU, 512MB RAM, Windows
XP/Vista, VST host or FL Studio

Test system
(PC) lntel Core 2 Duo 6400,2GB RAM,
Windows Vista, Steinberg Cubase 4.5

Alternatively
Native Instruments Traktor Pro cm134» 10/10 » £170
Pony up £470 for the Scratch edition, and you get digital scratching using real vinyl!

Bioroid Tumtablist Pro N/A»N/A»£Free
A little long in the tooth, but if you're after simple turntable effects for no outlay, take it for a spin

Verdict
FOR
- Reasonably priced
- Good degree of customisation
- Fun to mess around with
- Very focused concept
- Convincing scratching effects
- Useful for both studio and live work

AGAINST
- Not for everyone
- The (less capable) competition is free

It's an acquired taste, but we suspect Gross Beat will please its target market no end

MARK: 8/10

Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Tone2 Warmverb €59 (PC/ MAC)

2009-02-25T22:04:00.002+08:00

A fully-fledged multi-effects plug-in at a good price, but is it really as inviting as the name implies?

As modern DAW software becomes ever more flexible, the humble multi-effects processor faces extinction. Why pack lots of bite-sized effects into a single plug-in when an application like Ableton Live enables you to create custom effects chains of practically unlimited complexity? Warmverb does at least offer routing possibilities that make it stand out from the crowd - see boxout for more.

Each of the 31 included effects has a maximum of four parameters and a mix control, so you don't get a massive level of tweakability with each one. As such, it seems like Tone2 intend Warmverb more for creating intense special effects, as theory supported by the plug-in's bombastic, over-the top presets.

The effects are divided into seven loose categories: reverbs, delays, modulation-based effects, filters, distortion, a surround encoder, and a grab-bag of volume and pitch effects.

Add 'verb
The reverbs, which Tone2 describe as "reference class", are OK, but as the only available parameters are Size, Damp, Predelay and Modulate, they're pretty limited. The delays don't even take advantage of the four available parameter knobs, offering just Time, Feedback and either Damping or filter Cutoff controls, depending on which one you use.

The modulation effects are more interesting, and though the chorus and ensemble effects are basic, with only speed and depth, the flanger and rotary effects are great. The Superstrings unison-style module is the best of the lot though, sounding fantastic on synth sounds.

The filters include low-, high-, band-pass and phaser varieties, each of which has Cutoff, Resonance, LFO Speed and LFO Depth controls. Different pole settings would have been good, but they still sound tasty. There's also a superb talkbox mode with a choice of vowel sounds, This effect in particular would benefit from having more available parameters; for example, the formant frequencies are controlled exclusively by the LFO.

The distortion section is probably the least impressive area, with just Drive and Postamp controls - but it's fine for basic signal dirtying.

The Surround Encoder offers Dolby Pro Logic surround encoding that pans the signal to either the back, left, right, centre, rear left or rear right of the surround field. Finally, there's a mixed bunch of effects, such as a vocoder with built-in carrier settings, a pitchshifter that pitches down a lot better than up, and pretty standard tremolo, autopan and ring-modulation effects.

Warmverb is at times f rustratingly limited, and while it looks like it could be a handy box for live tweakage, not all of its parameters can be manipulated without noticeable sonic artifacts. However, it's more than the sum of its parts and can work magic on the right source. It's a neat tool for experimentation and is certainly inspirational, but for those in the business of complex sound design, it's a little simple, cm

Contact: tone2@tone2.com
Web: www.tone2.com
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Routes and culture
Warmverb's architecture enables the user to feed the post-effect signal back to earlier in the signal chain, with an overall wet/dry mix control for mixing the pre-effect signal into the final output. This functionality is at the very least awkward - if not impossible -to replicate in most DAWs. The plug-in has four slots, each of which which can hold any effect, and the routing is fixed but fairly flexible. FX1 is followed in series by FX2 and FX3, which are parallel to each other. These are followed by the EQ section, with its three fixed bands. FX4 is next, after which the signal can be fed back to FXI's input. The feedback can be sync-delayed by up to two bars, and has a mix control and clip mode button that turns the feedback clipping on and off. After the feedback tap is the mixer section, where the wet/dry balance between the processed and unprocessed signals is set before the audio is finally output from the effect.
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System requirements
(PC) 1GHz processor, 256MB RAM, Windows XP or later, VST Host

(MAC) 1GHz processor, 256MB RAM^ OS X 10.4 or later, AU/VST host

Test system
(PC) Intel Core 2 Duo 640O2GEI^RAM, Windows Vista, Cubase 4

Alternatively
Sugar Bytes Artillery 2 cm122» 7/10 » €149
Keyboard-triggered multi-effects

Audio Damage Automaton cm133»8/10»$49
Crazy multi-effects box that's triggered by cellular automata

Verdict
FOR
- Bags of effects
- Plenty of ear-catching presets
- Unusual feedback routing ability
- Straightforward to use
- Superstring and Talkbox effects arecool
- Good value

AGAINST
- Not many parameters
- Some effects aren't so impressive

Not particularly groundbreaking, but the clever architecture and some great effects make Warmverb a worthy buy

MARK: 8/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Overloud TH1 £185 (PC/ MAC)

2009-02-25T18:08:00.001+08:00

For those in the know, this one has been a long time coming, but has it got what it takes to stack up against today's amp sim packages?

Italian developers Overloud have been promising TH1 for some time now, but with numerous software amp simulators having been and gone during its steady development cycle, can it cut the mustard in today's saturated market? Let's fire it up and find out...

TH1 offers virtual amplifiers, pedals and rack effects that can be chained together, with a graphical representation that looks like real hardware. First-time users will probably flick through the well-structured, genre-savvy factory bank, as we did. We were particularly taken with the Solo Y J preset, which is presumably an imitation of Yngwie Maimsteen's signature Marshall sound - it sure sounds like it!

The top of the interface offers, among other things, a tuner and Global controls. The latter are non-patch-specific and enable one to switch input sensitivity, apply gating, dial in bass/treble EQ, and set the general reverb and delay mix.

The aforementioned Overview panel depicts the signal path - to insert new modules, click a section of cable and choose from a menu. Reordering is achieved by dragging, and a dual amp/effects chain is possible because the cable splits and recombines with a simple mixer.

The Module View is for changing settings -click a module in the Overview to bring it into focus here, or drag the background to pan around. It's clear that serious thought has gone into TH1's super-slick interface - you can even resize it by dragging the bottom-right corner.

Amplifiers anonymous
Overloud don't say which amps are modelled, but we're guessing from the names that they're a Fender Twin, Vox AC30, Marshall JTM45, Marshall JMP 'Master Volume', Marshall JCM900, Peavey 5150, and Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, with all the channels you'd expect. There's also one that appears to take after a Soldano design; this so-called SloDrive amp shouldn't be overlooked, as it offers a range of expressive tones. Sonically, TH1 is very impressive. We found convincing twangy Strat sounds and those sought-after 'just breaking up' tones readily available - tones that easily stand up to anything else on the market.

Cranking up the gain, we dare say that the full-on rock and heavy metal sounds surpass

"Sought-after lust breaking up tones are readily available"

those of AmpliTube Metal. Once dialed in, they're heavy yet clear, punch at the right frequencies and sound great in the mix. They're not as ballsy and grinding as a real amp, but this same criticism can be levelled at almost every digital amp simulation's hot-rodded tones, excepting perhaps those of (the CPU-intensive) ReValver Mk III from Peavey. Speaking of which, the only TH1 amp we didn't get on with was the HeaVy51, presumably a Peavey 5150 emulation -it's too 'fizzy' on the Lead channel for us.

Each amp module enables you to select two models and morph between them using the SLR slider, creating a 'hybrid' amp model depending on its position. We didn't find this as exciting as it sounds, but it's cool nonetheless and often best used with compression to even out the levels.

The extremely comprehensive Cabinet Model module lets you position two mics at any point in 3D space, as well as set the cabinet model (21 types), mic type (18 types), balance between mics and ambience type. The optional Respire mode emulates cabinet sound pressure, for a thicker, more lively tone.

Maximum overdrive
The 12 overdrive/distortion/fuzz pedals can push the amps in thrilling new directions. We enjoyed the Diode69's honking uberdrive and oversaturated, 'about to explode' effects. There are 15 phaser/flanger/chorus effects, ranging from deliberately digital shimmers to wobbly analogue emulations - all can operate in mono or stereo. The four delays include a tape variant, and the rack reverbs are based on Breverb technology, so their sound quality is assured, but, sadly, there's no spring reverb. Elsewhere, there's a phat octaver, a decent pitchshifter, four wahs, three compressors, tremolo, EQ box, two vibratos, volume pedal and even an acoustic guitar simulator.

TH1's performance is incredibly impressive. The CPU hit is astonishingly low, so using multiple instances simultaneously in a mix is totally viable, as is glitch-free live performance. TH1 didn't crash or misbehave once during our testing and even ran without a hitch on a dinky Samsung NC10 netbook!

As for criticisms, first, there's no undo function, which is exasperating if you delete a module by accident. And, as well as a lack of spring reverb, there are no dedicated bass modules (but good bass tones can still be had). It's been some time coming, but we applaud Overloud for putting the extra effort in to make TH1 a serious contender for best all-round guitar amp package, and we urge guitarists to put this one on their shortlist. Furthermore, we've had a sneak peek at the imminent v1.1 update, which is packed with new features, and there's a cutdown, affordable version called TH1 Triode about to hit the shelves, too.

Contact: Time+Space, 01837 55200
Web: www.overloud.com
Info: TH1 Triode, €69
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The cab modelling enables you to position the two mics at any position in 3D space -very swish!
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Smart Controls mean you can tailor your TH1 setup to your MIDI controller

Smart alec
Controlling amp software via MIDI can be tricky, but THI's implementation is bang on, we think. Presets are switched via MIDI program change, and, what's more, patch changes happen instantly, with no delay or drop-out - this is most desirable for live use.

Instead of directly controlling amp and effect parameters via MIDI (or host automation), you set up a maximum of eight Smart Controls - similar to the 'macro' knobs found in some soft synths. You can set each Smart Control to be a switch, a knob or a tap-tempo button, and give it a name. By dragging a module onto a Smart Control, you can assign a module parameter to it. In fact, you can pile on as many as you like, for doing things like turning up the drive on the amp, decreasing the speed of the phaser, and lengthening delay time, all via a single knob. For each one, you can set the minimum and maximum value and curve - the latter means you can, say, alter the response when binding an expression pedal to a wah.

Smart Controls are saved along with your presets, and the factory versions demonstrate how flexible they are.

In v1.O, the Smart Controls can only be adjusted by MIDI CCs 20-27, but Overloud assure us that vi.1 will enable mapping to any number, and there'll be new Smart Control types, too.
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System requirements
(PC) P4 2.6GHz/Athlon XP 2GHz,_ 1GB RAM,"windows XP/Vista
(32-bit-compatible environment needed
to operate under 64-bit versions),
RTAS/VST/standaiorie

(MAC) Intel Core Solo 1.5GHz/2GHz Power Mac, 1GB RAM, OSX10.4.a AU/RTAS/VST/standalone

Test system
(PC) Intel Core i7 920,3GB RAM,
Windows Vista 64Xubase 4, Live 7, Aria Pro IIRS Inazuma w/Dimarzio X2N,
Fender Yngwie Malrnsteen Stratocaster

(PC) Samsung NC10 netbook, Intel Atom N27O processor, 1GB RAM, Windows XP

Alternatively
Peavey ReValver Mk III cm132» 9/10 » £179
More convincing high-gain tones, but it's not half as slick as TH1

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 2 cm101» 9/10 » £265
It's been around a while now, but this one remains fiercely popular

Verdict
FOR
- Stable and very light on the CPU
- Slick, easy interface and patch browser
- Great-sounding amps and effects
- Smart Controls are very neat
- Immediate patch changes

AGAINST
- No undo function
- 5150 emulation is a bit fizzy
- No spring reverb or bass amps!

TH1 has so much going for it that it just might be the best all-round guitar software you can buy. Bravo, Overloud!

MARK: 9/10
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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Sugar Bytes Consequence £149 (PC/ MAC)

2009-02-25T18:04:00.002+08:00

Can inspiration be bottled and sold? Sugar Bytes are having a go with Consequence, their brand-new "Chord Synquencer"

You've gotta love Sugar Bytes, as they seem hellbent on offering something challenging and inspiring with each new plug-in they release. Their recent Effectrix (cm126,8/10) set our heads spinning with its combination of a multi-effects section and a sequencer for automation. They've turned once again to sequencing for Consequence, but this time they've combined a chord sequencer with a three-part multitimbral ROMpler.

While the implementation is quite deep and complex, the basic idea behind Consequence is simple. Three sample-based instruments are loaded up, along with some effects, and then subjected to sequenced, arpeggiated playback based on whatever chords you enter into the thing. It can even make the chords up for you, if you can't be bothered.

Available in VST and AU formats, Consequence packs a lot into little more than a single page. We say "little more' because the top third of the interface toggles between synth and effects editors, with the Master section being the only common element between them.

The Synth section comprises three playback instruments, each offering Octave, Pan, Level and Crush controls. An instrument can play all incoming triggers, or just arpeggios or chords.

There aren't many sound-shaping options available, though each instrument has independent ADSR envelopes. In addition, there's also a multimode filter section that's controlled by the sequencer, as well as a handful of effects that cover the usual territory: reverb, delay, chorus, phaser, etc. There's even an out-of-the-ordinary 'reverse' processor, too.

Pattern recognition
Consequence's sequencer is where all of the action takes place. Occupying a full two-thirds of the GUI, it includes no less than eight different pattern parameters, including controls for modulation, performance, gate, chord and more. The Modulation section is especially deep, offering separate patterns for each of the synth parts, the filter and the effects.

Sugar Bytes provide a multitude of playback options in the Performance Sequencer. There's Glide, Arp Mode, Tie, octave selection, Restart and Shift, which determines the starting voice forthearpeggiator.

16 chords can be stored in the Memory and arranged in the Sequencer. Alternatively, you can choose to play your own patterns via MIDI and let the sequencer shape everything. Consequence can also control external MIDI devices and plug-ins, too, except for the AU version (a limitation of AU, not Consequence).

This plug-in is a lot of fun, though there's room for improvement. For example, we'd love to be able to import our own samples, and the GUI is a little hard to follow in places. Still, these are minor complaints. If you love chugging, pumping, rhythmic music, Consequence could be the ideal sketch pad, providing inspiration aplenty, especially for VST users.

Contact: info@sugar-bytes.de
Web: www.sugar-bytes.de
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No need for quiet in this library
If you intend to use the AU version of Consequence (and hence can't use it for MIDI control), its value may well rest upon its included library. Fortunately, the collection features some 200 sounds.

The instruments range from punchy synthetic basses (sampled from classic analogue and FM models) to shimmering pads. There are guitars, organs, pianos and even a banjo. Percussion is our favourite category, given Consequence's adeptness at providing inspiring rhythms, though, we wish the list of drums was more extensive. Still, with many multisampled kits, there's a lot here to keep your beats pumping.

Sugar Bytes have wisely resisted going down the pure electronica route, as exemplified by the hefty number of strings, brass and other orchestral sounds. They're not on a par with dedicated symphonic collections, of course, but they can certainly add a touch of class to your cuts.
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System requirements
(MAC) Mac OS X 10.4or_higher^ 2GHz CPU, 512MB RAM

(PC) Windows XP or Vista.

Test system
(MAC) 2.16GHz Intel iMac, 1GB RAM, OS X 10.4.11, Logic Pro Studio 8, Cubase 4

Alternatively
Galleoneer Phrasemaster Mk1 N/A»N/A»€49
Complex sequencer that hosts VSTi's and maps phrases to keys

AlgoMusic Atomic N/A»N/A»$40
MIDI-outputting pattern sequencer plug-in that doesn't cost the Earth

Verdict
FOR
- Instantly inspirational
- Significant level of user control
- Decent sound collection
- MIDI output on VST version

AGAINST
- GUI confusing in places
- Can't make your own instruments

Another solid, forward-thinking effort from Sugar Bytes, this is one to try if inspiration and fun are high on your list of priorities

MARK: 7/10
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Line 6 Pod Studio UX2 £172 (PC/ MAC)

2009-02-24T16:58:00.002+08:00

The UX2 hardware remains the same, so is the new Pod Farm software enough to take this package to the next level?

The new POD Studio line from renowned amp modellers Line 6 comprises the GX, UX1 and UX2 bundles, with hardware identical to previous versions, but with a black fascia instead of red. You get 24-bit/96kHz performance, two guitar inputs (one with a volume pad), two XLR mic inputs, a pair of assignable VU meters and a headphone socket.

Down on the farm
The older UX2 bundle came with the GearBox software, but this has been superceded by the all-new Pod Farm, which has a vastly improved GUI showing a 'carousel' of the units. You simply drag the unit you want into the signal chain display below. Like GearBox, some units can appear in multiple locations in the chain. Time-based effects can now be synced to the host DAW, but the most enticing new feature is the ability to use two amp setups in parallel.

Pod Farm lacks the MP3 player that Gearbox had, but it's unlikely you'll miss this feature. Overall, the look and functionality is now more tailored towards the guitarist, and while the modelling technology is basically the same, it's easy to see why Line 6 made these changes.

Amp-wise, you get 23 guitar and bass models, including emulations of Fenders, Marshalls and Mesa/Boogies, as well as versions of Line 6's hardware amps. For effects, there are 29 units paying homage to classics like the MXR Phase 90 and Ibanez Tube Screamer. There's also a free downloadable pack of 35 effects in the FX Junkie pack, and six mic preamp models.

Line 6 have long been leaders in amp modelling and you can hear why here. We're particular fans of the JCM800 emulation, which provides a heavy sound with bags of clarity, as do the crunchier Fender-style sounds.

At first glance, it seems that there are literally hundreds of presets; however, some of these feature amps that aren't included in the Pod Farm package - see boxout for further info. While you can select a substitute amp, you can't help feeling like you're missing out. Another small problem is that the tuner found in standalone mode is absent from the plug-in.

By including POD Farm, the UX2 has, as Line 6 intended, become more guitar focused. The new software, combined with pro hardware features like XLR input and phantom power, makes the UX2 a great buy for those looking to upgrade their basic setup, not to mention a strong first-time investment.

Contact: Line 6, 01327 302 700
Web: www.line6.com
Info: iLok version, £80; GX, £80; UX1, £114
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Increase your package
You can buy further amp models for the Pod Studio UX2 in the shape of downloadable 'model packs'. There are four available: Metal Shop (18 amps), Collector Classics (18 amps), Power Pack (20 amps, 26 effects) and Bass Expansion (28 amps) - prices vary from $50 to $100, with deals allowing you to buy multiple packs at a discount. A fifth pack, FX Junkie, is free with the UX2 and is used in the middle part of our audio demo. While users may experience a bit of initial disappointment at not having access to the full amp range straight away (and, therefore, not being able to make full use of the presets), the price isn't too bad and owning the full set puts you in command of a truly comprehensive arsenal.

Finally, while the version of Pod Farm bundled here requires the hardware to be attached to work, you can buy the software on its own in iLok-protected format for £80.
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System requirements
(PC) P41.2GHZ, 512MB RAM, 1GB HD
space, XP SP2/X64 or Vista 32/64

(MAC) G4 800MHz, 512MB RAM OS X 10.46

Test system
(PC) HP Pavillion 2.8GHz processor,
1GB RAM, Windows XP

Alternatively
Novation nio2|4 cm122» 8/10 » £165
Includes amp sim plug-ins, but they lack Pod Farm's quality

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 Kontrol Edition cm120» 9/10 » £450
The wide range of tones and included foot-pedal/interface makes live use viable

Verdict
FOR
- Great Line 6 tones
- 'Crunchy' sounds are particularly good
- Interface isn't only for guitars
- Extra FX bundle great for crazy sounds
- iLok version is rather good value

AGAINST
- Tuner in plug-in mode
- Some presets need upgrades towork

While not being a total overhaul, this refinement of Line 6's proven product line hits its mark more precisely than ever

MARK: 8/10
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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Digidesign Pro Tools 8 £156 (PC/ MAC)

2009-02-24T16:43:00.006+08:00

You'll have been eagerly awaiting this update if you're already a Pro Tools user, but if you're not, could it convince you to make the switch?

Until now, the choice was fairly clear-cut for pro producers: For MIDI-heavy work, Logic, Cubase and their ilk were the sensible options; if you were primarily concerned with audio, Pro Tools was the way to go. Version 8, however, is set to change that premise with a complete overhaul of its MIDI sequencing elements, as well as a raft of additional features that we'll be hard pushed to do justice to here. To give you an idea of the magnitude of this upgrade, the What's new in Pro Tools 8 HD PDF document on Digi's site runs to over 150 pages in length!

Note that we're looking at the full-on Pro ToolslHD 8 in this review and that the price given is for the upgrade (the HD software is bundled with Pro Tools hardware, so you can't buy it on its own). The HD version requires a Core System DSP card and a high-end Pro Tools rackmount audio interface - we're using the HD3 Accel system here. The Core card is used to power Pro Tools' TDM plug-ins, although it's worth noting that all the new plug-ins (see boxout) for v8 are RTAS format only, and so run on any computer. This means that users of Pro Tools LE (which requires a Pro Tools-compatible interface) and M-Powered (usable with an M-Audio interface) can take full advantage of these additions.

What's more, LE and M-Powered versions can now run a total of 48 stereo or mono audio tracks as standard. If you have a fairly recent, high-powered computer, crafting full-scale Pro Tools productions in the native environment is now a more appealing prospect than ever.

Looking sharp
The most striking change for v8, though, is the new look. It can be comfortably described as a makeover, because the only thing that's familiar is the general layout. The colour palette and fonts are all new, and object shapes and shading look much sharper. The default scheme is perhaps a little dark but can be lightened in the Colour Palette window, where you can also assign different shades to your selections. It looks much more solid now, but also has a more utilitarian look, not a million miles away from Apple's Logic Pro 8 or Ableton's Live 7.

The only new display feature is the Universe view, which sits above the Edit window and enables you to see the whole session in

"Pro Tools 8 sees a giant leap in the MIDI editing area, and now rivals both Logic and Cubase"

miniature. It also shows where the Edit window is currently focused within the session by highlighting that area. It's possible to drag this around to change the content and position of the Edit window but you can't grab the edges to zoom in or out, which is a shame.

MIDI magic
As anyone who's used a previous version will tell you, MI Dl was never Pro Tools' strong point. However, v8 sees a giant leap in this area, and now rivals both Logic and Cubase. The MIDI recording is pattern-based and a double-click opens a graphical editor window, where you can do all the usual note manipulations, as well as open lane views of other MIDI data in parallel below. It's straightforward, simple, intuitive and comprehensive. Why didn't they do this sooner?

There's a new Score editor, too, which works alongside the graphical MIDI editor, enabling similar manipulations. The resultant score can be printed out in parts, as a whole, or exported in Sibelius format for further refinement.

One extra feature that should speed your workflow along is track compiling. With the new 'playlist' track view option, all the layered takes are brought to view. A few simple key commands can now be used to audition and move highlighted segments to a 'comp' playlist. Although the key combos could be improved further, once you've got them under your fingers, it's much quicker and easier than the old mouse-intensive way. Track colour-coding extends to playlists, so when segments are compiled, they retain their original colour.

While we're discussing multiple lanes, automation views can all be dropped into simultaneous display below the main waveform, which is great for getting an at-a-glance grasp of what's going on. Additionally, the area below the automation contours is a darker shade, giving a sort of mountainous appearance that's easier to take in. It would be useful, however, if the exposure and size of the automation lanes was remembered in the Memory Locations window.

Elastic Time was a popular addition to Pro Tools 7, enabling audio to be quantised and adjusted just like MIDI data. In v8, we also get Elastic Pitch, enabling alteration of the pitch of audio by up to +/-24 semitones. You can do this in real time, but only after the segment has been analysed, which can take some time on longer files. Nevertheless, this gives the program the kind of mind-boggling flexibility that at one time seemed like mere fantasy.

Game plan
This upgrade is without doubt Digidesign's best yet, and they've greatly broadened the musical creation and production horizons of their industry-standard DAW. The bundled instrument plug-ins and associated effects from AIR, along with the vastly improved MIDI editing possibilities, bring a whole new aspect to the program. Some Pro Tools snobs might not like the new, more generic look, or the fact that the new plug-ins are RTAS-only, but these will no doubt give Pro Tools 8 far wider appeal and keep it at the forefront of the audio and MIDI production game.

Web: www.digidesign.com
Contact: Digidesign, 01753 655 999
Info: Pro Tools LE or M-Powered upgrade, £92 M-Powered full version, £190
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The intuitive MIDI editor, with its clearer display and useful two-tone backgrounds, is a highlight of PT8
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The new Vacuum synth has a convincingly analogue sound and warm tube emulation

Pro Toolbox
Pro Tools 8 comes bundled with the Creative Collection, comprising a number of new plug-ins courtesy of Digi's Advanced Instrument Research (AIR) department. And what a treat they've given us: six instruments and 20 effects, which are all RTAS-only.

The pick of the instruments has to be Vacuum, a vintage analogue-style synth that creates excellent bass sounds, as well as tasty lead and FX patches. Xpand!2 is a multitimbral sample-based synth that can be layered or split for performance - the rather orthodox 1.5GB library does, however, feature some vast pads. The DB-33 Hammond emulation is very realistic, with plenty of dirt and drive, and the Mini-Grand is a workhorse for pianists. Also, the Structure Free sample player and Boom drum machine have a very useful array of electronic sounds.

Among the more common effects -chorus, phaser, delay, f langer, reverb, ensemble, all of which are reassuringly impolite - are some more original jewels. The star plug-in is the Filter Gate that throws a tempo-based tremolo over the audio and adds synced filters. The gate time can be swung and the patterns adjusted with various accents. The Fuzz Wan does something similar with filter cutoff and beat sync, and is thoroughly dirty.
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System requirements
(MAC) 1GB RAM,OSX1O.5.5,
Digidesign-qualified computer
(see website), iLok USB Smart Key

(PC)1 GB RAM. Windows XP/Vista.
Digidesign-qualified computer
(see website), iLok USB Smart Key

Test system
(MAC) Dual 2.5GHz G5 PowerMac,
4GB RAM, OS X 10.5.6, HD3 Accel system

Alternatively
Apple Logic Studio cm119» 10/10 » £312
Comparable on the MIDI side, but Pro Tools has the audio edge

Steinberg Cubase 5 N/A»N/A»£539
It's not out yet, but Cubase 5 looks mighty good - see p9 for more info

Verdict
FOR
- MIDI editing finally comes good
- Creative Collection is exceptional
- Track compiling saves a lot of time
- Very good automation lane system

AGAINST
- New plug-ins are RTAS-only
- Takes a long time to import PT7 sessions
- New GUI may not be to everyone's taste

It could be time to go Pro thanks to this highly impressive update, which finally sees Digidesign shake off their DAW's 'audio good, MIDI bad' reputation

MARK: 9/10
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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Wallander Instruments WIVI v2 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-24T13:24:00.003+08:00

This virtual brass and woodwind system has been upgraded, so we take up a listener's position and judge the performance

This is an update to the synthesised brass software we reviewed back in cm117, giving it a respectable 7/10 at the time. In addition to the 12 orchestral brass instruments (three trumpets, three trombones, four horns, two tubas), we now have a range of woodwinds in three packs; the basic set (several examples each of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons), extended woodwinds (piccolo, bass clarinet, etc) and more exotic varieties (oboe d'amore, bass flute, etc). Only traditional orchestral instruments are included, so you'll find no saxophones, cornets, flugelhorns or euphoniums.

The sound engine has an installer but each instrument is simply copied onto your hard drive - there's no messing around with dongles or challenge codes. The interface doesn't have a built-in help file and there is no supplied manual. You can double-click features to get a brief description, butthe only serious guidance you're going to get is the comprehensive documentation on the Wallander website. Understanding is quickly reached, however, and basic operation of the app isn't complicated.

Once loaded into your VST/AU host, the WIVI Universal Player (included with each set of instruments) appears as a stage upon which may be positioned a virtually unlimited number of instruments. The latter, the auditorium walls and listener may be re-positioned to your liking, which has an audible, if subtle, effect on the acoustics. Version 2 gives even more venue possibilities, and these may be considerably adjusted in the leftmost panel, as may the details of how each instrument sounds and responds to MIDI in the right. Instruments can be tweaked using conventional mutes (for brass) or rather less conventional formant shifting to create otherworldly sonorities.

The screen grab above shows a French horn and bass clarinet in a church acoustic setting with the listener a moderate distance away and this combination is used in the sound file on the DVD, firstly solo and then embedded in a Reason string texture. This is followed immediately by the same passage played with Reason's Orkester instruments alone for comparison.

Virtually there?
Wallander's offering is a good one, and certainly well up there in terms of creating realistic instruments. The problem remains of inputting notes, especially for expressive sustaining passages, from a keyboard that is intrinsically unable to output appropriate data. Ideally, parts should be played in with a MIDI wind controller, but these require nearly as much expertise as a real-world wind or brass instrument. Let's be realistic, though: the gap between a Wallander Instruments performance and a real one is small enough that perhaps only experienced real-world arrangers would notice it, especially when it's mixed down in a track. This leaves only the question of price: this is quality software and the price reflects this.

Web: www.wallanderinstruments.com
Info: Brass, €449; Extended Woodwind €219; Basic Woodwind, €299; Exotic Woodwind, €219
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Control yourself, please
Playing a wind or brass instrument is difficult. It takes years to learn to master minute gradations of control over lip and air, especially when it comes to the many ways of connecting notes. Players are able to shape sounds from the raucous to the demure, but achieving the same level of expressiveness using a traditional MIDI keyboard is almost impossible.

Wallander strongly encourage you to use a breath controller if you have one to hand, which gives more expressive volume and timbre and will set you back around £50. Failing this, you can do a fairly good job by re-mapping essential parameters to some other MIDI controls, such as the modulation wheel, which will then adjust both volume and timbre simultaneously.

If your technique at the keyboard does not permit an expressive real-time input then you may have to resort to drawing in automatic control curves.
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System requirements
(PC) P4/Athlon 64,256MB RAM,
290MB drive space, VST 2.4 host

(MAC) G4/lntel Mac. 256MB RAM.
290MB hard drive space, VST/AU host

Test system
(PC) Core 2 Duo 1.86GHZ, 1 Windows XP SP2, Live 7, Sibelius 5

Alternatively
Synful Orchestra cm91» 7/10 » £426
Modelled orchestra, with strings as well as brass and woodwinds

Garritan Personal Orchestra cm76»9/10»£97
Garritan also offer marching band and big band libraries

Verdict
FOR
- Flexible
- Sensible learning curve
- Brass sounds are good
- Modest system requirements

AGAINST
- The price!
- Woodwind sounds are less convincing
- No PDF pr paper manual
- Mixed results

WIVI v2 is a sound improvement on the first version, and is a flexible alternative to hard drive-munching ROMplers

MARK: 7/10

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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Stanton DaScratch £199 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-24T11:35:00.004+08:00

They might be latecomers to the virtual DJ party, but the latest in Stanton's SCS range looks to be very much ahead of the curve

Stanton have been in the DJ gear business for as long as most of us can remember, but a lot has changed in the industry in recent years. The product we're looking at here is a real departure from cartridges and turntables, and indeed, from your average DJ controller.

DaScratch is a rather unusual device, based around a set of touch-sensitive controls: there are two standalone faders (Gain and Pitch), four 'buttons', and a scratch/jog wheel-style pad, which has extra faders running through the middle. The advantage of this, apart from looking cool, is that there are no moving parts or fragile controls to break. Having said that, the inclusion of four conventional push buttons as transport controls at the bottom of the unit seems out of step with the rest of the device.

Connection is made via a USB cable that connects underneath the unit, featuring a clever cover system to hold it in place, with the cable emerging out of either the top, bottom or sides. Once wired up, you can install DaRouter - see the boxout for further info.

The Gain and Pitch sliders each work differently. Gain acts like a fader, so that if you place your finger halfway up the pad, the value will leap to this point. The Pitch control, on the other hand, is designed to be more sensitive, so that as you slide your finger up or down from the centre, its value moves by a relative amount. You may need to repeatedly stroke it to reach a desired value, and for visual reference, a line of LEDs represents each control's present setting.

Touchy feely
Actually, there are another six touch-panel buttons that aren't for direct MIDI control, but are instead used switch between two virtual decks (each of which transmits the same MIDI commands, but on two different channels), and select from one of five operational modes for the circular pad.

The EQ and FX buttons activate Slider mode,

"With Abieton Live, it worked very nicely indeed, proving particularly apt for controlling effects"

which offers up three vertical zones, with LED bars to show their current values. The Circle mode is used when the Vinyl button is selected, and allows both jog and scratch manipulation.

The Button mode is useful for triggering samples or loops. It divides the circular scratch pad up into individual response areas, which are all highlighted by red LEDs; however, it's still hard to make out exactly where each one begins and ends.

In use, this is actually a very clever system and it's very easy to put to work after a little experimentation, although the scratch function isn't quite as effective as the other controls.

Looks-wise, we reckon DaScratch will divide opinion. It's certainly colourful and well lit, and the lack of switches keeps things uncluttered, but the actual touch areas are quite hard to spot in dim light (they're not lit). The mode buttons are clearly labelled, though, making for quick and easy reference.

As for the layout and controls, everything is nicely spaced out and well placed, but to be honest, it's all a touch too small. There's a reason for volume and pitch faders often being on the chunky side and that's because, if they're not, you don't get enough travel to make delicate adjustments. Also, in some ways, it's easier to get fine control over a parameter with a physical fader tip to grip, even with the pads' LEDs to show the position of the control.

Scratch that
Of course, as well as controlling DJ software such as Native Instruments Traktor, the unit can be used to control anything that responds to MIDI. We tried it out with Abieton Live and it worked very nicely indeed, proving particularly apt for controlling effects. And, as we mentioned, it's designed to control two virtual turntables, so pressing the Deck button gives you two separate button profiles to switch between. These could be used for controlling two channels, two effects units and so on.

So, should you buy one? It's a tough one. If you like the look and fancy something decidedly different, DaScratch might well appeal. It's quite ruggedly built, and you can use more than one in conjunction (the magnetised strips at the edge lock into one another when two units are placed side by side). The way DaScratch offers a variety of modes that are appropriate for different aspects of our music software is very clever indeed, and it's hard to think of a controller that offers such a wealth of control options in as compact a package.

Nevertheless, we must reiterate that the controls are quite small, the touch-sensitive pads are often difficult to control and it can be fairly tough to see them in dim lighting.

Objectively, this is a highly innovative and cleverly executed product. Its size and the dark colour scheme will displease some yet on the flip side, it offers extreme versatility and compactness.

Our advice is to try this one out before laying down any cash. And keep at it, as it takes a while to scratch the surface of DaScratch!

Contact: dj@stantonmagnetics.com
Web: dascratch.stantondj.com
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There's certainly little to be baffled by with the minimal DaRouter software

Route finder
As we've seen, DaScratch's controls can be configured in many of ways, and the beauty is the way it can be set up to suit both the way you work and the software you want to control.

On installing DaScratch, you fire up the DaRouter software, which lets you switch between different presets, including single- and dual-deck setups designed for Traktor, Serato Scratch Live and a generic MIDI setup that should work with any decent music app. The potential for multiple presets is huge, so it's worth checking the product website from time to time in order to see if there's a new one for your preferred software.

But what if the presets don't quite suit you? The brains of DaRouter comes from Bome's MIDI Translator, and owners of MT Pro can load presets for direct editing and running. At the moment, however, DaRouter cannot load presets you've made with Bome's nifty app - it'lll only load specially encrypted ones created by Stanton. However, it's said that the forthcoming MT Pro vi.7 will be able to produce DaRouter-compatible presets.

Our only criticism is that although Bome's MIDI Translator is undoubtedly incredibly powerful, we expect that many users would find a dedicated graphical editor much easier to grasp.
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System requirements
(PC) Windows XP/Vista, USB port

(MAC) G5/lntel CPU, OS X 10.4

Test system
(MAC) MacBook Pro Intel Core2Duo 2GHz, 1GB RAM, OS X 10.5.2

(MAC)Pro Dual 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2GB RAM, OS X 10.5.2

Alternatively
Novation Nocturn cm124» 10/10 » £90
Great compact controller, complete with crossfader

M-AudioX-Session Pro cm108»6/10»£79
Not as versatile or fun, but it has won a fair few fans

Verdict
FOR
- Durable
- Extremely versatile
- Very compact
- Innovative

AGAINST
- Some controls are quite small
- Can be hard to see pads in dim lighting
- Touch sensitivity can be fiddly
- It's quite pricey!

Price and size are our major concerns, but this bold product stands out from the pack of humdrum DJ controllers

MARK: 8/10
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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Image-Line Ogun $79 (PC)

2009-01-23T21:54:00.004+08:00

The power of additive synthesis is well known, but have Image-Line got their sums right with this shimmering synth?

Compact. That's the word that springs to mind when describing Ogun, the new additive synthesiser from Image-Line. Size, as they say, isn't everything, and while it might not have the most mighty of interfaces, the asking price isn't going to break the bank either. Fortunately, Ogun doesn't come up short on sound nor features.

The pedigree of this instrument is clear for all to see from its design, with Ogun sharing the tight, subdued graphical interface of the Image-Line stable. Unlike some recent offerings from the company, it's currently only available to Windows users, though it does come in both VST and FL Studio plug-in formats.

Adding up
This is an instrument with a purpose: metallic and shimmering textures via a massive additive synthesis engine, without the hair-pulling befuddlement usually associated with this technology. Additive made easy? Well, not quite. Ogun does put the heavy stuff out of the way until you need it, focussing instead on familiar functions and instant gratification via a click 'n' drag interface that encourages you to experiment. Familiar stuff includes an X/Y pad, multimode filters, unison section, EQ and a trio of effects processors (reverb, chorus, delay).

As with all additive instruments, Ogun produces its sound by piling sine waves upon sine waves - up to 32767 of 'em, in fact! Fortunately, there's a resynthesis engine to help circumvent the tedium of the technique. However, if you want to do the work, you can design the sounds from the ground up, clicking and dragging in the Articulation Editor, which serves as a canvas for everything from partials to envelopes. Speaking of which, fans of the nifty multipoint envelopes found in Sytrus will be glad to see them return in Ogun. There's also the super-cool Envelope Sequencer for adding plenty of motion and vitality to your patches.

In summation
In practice, Ogun performed splendidly in all of the hosts we tried, with the exception of Sonar 8, where it exhibited some graphical dead areas -closing and reopening the GUI cleared this up.

At $79, Ogun should do well. However, there have been a lot of similarly-priced synths released of late. Unsurprisingly, its tone tends towards cold, metallic, spiky timbres. It won't be your first call for a searing analogue lead (though such sounds could be programmed, if required). Cymbals aside, Ogun does not lend itself well to 'natural' sounds.

If anything, the sound brings to mind classic FM synths, rather than the sprawling additive instruments we've seen recently. This is by no means a bad thing, especially when you toss in the instrument's penchant for experimental soundscapery courtesy of that slick resynthesis engine. Ogun also excels at hard, gritty basses and raspy stabs reminiscent of the PPG Wave (Depeche Mode fans take note). If your tastes run to clean digital tones, harsh percussive blasts, or unusual and evocative textures, you'll find much to love about this synth. If you want a taste of additive synthesis, but don't want to take a course in higher-level physics, Ogun has your name all over it.

Contact: info@image-line.com
Web: www.image-line.com
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Metallic smart alec
The first sound one hears after opening Ogun is, somewhat unexpectedly, a cymbal. It's a rather convincing one at that and while it may not be the sort of glamorous opening volley one expects from a modern synth, it certainly sets the tone. The cymbal in question is not, technically, a sampled sound, at least not in the traditional sense. Instead, this is a patch with all of the malleability one expects from a synthesiser. Undoubtedly, it was created via the resynthesis engine, which enables any sampled sound to be analysed, broken down into harmonic parts and put back together as a synthesised waveform.

Also, Ogun can examine the harmonic content and amplitude of any sound and then apply them to a patch. While working well with metallic sounds, it's not limited to them. And, we were quite pleased with the fact that audio files can be dragged into Ogun for instant resynthesis. Sweet.
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System requirements
(PC) 2Ghz AMD/Intel Pentium III CPU
with SSE1 support, 512MB RAM, Windows XP/Vista, 130MB HD space

Test system
(PC) 2GHz AMD Turion 64,1GB RAM, Windows XP, M-Audio Fast Track Pro,
FLStudio, Sonar 8, energyXT2,
Xlutop Chainer

Alternatively
discoDSP Vertigo cm67»8/1O»€75
An underrated additive synthesiser with resynthesis and a great price

Image-Line Morphine cm117» 9/10 » $159
Image-Line's own Morphine is a cross-platform additive beauty

Verdict
FOR
- Compact GUI
- Cool additive engine Drag 'n' drop resynthesis
- Brilliant sound
- Great value

AGAINST
- Minor graphic issues in Sonar
- Additive synthesis is never easy

There's nothing groundbreaking about Ogun, but it's a solid additive synth that proves its mettle when put to the test

MARK: 8/10
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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Solid State Logic Vocalstrip £229 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-23T19:38:00.005+08:00

The latest plug-in for the Duende platform promises to take your vocal tracks into the big league, so let's wax lyrical

Tricky to get right but easy to overdo, mixing vocals can be the bane of a mix engineers' life. While there's definitely an 'x factor' at work in some of the best vocal recordings, it doesn't always come from studios with gear worth millions of pounds (although that's not a bad starting point) and with relatively modest audio tools, it's possible to take a somewhat mediocre vocal performance and boot it up several notches. Solid State Logic's latest addition to the Duende system plug-in stable claims to be able to give your vocal tracks that professional touch, so let's see if it's really got what it takes...

Testing, one, two
Like all of the Duende plug-ins, the Vocalstrip GUI is extremely clear and easy on the eye. The processor itself is split into four distinct sections: De-esser, De-ploser, Equalisation and Compander. You can read more about the first two in the Pop till you drop boxout.

The Equalisation section features three bands tailored specifically for vocal use. There's a low-pass filter for knocking out rumble, a notch filter for reducing resonant frequencies and a high peak (with narrow Q) for sweetening the top end. Everything as it should be, then.

Vocalstrip offers both a compressor and an expander, seeing as they're vocal-processing staples, but SSL have tidily combined them in the Compander panel. Going through the controls, the expander threshold governs what is basically a noise gate, with a fixed ratio of 1.5:1. It gets any extraneous noises under control and tidies everything up before the compression stage. Just as you'd expect, the Compander delivers top-notch compression in typical SSL style. The most notable feature is the drive button, which activates a tube-like overdrive processor. It's capable of effects similar to SSL's LMC-1 plug-in and can either warm the sound up or totally smash it to bits. The amount of drive depends on cranking the make-up gain control.

A real-time graphical display on the right-hand side of the GUI lets you see exactly what's going on and is extremely handy for accurate tweaking of both the Equalisation and Compander sections. And, as we've said, you can reorder these to have, for example, equalisation after compression, or any. While the manual warns that only six instances of the Vocalstrip can be run at once, this shouldn't prove a problem unless tracking a band with seven or more vocalists - perish the thought!

Our one gripe is that, while there is an A/B function for comparing settings, it still hasn't got an A-to-B copy function. And, we made the exact same criticism of the Duende system's X-EQ and X-Comp reviews back in cm124.

Nevertheless, with all-in-one vocal processing units very thin on the ground (or just downright lackluster), you generally need to break out a long chain of plug-ins to cover all the bases for any given vocal mixdown. With the introduction of the excellent Vocalstrip, this is no longer the case, at least for Duende owners.

Contact: 101865 842300
Web: www.solid-state-logic.com
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Pop till you drop
Many will be familiar with the ear-bending noises that result when someone speaks in close proximity to a microphone, resulting in explosive pops with B's and P's (plosives), or over-accentuated S sounds (sibilance). Either of these can seriously mar a good take, but fear not, for Vocalstrip is well equipped to deal with them.

Vocalstrip's De-esser section is extremely simple to use, comprising an Active lamp, Threshold and reduction Amount controls and an Audition button. The latter enables you to hear in isolation the parts of the audio that Vocalstrip is removing. However, tread carefully, as it's easy to over-process the signal, which equally results in some wacky drop-outs and noises!

The De-Ploser panel works in much the same way. However, it is easier to tame, due in no small part to the less frequent instances of plosives when compared with sibilance in most vocal material.
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System requirements
(PC)1GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, Windows XP,80MB HDspace, SSL Duende platform, VST/RTAS host

(MAC) G4/G5/lntel CPU, OS X 10.4.10,80MB HDspace,
SSL Duende platform, VST/AU/RTAS host

Test system
(PC) Intel Q6600,4GB RAM, Windows XP, Cubase SX3

Alternatively
SSL Channel Strip N/A»N/A»£Free
Comes with Duende, but doesn't quite work the same vocal magic

Voxengo Voxformer N/A»N/A»$60
An affordable, comprehensive, vocal-specific channel strip

Verdict
FOR
- Very easy to use
- Awesome audio quality
- Drive function is great
- Some handy presets

AGAINST
- It's mono-only
- Still lacking A-B copy function

This is one of the best vocal plug-ins we've tried - Duende users who deal with the human voice would be foolish to miss out!

MARK: 9/10
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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

GForce M-Tron Pro £139 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-23T19:12:00.004+08:00

GForce's original Mellotron emulator was great but basic. Does its successor have enough extras to make it a worthwhile buy?

Following on from the success of Virtual String Machine, GForce software have updated their venerable M-Tron instrument, the most obvious improvement being that it now uses the same G:sampler interface/engine as VSM. This has allowed them to improve overall playback and synthesis options, but they've also remastered and extended the existing library. The tape bank count now stands at over 200, stacking up to around 3.5GB of content. This includes not only the original M-Tron tape banks (remastered at Abbey Road), but also a host of extras from Chamberlin, Birotron and Optigan. However, there's also over 700 patches, including a bank from renowned 'tron users.

Where the original software was pretty much a faithful emulation of the Mellotron, the transfer to the G:sampler gives the original content a massive boost. Most fundamental is the two-layer system. This enables you to blend two source tape banks, with individual or linked control over many parameters. With the majority of controls following a straightforward colour-coded system - red for layer A, green for layer B and blue when they're linked - the interface is extremely easy to use. Beyond the layer-specific parameters, you'll also find a global effects section. This includes stereo syncable delay and the classic ensemble effect (2,4,6 and 8 voice). Finally, rounding things off at a global level are pitch fine-tune, global pitchbend limit, volume and MIDI controller assignment for most parameters.

'Tron guy
M-Tron Pro has a number of 'tron-specific features. First up, for individual layers in addition to level, pan and tuning, you can instantly switch 'tape' playback to both half speed and reverse. To tie in with the second option there's also an adjustable start point (attack), enabling you to shift samples forward by up to two seconds in the loop. The sounds on M-Tron Pro are pretty much as they are on the original source " instrument, so each note is individually sampled and key ranges are limited (eg, 35 notes for a Mellotron). One aspect where they've deviated slightly is looping, with some of the one-shot originals now available in looped format.

M-Tron Pro ticks all the right boxes sonically. From the instantly recognisable Strawberry Fields flute to the crazy bossa nova set from the Optigan, it's a stunning array of sounds. Some of these are presented warts and all (including drop-outs and pitch wobble) and others are bizarrely cheesy. But they all have the kind of character often lacking from modern synth sounds. However, what takes M-Tron Pro beyond these basic mono building blocks is the G:sampler engine. The ability to layer, pan and shift the timing of the basic sounds brings them smack-bang up to date, and many of the patches show this off. We were very impressed by Virtual String Machine, but M-Tron Pro is even better - if you're a 'tron guy', don't miss out!

Contact: M-Audio, 01923 204010
Web: www.gforcesoftware.com
Info: Upgrade, €68
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Old school loop machines
The M-Tron Pro mines a rich seam of sound creation started by the Chamberlin Music Master and made famous by the original Mellotron in the 60s. The basic idea was to use individual prerecorded tape loops to play back in response to specific keys. This proved mechanically cumbersome in practice, but 'tron fans weren't put off, and the resultant slightly creepy and ethereal sounds produced became very popular. What's more, with access to choirs, strings, brass and woodwind, musicians found themselves with a simple way to play the sounds they wanted to use via a keyboard.

As time progressed, the tape system made way for optical discs (the Optigan) and, eventually, the appearance of string machines and samplers changed things forever. Even so, the sound of the early machines remains instantly recognisable and their existence most certainly paved the way for digital sampling.
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System requirements
(MAC)1.25GHzG4,512MB RAM,
5GB hard drive space, OS X 10.4

(PC) 1GHz CPU, 512MB RAM
5GB hard drive space, Windows XP/Vista

Test system
Apple Mac Pro dual 3GHz,
3GB RAM, OS X 10.4.11, Logic Pro 8

Alternatively
IK Multimedia SampleTron N/A»N/A»€25O
This uses IK's Sampletank system, giving it more flexibility

SONiVOX Mellotron Vintage Synth N/A»N/A»$30
Much simpler and cheaper, though doesn't have as many sounds

Verdict
FOR
- Extended sound set
- Flexible G:sampler interface
- Tape reverse option
- Remastered Mellotron sounds
- Additional lopped versions
- Easy to use

AGAINST
- Quite a specialist instrument

There's little to fault here, and much to get excited about, making this a worthy successor to M-Tron. Great work. GForce!

MARK: 9/10
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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

SPL Transient Designer £189 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-23T18:33:00.004+08:00

They previously collaborated on a UAD-based Transient Designer emulation, but can SPL's own in-house effort better it?

Users of Universal Audio's UAD DSP system have been able to indulge in an official emulation of SPL's famous Transient Designer fora little while now. But, judging by SPL's recent move into native plug-in development with their Analog Code series, it's no surprise to see them launching their own entirely self-produced emulation of their classic hardware device.

The real test, of course, is how it fares against the original hardware version. Although it was introduced over twelve years ago now, the SPL Transient Designer was revolutionary in its concept: a level-independent dynamic processor that allowed one to adjust the attack and sustain portions of an audio signal. There were just two controls per channel and it took just about as many seconds to work out what it did. Throw it across a loop and the huge range of its abilities was staggering. Minimum sustain settings would be tight and punchy with any ambience sucked right out; maximum settings would yield pumping and breathing like the rudest compressor, but without the attack inconsistencies. It was a godsend for dance producers everywhere and many others beside.
Gone soft
The software plug-in is visually modelled on the latest hardware version found in SPL's RackPack. There are still just the two controls - Attack and Sustain - plus an output gain pot going from -20 to +6dB. Bypass and Link controls complete the main panel, with the latter offering ganged or independent operation on a stereo track. Beside the main panel are four 'settings' buttons, for storing and recalling different combinations with a click of the mouse.

A/B'ing it against the hardware version, it's clear that the essence of the original has been captured in the plug-in. Pull the Sustain back and any reverb on the audio starts to fade away. Turn it up and you get that satisfying pumping with the accompanying bottom-end breathing. If anything, the shape of the bottom end on pumped loops is more appealing with the plug-in than the hardware. Turn the Attack up and the impact of any blunt performance is enhanced. Turn it down and any hard, spikey parts sink softly into the mix.

There are one or two blots on its copybook, but nothing major. The Attack response, particularly with high frequencies, doesn't seem as controlled as the hardware. In our audio demos, you can hear the hi-hats spitting in the processed loop under software control, whereas with the hardware, the attack is completely smooth. A lookahead feature might have helped with this. Also, without an input level control, there's a danger of overloading the plug-in at the input if you're upping the attack on an already high-level signal. You can get round it with a trim plug-in beforehand, but an Input control would make more sense. Oh, and what about a sidechain facility? That could be fun.

The software version has lost none of the excitement that its hardware parent engendered. The sheer variation of attack and sustain characteristics created here is still astonishing, and all from just two knobs. With automation, the musical possibilities from subtly building up and dropping intensities using the Sustain control are particularly exciting.

Contact: info@audiopros.eu
Web: www.soundperformancelab.com
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Transient appeal
So what might you use the Transient Designer on? Drums are the obvious choice, as this processor is at its most useful on rhythmic material. If you're having trouble with a snare not cutting through in the mix, a touch of increased attack can give it the edge you need. If a torn is booming beyond its useful time, reducing the sustain can shorten it out of harm's way. If you have too much spill on a drum track, again, reducing the sustain can do the job of gating, but more quickly and efficiently - remember that, unlike a gate, it's not level-dependent.

To change the character of a loop over time, you might gradually lower the attack and increase the sustain (which is much easier with the software version) to give the impression of rising intensity. If a loop is pretty good but has too much reverb, pull the sustain level back and it should dry up.

You can, of course, find uses for it on guitars, bass, synths and, well, the lot!
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System requirements
(MAC) G4/lntel CPU. OS X 10.4. 256MB RAM, RTAS/AU7VST host

(PC)1GHz CPU, Windows 2000/XP/Vista, 256MB RAM, RTAS/VST host

Test system
(MAC) G5 2.5GHZ PowerPC, 4GB RAM Pro Tools HD3

Alternatively
Schaack Transient Shaper 2 cm127»9/10»€59
Easy to use, with adjustable attack/ release times and a great sound

UA SPL Transient Designer N/A»N/A»$199
Looks the same but the code has been done by UA, not SPL

Verdict
FOR
- Stunning dynamic shaping Sustain section on a par with hardware
- Automation works a treat
- A genius concept in software form!

AGAINST
- Could do with an input level
- Attack control can lead to treble spitting
- No copy/paste between settings

There's no shortage of transient-shaping plug-ins, but this one has a real pedigree behind it and a sound to match

MARK: 8/10
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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

SPL EQ Rangers Vol. 1 £219 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-21T20:00:00.002+08:00

Three of the inhabitants of SPL's hardware RackPack system get the software modelling treatment. It's time to talk tone!

Graphic EQs are a rarity in the studio. They're something you associate more with PA tuning or car hi-fis than precision tone-shaping in the control room. However, SPL (Sound Performance Labs) have been successful with the EQ Ranger hardware series by designing a graphic equaliser from a musical standpoint, rather than a technical one. Traditional graphic EQs have equal octave or third octave bands that don't bear any relationship to the subject material, but the concept of the Ranger series is to devise bands that relate to the character of the sound in question. Now, they've translated them to native plug-in formats under the guise of their new Analog Code software range.

Lone rangers
The Vox Ranger is an eight-band passive-style EQ model, with most of the bands centred around the presence and midrange frequencies between 22OHz and 4kHz, giving 15dB of cut and boost on each band. The great thing about graphics is that you can very quickly try each band to hear its effect. For vocals, where the tonal nuance is everything, the smallest tweak can have a profound effect. In all cases, the bandwidth of each control feels good in that it's not too narrow to create an ugly notch, but not so wide that you lose precision. There aren't the bands available to help with extreme top-end air or rolling off rumble, but the idea is that this module is used in conjunction with the Full Ranger to cover all bases. It's not just useful for vocals either and is equally valuable on any mid-range instrument - see the boxout.

The Bass Ranger is also an eight-band passive graphic, with all bands below 2kHz and five at or below 500Hz. The key bands are 65Hz for trouser-flapping tones, 95 and 170Hz for tight bottomend and 23OHz for clearing out low-mid cloudiness. An even lower band at 30Hz is there to sort out excessive sub energy. Again, the bandwidths are sensible, but a tighter notch can often be useful for characteristic bass sounds.

The Full Ranger is, as you may have predicted, another eight-band passive, covering the entire audible range from a subby 40Hz right up to 16kHz at the top. The bands aren't entirely equidistant harmonically (40,90,150, 500Hz, and 1.8,4.7,10,16kHz) as they're tuned to frequencies that are tailored to complement the other two more specialised Rangers.

All the units sound excellent and the Vox Ranger is particularly useful, with very musical results. However, they could all benefit from having an input level control - to avoid distortion with a hot recording. The four settings buttons, which let you quickly try out different shapes, could be more useful if they enabled you to copy and paste between them for comparisons. Being able to bypass individual bands would also help the setup. Nevertheless, this would make an excellent addition to your tonal armoury and it's much quicker than the conventional parametric approach.

Contact: info@audiopros.eu
Web: www.soundperformancelab.com
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Try using it on...
The Full Ranger is suited to a wide range of applications, but the other two are suited to more uses than their names might imply.

The Vocal Ranger is made especially for vocals, from adding presence and sheen to shaping the body and dialling in warmth. Obvious vocal uses aside, when mixing guitar, for example, you could use the 1.6 or 2.8kHz bands to add bite, and 560 and 800Hz for fullness. As for piano, you can control the brightness of the percussive attack with the 2.8kHz band and sort out any woodiness with the 42OHz control.

Aside from sorting your low-end out, the Bass Ranger comes in handy on kick drums, with the 65Hz band ideal for weight and 95Hz slider bringing in chest-thumping tones. For guitars, it could be useful in gluing the low-end of distorted numbers to the bass and kick drum. It's also good for mastering, where precise shaping of the lower bands could help your mix.
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System requirements
(MAC) G4/ Intel Core Duo CPU, OS X 10.4,
256MB RAM, RTAS/AU/VST host

(PC) 1GHz CPU, Windows 2000/XP/Vista,
256MB RAM, RTAS/VST host

Test system
(MAC) G5 2.5GHZ PowerPC. 4GB RAM, Pro Tools HD3

Alternatively
Waves API Collection cm118» 9/10 » $1000
Contains the API 56010-band graphic EQ plug-in

URS M-series N/A»N/A»$200
Recreates the 7-band graphic EQ of Motown's Hit Factory studio

Verdict
FOR
- Quick and easy to use
- Musically complementarybands
- Precise low-end shaping
- Natural sounding

AGAINST
- No input level control
- No individual band bypass
- Can't copy and paste variations

This is a solid effort from SPL. and the tone is right on the money, although a few tweaks could make the pack more usable

MARK: 8/10
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http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Sonic Charge Synplant $105 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-21T19:06:00.003+08:00

The creators of the thumping μ Tonic drum machine branch out into synths with a product that will literally grow on you!

We love our virtual analogues, ROMplers, hybrid synths and all the power that they bring, but let's face it: synthesisers haven't changed that much over the last 20-odd years. Oh sure, there are different algorithms and methods of sound generation, but the approach has rarely stepped off of the familiar path of oscillator, filter and amp. You can understand, then, why our interest was piqued when we first set eyes on Synplant; with absolutely no faux wood panels or incandescent VU meters, it offers little in the way of familiarity.

Seedy business
Synplant's developers have devised a cross-platform plug-in that sheds the usual synthesiser paradigm in favour of a "genetic approach" to sound design. The seemingly simple GUI hides a deep instrument capable of providing a wide variety of interesting sounds.

It all starts with a 'seed' that floats in a pool of darkness. The seed is encircled by a so-called 'key ring' that is divided into a dozen segments, each representing one of the 12 notes comprising an octave. 'Branches' can be dragged from the centre of the seed to the surrounding edge of the key ring. As the branches change and grow, so too does the sound. Each note has a different sound, depending on the branch associated with it.

When you have a sound you like, you can take that particular branch as a fresh starting point. If you'd like each of the keys to play the same timbre (like a normal synth), you can 'clone' a particular branch. There's an option to save a preset at any point, and Synplant's undo and redo functionality comes in handy if you wander down a path that proves to be sonically unfruitful and wish to return to an earlier point and investigate alternative sonic avenues.

The 'bulb' described above is encircled by a quartet of sliders. Tuning does what you'd expect. Atonality is a little more interesting: In the minimum position, sounds are generally (but not always) tonal; cranking it up results in increasingly far-out sound effects. The Release slider tailors the time of the release envelope, while Effects enables one to dial in Synplant's built-in effect, described as a "chorusing reverb". All of these do what you'd expect with the caveat that they have a direct relationship with the state of the 'genome' (see boxout).

Three more sliders affect the scaling of the mod wheel, velocity sensitivity and the master volume, and that's your lot. We told you Synplant's interface was restrained...

The sound, however, is anything but restrained. Synplant is at turns metallic and clangourous, evocative and atmospheric, searing and stabbing. That there are tons of presets hardly matters, since Synplant is all about making new ones. But, the presets that are included do a good job of demonstrating that just about any sound is possible, from snare drums and basses to rich, glimmering pads.

Synplant is new, engaging, and, most of all, inspirational. We especially enjoyed automating the Key Ring for pseudo wavesequencing. The developers have gone out on a limb with this instrument that makes the user think differently, and it's paid off, resulting in the most fun we've had with a synth in ages. There's also a great interactive tutorial to get you started. Excellent work, Sonic Charge!

Contact: support@soniccharge.com
Web: www-soniccharge.com
Info: Synplant + μ Tonic. $186
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Genome genie
Beneath Synplant's austere facade lies the 'genome' itself. Represented as a DNA double helix, each 'gene' corresponds to a parameter, with an associated slider to adjust the value. There are 37 genes, granting access to things like FM amount, envelope times and LFO balance, etc.

Of course, there's a synth at the core of it ail, with a pair of oscillators that generate simple waveforms, along with filters, noise generators, envelope and effects.

If you think the genome editing will take the mystery away, think again. See, changes to the genome only affect the seed itself, which is, in turn, the basis for the sound produced by the branches. Modifying the genes might produce the effect you expect, but don't bank on it!

Our only grumble is that, as obviously slick as the genome editor is, the parameter names are pretty cryptic, and all the values range from 0 to 1.
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System requirements
(PC) XP, 20MB HD space, VST 2.4 host

(MAC) PowerPC/Intel, OS X 10.4,
30MB HD space, VST 2.4 or AU 2 host

Test system
(MAC) 2.16GHZ Core 2 Duo iMac, OS X 10.4.11, Cubase 4, Live 7, Logic 8 Pro

Alternatively
U&I Software Metasynth cm86» 9/10 » $499
A Mac-only synthesis studio with a graphics-oriented approach
Anarchy Sound Software SwarmSynth N/A»N/A»£60
Another bizarre graphics-heavy synth, for Windows only

Verdict
FOR
- Superb sound
- Gorgeous, inspirational interface
- Easy to use
- Encouraging results
- Key Ring automation is awesome

AGAINST
- Can be highly addictive!
- Slightly cryptic genome parameters

It could have ended up in the little shop of synth horrors, but Synplant has flourished into a superb, prize-winning specimen

MARK: 10/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Sony Acid Pro 7 £245 (PC)

2009-01-21T18:53:00.004+08:00

It now has more bundled plug-ins and an improved mixer, but is Acid still playing catch-up with its rivals?

Originally designed for simply arranging sampled loops, Acid has evolved over the years into a full-on DAW with MIDI tracks, VST hosting and multitrack audio recording. Despite this, the ability to quickly create arrangements by importing loops (which are automatically synced to the project tempo) and drawing them onto the sequencer track remains Acid's staple mode of operation. Furthermore, and its ease of use has arguably yet to be surpassed by any other sequencer.

In recent years, however, Acid has been eclipsed by the all-singing, all-dancing Ableton Live, which offers a more sophisticated approach to loop sequencing, can beatmatch seamlessly in real time, features an array of dedicated effects and instruments, and is cross-platform (Acid is PC-only).

Acid Pro 7 ups the ante with numerous additions both big and small. The most important of these is the new mixer. In previous versions of Acid, the extremely basic mixing section displayed just the master and bus channels, with the volume levels and other parameters of audio tracks only available via the tracklist on the left hand side of the sequencer window. Quite how Sony managed to get away without having a proper mixer in their software for so long is anyone's guess, but we're sure that Acid Pro users will be overjoyed to finally have such an elementary feature added to their DAW.

Overall, the new mixer makes balancing, routing and other fundamental tasks that much easier, so we'd say that it's a success. Most notably, the zoom function that enables you to change the size of all tracks simultaneously with a single slider works a treat and is something that we can imagine cropping up in other DAWs.

Extra stretchy
While we've first dealt with the most obvious improvements, there are others that further help Acid hold its own as a serious piece of music production software. These include the addition of multiprocessor support, MIDI track freeze, a new plug-in bundle (see Bundle of joy boxout) and the introduction of zplane's elastique Pro timestretching algorithm, which complements Acid's original timestretching mode. Ableton Live uses elastique efficient, a

"The new mixer makes balancing, routing and other fundamental tasks that much easier"

less sophisticated (though more CPU-friendly) version, so this is one area where some may feel that Acid Pro has one over its rival.

For those intending to use Acid's multitrack recording abilities, the addition of input busses and real-time rendering will surely appeal. These enable the user to record external devices with effects, mix a variety of audio sources within the project and perform real-time input monitoring - all of which helps Acid feel more like a thoroughbred DAW.

Tempo changes within a project are now possible, and the software has also gained support for the FLAC, AAC, AC-3 Studio, and MPEG-2 formats, thus making it a more credible multimedia production platform. Also, Acid's beatmapping now allows for tempo variation in audio, which isn't before time when you consider the flexible warping abilities that Live has had for years now. However, it has to be said that Ableton's software is still a much more efficient solution when you're working with non-sequenced material.

Look and learn
An addition aimed more at Acid newbies, rather than experienced users, is the suite of interactive tutorials. These are a great touch for anyone who isn't au fait with the software, and use overlaid graphics to make their points as plainly as possible.

They're not perfect, though. New users might wonder why there's no Paint Clip Selector displayed on their selected track, and there are no visual clues to suggest that zooming in or increasing the size of the track will make it appear. Despite these small niggles, though, the tutorials work well and do a great job of making the software inviting for new users.

These enhancements are all very useful, but whereas Acid was once a genuinely innovative product, it seems that Sony are now playing catch-up with other developers, rather than breaking new ground. The software is great for beginners, although they'd be advised to plump for the much cheaper Acid Music Studio 7 (£38), which has the basic functionality of Pro but misses out on the majority of the new version 7 features. However, it does contain the interactive tutorials, and if you go for the boxed version, you get the same library of over 3000 high-quality samples that Pro users get.

If you're already an Acid-addicted producer, this one is definitely worth the upgrade fee, but if you're looking for a loop-savvy DAW, then Ableton Live 7, which is arguably a more accomplished piece of software, can be picked up for around the same price. Still, Acid's straightforward presentation and clear, easy interface are sure to be highly attractive to those who are put off by Live's plethora of advanced features. What's more. Acid is a convenient tool for multimedia audio production, and users of Sony's Vegas video editing software will feel at home right away.

Taken as an update, Acid Pro 7 is very good, but Sony still have work to do if Acid is to catch up with the current crop of do-it-all DAWs.

Contact: SCV, 0208 418 0778
Web: www.sonycreativesoftware.com
Info: Acid Music Studio 7, £38
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Aside from the addition of Tempo Curves, Acid's Beatmapping Wizard is the same as previous versions
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There are plug-ins aplenty with Sony's Acid Pro 7, as well as some treats for guitarists

Bundle of joy
Acid Pro 7 comes with a bundle of third-party effects and instruments that complement the Sony plug-ins included with previous versions. The iZotope-powered Acid Pro Effects Rack gives you basic chorus, f langer, phaser, delay and dynamics effects that sound great, while the inclusion of Native Instruments' Guitar Rig Combos is a fantastic touch for six-stringers. This last item includes more than 100 preset effects that, while not directly editable, have a few customisable settings, and are useful for non-guitarists, too.

Submersible Music's KitCore is a drum sampler that features eight kits and hundreds of MIDI loops that can be dragged from the interface onto Acid's main sequencer tracks. It isn't as sophisticated as fully-fledged virtual drummers, but it provides a convenient way to program rhythmical parts.

There's also a basic ROMpler based on Garritan's Aria engine, featuring a selection of patches taken from the popular Garritan range. This makes a great alternative to the rather limited DLS Soft Synth and its generic General MIDI sounds, and is ideal for those after realistic acoustic instruments.

While some kind of synth would have appeased electronic and dance music producers, the bundle definitely adds value to the Acid Pro 7 package.
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System requirements
(PC) 1.8GHZCPU, 1GB RAM, Windows XP
(SP2or later) or Vista

Test system
(PC) Intel Core 2 Duo 6400,2GB RAM, Windows Vista

Alternatively
Ableton Live Suite cm121» 9/10 » £550
This bundle contains Live 7 and a load of extras, but you can get Live on its own for around half the price

Steinberg Cubase 4 cm107» 9/10 » £504
Not specifically for loops, but has tons of features and plug-ins

Verdict
FOR
- proper mixer, at last!
- New plug-ins are a boon Good multimedia capabilities
- Multicore support
- Interactive tutorials

AGAINST
- Beatmapping inferior to Live's
- Still no built-in audio editor

Balancing ease of use and power, this is a great update to a solid app, though it's not likely to convert users of other DAWs

MARK: 7/10

Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine :
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Behringer U-Control UMA25S £80 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-07T22:31:00.006+08:00

This MIDI controller/audio interface appears to offer everything a computer musician needs for not much moolah. So what's the catch?

This "ultra-slim" USB controller keyboard and audio interface packs in an awful lot: 25 keys, mod/pitch wheels, eight knobs, a few buttons (including transport section), LED display, stereo RCA line-in and outs, expression and sustain pedal inputs, MIDI out, mini-jack headphone and mic sockets (which 'mirror' the signals on the RCAs) and direct monitoring controls. It can be powered by USB, battery, or PSU (though one isn't supplied).

All of which is not bad considering the 18.1"x8.7"x1.8" footprint! Plus, the unit looks a million bucks, with shiny red casing and a smart design. To top it off, there's a carry case, strap (for keytar-style playing), headset and a software suite thrown in (see boxout). But for 80 sheets, surely it's too good to be true?

While initial impressions are good, the experience is soured by the Windows ASIO drivers for the audio interface element. They'll only install the device on the USB port the keyboard is plugged into during installation, and won't allow you to either change ports without reinstalling or use another audio interface on that port. Though these deficiencies are detailed in the driver's ReadMe on the bundled CD-ROM, they're not mentioned in the installation procedure.

~~In fact, the latest version of the driver on the Behringer website doesn't have any documentation at all!~~
The latest Driver download for the UMA25S includes instructions within the ZIP file:
http://www.behringer.com/EN/Support/U-Control-Downloads.aspx

We ended up using ASI04ALL instead, and this seemed much more satisfactory. And on the Mac, it works perfectly well as a plug-and-play Core Audio device.

Control issues
We also had a few problems with the hardware itself. The level knobs around the back are fiddly to get at, and the keys have little travel, which makes accurately inputting velocity levels tricky. More crucially, it was all too easy to distort the headphone out, even at low levels.

On the plus side, the RCA inputs worked fine, and the eight MIDI knobs felt solid. The included peripherals are also genuinely useful.

Our feelings on the UMA25S are mixed. It certainly looks the business, is well built and full-featured, but the headphone output and ASIO driver issues make the audio interface element less useful than it might have been.

We can't recommend the UMA25S unreservedly, but those after an extremely cheap all-in-one solution to their mobile music-making needs will find it offers good performance for the price, as long as they can live with the issues we've raised.

Contact: via website
Web: www.behringer.com
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The soft option
The UMA25S comes with a surprisingly comprehensive software bundle. The jewel in the crown is energyXT2 Behringer Compact, a cut-down edition of the DAW that's limited to eight audio, instrument or drum tracks, two global sends and two inserts per mixer channel.

While these limitations mean that you're restricted to working on simple projects, it's still a great bonus and will give novice computer musicians a fine introduction to working with audio and MIDI.

There's also the grandly-titled U-Control Ultimate Software Package Volume 1, which is actually a collection of rather old hat freeware hosts and plug-ins. Some of these are still useful (Audacity and the Kjaerhus Classic collection are particularly good), but a lot of it has been superseded and the majority is Windows-only. Still, it's better than nowt, and it could inspire newbies to check out more recent freeware offerings.
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System requirements
(PC) 1.4 GHz CPU,512MB RAM, Windows XP or later

(MAC) 1.4GHZ CPU, 512MB RAM, Mac OS X 10.4

Test system
(PC) Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAML Windows Vista, Cubase 4

Alternatively
M-AudioOxygen8 v2 cm44»8/10»£69
It has no audio interface, but for low-cost MIDI on the go, it's top notch and dirt-cheap to boot.
Novation X-Station 25 N/A»N/A»£35O
If you're seeking compactness and features, this has the lot, including DSP effects and phantom power

Verdict
FOR
- Extremely affordable
- Dazzling looks
- Solid build
- Decent RCA inputs
- Handy software bundle
- Carry bag, strap and headset included!

AGAINST
- III-conceived ASIO drivers
- Headphone output distorts easily
- Keyboard action isn't amazing

The UMA25S is a workable audio and MIDI solution, though a few improvements would make it a stunner

MARK: 7/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

KarmaFX Synth Modular €95 (PC)

2009-01-07T22:01:00.004+08:00

Available as freeware for years, KarmaFX's modular synth has finally been released commercially. We find out if it's been worth the wait

Regular readers of cm will no doubt recognise KarmaFX Synth Modular, as the instrument has made countless appearances in various cm tutorials thanks to its flexible modular nature and the fact that, until recently, the beta version was given away free on the company's website. Now, creators KarmaFX have brought their magnum opus up to v1 with this fully fledged commercial product. Notably, it's still more affordable than most of its contemporaries, such as Helix, Sylenthi and Massive, and, unlike those instruments, it's truly modular, too.

Routin'tootin'
Using the supplied synth building blocks, you can create your own unique virtual synth setups, free from the limitations of a fixed architecture. Want to use another filter? Fancy adding a few more oscillators? With Synth Modular, it's all possible with a few mouse clicks. If you're a preset-lover, there are plenty of supplied patches to get your teeth into, which make fine starting points for your own creations, though we imagine that most synth heads will want to create their own setups from scratch.

Making a new instrument is easy - simply right-click the synth's interface and select the New Patch menu. You'll be given the choice of a completely initialised patch or several basic setups that save you the trouble of putting together the first few fundamental modules. The simplest functional synth can be created with three modules: a Generator, an Amplifier, and a Controller. Each basic type of module can be set to various modes that change how it works, and Filter, Effect and Modulator modules are also available, for creating more advanced and functional patches.

Generator modules create the raw sounds in KarmaFX Synth Modular, and seven modes are on hand: Osc1, Osc2, Sampler, Additive, Pad, Noise and Input. Osci is a simple analogue-style oscillator with a choice of sine, square, triangle, saw and ramp (ie, inverse saw) wave shapes. Pulse Width, Phase, Detune and Freq (aka coarse-tuning) controls are available, and like most of the instrument's knobs, these parameters can be modulated using modules

"There are plenty of supplied patches to get your teeth into, which make fine starting points"

such as LFOs and envelopes. It's also possible to reset the phase during note-on events.

Osc2 is more comprehensive, with the ability to mix between two waveforms, each of which can be detuned separately, and it also boasts hard sync and ring modulation features. The Sampler mode enables the user to load up multiple samples, and both the sample selection and position parameters can be modulated - a neat touch. It can sync audio to the host's tempo and also has a Delta knob for controlling the pitch and tempo of the audio simultaneously, a little like scratching a record.

Good additives
The Additive mode enables the user to draw their own sounds using three modes: waveform, magnitude and phase. This is potentially extremely powerful, as it gives you a great degree of control over the frequencies created by the generator. Pad mode works much like Additive mode but includes the ability to edit a so-called harmonic profile that applies a random factor to the phase of frequencies, creating a slowly evolving waveform.

The Noise mode offers white, pink and even brown noise generators, all of which have low- and high-pass filtering built in.

Finally, the Generator module's Input mode facilitates the processing of audio from an external source and is ideal for using the plug-in as an effect rather than an instrument.

Of course, these various sound generators wouldn't be much fun without ways to sculpt their output, and that's where the Filter, Controller, Effect and Modulator modules come into play. There are too many of these modes for us to cover them all, but with eleven filter types, FM abilities, unison detune and sophisticated envelopes and sequencers, there's plenty for even the most devious of sound designers to explore.

The main problem we encountered with KarmaFX Synth Modular is the CPU time demanded when playing some of the more complex patches such as pads - turning up the polyphony on some of the presets and playing big chords was simply too much for our Intel Core 2 Duo 6400-based test machine. Tellingly, many of the pads have their default number of voices set to 2 or 3. Hopefully the situation will improve with future versions, because being able to run multiple instances of Synth Modular with decent amounts of polyphony would be quite something. Still, some compromise is always expected when dealing with modular beasts like this, and fixed-architecture synths and effects will always have the edge since they're inherently easier to optimise.

However, as long as you're willing to be sensible and keep an eye on CPU consumption, Synth Modular is a highly useful instrument, not to mention a rather stonking sound-design tool. The large number of available module modes gives it a great deal of flexibility, combining the best of virtual synths and samplers into a package that remains fun and easy to use. It sounds great, too, and with such a reasonable price tag, we suggest you check out the demo as soon as possible.

Contact: karmafx@karmafx.net
Web: www.karmafx.net
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There are sound design options galore in Synth Modular, with numerous modulation and filtering modes
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Synth Modular may look complicated, but it's actually fantastically easy to learn

Module in the crown
So, how does KarmaFX Synth Modular fit into the hierarchy of modular sound design environments? Well, it's certainly more flexible than Moog Modular V, which has a fixed architecture. And, despite not bearing the official name, it can deliver decent Minimoog-style leads, as amply demonstrated by many of the presets. It's also significantly cheaper than Moog Modular V (£170).

Compared to the ridiculously comprehensive Reaktor 5 (£340), Synth Modular seems shallow. However, when you consider Reaktor's stupendous level of depth, a little more simplicity isn't necessarily going to be a bad thing for a lot of users. KarmaFX Synth Modular's straightforward interface makes it quicker to get to grips with, and the system of switchable modes makes it suited to swift experimentation.

It's worth noting that Synth Modular can also be used as an effect plug-in. There's no standalone mode, but if you desire this kind of functionality then you can, of course, use something likeMiniHost.

If you're looking for a modular synth that works well in a sequencer environment, then we have no hesitation in recommending this one, especially as it's so reasonably priced.
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System requirements
(PC) 1GHz CPU, 256MB RAM, Windows 98 or later, VST host

Test system
(PC) Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, Windows Vista, Cubase 4

Alternatively
Native Instruments Reaktor 5 cm88» 9/10 » £340
Incredibly deep graphical sound design environment that works in standalone mode and as a plug-in

Arturia Moog Modular V2 cm79» 8/10 » £170
This blast-from-the-past will certainly excite Moog-maniacs

Verdict
FOR
- Easy to learn
- Great modulation capabilities
- Plenty of module modes
- Superb sound
- Loads of presets
- Very reasonably priced

AGAINST
- Can tax your CPU heavily

KarmaFX Synth Modular is a great buy, especially for synth fiends in danger of outgrowing their current instruments

MARK: 9/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Audjoo Helix $149 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-07T21:15:00.005+08:00

Jonas Norberg's cross-platform synthesiser goes commercial at last but would you have to be round the twist to pay for it?

Since early 2007, Helix has been a sort of 'secret weapon' for a select few savvy synthesists. It spent a great deal of time in beta and was freely downloadable. Those users who availed themselves of the developer's largesse found Helix to be a powerful ally, capable of everything from warm analogue timbres to steely digital sweeps. It was very much a synthesist's synth, but its busy interface could be too much for the uninitiated.

Along with its new price tag of $149, Helix comes with a fine set of new clothes, which goes a long way towards remedying the interface problems, and it has numerous additional features too. Still a cross-platform VST plug-in, it also works with FXpansion's AU wrapper.

Helix redux
Helix's signal path begins with four oscillators, each of which can be used in one of four modes - all with control over the pitch, pan, phase, amplitude and stability. Additional knobs appear depending on which one you plump for, though there is a Morph control that's common to three of the oscillator modes - it can operate as a modulation destination, to be wobbled by LFOs and shifted by envelopes.

The Analog oscillator type is a simple pulse wave affair, sporting a single Morph knob to adjust the pulse width. Also included is a Noise generator, which only offers a Stereo button.

The String oscillator offers more options for tweaking and deviates from the norm by modelling a pair of strings (think 12-string guitar). A Damp function imparts a muted sound while a Frequency Spread knob detunes the strings. More familiar are controls for Low Pass and Pulse Width Modulation (attached to the Morph mod destination). Finally, there's a Crosstalk knob that determines how much energy from one string 'leaks' into the other.

Setting the tables
Helix's Waveshaping oscillator is by far its most impressive and appealing feature. Imagine the flexibility of a waveshaping oscillator such as those found in Z3TA+ or Absynth but with the built-in motion of a classic wavetable affair, a la the PPG Wave. For each voice, Helix gives you the ability to pick from around 30 basic

"This is a synth of singular style and class, on a par with any we've heard"

waveforms - or even import your own - before twisting the shape via a plethora of controls. Once you've defined two waves.the Morph parameter is used to glide between them. This is truly powerful and inspiring stuff!

Helix also sports a stupendous Unison function that piles the waveforms 16 high for each oscillator. It's possible to offset the initial phase of each unison voice, too.

The shape of things to come
After you've wrangled with you- .va.eforms, you can shuttle them through free stages apiece of filtering and shaping Incstiy distortion, though you get bit and sample-rate reduction, too), using serial or parallel routing.

There are eight filter types, including the usual low-pass and ladder filters, along with a keen Delay filter (read 'comb7) and, new for the commercial version, a String filter and a crafty Phase Modulation Delay job. Everything we threw at the latter sounded as if it had been trampled by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, which we mean as a compliment, of course!

Additional sound sculpting comes in the form of the obligatory effects bank. The beta version had delay, reverb and a limiter, but now you also get phaser, chorus, distortion and EQ. There's also full control over the processing chain via a nifty drag 'n' drop FX Order panel.

To get things moving, there's a comprehensive modulation system - see the boxout for details. As you may surmise, Helix is very deep, approaching the complexity of modular instruments, and is likewise possessed of an in-depth, intricate and articulate sound. A brief trundle through the 800+ presets (organised into banks and categories, such as lead, pad and so on) makes it clear that Helix is a world apart from the usual analogue emulation or average ROMpler. This is a synth of singular style and class, on a par with any we've heard.

Naturally, it's not perfect; not all of the waveshaping functions can be manipulated without causing audible artifacts - you only get the Morph function for crossfading the waves. Still, to get too hung up on this would be churlish in the face of the pure sound quality on offer.

Helix spent over a year as an open-source freeware beta plug-in, and while it isn't available via Audjoo's site anymore, it's still out there, if you want to use it. For this reason, Helix may be its own worst competition. However, you can take it from us that the commercial version is worth far more than the asking price, and there's plenty here that you won't find in the free one. Highly recommended!

Contact: jonas@audjoo.com
Web: www.audjoo.com
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Helix offers numerous effects to sweeten the sound, and you can drag and drop them into any order you like
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Twist your sonic reality by jumping into the matrix - the modulation options are exhaustive in Helix

Modulation sensation
Much of Helix's power lies in its multitude of modulation options. There are eight envelope generators, providing control over both the level and rate of the ADSR stages. And there's a second release stage thrown in for good measure. Editing these was confusing in the beta version, but thankfully there's now a graphical display of the envelope contour.

Elsewhere, you'll find six LFOs: four are polyphonic and applied per voice, the remaining two global. There are 18 waveforms to choose from and you can adjust the phase and period/length (ie, rate) of each. The latter is defeated when the LFO is locked to the host tempo and replaced by a menu of note values. The four independent LFOs have attack, hold and release controls.

And, if that wasn't enough to twist your timbres beyond all hope, there's also a pair of bipolar sequencers, which can run free or in sync mode. The Lag (glide) is adjustable, and you can set it to run (and loop) for up to 16 steps.

More modulation is provided by MIDI CC and MIDI Learn functions. All 29 mod sources can be assigned in the Matrix, using the 42 modulation slots. Each slot allows for a single source, two destinations and a scale source. There are 57 destinations, though delay time isn't one of them, unfortunately.
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System requirements
(MAC) 1GHz, 1GB RAM, OS X 10.5

(PC) 1GB RAM,WindowsXP/Vista

Test system
(MAC) 2.16GHz lntel Core 2Duo iMac, 2GB RAM, OS X10.4.11,Ableton Live Cubase 4

(PC) 2 Ghz AMD Turion 64, 1GB RAM, Windows XP, Sonar PE 8, energyXT2 Core, Xlutop Chainer

Alternatively
Native Instruments Massive cm107» 9/10 » £170
Hybrid synth influenced by wavetable-scanning instruments

u-he Zebra 2 cm108» 10/10 » $199
Semi-modular masterpiece with waveshapers galore

Verdict
FOR
- Modulation options galore
- Waveshaping oscillator is a knockout!
- Effects routing is terrific
- Imports user waves
- Excellent presets

AGAINST
- No AU version
- Some parameters unsuitable for real-time control

A superb synth, boasting in-depth programmability and a sound to rival any other, Helix has got us in a spin!

MARK: 9/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

LinPlug RMV €139 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-07T20:54:00.003+08:00

This updated drum machine looks the business, with a potentially groundbreaking feature list. Time to fire it up and put it to the test...

Successor to the incredible RMIV, LinPlug's ^ RMV offers more than your average beatbox - it actually functions as a synthesiser, rhythm sampler, loop slicer and MIDI groove library. It was first announced in 2007, and it was clear from the impressive feature-list that LinPlug weren't afraid to set their sights high.

As we go to press, the Mac version isn't quite ready for public consumption, though a beta is available and release is said to be imminent.

Those familiar with RMIV will immediately clock the overhauled user interface, which now offers a more detailed approach to drum editing. The general philosophy seems to be to offer as much control as possible for each individual drum sound. This, in theory, translates into a very powerful system, but the proof is in the thudding, so let's find out how well it performs...

Padded cells
There are 48 pads in total, arranged in four rows of four, split over three pages, with LinPlug citing the typical layout of MIDI percussion controllers as the reasoning behind this format. Each pad can be used to trigger either a sampler module or one of the 12 types of drum synthesiser. The perfectly adequate sampler section remains largely unchanged from the previous RM iteration, with layering, velocity-switching and crossfading of up to 30 hits. The synth list, meanwhile, now includes a new universal drum synthesiser - see boxout.

Whichever you choose, each source is triggered by a specific, assignable MIDI key for easy programming. Every pad also has its own 12-by-12 modulation matrix; three LFOs; distortion and bit-crushing effects; pitch, amplitude and filter envelopes; not to mention a multimode filter and 4-band EQ. Oddly, the EQ only goes up to 11kHz, so if you want to tailor the upper reaches of snares, cymbals, or indeed, any percussive element, you can't.

The Varizer section offers three different ways of lending each played note a random element, reminiscent of the sound of a live drummer or 'organic' analogue drum machine, and again, this is on a pad-by-pad basis.

The pads can employ up to three insert effects, which are akin to those found in other LinPlug instruments. These include a

"LinPlug's RMV rewrites the rulebook, handing you extreme control over each slice"

compressor, bitcrusher, delay, ping pong delay, flanger, filter, reverb, trance gate and wah-wah. Furthermore, there are two send knobs per pad, which are assignable to one of three global send effects channels, comprised of one of the aforementioned effects and EQ.

Slice and dice
In addition, there are six independent loop modules that enable one to chop the loaded sample into up to 64 slices, each with the same kind of detailed controls that the sampler and synth pads enjoy - this is quite special. A lot of heavyweight breakbeat producers have moved away from the MIDI sampler and towards audio editing, where there tends to be greater control over each individual loop slice. RMV rewrites the rulebook, handing you extreme control over each slice, but with all the advantages associated with MIDI programming.

The loop section can load REX/REX2 files, but is also able to very quickly detect attack transients to make slices. However, we're not convinced that it's been fully fine-tuned for swift and efficient use. Certain user interface issues seem to have been overlooked - for instance, it's not that easy to create or destroy slices, and you can't define a loop's start and end points within RMV. If you're into drum loops enough to want to use up to six of the blighters, all with independent controls over each slice, you'd surely expect such basic features to be included!

LinPlug touted RMV's looping/slicing features as being the best on the market, but, ultimately, there are too many hindrances and annoyances for them to be truly useful right now. We do hope that this will be remedied in an update.

Quiet in the library
LinPlug have introduced extensive librarian features - you can scroll through and even preview several thousand preprepared MIDI grooves. Furthermore, you can simultaneously navigate through drum kits constructed by numerous artists and sound designers. We've mixed feelings about these features, however...

On the one hand, it's very easy to get going with RMV using the librarian - in an instant, you can have MIDI drum patterns playing while you audition or tweak kits. However, it feels like a case of quantity over quality, as the sampled content is quite hit-and-miss.

Not only can it take a while to find sounds that you like, but if your intentions don't include use of the supplied library content, some of the library features can be a little offputting. Perhaps our opinion will change if sample disc providers start to offer content in RMV format.

Overall, RMV is a powerful drum sampler and synthesiser and a decent successor to RMIV, but it's currently hindered by a few technical aspects. LinPlug have already issued updates addressing some of the problems we discovered earlier on in our review process, so we hope that they'll keep on refining what is potentially an excellent tool. If you can live with using workarounds for some of the interface issues and you're willing to get creative with the provided content, you may well find RMV an invaluable addition to your arsenal.

Contact: web@linplug.com
Web: www.linplug.com
Info: Upgrade from RMIV or RMIII
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Toss in a loop and RMV will dutifully chop it apart, ready for detailed, slice-by-slice tweaking
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Many of the standard drum synth modules have been updated for RMV - here's Kick 2

Universal appeal
The drum synthesis modules in RMV instantly set it apart from other virtual percussion samplers, which tend to lack real-time sound generation capabilities. The unfortunate thing is, even though the individual modules for each type of drum/percussion hit have been revised, it seems that the needs of real-world users have been left out of the design process at times.

When LinPlug first announced RMV's "universal drum synthesiser", they claimed it would cater for all percussive needs. In reality, while it's suitable for sound effects, it's not so great for actual drum sounds.

For instance, why would anyone want a kick drum module with a noise generator, when there's no amplitude envelope for the noise? With no shaping, it's just noise. Also, why should the noise be totally free-run on a drum module when the foundation oscillator is able to lock its phase? The phase will be different with every hit if the noise is truly random, causing the sound to change each time, which is no good for many modern applications.

Many of RMV's competitors don't offer much in the way of synthesis, and so it's features like these that could have made it a groundbreaking launch as the virtual drum system to beat all others.
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System requirements
(PC) 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, Windows XP, VST 2.0 host application

(MAC) 1GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, VST or AU host application

Test system
(PC) Intel Core 2 Duo1.86GHz, 2GB_RAM, Windows XP, Steinberg Nuendo, Live 7

Alternatively
FXpansionGuru cm89» 10/10 » £152
Drum sampler with an awesome library and advanced sequencer

Native Instruments Battery 3 cm108» 9/10 » £170
Powerful multiformat drum sampler with over 10GB of content

Verdict
FOR
- Insanely powerful concept
- Handles loops as well asjiits
- Nifty internal effects
- Very detailed control over each sound

AGAINST
- Some user interface flaws
- Supplied content isrrt: the best
- Loop handling is a touch clunky
- Synthesis methods a little lacklustre

RMV is undeniably powerful, but with a bit more polish, it could yet be the dream drum machine that we hoped for

MARK: 7/10

Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Native Instruments Traktor Pro £170 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-07T16:43:00.005+08:00

The daddy of DJing software goes Pro, but is this new version just a cosmetic refresh or an essential upgrade?

Traktor is arguably the elder-statesman of laptop DJing. First released in 2000, it has grown from basic twin-deck DJing software to a four-deck looping, scratching and performing behemoth. And that was just version 3.

Rather than simply crank it up to v4, though, Native Instruments have decided to drop the numeric suffix and make us feel much more serious about our DJing - enter Traktor Pro! For those who aren't familiar, here's a rundown...

There are various configurations in Traktor, based around either two or four decks. The two main mixing modes are internal or external. Internal is for those who are largely computer-based, and offers up a simple virtual mixer, complete with a choice of EQ types (based on high-quality hardware mixers). External mode routes the virtual decks to physical outputs for mixing using a hardware DJ mixer. The method you go for is largely a matter of personal choice, but we think that DJing is always more impressive - and more fun - when executed with plenty of movement, whether that means using a real knobs-and-faders mixer or a MIDI controller.

As for controlling the decks, there are again two main options: using the on-screen interface or external hardware controllers. And these need not be limited to a standard MIDI-based affair, as the Traktor Scratch Pro option enables the use of time-coded vinyl or CDs to control the virtual decks - see the boxout for more on this.

The whole package has always been extraordinarily stable, designed primarily with reliable live play in mind, as exemplified by details such as a battery indicator and clock built right into the main screen.

Making a difference
There was little wrong before, so what are the major changes? Well, the first thing that you'll spot is the nicely streamlined layout, as well as the extensive range of customisation options. The browser has been tweaked, too. iTunes users will be pleased to know that Traktor Pro recognises Apple's playlists, and, to make things even easier, there's now a little track art window to help you navigate through your music collection. You can even Crate Flick (as Nl call it) through your tunes, with the top third of the

"Mixing tracks together is as simple as dropping them into one of four decks and clicking Sync"

artwork showing. What's more, you can assign images to any audio files, for easy identification. Of course, it's not all cosmetic...

Sound effects
The effects section of Traktor 3 sounded great, though it was pretty limited. However, Pro has 23 different effects types, including some rather fine gating, filtering, beat-mashing, reverb, modulation, delay and distortion effects. What's more, they sound excellent, are extremely functional and can be used as either inserts or sends. An even more impressive touch is the fact that Traktor Pro can run these effects in a basic one-knob control mode, or in the full, 'advanced' version (with up to three parameters per effect). The basic mode is great if you are trying to control multiple effects. As for routing, they're arranged in two banks of three, although you can run the lot in series, if you like, giving a chain of six effects. Each channel in the mixer has a dedicated filter, too.

Ultimately, Traktor is for mixing, and this is now easier than ever. 99% of the time, getting two tracks to work together is as simple as dropping them into one of the four available decks, clicking Sync and starting them both as and when you're ready. It really is that easy, and on those rare occasions you encounter problems, you can edit the grid map used to line up the tracks.

Loops are much more easily set up than in previous versions, plus the rock-solid timing enables them to be layered seamlessly. And, with four decks to hand, all this can go on in conjunction with your regular mixing.

So, as we've seen, while it's not not a radical overhaul, most of the fundamentals of Traktor have been improved in Pro. Nevertheless, there are a few minor issues we'd like to bring up...

Firstly, we have the MIDI and key mapping functions. Now, while these are fairly straightforward, fully functional and entirely usable, they are still far behind the system that Abieton Live employs.

Furthermore, the Native Mix capabilities of previous versions, which allowed the user to redo a fluffed mix Cor pick up from a certain point, in the event of an interruption), have been completely removed. Traktor Pro only has a simple record function that can render either the internal mix or an external signal (for those DJing using a hardware mixer). While we applaud the ditching of the old Native Mix function (it was pretty poor), to not replace it with an equivalent seems a little odd. In NTs defence, the manual states that a replacement will be developed, so let's cross our fingers and hope that it's sooner rather than later.

Still, these are relatively minor grumbles, and this is without doubt an excellent update - it's the most definitive version yet of what was already the best DJing software ever created. If you aren't using the hands-on, vinyl-friendly Scratch features, we still think Abieton Live 7 has the edge for versatility and power, but Traktor Pro requires far less preparation and makes it much easier to browse tracks. So, for those wanting to play a variety of loop-based music in the simplest way possible, Traktor remains the best option on the market at present.

Contact: Arbiter, 020 8207 7880
Web: www.native-instruments.com
Info: Upgrade from Traktor 3, £85 Traktor Scratch Pro, £470
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Mixing with four decks needn't mean mashing four tunes together, as you can load 'em up with loops too
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Become a scratch pervert with the time-coded vinyl and CDs included in Traktor Scratch Pro

Turning the tables
When we first heard about control vinyl, it seemed like science fiction, but it's now very much a reality. By using time-coded vinyl to manipulate playback of audio files, you can do all the same tricks as you can with 'the real thing'. It also eliminates the risk of ruining your precious vinyl and makes for a far more portable setup.

To this end, Nl offer the Traktor Scratch Pro bundle, which contains Traktor Pro, a pair of timecoded vinyls (and CDs too, for CDJ units), and the awesome Audio 8 DJ USB interface, featuring eight ins, eight outs and a headphone jack - naturally, it's ideal for using with an external mixer. We have only a few small criticisms: the heavy duty cabling that's intended to make life simple is pretty confusing in practice, and the installation instructions are not straightforward, despite having their own manual!

Having originally adopted the Final Scratch technology, Nl created their own scratch system, and what they've got right now is perhaps the best we've tried, with ultra-fast response that's practically indistinguishable from the real thing. Not only that, but switching between time-code, internal and audio-direct-through modes is very quick indeed, putting the best of all three worlds at your fingertips.
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System requirements
(PC) P4/Athlon1.4GHz,1GB RAM
Windows XP(SP2) /Vista(SP1)(32/64bit)

(MAC) Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66GHZ,
1GB RAM, OS X10.4

Test system
(MAC) Apple MacBook Pro, Intel Core
2 Duo 2GHz, 1GB RAM, OS X 10.5.2

(MAC) Apple Mac Pro, Dual 2.8GHZ Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2GB RAM,
OS X 10.5.2

Alternatively
Rane Serato Scratch Live N/Aa»N/A»£399
A well-established package, but it's a little limited compared to Traktor

Ableton Live 7 Suite cm121» 9/10 » £539
Very powerful and deep, though not as immediate as Traktor

Verdict
FOR
- Rock-solid stability
- Great sound and effects
- Incredibly easy to use
- Slick new interface
- Very powerful in performance
- Scratch bundle is awesome!

AGAINST
- Limited recording facilities
- MIDI control setup could be improved

Even a couple of flaws can't take points away from this industry-leading product. It's simply the best DJing app out there

MARK: 10/10
Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

IK Multimedia T-RackS 3 Deluxe £349 (PC/ MAC)

2009-01-07T13:17:00.005+08:00

It's known across the computer music globe for ease of use and sonic prowess, but is version 3 of this mastering suite a roaring success?

A popular product ever since the release of the first version way back in 1999, IK Multimedia's T-RackS mastering software has become a bona fide computer music classic. What appealed most about the early versions of T-RackS was the combination of impressive analogue-esque sonics and a simple, intuitive user interface. It remained largely unchanged with subsequent versions, which brought such features as 24-bit audio support and separate plug-in versions of each of its four modules. Come 2008, IK Multimedia have finally released a new version: T-RackS 3. But, does it meet demanding modern standards?

Run for your life
T-RackS 3 can run as a plug-in suite inside your DAW, but you can't load individual processors as single VST plug-ins as with older versions. It uses a 'shell' system, a bit like IK's AmpliTube range. The software also works as a standalone audio mastering solution, which differs only in that it has a simple audio editor for adding fades and automated mastering changes, and lets you render out to audio files.

If you buy the Classic version of T-RackS 3, you get the same four processors as the original, albeit in spruced-up form - see boxout. However, the real excitement is over the Deluxe edition, which we're focusing on here. This boasts five additional, brand-new processors.
There are three new 'analogue' modules: the Vintage Tube Compressor, Vintage Tube Program Equaliser and Opto Compressor. These are based on the legendary Fairchild 670 tube compressor, the similarly illustrious Pultec EQP-1A equaliser, and an unspecified optical compression design respectively. Rounding things off in thoroughly digital style are the Brickwall Limiter and Linear Phase Equaliser.

Rack'em up
The familiar T-RackS GUI has been overhauled: what was previously a fixed rack of effects is now a more complex and versatile modular affair. You can only see one module at a time in the main window (the interfaces are rather hefty), while the metering section sits at the bottom and is ever-present.
Up top, there are 12 processing slots,

"The new analogue' plug-ins impressed us the most bringing some of that warm and punchy magic"

arranged as two parallel four-slot chains, followed by a final serial chain of four. This gives plenty of parallel processing potential, eg, using two types of compression at once, or applying frequency-dependent compression/limiting, for example. The new Linear Phase EQ comes in handy for the latter application, helping to avoid phasing issues that can arise with regular EQs.

While you can view the processing chain in schematic format, it's a real disappointment -quite a surprise, in fact - that you can't drag and drop effects to reorder them. IK Multimedia tell us that this will be added in an update.

More well-conceived is the Compare section, which balances the volume of the original and mastered audio, for making comparisons without being blindsided by differing volume levels. The A/B/C/D compare panel is another winner, enabling you to set up four mastering chains and flip between them instantly.

As for the metering, it's a welcome addition, but it's annoying that you can't switch it off or hide it away, as it's not always useful and takes up a fair bit of screen space. However, it is extremely customisable, with the perceived loudness meter very helpful when trying to maintain a consistent-sounding level.

The stereo phase meter is slightly redundant considering there's no dedicated stereo imaging module. The new EQs and compressors have mid/side modes, though, which can be used to manipulate the stereo image, and the Classic Compressor has a stereo-tweaking function. IK say that they intend to add further modules in the future - a stereo tool wouldn't go amiss.

Putting T-RackS through it's paces, the new 'analogue' plug-ins impressed us most, bringing some of that elusive warm and punchy magic to your tracks. The Fairchild and Pultec emulations are comparable to those of Universal Audio's renowned UAD system, which is to say that they're rather good indeed. The EQ helps to take the harsh edge off digital-sounding material, while still brightening it up. However, our favourite is the Opto Compressor, which is blessed with a fantastic sound that makes it a contender for best native software compressor.

Another brick in the wall
The Brickwall Limiter has numerous modes, offering different 'flavours' of limiting. It's great for making mixes louder than they've any right to be, though it's not as transparent as, say, PSP Xenon. The Linear Phase EQ offers exactly what you'd expect: equalisation without colouration.

In the highest-quality mode, with linear phase operation and oversampling engaged, T-RackS 3 can be very CPU hungry. Which is fine for mastering, but if you're using T-RackS 3 for mixing, you'll want to enable the Lowest Latency mode, which disables the CPU-guzzling oversampling, although it's still no lightweight.

Overall, both T-RackS 3 bundles represent solid value for money. You can achieve great mastering results with minimal fuss, and the processors work great in the mix, too. Some of the interface issues - such as the inability to reorder effects or hide meters - are frustrating and take the edge off things, so we'll certainly be looking forward to those updates! cm

Contact: IK Multimedia UK, 0800 0934066
Web: www.ikmultimedia.com
Info: Standard version, £138 Deluxe version crossgrade, £211
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You can view the effects chain and see how the modules are arranged, though you can't drag and drop 'em, sadly
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The Classic Compressor and Equalizer sound better than ever in T-RackS 3

Jurassic classics
The Standard version of T-RackS is significantly cheaper at £138, though it only carries the four original T-RackS modules, now termed Classics: Equalizer, Compressor, Multiband Limiter and Clipper. These are functionally identical to previous releases, but have apparently undergone an audio path update to bring them up to v3's standards. They can make use of the same high-quality oversampling modes too.

We can report that the Standard version as a whole is great value for money and that its modules can definitely benefit your tracks. The minimalist controls help you to concentrate on the sound, and they still stand up today as useful audio tools, with a warm, characterful quality. The Compressor in particular works well on everything from basslines to vocals.

That said, things aren't quite perfect. The Multiband Limiter can give decent results, but it's unintuitive to use, and has no solo/bypass or metering per band. It sure doesn't compare to modern multiband processors, which, considering it's T-RackS 3's only such effect, is a tad disappointing. IK say that more sophisticated multiband tools are a possibility in the future, though it's not clear whether they'll come as free updates or as commercial expansions.
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System requirements
(PC) Pentium 2.4GHz/Athlon XP 2.4GHz, 1GB RAM, Windows XP/ Vista VST/RTAS host

(MAC) Dual G4/G51.25GHZ/1.66GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo,
1GB RAM, OS X 10.4,
AU/VST/RTAS host

Test system
(PC) Intel Q6600,4GB RAM Windows XP, Cubase SX3

Alternatively
Sonalksis Mastering Suite £320 cm133» 7/10 » £320
No EQ, but it has a stereo enhancer and a better multiband limiter

iZotope Ozone 4 N/A»N/A»$249
T-RackS's arch rival - see p10 for more info on this forthcoming title

Verdict
FOR
- Audio quality is excellent!
- Emulations add some analogue 'magic'
- Very easy to get good result!
- A/B/C/D compare function

AGAINST
- EatsCPU Iike a T-Rex!
- Interface has some shortfalls
- No dedicated stereo-imaging module
- Multiband Limiter could be better

A few curious omissions hold T-RackS 3 back from true greatness, but there's no denying that it sounds the business

MARK: 8/10
Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Korg nanoSeries: nanoKey £49, nanoPad £59, nanoKontrol £59 (PC/MAC)

2008-12-30T18:11:00.007+08:00

The nanoSeries controllers finally arrives, but do they offer maximum bang for your minimal buck? Let's get twiddling and find out...

There's been an air of expectancy surrounding the nanoSeries here at cm ever since Korg announced the three tiny controllers over the summer. Each of these USB devices is bus-powered, available in stylish black as well as the standard white shown here, and should slot neatly in front of the average 13" laptop. And with a price to match their physical stature, they're certainly cheap enough to tempt you into snapping up the entire range in one fell swoop. But do you really want to be doing that? Read on to find out...

Key change
The nanoKey features 25 velocity-sensitive keys that can transmit either MIDI note or CC (Continuous Controller) data. Further buttons offer octave up/down, pitchbend, modulation and activation of the CC mode. Holding the pitchbend or mod button causes the appropriate MIDI value to automatically rise from the resting point to full (we're slightly disappointed that these buttons aren't pressure sensitive). Visual feedback comes courtesy of a trio of LEDs, the rightmost of which indicates whether CC Mode is active or not. The remaining two convey the current octave: when in the 'middle' octave (C2 to C4), they remain unlit, but show green, orange, red, and flashing red to indicate how far from the centre you are. With CC mode engaged, a green LED comes to life.

Bizarrely, the keys themselves are based on those of a laptop keyboard, as opposed to the ones you'd find on, well, a keyboard that's designed for playing music. They're a fairly good size for such a small unit, but the odd spacing (the black keys are the same width as the white) may baffle practiced keyboardists.

Anybody who's looking for piano-style control probably isn't going to be considering the nanoKey, then. Nevertheless, the feel of the keys - which are plastic, tacky, unresponsive and prone to an occasional 'click' when the inner mechanisms are forced past one another -didn't impress us one jot. Furthermore, the lowest key is directly adjacent to the control area, meaning that a couple of accidental slips onto the buttons is practically a certainty in the heat of a performance.

The nanoKey is adequate for programming

"Anybody who's looking for piano-style control probably isn't going to consider the nanoKey"

basslines, melodies and simple chord sequences, and the price point and portability are undeniably attractive - these factors alone will no doubt be enough for some. In addition, you get a free download of Korg's M1 Le soft synth, as well as an optional upgrade path to their Legacy Digital Edition.

Padding things out
The nanoPad, on the other hand, thoroughly wowed us. The 12 rubber percussion pads are of a decent size and are reminiscent of the famous Akai MPC range, not to mention Korg's own padKontrol. There isn't much travel, but there's enough dynamic response to render your drum programming with plenty of expression, and they feel sturdy enough to stand up to your dextrous drumming digits. The backlit Flam and Roll buttons give more options for rhythmical variation, enabling the easy triggering of their respective embellishments with a single press of the pad. Engaging the Hold button means that when a pad is struck, the MIDI note is held until you hit the pad again or turn the function off.

The truly excellent X-Y pad, which controls the rate of flam and roll in its default mode, is by far the best feature of the nanoPad. Once programmed with the freely downloadable Kontrol Editor software Csee boxout), however, things get much more interesting. Playing a beat on the pads whilst controlling various effect parameters on the X-Y pad is probably the most fun you can have with any of the nanoSeries.

Buying the nanoPad entitles one to a free download of Toontrack's EZdrummer Lite plug-in, with the option of upgrading to the fully-fledged EZdrummer for €79.

On cruise control
Last but not least, we have the nanoKontrol, which offers transport controls and a nine-channel 'mixer', with each strip comprising a slider, rotary knob and two backlit buttons. It's a configuration that lends itself well to a classic volume/pan/solo/mute setup, although you can configure each control to send any CC you like. The transport can send MMC or MIDI CC data.

The nanoKontrol is a surprisingly smooth operator, registering both tiny movements and large sweeps. It doesn't come with any free software, but, as is the case with the nanoKey and nanoPad, there's the option of saving €30 on Ableton's Live 7, LE or Suite.

At this price point (the street prices are even lower!), Korg have worked wonders in providing such an array of controllers, and when you factor their physical dimensions into the equation, you can almost consider the range as a sort of expandable, semi-modular system.

The nanoKey's poor keyboard is a huge letdown, and while it doesn't render it useless, it's definitely not what we were expecting. Why Korg didn't use similar mini-keys to those featured on something like the microKorg is beyond us. One other minor quibble is that while the devices were entirely plug-and-play on the Mac, we had to download and install Korg's USB MIDI driver to get them to work on our Vista PC.

These points aside, we were won over by every aspect of the series' design, and they're bound to appeal to anyone after a cheap, portable yet functional controller or two. cm

Contact: Korg, 01908 857100
Web: www.korg.co.uk
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Kontrolled explosion
The Kontrol Editor application is a free download that gives full access to the nanoSeries' functions. For the nanoKey, you can edit the CC on/off values sent by each key when using CC Mode and their behaviour (momentary or toggle). There are three velocity curves too, as well as fixed-velocity. You can adjust the slide rate when using Pitchbend and set the Mod button's range.

With the nanoPad, CC values and button behaviour can be configured for each pad, and you may stack up to eight MIDI notes per pad, for triggering chords. The funky X-Y controller can control any pair of MIDI CCs you like.

In the nanoKontroi's case, the attack/release time of the buttons can be altered, so that when pressed, the CC does not jump to the new value but glides smoothly - a neat touch! The upper/lower values of the sliders and knobs can be redefined and all controls mapped to the CCs of your choosing.

Crucially, the software enables you to configure up to four scenes for the nanoPad and nanoKontrol, switchable via a button on the device. This effectively gives 48 pads and four X-Y pads for the former and 36 channels and four transport sections for the latter. Complete setups can be saved, so you can create custom ones for your favourite apps or plug-ins.
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System requirements
(PC) Windows XP(SP2)/Vista, USB port

(MAC) OS X 10.3.9/10.4.7, USB port

Test system
(MAC) MacBook Air, 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GBRAM,OS X 10.5.5

Alternatively
Novation Nocturn cm124» 10/10 » £69
Compact controller with a crossfader, touch-sensitive knobs, LED feedback and Automap Universal 2.0 software

Korg microKontrol N/A»N/A»£259
Like having the entire nanoSeries in one package, with much better mini-keys and a funky four-way joystick control

Verdict
FOR
- Super-portable
- Ridiculously affordable
- nanoPad has a great X-Y pad
- Sturdy build of nanoPad/nanoKontrol
- Good sensitivity on nanoKontrol
- Kontrol Editor enhances functionality

Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

AGAINST
- Editing not easy for novices
- nanoKey's keyboard is pretty nasty

Each member of the nanoSeries is highly functional and extremely portable, with only the nanoKey's ropey keyboard letting the side down

MARK:
nanoKey 6/10
nanoPad 10/10
nanoKontrol 10/10
Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

cm133 - M-Audio ProKeys Sono 61 £259 (PC/ MAC)

2008-11-29T23:32:00.002+08:00

In a world of 'me too' MIDI keyboards, this one has a feature set that makes it stand out from the crowd. Allow us to explain...

Its appearance might lead you to suspect ^ otherwise, but the ProKeys Sono isn't a typical MIDI controller keyboard. It's a cross between a stage piano and a controller keyboard/interface -a novel concept in the computer music market.

Available in 88- and 61-note versions (we're reviewing the latter here), this USB device offers velocity-sensitive, semi-weighted keys and standard controller features such as pitchbend, mod wheel, octave up/down buttons, MIDI jack and sustain pedal input. The Sono is also a 16-bit/44.1kHz 2-in/2-out audio interface - you get an XLR mic input, a %" instrument input and stereo RCA inputs round the back. There are two Vt" main outputs, with a pair of 14" headphone outputs conveniently positioned at the front.

However, this controller's unique selling point is that it's also a portable digital piano with five main sounds: Grand Piano, Bright Piano, Electric Piano, Organ and Clavinet. Each of these is accessed by pressing the relevant button on the top panel. Chorus and reverb effects can be called upon in the same way.

This device goes further still by throwing in a complete bank of General MIDI patches: 128 workhorse sounds for composing entire tracks.

Flying Sono
The keyboard is class-compliant and so was recognised by our test Mac as soon as we hooked it up. As far as the onboard sounds go, the grand piano, which was sampled from a Steinway, is the pick of the bunch, and the other four voices are very convincing.

Unfortunately, calling up the GM sounds isn't quite so straightforward, requiring you to go into Edit mode. Once there, you have to either enter the program number of the desired patch or reassign the octave up/down buttons so that they can be used to scroll through the bank. However, because there's no display, you never know which sound you've selected until you actually play it, which could lead to some comical onstage moments. Quality-wise, the GM bank is pretty much as you'd expect: fine in places, but decidedly 'hobbyist' in others.

As an audio interface, the Sono performs well. There are Instrument and Mic gain knobs (plus signal and peak LEDs), and a Direct Monitor knob to balance the incoming signal without latency.

This is the kind of product that could have ended up falling between several stools, so M-Audio have done wonders. It's not the most fully featured MIDI controller we've ever tested, but it plays well. And while the keyboard isn't hammer-action, the Sono is also a credible digital piano. Whether you use it with your computer or standalone, the ProKeys Sono delivers, cm

Contact: M-Audio, 01753 659590
Web: www.maudio.co.uk
Info: ProKeys Sono 88, £319
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Operation game
One of the ProKeys Sono's biggest strengths is its versatility. When it's hooked up to a computer, it's primarily a controller and audio interface, but you can also route the internal sounds directly into your sequencer over USB. OK, you might have better versions of these in your plug-in rack, but it's still good to have this option, which can be turned on and off with a press of the D:1 key in Edit mode.

It's also possible to send MIDI data from your DAW to the Sono's internal voices. All you have to do is select the 'ProKeys Sono Voices' destination on the appropriate MIDI track(s). This could be useful to anyone who wants to play back Standard MIDI files.

Sono's standalone features, including mic and audio inputs, makes it useful for singing pianists or for jamming with other musicians such as guitarists.
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System requirements
(PC) Pentium III/AMD K7 Athlon 1GHz,
512MB RAM, Windows XP (SP2)/Vista,
128MB graphics card, USB port

(MAC) G4 1GHz,512MB RAM, OS X 10.3.9, native USB port

Test system
(MAC) G5 Dual 1.8GHZ, 1.25GB RAM, OS X 10.4.11

Alternatively
Novation XioSynth 49 cm106» 8/10 » £269
Another controller keyboard/audio interface combo, with a synth rather than piano/GM sounds
M-Audio ProKeys 88 N/A»N/A»£469
No audio interface, but this is an absolute bargain of a hammer-action digital piano

Verdict
FOR
- Extremely versatile
- Can be used with or without a computer
- Decent grand piano sound
- Plays better than many other controllers

AGAINST
- Keys aren't hammer-action
- Can be a little fiddly to use

Perfect for songwriters who want to jam and record, this is a welcome addition to the MIDI keyboard market. Well played, M-Audio. well played

MARK: 8/10
Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

D16 Group Decimort €35 (PC/ MAC)

2008-11-28T22:56:00.003+08:00

As a "high-quality" lo-fi effect we hope the latest SilverLine processor doesn't crush our dreams and leave us in bits

The latest addition to D16 Group's SilverLine range of affordable plug-ins aims to provide a high-quality alternative to lo-fi effects such as Cubase's BitCrusher, Logic's Bitcrusher, and Live's Redux. Pedants will scoff that the 'bit crusher' tag often associated with such digital lo-fi effects isn't too accurate, unless you consider crushing to be the same thing as reduction. More notably, it's not just the bit-depth that's tinkered with - the sample rate can be lowered too, a proces known as decimation.

The sample rate determines how many times a second a signal is digitally recorded - ie, sampled. The number of available digital volume levels that are used to describe each sample is dictated by the bit depth. Lowering the bit depth means that fewer values are available to represent the vertical position of each sample, leading to a 'stepped' waveform - the samples are quantised to a vertical grid. At moderate values, this adds a grungy hiss, but at extreme settings, the wave becomes very distorted.

All artifacts welcome
Though on the face of it these phenomena are undesirable, a little lo-fi can give some funky grit to a sound. Old school samplers from the 1980s were only able to sample at lower rates, giving many productions of the day a crunchy quality that today's technology doesn't impart, and many are keen to recreate such sounds.

Unlike the crude algorithms used in, say, Cubase and Live's bitcrushers, Decimort emulates how the circuitry inside analogue-to-digital and digital-to-analogue converters actually works. D16 tell us that, amongst other things, Decimort interpolates the incoming wave to reconstruct a more 'analogue' version, then applies noise to mimic the natural dither caused by circuitry.

The results are a grittier tone, without the harsh (sometimes constant) 'fizzing' artifacts of lesser crushers, albeit at the expense of higher CPU usage. Decimort really does sound like crusty old digital gear, though whether you actually think this is 'better' is a matter of taste.

Controls-wise, at Decimort's heart are the bit-depth and sample-rate reduction knobs, which range from 1-16 bits (or Off), and 0 to 44.1kHz respectively. Decimort can process left and right channels independently or together. There's also an anti-aliasing filter - see boxout.

Each channel also has a more conventional, tweakable multimode resonant filter with low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and band reject controls. These might not be anything out of the ordinary, but they have a quality sound.

Finally, there's a simple Preamp knob for overdriving the incoming sound. This is a useful effect in its own right and assists in further approximating the tones of old-school hardware. Speaking of which, the presets feature several patches based on classic bits of kit, including Akai's MPC60 and E-MU's SP-1200 samplers.

Decimort isn't groundbreaking, but it does give you very high-quality overdrive, lo-fi and filter effects in a single effect.

Contact: contact@d16.pl
Web: www.d16.pl
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No known aliases
To truly represent a signal, the sample rate must be at least twice the highest frequency present - otherwise, frequencies can be misinterpreted, creating (usually) unwanted artifacts. 44,100Hz gives a 'Nyquist frequency' of 22,050Hz; when sampling, frequencies above this are 'reflected' - eg, an inaudible sine wave of 32,O5OHz becomes an audible one at 12,O5OHz. As for playback, consider a sample rate of lOOHz: the signal level changes only 100 times a second, and each jagged 'step' is essentially distortion.

Decimort recreates these artefacts in all their filthy glory. A switch engages a reconstruction filter, smoothing the changes between output values to remove distortion, as any quality sampler would. It's not currently possible to have this filter placed before the decimator, for dirtying up synth sounds, soaring leads, etc, without introducing unmusical aliasing, but D16 say they'll be adding this in an update.
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System requirements
(PC) Windows 2000/XP, VST host

(MAC) Mac OS X 10.4.3, AU/VST host

Test system
(PC) AMD Turion 64 2GHz, 1GB RAM, Windows XP, M-Audio Fast Track Pro

Alternatively
SoundHack +decimate N/A»N/A»£Free This little freebie from SoundHack is an extremely basic bit- and sample-rate reducer

iZotope Vinyl N/A»N/A»£Free
A lo-fi effect with an analogue rather than digital approach: it makes your tracks sound like vinyl recordings

Verdict
FOR
- Very reasonably priced
- More authentic than typical bitcrushers
- Preamp is useful imts own right
- Built-in filters
- Easy to use

AGAINST
- No pre-filter anti-aliasing

Decimorts handy integration of overdrive, lo-fi and filter effects make it good value for money, and the sound is spot on

MARK:9/10
Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Voxengo Elephant 3 $90 (PC/ MAC)

2008-11-28T17:51:00.002+08:00

A focus on the user has earned Voxengo a good reputation, but can v3 of their tusked limiter survive in these wild times?

The kind of digital 'maximising' limiters that " came to the fore in the 1990s were something of a revelation in mastering, enabling one to increase the apparent level of a mixdown without unduly comprising its sound quality. Voxengo's Elephant limiter has earned a reputation as one of the finest such tools available today, and proven its worth as a mixing processor too. Now version 3 is here, with the most obvious enhancement being Voxengo's new interface style, last seen with VariSaturator (9/10, cm127), although the improvements are more than merely skin deep. Elephant is now Mac-compatible too.

What's in the trunk?
Elephant features ten presets, called 'modes', the parameters of which can be tinkered with 'under the hood' or not. You then choose between four algorithms, including a 'clean' clipping type. One of the most notable new additions is the EL UNI algorithm's Knee control, accessible via the Mode Editor. The knee determines the scale of a flexible threshold that will compress quieter sections of the signal at a lower ratio before reaching full-on brickwall limiting at the top. The result is probably the subtlest form of limiting you'll find. Other mode editing controls determine how transients are dealt with. The only thing we feel it's missing here is a wet/dry mix control.

While many mastering limiters might include a DC offset switch, Elephant 3 boasts adjustable filters with no less than 11 slope types and a finely tuneable high-pass cutoff with a range of 1Hz to 100Hz. There's dithering too, which can operate at bit depths ranging from 6- to 24-bit, and has two noise types and two shaping options.

Voxengo have clearly built this baby to be ready for anything, and to that end Elephant has been expanded to support multichannel configurations. For the very highest audio fidelity a linear-phase 8x oversampling algorithm is included. This might not be a practical feature for mix usage due to the increased CPU hit, but for critical applications like mastering, the additional clarity it brings means its not to be overlooked.

As well as changes to the internal aspects of the limiting effect itself, there have been a number of invaluable interface improvements. The new undo/redo system means you're free to experiment wildly, knowing that you can easily return to the original settings, and there's a slicker preset manager. Meanwhile, the internal routing panel enables you to set up sidechaining between multiple instances.

You might be forgiven for assuming that Elephant's forte would lie in forcibly squashing audio into shape. Ironically, though, this is a truly refined beast - even gentle, if you want it to be -and it's easy to achieve more transparent gain reduction than with most other virtual limiters. As far as sound quality goes, previous versions placed Elephant in the elite class, and v3 certainly upholds that sonic status.

Contact: Contact via website
Web: www.voxengo.com
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An elephant never forgets
Ever keen to enhance the pragmatic value of their products, Voxengo have included a system to help keep track of plug-in instances. After all, if Elephant sounds good enough to be used on a number of tracks within the mix and not just the master bus, the ability to immediately know which instance correlates to which channel is conducive to a good workflow - we've all accidentally reached for the wrong fader or adjusted the wrong plug-in instance at one point or another.

Elephant overcomes this by first allowing the user to input a name for each instance. It allows up to 18 characters and only requires the mouse to program as it features a virtual keyboard. You can also pick from one of five different colour schemes, which change instantly upon selection. There's no need to restart the plug-in for your changes to take effect and, thankfully, all the colour schemes look really good.
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System requirements
(PC) 2GHz dual core, 1GB RAM, Windows XP/Vista, VST host

(MAC) 2GHZ dual core, 1GB RAM, OS X 10.4.11, AU host

Test system
(PC) lntel Core2 Duo 1.86GHz,2GB RAM, Windows XP, Cubase 4

Alternatively
Blue Cat Audio Protector cm131»9/1O»€59
Boasts a range of applications, sounds great and is keenly priced

PSP Audioware Xenon cm124» 10/10 » $249
Sports exceptional versatility and a very transparent sound

Verdict
FOR
- Supreme transparency
- Highly customisable
- Auto-release option
- High-quality dither
- DC offset filter

AGAINST
- No wet/dry mix
- Only operates in lookahead mode

A mammoth update to this already-superb limiter proves that there's certainly no junk in Voxengo's trunk

Mark: 10/10
Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

cm133 - VirSyn Prism €199 (PC/ MAC)

2008-11-27T23:19:00.003+08:00

The German plug-in maestros return with their own take on pitchshifting. Expect the unexpected!

Pitchshifting comes in both real-time and offline varieties, and is typically applied to the full frequency spectrum of an audio file. VirSyn's Prism takes a non-standard approach to this process, employing a multiband system that allows for greater control over the results. Much like their Bark multiband EQ/compressor (8/10, cm129), this relies on linear phase band-pass filters covering 27 bands, ranging from 50Hz to 17.5kHz, and enables band-wise real-time pitchshifting by 60 semitones up or down (note that, like Bark, you'll also need a Syncrosoft dongle to use the software). If that's not boggled your mind already, they've also included a level control and individually adjustable LFOs for each band, and the thing's rounded off with a global envelope follower.

Impressive stuff, but you may be wondering what you would use such a plug-in for. VirSyn suggest that you could adjust individual elements of a loop with it, such as a kick drum, but given the massive pitch range, we're thinking it may attract anyone into sound design or general sonic mashing. One thing Prism doesn't do is formant correction, indicating that vocals and speech aren't its primary target.

Form and function
Most of the action takes place in the multiband graphic display, where you have mouse control over the band parameters. There are three main screens - Level, Shift and LFO - and, in addition to the graphic EQ-style section, context-sensitive parameter values are indicated in the bottom right corner. Level settings are the most straightforward, allowing +/-12dB per band.

Adjusting pitch and LFOs requires use of both the graphic sliders and the global knobs below. For LFOs, each graphic band can have its own speed (OHz to 100Hz), while the global LFO knob controls the overall amount for all bands (0 to 100%). For pitch, the global knobs affect all bands, while the graphic sliders act as an offset against these (up to +/-100%). The global Range knob goes right up to 60 semitones, with the F-Shift control working up to this limit (plus or minus in single cent steps).

The envelope follower is a simple attack/release design with an amount parameter enabling the amplitude of the incoming signal to control the onset of the effect. Finally, there's a global mix blend and an output gain control.

In use, Prism feels like the slickest VirSyn plug-in yet. The graphic display means you can easily get sidetracked with producing crazy and wacky effects, rendering your original sound unrecognisable. But with a bit of care (and a more restricted shifting range), it's also possible to create rich chorused effects, which can be focused on specific frequency ranges.

With Prism's fixed frequency bands matching those found in Bark (50Hz, 150Hz, 25OHz, etc), the prospect of tuning individual elements of a loop seems dependent on the sounds coinciding with those bands. In practice, we found this repitching functionality to be less successful than we'd hoped. What's more, with only ten presets to demonstrate its charms, there's also a sense that VirSyn haven't quite nailed down Prism's true potential, either. Still, Prism is evidently a powerful plug-in offering a fresh perspective on an age-old process.

Contact: info@virsyn.de
Web: www.virsyn.de
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Get a shift on
As already noted, pitchshifting comes in real-time and offline forms, with the latter typically offering superior quality along with accompanying timestretching features. On the real-time front, options vary from simple, static (ie, fixed interval) shifting plug-ins to dynamic pitch correction efforts such as AutoTune. And some options (Melodyne, for example) can look like real-time plug-ins but actually buffer and replay re-pitched audio.

Prism is most definitely a real-time affair, and this makes it both responsive enough for live use and, to some degree, automatable, although in both Cubase and Logic we found that this only included the global settings and not individual band parameters.
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System requirements
(PC) P4 1.6GHz/AthlonXP/MP, 512MB RAM, Windows XP/Vista, RTAS/VST host

(MAC) G4 1.6GHz/lntel CPU. OS X 10.4, AU/RTAS/VST host

Test system
(MAC) Apple Mac Pro Dual 3GHz, 3GB RAM, OS X 10.4.11, Logic8, Cubase 4.5

Alternatively
Waves Soundshifter N/A»N/A»$800
Includes a simple real-time version and a more complex offline one

de la mancha Pitchfork N/A»N/A»$15
This tri-band pitchshifter includes an LFO and is Windows VST only

Verdict
FOR
- Simple, easyinterface
- Real-time, band-specific pitchshifting!
- Control of level and LFO speed per band
- Shifts five octaves up and down

AGAINST
- Few presets
- No formant correction
- Limited by fixed-frequency bands

Prism offers a twist on pitchshifting and is surprisingly easy to use, though the fixed nature of its bands is a bit of a kicker

MARK: 7/10

Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

cm133 - Sonalksis Mastering Suite £320 (PC/ MAC)

2008-11-27T21:06:00.004+08:00

Sonalksis aim to master the fields of limiting, stereo imaging and dithering, but will they help your mix cut though the competition?

Sonalksis plug-ins have been firm favourites among the cm team for many years, so when we heard that the company were releasing a range of mastering plug-ins, we were excited, to say the least. And now they're here, available separately or as part of two packages. The full bundle, reviewed here, is called the Mastering Suite and consists of Ultimate-D, StereoTools, MaxLimit and MultiLimit. Each one comes in VST, RTAS and AU plug-in formats for Mac and PC (although only Mac for the AU ones, of course).

The big draw of the Mastering Suite is bound to be its pair of limiters, so we'll start with the MaxLimit program maximiser. This offers variable release time, down to 1ms, and an automatic mode, where the timing is dependent on the audio material. The Smooth knob isn't a typical limiter parameter - low settings are said to be better for all-out volume maximisation, whereas turning it up aids transparency. Finally, there's a clipping stage (with digital and analogue 'flavours') for increasing the level at the expense of added distortion.

A limiter lives or dies by its quality of sound, and our first problem with MaxLimit is that when pushed, the sound gets louder, as expected, but becomes too smooth and rounded, and you can hear the limiter working. It doesn't distort, but it never achieves the kind of weight, bounce or punch that the likes of PSP Xenon, Voxengo Elephant or Waves L3 Ultramaximizer can manage. However, the very thing that reduces MaxLimit's efficacy for mastering makes it superb at accentuating things like reverb and delay tails when used on mix elements. Funnily enough, we got more mileage out of MaxLimit as a mixing tool.

We have to say that we're not keen on the metering in MaxLimit. For example, the gain reduction meter goes all the way down to -33dB or so, but when mastering, it's common to apply far less - an average of around 3dB of attenuation is normal. Therefore, the useful range of the meter is tiny - an option to zoom in on the 0-10dB range would definitely help here.

What's more, with fast release times, the reduction meter is 'soft' when compared to other limiters, as though it's too slow to react to the changes. You have to push the limiter harder to see the same kind of meter action as with

"MultiLimit can be a great tool when used wisely, but may do more harm than good in the wrong hands"

competing limiters, and this leads to too much gain reduction if you go by the meters, and not enough meter movement when set correctly by ear!

MultiLimit is a more complex limiter that splits the signal into up to five frequency bands, applies limiting to each, then routes the lot through a broadband limiter. This enables you to apply more or less limiting to the bass, mid or treble, or even accentuate specific instruments.

MultiLimit has similar global controls to MaxLimit, as well as an optional soft knee for more gradual limiting. For each band, you can define the frequency boundaries, change the amount of limiting, set the release time as a percentage of the global release, and adjust the gain. You can solo each band to hear it in isolation, but you can't bypass it whilst doing this, which would've been useful for comparison.

As with any multiband dynamics processor, MultiLimit can be a great tool when used wisely, but may do more harm than good in the wrong hands, so it's not one for the novice engineer. It works well enough and has the basics covered, but ultimately suffers from the same limitations as MaxLimit: it's not the most transparent processor around and the metering isn't great. In use, we often achieved the most satisfactory results from MultiLimit with the meters barely showing any action.

Furthermore, it's annoying that the broadband limiter can't simply be disabled, though it seems that its action can be circumvented by setting a high global threshold and/or reducing the gain per band. This enables you to limit just the bass, for example, with the other bands untouched (incidentally, this technique works very well with MultiLimit).

Each plug-in is blessed with a clear, bold interface and chunky controls. The Sonalksis system of 'velocity sensitive' controls (slow movements give finer adjustments) is a great touch, making it easy to set precise values. Setup panels offer such goodies as different metering schemes and settings, adjustments for the steepness of MultiLimit's crossover, pan and balance law for StereoTools, and lots more.

Our only suggestion would be to move the digital/analogue clip mode switch to the front panel, as you might conceivably want to switch it mid-session.

The other two elements of the Mastering Suite are StereoTools and Ultimate-D - see the boxout for the lowdown on these.

So, should you buy into Sonalksis' mastering tools? We'd suggest trying them before you do. We're not fully convinced by the limiting algorithms, so while MultiLimit is clearly the big gun of the set, it doesn't sell the package alone. The lack of an EQ plug-in is also a tad disappointing for a mastering bundle - after all, dynamics and EQ processors are the staples of any finalising chain.

For all of our criticisms, remember that we're judging these plug-ins against the very best in the industry, and though not top of the league, they're in the upper tier for sure. They should certainly still knock the spots off the bundled equivalents in your sequencer.

Contact: Sonalksis, 0870 7660303
Web: www.sonalksis.com
Info: MultiLimit, £290; MaxLimit, £160; Stereo Tools, £130; Ultimate-D, £130; Mastering Tools bundle (MaxLimit and Stereo Tools), £200
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Ultimate-D will wrestle audio from DAW to CD by dithering according to the type of the music
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Stereo sounds aplenty: StereoTools is great for both mixing and mastering

Dithering in stereo
Ultimate-D is a tool for converting audio to lower bit depths; for example, when creating audio for compact disc, you'll dither down to 16-bit (check out Busting jargon on p15 for info). Ultimate-D is not the most glamorous of plug-ins, but it's certainly handy and has clearly labelled settings, offering options that relate to the style of the music -acoustic/electronic/hybrid - and whether the material is dynamic or compressed. This is in contrast to the selection of cryptically-named dithering schemes that many such products offer.

Next comes StereoTools, which offers buttons for phase invert, stereo flip and mid-side input mode, with sliders for balance, panning of both left and right channels, and the all-important stereo width. There's a 'zero width below' slider too, which sets the frequency (from IHz to 10kHz) below which audio will be converted to mono. This last function is undoubtedly StereoTools' killer feature, and is most useful for adding tightness and definition to the bottom end, while still enabling you to widen the treble.

Finally, there's an analyser section that can depict the stereo image in either a polar or Lissajous (goniometer) format. You can also activate a spectral analyser, for keeping an eye on the frequency distribution.

StereoTools is one of our favourites of the pack, and it's spot-on for mixing too, since the ability to widen, shrink and shift the stereo field of certain sounds is key to crafting a good mix.
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System requirements
(PC) 1GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, Windows XP/Vista, VST/RTAS host

(MAC) lntel/G4 1GHz, 512MB RAM,
OS X 10.3.9, VST/RTAS/AU host

Test system
(MAC) Apple MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 1GB RAM, OS X 10.5.2

(MAC) Apple Mac Pro Dual 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2GB, OS X 10.5.2

Alternatively
PSP Xenon cm124» 10/10 » $249
This limiter is very transparent and delivers a tough, punchy sound

Waves L3 MultiMaximizer N/A»N/A»$600
Waves' flagship multiband limiter lets you push things very hard

Verdict
FOR
- Bold, chunky interfaces
- Limiting is great on reverb and delay tails
- StereoTools is highly useful and versatile
- Ultimate-D is simple yet comprehensive

AGAINST
- Limiting not so transparent
- Metering can be misleading
- Can't defeat MultiLimit's full-range limiter
- No EQ in the bundle

Mastering Suite is undoubtedly good, though not as impressive a plug-in collection as we expected from Sonalksis

MARK: 7/10

Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

cm133 - Antares Auto-Tune Evo £280 (PC/MAC)

2008-11-27T18:54:00.005+08:00

Vocal repitching is all the rage again, making the latest evolution ot this infamous tuning plug-in all the more relevant

When it first appeared in 1997, Antares Auto-Tune fast became a near-household name, which is unusual considering that audio plug-in technology was still in its infancy. Remarkably, despite a climate of growing controversy surrounding its use, Auto-Tune was rapidly accepted as an essential tool in studios around the world. It was heard applied to vocals on countless high-ranking chart releases, most notably Cher's Believe. Auto-Tune's abilities range from gentle tuning improvements to hard, robotic tuning that's anything but subtle.

Over the years, other companies have taken shots at creating alternative tuning products, to varying degrees of success. Antares have continued to develop a variety of (mostly vocal-orientated) effect plug-ins, including new versions of Auto-Tune, raising the bar a little each time. In recent months, Auto-Tune has enjoyed a surge in popularity, with artists such as T-Pain relying on it for their signature sounds.

A giant leap
Auto-Tune Evo represents a jump in functionality. All the familiar features remain intact, of course, including highlights from Auto-Tune 5 (8/10, cmi09), such as the Humanize and Natural Vibrato controls. Many features have been vastly improved, the most impressive being note-based graphical editing, which addresses the often fiddly nature of pitch editing in previous Auto-Tune incarnations.

Auto-Tune Evo certainly pulls no punches and is noticeably more accurate than previous versions, and over a broader variety of signal sources, too. For example, earlier Auto-Tunes sometimes had trouble with octave tracking, resulting in nasty side effects. While vocals are the main focus, other monophonic instruments are also catered for - including bass - by way of the Input Type control.

Time vs pitch
Working with Auto-Tune is much quicker in the classic Auto mode, but the improved pitch tracking is perhaps even more essential in the offline Graphical mode. Instead of snapping to a predefined musical scale, this plots a clear graph of time against pitch, known as the Pitch Graph. It shares many common controls with the classic

"AutoTune Evo represents a jump in functionality. Many features have been vastly improved"

Auto mode, such as the key/scale, throat modelling and transpose settings.

However, whereas in previous versions you edited a continuous line representing frequency, Evo can make musical sense of the content and present it to you as Note Objects - it's like a monophonic piano roll for audio, which will be familiar to users of Celemony's Melodyne. The editor has its own unique set of controls, which vaguely resemble Melodyne's.

To get started, click the Track Pitch button and play back the section of audio to process. The Pitch Graph generates Evo's interpretation of the pitch, represented by a red line. Clicking the Make Notes button creates Note Objects based on the original pitch contour, using bold white blocks to indicate where each note falls. You can then make virtually unlimited adjustments to the tuning using dedicated tools. Correction Curves and Correction Lines can also be used for wilder adjustments or for designing transitions between Note Objects. Once you've made your tweaks, you'll see three contours: the original tracked pitch, the Correction Object pitch and the actual output pitch (the latter is new for Evo).

Host with the most
Because Evo synchronises playback with the host sequencer, it's a lot like having an extra editing window in your DAW. Professional results are very easy to accomplish using this system, especially as it allows free copying and pasting of Correction Objects. This means that you can repeat corrections elsewhere in the project.

Simple pitch corrections are a doddle and unruly effects just as quick to accomplish. There's even a window resizing function for the Pitch Graph mode; unfortunately, like the synchronisation feature, this only works in compatible hosts. At the time of writing, our test host (Cubase 4) doesn't support real-time window resizing, although the default is reasonably sized and it's possible to configure custom sizes from the options menu.

Other key new features include an automatable transpose control for pitchshifting the output by up to an octave in either direction, and formant correction, which gives more natural results when shifting vocals by a large amount. There's also a throat modelling feature: activate the Formant switch to use the Throat Length dial. A smaller vocal tract sounds more feminine or child-like, while a larger one sounds more masculine. Slight changes in either direction go a long way, but insane creative effects can be had with extreme settings. Bizarrely, the considerably pricier TDM version (for Pro Tools HD) doesn't have the formant or throat modeling features.

It's clear that Antares have worked hard to make Evo compete with the rivals that have popped up over the years. Although Celemony's impressive-looking polyphonic Melodyne DNA technology is about to debut, it remains to be seen whether it can oust Auto-Tune from the monophonic throne, especially when it comes to handling those all-important vocals.

Celemony speculation aside, then, Auto-Tune Evo does its job remarkably well and sets new standards for vocal processing. It's stable, tidy, flexible and sounds simply awesome.

Contact: Sonic 8,08701 657 456
Web: www.antarestech.com
Info: Upgrade, $129; TDM version, £450
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Setting your vocals to a musical scale, throat modelling and wild effects can all be achieved with Auto-Tune Evo
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Tuning up is easy in Auto-Tune Evo's Pitch Graph mode, especially when using note objects

The numbers game
One of the finest new features of Auto-Tune Evo is related to note objects in the Pitch Graph mode. While other graphical tuning software packages have been known to demand a great level of skill and a significant amount of time, Antares have managed to simplify the process with the Number of Note Objects dial.

Essentially, this control enables you to define the level of detail with which you can edit Note Objects. With fewer Note Objects, you'll be working with big blocks of notes; with more, musical phrases are split into multiple chunks, with fewer wild pitch modulations within. It's readily comparable to working with the sensitivity control in a hit-point editor such as Recycle, whereby the higher the detail, the greater editing control you have over the audio.

Combine the Number of Note Objects tool with all the other editing features and it should be clear why we love Auto-Tune Evo so much. It's very easy to achieve quick results, but just as importantly, all the tools are there for fine surgical adjustments - you can even set the Retune Speed for each correction object. Particularly when working with vocals, where you're keen to maintain as natural a sound as possible, these tools are awesome.
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System requirements
(PC) Windows XP/Vista, VST/RTAS host

(MAC) OS X 10.4.11, VST/AU/RTAS host

Test system
(PC) Core 2 Duo 1.86GHZ, 2GB RAM, WindowsXP

Alternatively
Celemony Melodyne plugin cm110» 9/10 » £250
Auto-Tune's biggest threat, sporting many similar features

GVST GSnap N/A»N/A»£Free
Windows plug-in with the most basic automatic tuning features

Verdict
FOR
- Easier to use than ever
- More control over fine details
- Note Objects system is great
- Sounds impossibly good
- More creative applications
- Two MIDI input modes

AGAINST
- No formant mode included in TDM version

The best iteration of Auto-Tune yet offers great new features, easier editing and improved sound quality. Viva Evo!

MARK: 9/10
Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

cm133 - Steinberg CC121 £313 (PC/ MAC)

2008-11-27T14:33:00.003+08:00

With Cubase now featuring advanced hardware integration, it's time to assess the spiritual successor to the venerable Houston controller

Hardware controllers - love them or loathe them, they've become a significant part of the computer music landscape. And although styles vary considerably, it's hard to argue that a unit purpose-built for a particular application doesn't have considerable benefits - thankfully, this is the path chosen by Steinberg for their new CC121 controller. Sporting the same 'Advanced Integration' tag as their new MR interfaces, the CC121 is the result of a synergy between the teams at Steinberg and their parent company Yamaha. Also like the MR, the CC121 requires the new Al-equipped versions of Cubase, meaning only version 4.5 or the included, slimmed-down Cubase Al will work with it. Unsurprisingly, given that the last dedicated Cubase controller from Steinberg - Houston - failed to take off, they've shied away from such a grand design this time around, and the CC121 is both compact and, at just over £300, reasonably priced.

Silver bullet
With only Cubase to cater for, the CC121's features are very specific. The left-hand side is dominated by a 100mm touch-sensitive, motorised fader, which is accompanied by a rotary pan controller. At the bottom are two Channel Select buttons for switching back and forth through mixer channels. Also on the left-hand strip are eight backlit function buttons that match Cubase's VST Channel settings: solo, mute, automation read and write, track arm,

"The CC121 is an extremely well conceived controller. It's compact and reasonably priced"

monitor, instrument edit and effects edit. The middle section of the CC121 is dominated by 12 rotary controllers and six buttons dedicated purely to Cubase's built-in Channel EQ. Below these you'll find the transport controls.

The controls we've mentioned so far are 'hardwired' and can't be reassigned. However, that's not the case with the right-hand section, the main feature of which is the amusingly named AI Knob. Although you can just use this as a jog wheel, its Al-specific feature is far more impressive - point at a control in Cubase with your mouse and the dial is instantly assigned to that parameter. What's more, by using the lock button, you can move the mouse cursor away and still keep the assignment. To round things off, at the top right are four configurable function keys and a single rotary encoder - see the Fully functional boxout for more details on these.

On the technical front, the CC121 needs a standard USB connection (ie, not via a hub or peripheral) and is bus-powered. However, the motorised fader requires more juice than the USB connection can supply, so there's also an additional PSU included. Round the back you'll also find the power switch and a socket for the optional footswitch (which can be assigned as another function - start recording, for example).

Colour by numbers
Anyone who has any experience of using hardware controllers will be aware that getting connected can have pitfalls. The first big positive for the CC121 is that there's a dedicated indicator in the top right-hand corner that flashes when you're properly hooked up, turning solid after you launch Cubase and get full integration. Next up and also a big plus are the backlit channel settings buttons, which are colour-coded to match those in Cubase's GUI.

In practice, although the colour coding is useful, the simple layout and dedicated buttons make it easy to feel your way around without taking your eyes off your software. This is particularly true for the EQ section, where working with the four dedicated bands is akin to using a traditional mixing console.

As mentioned, the fader is both motorised and touch sensitive, and the sensitivity can be adjusted. Because there's only one fader, channel selection is done either on-screen or by using the channel select buttons, but you might be surprised that there's no means to jump between channel types (eg, to quickly adjust auxiliary channel settings) or banks. As mentioned already, if you remove the PSU and run solely on USB bus power, the fader won't shift to match your settings. With no VCA-style offset mode, using it in this way is pretty pointless. Also, with no indicators or readouts of any sort on the unit, you have to look at the computer screen to be sure of which channel you've selected.

The point and control 'AI Knob' is a neat idea, but you'll no doubt be aware that Cubase already enable many parameters to be adjusted using a regular mouse wheel. It's the Lock mode that proves truly valuable here and is only limited by the fact that support is restricted to VST3 plug-ins and certain Cubase parameters.

In control?
The CC121 is an extremely well conceived box. It sits easily alongside your keyboard and mouse, working in harmony with them rather than competing. The construction is solid and the unit is heavy enough that it doesn't slip around on the desktop. The obvious limitation is that it's for Cubase only, but also, the dedicated EQ knobs seem a bit like overkill given that not everyone likes to use the Cubase's built-in EQ, and that there are no dedicated controls for any other plug-ins.

Whether the CC121 will meet your needs is going to depend on what kind of user you are, but its integrated design, easy learning curve and compact footprint easily outweigh its small technical limitations. Nice work, Steinberg.

Contact: Steinberg
Web: www.steinberg.net
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Mixing and matching the user-assigned function buttons, rotary encoder and optional footswitch couldn't be simpler

Fully functional
Although the majority of the CC121's keys offer fixed functions to match those in Cubase, it does include four configurable backlit keys and one rotary encoder. In addition, they've also included two pre-configured templates for Cubase's Studio Control and Monitor Control options. Accessible from the Remote Devices tab in the Device Setup screen, these options are self-explanatory, tying in with the Control Room to allow level control and monitor selection. One additional plus is that the encoder is also a push-button (it's the only one on the CC121 like this) that activates and deactivates the selected Control Room channels.

As well as those two ready-made templates, you can also go for the user-assignable option, giving you individual control over the function keys and rotary encoder. However, the rotary encoder is limited to four level-based options: metronome, main mix, CR volume and CR phones. The buttons, on the other hand, can be assigned to any of the hundreds of functions available in the category list, ranging from Tools to Edit to Save.

In practice, we found it worked well as a quick route to opening windows or selecting tools, and although many of these functions already exist as key commands, the convenience of having them to hand on the CC121 proves extremely liberating.
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System requirements
(PC) Pentium 1.4GHz, 512MB RAM,
Windows XP/ Vista (32-bit). USB port

(MAC) G4 1GHZ/Core Solo 1.5GHZ, 512MB RAM,OS X10.4,USB port

Test system
(MAC) Apple Mac Pro dual 3GHz,3GB
RAM, OS X 10.4.11, Cubase 4.5.1

Alternatively
Presonus FaderPort cm111» 7/10 » £159
The FaderPort offers good value but lacks full Cubase integration

Frontier AlphaTrack cm116» 9/10 » £149
Surprisingly flexible and supports many different applications

Verdict
FOR
- Easy to learn
- Mirrors Cubase features
- Compact, yet solid and weighty
- Useful AI Knob Lock option
- Configurable function keys

AGAINST
- No parameter readout
- EQ dials can't control anything else
-AI Knob limited in applications

Despite some drawbacks, the CC121 wins over in a number of important areas where many controllers come up short

MARK: 9/10
Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

cm133 - Spectrasonics Omnisphere £299 (PC/ MAC)

2008-11-26T20:42:00.006+08:00

The creators of Atmosphere have finally unleashed their flagship synth, amid the sort of hype you might expect around a Hollywood movie

Unless you've been in another galaxy for the past year or so, you've no doubt witnessed the Omnisphere hype machine in full swing. From cryptic full-page adverts and online videos to tantalising hints on web forums, anticipation has been at fever pitch. But can it live up to all that? Yes, in short, for Spectrasonics have wrought something of a sonic masterwork in this, their new flagship product. It's bursting with a brilliantly conceived sample library and possesses a crackingly good synthesis engine.

Despite rumours to the contrary, installing Omnisphere is not a full day's work. Spread across six DVDs, getting to the playtime stage occupied just over three hours of our afternoon. Once you've got it installed, it's available as a VST, AU or RTAS plug-in. Do note that the stated system requirements are a tad heavy, demanding a minimum of 2GB RAM. Still, we tried it on a machine with 1GB RAM, just to see, and it was quite usable, if not sprightly.

Architectural digest
Making use of Spectrasonics' new synthesis engine - known as the Steam Engine - Omnisphere sports a familiar structure. A patch is composed of two layers, each housing a complete signal path consisting of up to five oscillators pumped through a dual multimode filter. Each oscillator can be based upon the much-lauded sample content or pure synthesis routines (see boxout for more on this).

At the most basic level, the Main Controls page offers quick access to global filtering, octave position, pitchbend range, velocity scaling and glide controls. You can select the desired sound sources and mix between the two layers.

Clicking into the Edit page brings up the basic synthesis parameters. All of the expected modulation sources are offered, including a sextet of LFOs and eight envelope generators. Though the latter appear at first glance to be of the four-stage ADSR variety, a click on the Zoom button reveals a thoroughly modern multistage affair, complete with loop points and the ability to sync. Likewise, clicking the modest Modulation section's Zoom button reveals a full mod matrix with no less than 28 sources and 64 targets.

This sort of hidden complexity is rife throughout the instrument's architecture. Rather

"Here's a multi-layered instrument in which each level offers still deeper sound control"

than befuddle us with a bevy of parameters and lofty terminology, the developers have presented a multi-layered instrument in which each level offers still deeper control over the sound. Many users will no doubt be happy to make a few broad tweaks and hone the presets.

Pause for effects
In addition, FX and Arp pages are present and correct. There are over 30 different effects - you can choose up to four per layer and another four 'common' effects to slather over the lot, plus four Aux FX racks and a Mastering rack. A selection of preset single and multi-effects patches are provided. All of the usual suspects are in play, including reverbs, delays and EQs, along with some groovy extras, like a Valve Radio effect.

Unsurprisingly, Omnisphere has a built-in arpeggiator for each patch. 32 steps are provided, and you can spread your burblings across four octaves. Naturally, there's a swing function. Less predictably, the whole thing can groove-lock to the rhythm of a Spectrasonics Stylus loop or that of any MIDI file.

You can also have up to eight patches on the go at once using the Stack Mode, which also enables you to set up keyboard/velocity/ controller splits and crossfades.

A sound design
Omnisphere's collection of samples is nothing short of astonishing, amounting to over 40GB of content. From classic synths to electric/acoustic instruments, virtually any and every sound source imaginable has been tapped. The 'psychoacoustic' selection contains not only the now-famous burning piano, but also melting circuit boards, human screams, light dimmers and bowed, well, everything. The sound designers have avoided obvious gimmickry and instead crafted their samples into inspiring, musically useful instruments. There are hundreds upon hundreds of sound sources here and it was hard finding more than a handful that didn't intrigue, inspire and engage our imaginations. Oh, and did we mention that the entire Atmosphere Core Library is included? You can download an update for all of Atmosphere's factory patches as well.

Omnisphere isn't without its faults, however. The default level of some of the patches is very high, even to the point of distorting the output bus, and the synth's demands on the host system can be considerable with some patches. Some users may also be fairly disappointed to learn that they can't import their own samples.

Nevertheless, it is a remarkable achievement, providing a wealth of material for both preset players and seasoned synthesists. Best of all, Omnisphere begs to be played, and it responds easily and naturally to MIDI control.

Omnisphere isn't the last word in virtual instruments. It won't give you The Perfect Piano or provide a 'band in a box'. It is, first and foremost, an evocative sound design tool, and we'll surely be hearing it all over movie trailers, soundtracks and advertisements in the coming months - for the professional, it's an obligatory purchase. The price tag might appear a little daunting, but anyone who coughs up the dough will get far more than they bargained for.

Contact: Time+Space, 01837 55200
Web: www.spectrasonics.net
Info: Upgrade from Atmosphere, $249
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Hidden beneath Omnisphere's simple ADSR envelope generators are flexible multistage monsters!
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Omnisphere's sample set is as cool as it gets, but don't overlook its dynamite DSP synthesis

Synthetic dreams
As noted, each layer in Omnisphere is equipped with up to five oscillators that can draw upon the sample library or synthesised waveforms. By selecting Synth rather than Sample in the oscillator section, you can choose up to four different waveforms, all generated in real time. There are, of course, triangle, sine and noise waveforms, along with hybrids called SawSquare Fat and SawSquare Bright, but that's only for starters.

When using synth waves, the oscillator controls adapt to include Hard Sync, Symmetry and Shape parameters, along with an Analog knob for adding a dash of desirable imperfection. Said controls give the power to create a wide variety of rich, complex waveforms that can be further enhanced by frequency and ring modulation, waveshaping, and Omnisphere's wicked unison functions.

There's also something called Harmonia, which brings in additional polyphonic oscilators, with panning, level, detune and waveshaping controls for each of the four voices (Unison and Harmonia are likewise available to the sampled waveforms, along with a keen granular synthesis function). All of this appears at the oscillator level, so you can, of course, pump it through the rest of Omnisphere's architecture and combine it with the provided samples.
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System requirements
(PC) 3GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, Windows XP
(SP2)/ Vista, VST 24/RTAS host, 5OGB HD space

(MAC) 2GHz G5/lntel CPU, 2GB RAM,
OS X 10.4.9, AU/VST 2.4/RTAS host,
50GB HD space

Test system
(MAC) 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac， 2GB RAM, OS X 10.4.11, Cubase 4, Live 7

Alternatively
Camel Audio Alchemy N/A»N/A»£127
Out soon, this employs additive, spectral and granular synthesis and has loads of sampled content

Dangerous Bear Prometheus N/A»N/A»$100
This Windows-only instrument caters to those with unusual tastes

Verdict
FOR
- Brilliant, creative sample set
- Excellent patch programming
- Deep synthesis functions
- Huge number of modulation options
- Atmosphere sounds included, too!

AGAINST
- Some patches too loud
- Requires plenty of RAM and speedy CPU

Omnisphere is a magnificent instrument and while it isn't easy on the wallet - or the CPU - you won't feel shortchanged

MARK: 10/10
Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

cm133 - Audio Damage Automaton $49 (PC/ MAC)

2008-11-26T18:06:00.006+08:00

With the year coming to an end, isn't it about time Audio Damage wowed us with yet another processing plug-in?

Audio Damage are as consistent as they are prolific. At their most conventional, they put an exciting new spin on a standard effect; at other times, their plug-ins are downright unusual. Their latest falls into the latter camp.

Automaton is an 'effects sequencer' plug-in, with four different processors in series. However, the interesting thing about it is its triggering mechanism, which is an adapted version of the classic mathematical construction known as a 'cellular automaton'. Without going into too much detail, this is a grid of ceils that follows a few simple rules to create ever-evolving patterns - see the boxout for further info.

Automaton takes this concept and enables the user to insert trigger points into the grid. When the ever-growing pattern (shown in white) overlaps the user-defined points (blue, green, red and orange), the assigned effect is activated.

As for the effects themselves, we'd have to say they're every bit as good as Audio Damage's other efforts. Stutter repeats small sections of audio, creating buzzing and bleeping noises. Modulate is a ring modulator. Bitcrush is aptly named. And Replicate is a slightly watered-down version of Audio Damage's Replicant.

Each effect has its own sets of parameters, and certain control knobs also have two additional sliders labelled'?' and "P". The first of these offers additional random modulation of the adjacent knob, while P (Population) offers modulation according to the number of active triggers for that processor. For example, if the mutating white cells are currently covering several of the orange BitCrush trigger cells, the number of covered cells has an influence on any parameters in the BitCrush processor with their P slider turned up.

Automaton's main drawback is that for all its genius and innovation, it is a pretty unruly beast. Audio Damage have a reputation for occasionally producing plug-ins that are tricky to master (Replicant and Dr Device spring to mind), but we reckon Automaton takes first prize. Even after days of solid experimentation, we found it quite tricky to use in real-world projects. For example, what sounds good on one sample rarely works on anything else, as opposed to Replicant, where a bit of tweaking is usually all that's needed. Automaton is instead best used as a source of inspiration or the basis of a fresh composition.

Our other concern is that it does just one thing, albeit very well: it creates glitchy versions of whatever you put into it. With this in mind, we have to mark Automaton down a bit. However, if you make any style of music that utilises glitches and esoteric bleeps, then it's yet another must-buy from Audio Damage, cm

Web: www.audiodamage.com
Contact: info@audiodamage.com
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Life is the name of the game
Cellular automata are based around a grid, and, in Automaton, each cell in the grid can be in one of two states: dead or alive (lit or unlit). With each 'turn', the new state of every cell is calculated in accordance with a set of rules, which are typically related to the configuration of a cell's adjacent neighbours. In Automaton, each step occurs in sync with the tempo.

The most famous cellular automaton is without doubt John Conway's The Game of Life, and its rules are represented here. Others include Gnarl, Replicator and Serviettes, but there's a dead simple Sequencer one too, which makes the grid behave much like a typical step sequencer.

You can draw in the initial state of the grid, and either let the pattern to endlessly mutate, or use the Sequence Reset parameter to recall the original pattern (or a random one) at certain intervals, bringing a little order to proceedings.

System requirements
(PC) 600MHz, Windows XP/Vista, 512MB RAM, VST host

(MAC) lntel/G4/G5 CPU OS X 10.4, 512MB
RAM, AU/ VST host

Test system
(MAC) Apple MacBook Pro, Intel Core Duo 2.2GHZ, 1GB RAM, OS X 10.5.2

(MAC) Apple Mac Pro, Dual Quad-Core Intel Xeon 2.8 GHz, 2GB RAM, OS X 10.5.2

Alternatively
Smart Electronix SupaTrigga N/A»N/A»£Free
For conventional glitching that sounds great on just about anything, look no further

Audio Damage Replicant cm111» 10/10 » $49
More manageable and universally useful glitching with its own random element, this is a safer bet

Verdict
FOR
- Novel, graphical concept
- Creates unpredictable effects
- Perfect for glitch-orientated music
- Tried and tested Audio Damage quality

AGAINST
- Extremely tricky to master
- Not the most versatile plug-in

Overall it's a great plug-in, and very novel, but Automaton is quite tricky to master, even by Audio Damage's standards

MARK: 8/10

Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

cm132 - MOTU Electric Keys £199 (PC/ MAC)

2008-11-18T21:58:00.005+08:00

Mark Of The Unicorn have arrived late to the sampled electric keyboard collection party, but will they be the life and soul?

Certain synthesizer sounds may drift in and out of fashion, but it seems that vintage keyboard tones are perennially popular. Producers call on Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds on a daily basis, while electric organs are used by musicians in genres as diverse as rock, jazz and dance.

It's these instruments (and others) that MOTU have sampled for their Electric Keys package, demanding up to 40GB of hard drive space (you can pick and choose soundbanks). The manual suggests that you copy the soundbank files to your hard disk before running the installer -these are spread across five DVDs, so it can take some time. What's more, it states that you can put them on any internal or external drive (or drives), provided it spins at a minimum of 72OORPM and is NTFS or HFS+ formatted.

Frustratingly, our tests indicated otherwise. Whenever we tried to run Electric Keys with the soundbanks on a separate drive, the software simply didn't find them, and there's no option to browse to them. Some users have solved this problem by creating aliases, but the only way we could get Electric Keys to run was to put the soundbanks in a specific folder on the main disk.

Keaneon
Not a good start, then, but thankfully things improve when (or if) you do get up and running, and an iLok dongle is supplied, in case you don't already have one. The interface, which changes skin depending on which keyboard you have loaded, is very straightforward, offering, from left to right: master volume and pan controls, preset and combi browsing, a button to open up the FX Rack, then tone and tremolo controls. You can also open an Expert Settings window that enables you to get your hands dirty with some of Electric Keys' more advanced features (there's filter and amp/filter envelopes, for example).

As you'd expect, though, the most impressive thing about Electric Keys is its soundset. The electric pianos are solid - though there's nothing here to blow away the competition - and the organs sound appropriately 'vintage', too. The library goes way beyond these usual suspects, though, throwing funky Clavinets, 80s-sounding e-pianos (think Phil Collins and Keane), string machines, a tape sampler, and a few lesser-known keyboard instruments into the mix. Helpfully, the manual tells you which artists each type of 'board is most associated with.

As well as the numerous presets, you also get a good selection of Combis; Electric Keys' architecture enables you to layer up two sounds at once, each of which can have its own volume, pan and effects settings.

Despite getting off to a dodgy start with the installation procedure, Electric Keys eventually won us over - you can't really argue with the quality of the results you can get with it. If you can spare a couple of hundred quid and 40GB of disk space (which may or may not have to be on your system drive), it hits the mark, cm

Contact: Musictrack, 01767 313447
Web: www.motu.com
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Rack 'em up
Many of the vintage electric keyboard sounds we're familiar with hearing on record weren't created exclusively with classic instruments - in many cases, an effects processor or two was involved as well.

It's wholly fitting, then, that Electric Keys should come with its own suite of effects. These processors aren't found on the main interface; instead, you have to click the FX Rack button to open a dedicated window. Sitting at the top of this is the Amp Simulator, while below you'll find Filter, Phaser, Flanger, Chorus and Vinyl sections. Down at the bottom are Delay and Reverb processors. The signal runs through the effects in pretty much the order listed (though the Vinyl processor sits at the very end of the chain) and the Rack can do a good job of giving your sounds that extra bit of oomph. There are some useful multi-effect presets - our only real grumble is that you can't use the FX Rack as a separate plug-in.
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System requirements
(PC) P4/AMD 1GHz, 1GB RAM, USB port for iLok (supplied), Windows XP/Vista, VST/ RTAS/DXi host for plug-in operation

(MAC) 1GHz, 1GB RAM, USB port for iLok (supplied), OS X 10.4, AU/VST/MAS/RTAS host for plug-in operation

Test system
(PC) Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz, Windows
XP SP2, 3 GB RAM, Cubase 4 Studio

Alternatively
Native Instruments Elektrik Piano cm75» 8/10 » £170
Emulates Fender Rhodes models, Wurlitzer A 200 and a Clavinet E7

AAS Lounge Lizard 3 cm97» 9/10 » £149
The sounds here are physically modelled rather than sampled

Verdict
For
- Sounds great
- Very easy to use
- SlickTXRack
- iLok is included

AGAINST
- Problems with installation

Once you've got it working. Electric Keys gives you all the classic keyboard sounds that you're ever likely to need

MARK: 7/10

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