APPLIED ACOUSTICS ULTRA ANALOG VA-1

Apr 1, 2005 12:00 PM, BY JASON SCOTT ALEXANDER

ONE STOP SYNTHING > Ultra Analog VA-1 boasts a classic two-oscillator design, a streamlined single-screen user interface and a massive factory sound library that includes more than 400 presets.

Applied Acoustics is one of those rare boutique software houses that has a clear vision of its place within the industry — focusing on its strengths, not an assortment of meandering product lines — and consistently hits the target with each new release. In just five short years, this Montreal-based company has made a name for itself as the physical-modeling specialist to watch; many know its work well in the bang-on electric-piano simulator Lounge Lizard and the brilliantly maturing Tassman modular-synthesizer series.

Borrowing from Tassman's subtractive-synthesis department, the Ultra Analog VA-1 (which stands for Virtual Analog version 1) leaves behind the models of pianos, strings, brass, wood and other physical instruments and materials, concentrating instead on the modeling of classic analog-synthesizer components. Anything but a simple extraction from Tassman, though, Ultra Analog builds on and adds to everything that was missing in Tassman from an analog perspective: all-new oscillators, filters, envelopes, LFOs, arpeggiator and presets! It's not the deepest virtual analog out there, but it's the sound that counts. So dig in to find out if the results warrant the Ultra moniker.

PLUGGING IN

Ultra Analog can operate as a stand-alone application as well as with any host program that supports VST, Audio Units, RTAS (Mac only) or DXi plug-in formats. Compatible with Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP and Mac OS 10.2 or later, it comes with relatively modest minimum system requirements for a piece of VA software these days — an attribute of some damn efficient coding, I'm sure. Wanting to put it through its paces with contemporary-level horsepower, though, I tested it on a Pentium 4/3.2GHz with 2 GB of RAM and Windows XP. I ran Ultra Analog about equal time in stand-alone mode as I did as a VST instrument from within Steinberg Nuendo 2.0.

You're given the choice of installing any or all of the stand-alone and plug-in versions (as supported by your computer), with a full installation taking approximately 14 MB of space. Authorization is of the typical challenge-and-response variety, made relatively effortless if you're installing on a computer connected to the Web. Simply enter your serial number, and the installer kicks back a 24-character challenge code, automatically launches your default Web browser and takes you to the Applied Acoustics authorization site. After filling out a short personal-info request form, you're given a response code that you copy and paste back into the waiting dialog box. Within 30 seconds, start to finish, I had UA unlocked and ready to roll. You may send in your authorization details from another computer or via telephone, fax or mail. No grace period is given. You can authorize the program as many as three times, which is nice. And if you beg just the right way, Applied Acoustics says that it will even provide more install keys depending on your specific situation.

Upon first launching Ultra Analog, you must go through the preferences setup, whereby you declare your audio and MIDI device driver choices. On the PC, Ultra Analog's internal sampling rate and buffer size are determined by your audio card's control panel, not set from within UA itself. Although this obviously doesn't present a problem in plug-in mode, where you can simply reinstantiate Ultra Analog until your heart (or CPU) is content, the lack of support for multiple MIDI channels and multiport audio output reduces Ultra Analog to being a very inefficient and expensive use of your computer in stand-alone mode.

Of note, I downloaded and reviewed the latest version 1.01 update, which offers, aside from some minor bug fixes, a version of the Audio Units plug-in that passes Apple Logic 7's AU validation with flying colors, as well as an updated manual. Although the retail version comes with a printed manual, download purchasers will be happy to see that a PDF of the thorough manual is installed and can be accessed on its own or launched from within Ultra Analog itself.

GUIDED TOUR

When Ultra Analog was first announced (and before I received it for review), I — along with many Applied Acoustics loyalists — found it far too easy to want to draw early comparisons between what was already in Tassman 4 and what was being promised in UA. Indeed, T4 owners were curious if UA had features that truly made it better at doing analog than Tassman. My curiosities were quickly laid to rest, as, really, there is no comparison; these two products are entirely different and unique creatures. For one, Tassman is a modular synth intended for unlimited expansion and multisynthesis experimentation — UA is not; it's hard-wired around a classic two-oscillator, dual-filter subtractive design. Furthermore, every component within UA has been completely remodeled with superior-sounding analog algorithms and pimped with lots of extra goodies. It's important to realize that Ultra Analog does not aim to be a verbatim replica of any particular classic synth. Rather, it generically comprises carefully chosen components and features of an analog ideal and puts them under one roof.

Ultra Analog opens to a primary screen that is vaguely akin to Tassman's general layout but, stylistically, a bit of a departure for Applied Acoustics. Gone are the black horizontal minirack modules with near-photo-realistic controls, and in their place is a bright color-coded schema that makes finding your way around subtractive synthesis a snap whether a novice or a veteran. The different control elements have been grouped together into three sections in the graphical user interface. The main section, the synthesis pane, clearly identifies oscillators, LFOs and noise source in blue; filters and filter envelopes in red; and amplifiers and their envelopes in green. These modules have been arranged in two symmetrical rows, following the general internal signal flow of the synthesizer. To the left of this is the control section in gray, displaying modules related to performance and the processing of incoming MIDI events. Finally, across the top is a white pane acting as an output stage, which includes a multi-effects module, a master clock module, a master level and a handy performance recorder module for exporting WAVs to your DAW. To the left of the whole shebang resides the preset browser, a typical telescopic drop-down file and folder tree. Across the top is the menu bar with provisions for setting Ultra Analog's maximum polyphony (as high as 32-voice, stand-alone or per plug-in instance), current operating MIDI channel (1 through 16 on port selected in preferences) and several other features (discussed later).

THE ANALOG BITS

The primary sound sources of the synthesizer are two of the best-sounding analog oscillators I've heard in any virtual synth. Miraculously free of aliasing, they feature standard wave shapes, including sine, sawtooth, rectangle and white noise. The dual-oscillator modules each provide fine control of the pitch (octave, semi, detune), pulse-width modulation and hard sync. The pitch of each oscillator can be independently modulated using the keyboard and LFO gain knobs, and the same LFO can be summoned to modulate the pulse width. A simple embedded ramp generator allows you to vary the pitch as a key is depressed, using the Time knob to determine the time that it takes for the pitch to glide from the starting pitch (as set by the Amount knob) to the oscillator's effective pitch.

Throughout the Ultra Analog interface, there are several tiny LED indicators, called Inverters, that you use to invert a given control knob's functional value. For example, when the LED of the Inverter button next to the Amount knob is on, the starting pitch of the oscillator will be below that of the note played and will then rise to the correct pitch after the note is played. When the Inverter LED is off, the note will start high and then fall to the correct pitch.

Each oscillator module contains a suboscillator, which generates a wave one octave below the main oscillator. The shape of the suboscillator is a square wave when the oscillator shape is set to rectangle or square and a sine wave when the oscillator is set to sine. The adjoining Sub/Ratio knob pulls double duty in dialing up suboscillator amount or setting the ratio between the synchronization frequency and the oscillator frequency in hard sync mode (where the sub is rendered useless) by a factor from 1 to 20. Finally, the amplitude of each oscillator is set using the respective level knobs, while the F1 and F2 knobs of each oscillator module can be panned to set the amount of signal sent to each of the dual filters. Adjacent to the Oscillator 1 module is the Noise module, which generates white noise followed by an integrated -6dB/octave lowpass filter whose cutoff frequency is adjusted using the Color knob. Noise level can be similarly panned between filters using its own Level and F1 and F2 knobs.

Filters 1 and 2 are identical multimode modules patched in a unique and flexible manner to allow their use in parallel, series or any combination of both. A really cool feature is that the cutoff frequency of Filter 2 can be locked to that of Filter 1 by clicking on the Slave button on the Filter 2 panel. This effectively latches the two filters, and the Cutoff knob of Filter 2 becomes a control for setting the offset frequency between them. Filter types include resonant lowpass, bandpass, highpass, band-reject/notch and a unique formant filter that uses three peaking EQ filters to mimic the human vocal tract (tongue, mouth opening, nasal cavity) for achieving all sorts of cool vocaloid vowel effects. The available filter slopes are 2-pole (-12dB/octave for lowpass and highpass, -6dB/octave for bandpass) and 4-pole (-24dB/octave and -12dB/octave, respectively). Also, six different saturation algorithms (three symmetrical, three asymmetrical) can be applied to each filter using the Drive parameter. These distortion patterns range from very subtle to trashed circuit. After filtering, the signal is sent on to the Amplifier module for leveling and panning. Both filters have their own amplifiers with independent modulation sources.

Each oscillator line carries its own dedicated LFO, filter-envelope and amplifier-envelope modules. The dual independent LFOs act as primary modulation sources for the Oscillator, Filter and Amp modules with selectable wave shapes, including sine, triangle, rectangle, random 1 and random 2. A pulse-width knob controls the symmetry of rectangular and triangular waves. Phase, sync, reset and fade-in controls are also provided. The only additional modulation sources along each path come in the form of two loopable and velocity-sensitive envelope generators connected to the filter and amplifier modules, respectively. These envelopes deserve some special mention. Arranged as ADSTR with free-run (one-shot) and legato trigger-mode support, there is plenty of keyboard-interactive shaping possibility. Plus, with the added feature of adjusting the slope of envelope segments from linear to exponential, frequency and attenuation sculpting is about as flexible as you could want. Of course, basic pitch and velocity modulation from the keyboard can be sourced to the Oscillator, Filter and Amp modules. But the point is, modulation in Ultra Analog has been pared down to a rudimentary and linear structure with no resemblance to a configurable matrix or routable multisource. In other words, there's enough ammunition to be dangerous but not enough flexibility, in my opinion, to be overtly experimental.

ULTRA EXTRAS

In the Keyboard section of the Control pane, you're presented with global tuning; unison (two- or four-part); mode of operation (mono- or polyphonic); note priority; and a funky pair of controls labeled Stretch and Error, which allow you to stretch the octaves or add random pitch error to each note played for a more analoglike tuning experience. Just below that are the Portamento, Vibrato and Arpeggiator modules.

The arpeggiator is a rather simple affair, playing patterns in typical up, down and up/down directions (but no chorded play!) and with as great as four octaves of range. The rhythmic presets weren't the most charming I've heard, but given that it offers a fully programmable 16-step sequencer display, you can quickly edit these or assemble your own.

Across the top, in the output stage resides the stereo Effects section, which comprises Chorus, Delay and Reverb modules. The effects are all clock-synchronizable, and each features identical Mix, Depth and Rate controls. The units' signal flow, called Topology in the Effects panel, can take on any of four configurations with chorus and delay in series, inverted series and biparallel, always being combine-fed into the reverb at the end. The ping-pong-type delays were fun, and the reverbs were silky enough to do an admirable job, but the Chorus module truly won me over. (I'm a big fan of classic-sounding analog chorus effects.) Reportedly not modeled on any vintage devices in particular, the chorus models that Applied Acoustics chose do have a really cool retro personality to my ears.

SOUND OFF

Quite honestly, I never got around to checking out all 400-plus presets that come stock with Ultra Analog. After hitting on a dozen or so winners in a row, my programming senses got the better of me, and I began having way too much fun to care. But I schlepped my way back from time to time to get a feel for the extremes of what this thing can do. Covering a wide range of sounds, the factory presets are divvied up by category into 12 folders, including Ambient, Arpeggiator, Bass, Effect, Keys, Lead, Orchestral, Organ, Pad, Percussive, Polysynth and Vocal (the latter making particular use of the formant filters). The basses are absolutely fantastic, covering just about all of the hot destinations, and there are some real gems in the poly, leads and arpgeggiator categories, too.

With the virtual-analog market so incredibly overcrowded at this time, it's a brave move for Applied Acoustics to step forward with a product like Ultra Analog. Is it what I'd call an ultra-analog synth today? Maybe not — not in the typical sense, at least. Complexity isn't always the keystone to a successful product. Is it what I'd call ultra-analog-sounding? Unequivocally, you betcha! Although I don't expect anyone with half a dozen or so virtual-analog synths (software or otherwise) in their arsenal to be easily compelled to buy yet another, Ultra Analog's competitive price should be just the incentive for any curiosity seekers out there.