After the first flood of fast and capable computers came a deluge of pretty darn good VIs (virtual instruments). These were (and still can be) very nice, and many have been updated to sound even better then when first introduced. And recent DAWs now include a nice set of VIs. But with the newer generation of multiprocessor computers have come a powerful new group of VIs that are worth trying out. Some may not be on your radar, hence this article.
Over the past year or so, I've discovered some new VI titles that are really impressive. These often require the latest and most powerful computer technology, but heck, if you’re in the biz, you have that anyway.
This latest generation has had me removing older titles from my drives in droves (decent alliteration there, eh?). I’m not going to do a formal review of these titles, the purpose of this rant is to stimulate exploration. And I'm only mentioning titles I've stumbled on during the past year; there are plenty of titles from before then that I think are great and still love.
First up are synths:
Alchemy
An English product by the geniuses at Camel Audio, I absolutely love this for its ability to create stunning soundscapes and textures. What comes with it is great, and you can also import audio files to create new sounds. It’s got a matrix a lot like NI’s Kore products, so you can morph the presets in real-time and automate the morphing. There isn’t much it can’t do, and I think it’s every bit the equal of Omnisphere in capability, a synth one hears more about that is also sample-based.
Circle
I was hipped to this one by my friend Marco Lehmann, an amazing composer, sound designer and producer from Frankfurt, Germany. Like the others, it eats up CPU like crazy, but it sounds huge. It also has a really interesting and unique interface, and an amazing set of modulation and filter routings. It’s a very cool take on the wave-table synthesis idea. It’s made by FAW out of Scotland.
D-CAM Synth Squad
Yeah circle takes a lot of CPU, but this one takes even more, and it’s worth it. If you want that old-skool analog thing, it’s happening on this one in spades. The package is three synths plus a host synth that allows you to layer the other three with lots of effects that in and of themselves sound really great. The result is a very cool product that can do the classic analog synth tricks, yet can be made to sound as modern as tomorrow. I’ll bet you can tell I like this one.
Gladiator
This is German company Tone2’s new kind of synthesis using what they call harmonic content modeling. And it does sound different; really new, exciting, and absolutely gigantic. I was staggered by the sound quality and versatility of this synth. Despite the many options the interface provides, it comes with an excellent tutorial and once you get your head around its concepts, it’s easy to use. It’s also easier on your CPU than the ones listed above. This is a brilliant product, and while it can sound as analog as the others, it’s also capable of incredible new soundscapes. And if you’re into techno or dance music, you’ll love this thing.
Zebra 2.5
Urs Heckmann has improved this one; it was already a great title, but now it smokes. It sounds bigger, richer and bolder than before. Kind of like a great coffee vs instant coffee. Again, it’s got a wonderful routing architecture, and it’s very easy to program.
Samplers and Romplers:
Independence Pro
From Germany comes the best sampler I’ve used so far, software or hardware, Independence Pro. Not only does its engine sound great, not only does it load other VIs from its interface, but the quality of the included samples is far better than most competing products. Listen to the basses alone and you will be convinced. It’s also got a brilliant interface, the best on-board effects of any sampler I’ve tried, and it’s logically laid out and easy to use. It doesn’t try to look like something from outer space; instead it looks like something designed for the studio. It’s also a wonderful sampler. This replaced some very well known VI samplers on my system. That it comes with a nice set of orchestral samples from Kirk Hunter is a big plus.
East-West Player Products
I finally decided it was time to replace my venerable set of Miroslav Vitous orchestral samples that had migrated over the years from my Kurzweil hardware, to be converted for MOTU’s Mach Five, and later used in IK’s Philarmonik. The Miroslav samples did their duty, but a newer generation of VIs with key-switching options, release sounds, and zillions more articulations, arguably better recorded sound, etc., finally did them in.
After I listened to the demos at the East-West site, I downloaded a free demo version with a few orchestral sounds. After hearing the demo, I bought Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra because I wanted its ability to mock up gorgeous “Hollywood” sounding orchestral sounds, complete with RELEASE reverb as part of the samples. I can’t tell you how impressed I am with this product. Try the free demo on their website and see for yourself.
After I bought this one, I sprung for Pianos. Nothing else I’ve played or heard so faithfully captures the feeling of playing a real piano, and the ones here are great ones.
Try the demos of these products and you might find that you agree with my assessment.
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