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
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