ONE-SHOTS
Nov 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Jason Scott Alexander
PSP AUDIOWARE NITRO
FILTERS TAKEN TO THE SALT FLATS
Okay, so I get visions of juiced-up cars doing crazy land speeds when I hear the word nitro. The folks at PSP Audioware obviously think of multimode filters, instead. This stereo plug-in is divided into four modules, or operators, as PSP calls them. Each operator has a clear and simple interface consisting mainly of two soft knobs (typically assigned to filter cutoff and resonance, respectively) and a level fader, making mixing tone colors a snap. The heavier tweaking and parameter assignments are performed within the centrally positioned and intuitive graphic LCD. There, you start by configuring as many as four operators in any conceivable manner, including 11 predefined “popular” configurations. Next, you select operator types: simple 12dB/octave lowpass, bandpass or highpass; biquad lowpass, bandpass, highpass or notch; Moog-style 24dB/octave lowpass, bandpass or highpass; or cubic/linear 20Hz to 20kHz combing filter. Additionally, Nitro has a plethora of frequency effects, such as phaser, downsampler/bit-crusher, waveshaper, stereo width/balance, left and right panner and fractional-time delay.
Modulation is handled by two detailed LFOs with host-sync or time-based rhythm modes; a parameter-rich envelope follower; ADSR; and a flexible 16-in, 16-out mod matrix. As the 64 presets impressively demonstrate, Nitro is far more than just a filter bank. Yes, the self-oscillating 12dB and Moog filters can be deliciously saturated and destructive, but by combining the filters with the surplus effects and comprehensive time-based modulation routings, you can achieve complex polyrhythmic tremolos, delayed-filter choruses, dancing wah-wahs, “water drop” flanges and more for some pretty insane sound-design possibilities. I would like to have seen more radical filter models thrown in, including some esoteric classic copies, but what is provided should delight even the most hardened filter jockey.
Product Summary
PSP AUDIOWARE
NITRO > $149
At a glance: VST, DirectX, Audio Units, RTAS effects plug-in.
Contact: tel. 48-60-196-31-73; e-mail contact@pspaudioware.com; Web www.pspaudioware.com
EAST WEST/SOUNDS ONLINE ADRENALINE
ANGER MANAGEMENT NECESSARY
Somebody at East West's marketing department clearly had a thing for adjectives when it came time to design packaging for Adrenaline: “pumping raw construction kits … stomping industrial beats … tear-your-face-off guitars.” Hell, what's left for me to say? Hosted by a special version of Native Instruments' Intakt sampler (plug-in or stand-alone), Adrenaline packs nearly 1.5 GB of said mayhem onto a single DVD.
Arranged into 56 kits — typically containing 10 to 20 stereo loops or elements such as drums, bass, guitars, synths, sound effects and so forth — each kit is eight bars in length with tempos ranging from 68 to 148 bpm. Each element is a complete phrase mapped to its own key and plays back in time with neighboring elements no matter when you trigger a MIDI Note On message, allowing for real-time arrangement. The overall mood of the library could be summed up as trippy industrial/goth and sci-fi/suspense. There are angry moments — pushy beat boxes and frenetic drummers; inventive, distorted power chords and haunting guitar lines by the truckload; and some extremely cool NIN-style effected keyboard and piano action, too — but after a while, it all seemed somehow repetitive. If you're producing aggressive pop or hip-hop, IDM or scores for video games, Adrenaline is an inspiring quick-score solution.
Product Summary
EAST WEST/SOUNDS ONLINE
ADRENALINE > $129.95
At a glance: Construction-kit-style library. Stand-alone, VSTi, DXi, RTAS, Audio Units. Requires Windows XP or Mac OS 10.2.6.
Contact: tel. (800) 833-8339; e-mail info@soundsonline.com; Web www.soundsonline.com
WUSIK DOT COM WUSIKSTATION
GET DIRECTIVE WITH YOUR SOUND
This Windows-only sample-based vector synthesizer sounds unlike anything currently residing in your plug-in folder. Generating the silkiest, most organic-sounding and infinitely evolving motion-filled soundscapes I've ever heard from one synth, a Wusikstation preset is broken down into six sonic layers: Four layers act similarly to a single-oscillator subtractive synth while the latter two, labeled W1 and W2, carry out wave-sequencing duties. Each layer has its own ADSR envelope, four 2x oversampled polyphonic filters (2-pole, 4-pole) with resonant lowpass, bandpass, highpass and notch modes; four EQs; and two effects sends to the synth's dual effects processors. A simple but often cumbersome step-edit interface allows as many as 32 waves to be loaded into each W layer and sequenced into a maximum of 128 steps. Across all layers, there are four additional master filters and EQ, eight modulation envelopes, eight LFOs, a massive 36-slot mod matrix and an x-y pad to control direction of your vector sweeps between layers. The factory source samples are impressively comprehensive, covering such famous keys as the ARP 2600, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 and more. Strange name included, Wusikstation is an instantly gratifying revelation in today's VSTi wars.
Product Summary
WUSIK DOT COM
WUSIKSTATION > $99.95
At a glance: Sample-based vector and wave-sequencing VSTi with unbeatable sonic character at near-shareware price. Windows only.
Contact: e-mail info@wusik.com; Web www.wusik.com
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