ARTURIA ARP2600 V
May 1, 2005 12:00 PM, BY DOUG EISENGREIN
Since the release of its first ambitious software product, dubbed Storm (a competitor of Propellerhead Reason), France-based Arturia has been reintroducing through software hardware-synthesizer classics such as Yamaha's CS-80 and the much-loved Moog Modular and Minimoog. The company's latest bold adventure is the rebirthing of the legendary semimodular ARP 2600. Arturia's ARP2600 V is the fruit of this mad science project. The original 2600 has been the darling of many of the world's most respected musicians of the past three decades, including Herbie Hancock; Joe Zawinul; Ian Underwood (Frank Zappa); and, more recently, Aphex Twin. First introduced in 1972, the 2600 saw three slightly different product versions throughout a 10-year stint. In 1976, ARP produced the Model 1601 16-step analog sequencer, which has also been reinvented with intense detail in 2600 V. Arturia didn't stop at a mere replication, however; new features such as bank and preset memory and recall, MIDI sync and control mapping, multiple-destination module routing and 32-note polyphony (the originals were monophonic) are some of the modern goodies.
2600 V can be installed on a PC running Windows 98SE/2000/XP; on a Macintosh, it runs on Mac OS X. Although the user interface is relatively simple (there are fewer than 20 total menu items), the app needs a fairly new system for optimum performance. I installed it on a Mac G4 running Mac OS 10.3.8 and on a Windows XP laptop, and although the test Mac was an older machine with a slightly slower CPU, 2600 V ran just fine. As the PC was a newer machine with a 2.4GHz CPU, I did most of my testing on it. The software runs in stand-alone mode with support for ASIO, Direct Sound and Core Audio drivers. It runs as an HTDM or Audio Units plug-in on the Mac, as DXi under Windows and as VST and RTAS formats on both. There is support for multiple sample rates as high as 96 kHz, and bit rates can go as high as 64. Installation on both machines was a breeze; the software asks only for your name and the serial number, and there is no dongle. The manual is short and easy to read. One downside, however, is the lack of a PDF or online manual; according to Arturia, this was a deliberate decision to combat piracy issues.
GIMME SOME SKIN
I found 2600 V to be quite stable on both platforms. The user interface is beautifully crafted and uses a single scrollable window. Directly below the menus is a toolbar that includes global controls such as MIDI channel, octave range and soundcard settings. More than 400 presets are included; these are arranged in a hierarchical structure of Banks, Sub-Banks and Presets. There are separate menus on the toolbar to choose from among these three, along with Save and Save As buttons for custom preset storage. Handy buttons jump the view of 2600 V from Synth to Sequencer/Keyboard to All. In All mode, the window is vertically resizable, but I found the repetitious mouse-clicks to be rather clunky. Fortunately, you only have to do this once; alternately, you can click and drag vertically to bring different sections of 2600 V into view.
The program's skin chooser selects among the color schemes of the ARP originals, including Blue Meanie, Grey Meanie and orange-on-black. Like the original, ARP2600 V is semimodular; the different modules are internally prewired so that patch cords are unnecessary to produce sound, yet a plethora of patching jacks is present for endless restructuring, and patching is as simple as a click-and-drag from one jack to another. All components of the original ARP are present, including three VCOs; one VCF; a VCA; a synchable LFO; two envelopes; sample and hold; an envelope follower; ring mod; a sweepable noise generator; and all of the proper switches, pots and schematic-style graphics. Augmenting all of this vintage goodness are chorus and stereo delay effects as well as a Tracking Generator with a quad-color oscilloscope and graphic waveform-editing tools. Below the synth is the sequencer, which can generate two-by-eight- or one-by-16-note sequences. It sports duplicates of all vintage Model 1601 Sequencer controls, the addition of a multi-waveform LFO (relocated from the keyboard for visual convenience) and a global mixer section. At the bottom of the window is the keyboard with its various controls and jacks.
So how does 2600 V sound? Two words: vintage and massive. I spent several hours cruising through just the presets and couldn't get enough. You get the sense that there's no sound that this synth can't create. The presets range from the dirtiest of growls to the sweetest of whistles, from the warmest leads to the coldest polar atmospheres — all the way to the most anachronistic sci-fi bleeping sequences. Banks begin with 2600 Patch Book, which contains a subbank of “basic” instruments such as Trumpet and Violin to nonbasics such as Theremin and Electric Harp. These range from good approximations to the obviously synthesized. What makes them “basic” is not the choice of tones, but the architecture of the controls and lack of intermodule cables. Next in the 2600 Patch Book are subbanks for “advanced” instruments and sound effects; these contain more complex presets. Following those, the banks are organized by sound-designer name. Subbanks within those are neatly organized by category, such as bass, pad, sequence and so forth. This makes it a breeze to call up a template and start tweaking. Finally, a bank labeled All contains the subbanks from all banks. If you know, for instance, that there is a killer bass somewhere, you can simply browse through all basses. The cool thing about this system is that if you create custom banks and subbanks, your subbanks will appear in the All list — unless their names are already defined, in which case your new presets will be found in the appropriate pre-existing subbank. In other words, file management is easy: You won't end up with 25 subbanks all named Bass.
Speaking of bass, like virtually all of its preset categories, ARP2600 V contains some killer basses. There is everything from dirty, randomly morphing patches to the most organic, round, pulsating square waves with long sustain to the deepest of foundation-rumbling subs. In the EFX category, I was turned on by '70s-era Pink Floyd modulations; R2D2-like chatter; subterranean sonar pulses; the sounds of ghosts, ducks, helicopters and munching insects; the crackling of a bonfire; slow, dripping sounds of leaky basement pipes; and much more. This category contains some of the most original presets I've heard on any synth in quite some time. Many are three-dimensional-sounding and instantly conjure soundtrack inspirations. The Pads category contains some tasty redefined Rhodes, Wurlitzers and organs — it has plenty of warm, sweeping pads; mysterious and other emotional goods; morphing, cerebral dreamscapes; and lots of gravelly, grainy tones and weird panning sequenced pads. The Sequences section contains the most musical patterns, from funky robotics to just plain cheeky stuff. There are Kraftwerk “Tour de France”-style chimes to crunchy industrial-electro numbers. Some sequences are random while others are sequential. Styles cover everything from the Casio-like tone of Cheap Bossa to '80s synth pop to synthesized walking blues bass to hypnotic portamentos. The Leads section is also full of variety, including somewhat expected sounds, such as modulating square waves and bold horns, but also flying saucers, subterranean sonar, slightly detuned choruses, sinister distortions, dirty old organs, noisy bagpipes and a ton more for the picking. I could go on and on about the presets, but the point is that there's a lot of great variety, with minimal cheese.
MATHEMATICS MASSIVE
Looking at the synth modules in detail, it's evident that each oscillator has identical linear pots for controlling Initial Osc. Frequency and Fine Tune, and VCOs 2 and 3 have pots for Pulse Width. The initial frequencies can be tuned up or down two octaves in semitones. Each oscillator features a frequency range switch with 4, 8, 16, 32 and LF positions (one octave above to two octaves below and low frequency), as well as a variety of FM inputs. Each has a jack prewired for keyboard CV. VCOs 1 and 2 have two jacks each that are prewired for modulation by the sample and hold and ADSR, plus a jack for modulation by the other VCO. VCOs 2 and 3 have inputs that are prewired to the Noise Generator, and oscillator 3 has inputs prewired to the sine and triangle of oscillator 2. VCO1 has output jacks for saw and square waves whereas VCOs 2 and 3 feature outputs for sine, saw, triangle and pulse. In short, there is a ton of flexibility with the oscillator preconfigurations and patching possibilities.
The filter (VCF) section is a big upgrade from the original due to its multimode possibilities. The original ARPs featured a fixed 24dB lowpass filter, but 2600 V adds 12dB lowpass, highpass, bandpass and notch types. It includes linear pots for cutoff and frequency Fine Tune, filter Resonance and Notch Frequency. Audio-input jacks with corresponding linear controls are prewired to ring modulator, VCOs 1 and 2 square waves, VCO3 sawtooth, and noise. The modulation inputs are preconfigured to keyboard CV, ADSR and VCO2 sine, and an output jack is present. Again, there is a great deal of flexibility for tone shaping within the VCF, and (this is true of all the modules) all linear potentiometers are smooth sailing. The two envelope modules each have linear pots for time and voltage controls (ADSR and AR, respectively) and audio-output jacks. The AR section has an input prewired to sample and hold and outputs for gate and trigger, as well as a switch that flips triggers between keyboard and sample-and-hold clock. The envelopes act as you would expect: With them, you can move swiftly between long sustained tones and meticulously shaped staccatos. The amplifier (VCA) section contains four jacks with corresponding linear pots prewired to Filter and Ring Mod audio and AR and ADSR modulation; all are summed to an output jack.
2600 V's effects combine new and old. The original Reverb is present along with Chorus and Delay (new additions). Reverb features independent stereo gains, and though it is only one type, it sounds vintage and beautifully cavernous with just the perfect tinge of metallic sheen. Even at full tilt, the dry signal remains plenty clear while the reverberation just keeps getting bigger, as if the room size were growing. The Chorus and Delay effects (along with the Frequency Tracking section) are found in a unique place: behind the original speaker panels. Each panel cover can be raised or lowered to reveal or hide the controls. Chorus includes three linear pots: Rate, Depth and Dry/Wet. Delay sports stereo pots for Delay Time and Delay Feedback, as well as a single Dry/Wet control. Delay can sync to MIDI and allows you to dial in just a subtle tint or totally color the sound — without destroying it. Feedback is delightfully slow on the rise, and no matter where I put the Time controls, it never sounded arrhythmic. Chorus can provide just the slightest double voice or the wildest of warble tones. The Noise Generator section sports two pots: One controls level, and one continuously varies the color from low-frequency to pink to white. The color transition is quite smooth, and like Reverb, Noise never reaches overkill. The Voltage Processors section is a miniature matrix; there are eight audio/mod inputs set in pairs with a crossfader/summing volume for each. Each has an audio-output jack and a Lag Generator, which allows for the continuous smoothing of input waveforms. Input signals can be inverted, and all eight inputs can be summed to one output. The Sample Hold module, which can be synched to MIDI, has an input jack for sampling an external trigger and is prewired to the Noise Generator. There are faders for Level and Rate; jacks for audio output, internal clock output and external clock input; and Electronic Switch jacks for alternating two sources depending upon clock speed.
Last but definitely not least is the new Tracking Generator. This module's purpose is to extend the synth's modulation capabilities, and it does so with vigor. It contains four audio inputs, frequency-tracking pots, frequency-tracking Smooth pots and audio outputs. Edit buttons take you to a pop-up screen where you can graphically edit a max of four waveforms with tools such as pencil, eraser, sine, square and noise. In both windows, active waveforms appear in four discernible colors.
SEQUENCER 16
Looking at the Sequencer, you can see 16 three-position Gate (trigger) switches that correspond to three input jacks, one per bus. Below are 16 sliders for tuning each step and switches that alternate between 16-step (16/1) and two-by-eight-step (8/2) and between Sequential and Random. In 16-step Sequential mode, all steps are played through before repeating; in 8/2 mode, the two sections are layered and played simultaneously at double tempo. Jacks are present for Position input and Sequencer Clock output. The Sequencer Oscillator section contains three buttons; one starts and stops the Sequencer, another skips one step per press, and another resets the sequence to the beginning (in Sequential mode). There are input jacks for all three buttons, and either Reset or Skip can be linked to gate 3. In this way, you are not tied to just eight- or 16-step sequences; you can play sequences of any length between one and 16. Sequencer tempo and modulation are controlled by linear sliders; one is for Clock Frequency, one is for modulation of the clock, and one is for Impulse Width modulation. To the left are global sequencer controls such as Global Tuning, Mono/Poly and Legato/Re-trigger. Beside the global controls is the repositioned LFO section, which produces triangle, square, saw and sine waves with an output for each. It can be synched to MIDI, and there are sliders for LFO Speed, LFO Delay and Vibrato Depth. Vibrato has its own input jack. On the far right is a small array of sequencer inputs and outputs. There is a single CV input and a pair of inputs for signal quantization. Also included are pairs of outputs for both quantized and nonquantized signals, and the quantization capabilities are measured in semitones. This section provides excellent control of precise tuning or loose four-octave range for the sequencer.
The Model 3620-emulated keyboard module displays 49 keys; extra octaves sound above and below if played with a wider MIDI controller. It has a circular pitch-bend pot labeled Transpose, and for you note-bending freaks, a Range dial allows you to adjust this from one semitone to four octaves. Also present is a slider for adjusting portamento, along with an on/off switch. There are three different footswitch jacks: Portamento, Latch (sustain) and Footswitch Output. The module has dual Keyboard CV output jacks and separate outputs for Pitch Bend, Mod Wheel, Velocity and (best of all) After Touch. Once again, even the keyboard controls on 2600 V provide massive potential for sound shaping. One of the best features is the MIDI-learn and mapping capabilities. Although most commercial soft synths incorporate this capability, many do not include it on virtually all of their controls.
THE PROOF IS IN THE DETAILS
Even with this exhaustive description I've given, I did not cover plenty of 2600 V's details due to lack of space. And that pretty much sums up this beast: There are simply too many sonic and signal-routing possibilities to adequately describe here. I'll just summarize by saying that for both novices and experienced users alike, Arturia's revamping of ARP's classic synth looks and sounds incredible; it is stable and efficient; and it shouldn't get boring for a very long time — if ever.
ARTURIA
ARP2600 V > $310
Pros: Top-notch vintage sound. Excellent analog emulation. Beautiful reproductions of the controls, look and sound of original ARP Models 1601, 2600 and 3620. Stable in stand-alone and plug-in modes. Lots of great presets, more available as downloads. Easy to patch and save custom presets. Easy MIDI mapping.
Cons: Awkward window resizing. Requires MIDI controller. No QWERTY keyboard remote. Aggressive system requirements. No virtual manual.
Contact: www.arturia.com
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
MAC: G4/1GHz; 256 MB RAM; Mac OS 10.2; 55 MB available hard-disk space
PC: Intel-compatible/1GHz; 256 MB RAM; Windows 98SE/2000/XP; 55 MB available hard-disk space; DirectX- or ASIO-compatible soundcard
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