ONE-SHOTS
Nov 1, 2005 12:00 PM, By Jason Scott Alexander
SONIC CHARGE µTONIC 2.0
DRUM-MACHINE PLUG-IN
The first update to the inaugural µTonic beatbox VSTi — created by Magnus Lidström, best known for his work in creating the Malström synthesizer in Propellerhead Reason — largely focuses on improvements in usability with features such as direct beat previewing in the file browser, MIDI-controller support with MIDI Learn, a new pitched MIDI mode, individual outputs and much more. Sonically, µTonic is a real gem offering a highly organic-sounding drum and percussion synthesizer combined with a fast and intuitive programmable pattern-based drum-machine engine.
Being 100 percent synthetic and rendered in real time (not a single sample is used throughout), µTonic features eight channels of fully programmable drum and percussion synthesizers that can be edited and automated using familiar subtractive synthesis parameters. For each channel, a single steady or pitch-modulated oscillator, noise generator and multimode-filter module can be combined to create an endless variety of cool-sounding stuff, from vintage beat-box emulations to animated LFO percussion. Patterns can be as long as 16 steps; chained together; assigned host-synchronizable step lengths, swing percentages and instrument fill rates (2x to 8x); and even exported as MIDI files or bounced to WAV. Pitched MIDI mode makes playing melodies or dropping snare rolls a breeze, as each of the eight drum synths gets assigned MIDI channels 1 to 8, and you have the entire keyboard for each channel.
SONIC CHARGE
µTONIC 2.0 > $89
At a glance: Synthetic drum machine. VSTi 2.0 for Windows (2000 or later) and Mac OS X (10.2 or later). Mac AU version due by end of the year.
Contact: www.soniccharge.com
MODERN BEATS VINTAGE MACHINEZ 1
SAMPLE COLLECTION
In Vintage Machinez 1, 12 beat boxes are proudly on display, including the Roland TR series, the Linn 9000, the Electro-Harmonix 16 and 32, and the Acetone FR-1. Available only as a multiformat download containing both standard WAV and native software-sampler files, Vintage Machinez offers a huge selection of 1,056 classic drum-machine samples in HALion, EXS24, Kontakt, Battery, SF2 and NN-XT formats. Each machine's kit has been sampled in three distinctive ways: remastered mono, unique stereo and Xtreme versions specifically geared for hip-hop's bounce, Dirty South and crunk styles. Pristinely captured throughout, the mono and stereo versions are pure representations whereas the Xtreme kit sounds have been tastily tweaked through doubling, split/panned layering, distortion, filtering and so forth. Due to the nature and number of sounds found in the original machines, a standard keymapping would have been impossible to use throughout the library, though each kit does provide identical layouts for its mono, stereo and Xtreme versions.
Be it nostalgic gear lust or simply the delight to have all of these great classic sounds (as well as a few surprises) in one volume, I grinned every time I played this library. Through your soft sampler's edit parameters, you can, of course, home in on velocity levels, envelopes, pitch, LFO, filters, discrete effects and more — capabilities not even present on many of the original machines — to create some awesome new-school material from the oldest old-school sources. Despite the marketing, this should not be thought of as strictly a hip-hop library. The Xtreme versions, in particular, are big-EQ'd and equally ready for the mix or dancefloor in any style.
MODERN BEATS
VINTAGE MACHINEZ 1 > $29.95
At a glance: Remastered sounds from classic beat boxes. Available in all popular soft-sampler formats, plus standard WAV and SF2.
Contact: www.modernbeats.com
BIG FISH AUDIO FIRST CALL HORNS
MODERN-BRASS VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT
Too timid to drop a prefab sax line into your trippy original jazz tracks? Muted-trumpet synth presets too lame for your downtempo masterpiece? Big Fish Audio has been working hard to fill this void for quite a while now, and the attention to quality and time invested is clearly evident in First Call Horns. Furnished on DVD, the 1.5GB library of exquisitely captured and programmed 24-bit horn multisamples is the first to tackle the niche market of contemporary-sounding brass.
Powered by a customized and slimmed-down Native Instruments Kontakt host engine that's available for Windows and Mac stand-alone as well as in VST, DXi, RTAS and AU formats, every conceivable brass horn is present in both solo and section varieties. Included are lead and piccolo trumpets; soprano, alto, tenor and baritone sax; trombone; flügelhorn; and French horn. The trumpets and trombones come in both open and muted (plunger, cup, bucket and harmon) variations, and plenty of articulations have been recorded for each instrument throughout the library, including legato, vibrato, mellow, staccato, various swell lengths, bends, lip trills, stabs, flutter, glissando and more. A special key-switch program can be used to call up each of these during a sequence, and a large number of riffs and improvisational sections are also provided as separate programs. Although literature on disc claims the modulation wheel is intended to act as a reverse volume control — simulating swells and breath pressure — adjusting the mod simply modulated pitch as normal. Working with the articulations proved no more cumbersome than any other key-switching exercise, though programming convincing brass lines is up there with violin and acoustic guitar. Still, the end results smoked anything I had previously done, and the in-your-face clarity of both the solo and section trumpets and saxes, especially, should prove advantageous to you trip-hop and chill-music producers out there.
BIG FISH AUDIO
FIRST CALL HORNS > $299.95
At a glance: Brass multisample library created with pop, Latin, rock and jazz in mind. Stand-alone, VST, DXi, RTAS, AU for PC or Mac. Tascam GS3 — format library due shortly.
Contact: www.bigfishaudio.com
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