ONE-SHOTS
Jul 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Dave Hill Jr.
PSP Audioware Lexicon PSP 42, PSP 84
VIRTUAL EFFECTS UNITS
If you remember Lexicon's original PCM 42, you are likely well aware that the good people of Lexicon are part of a company committed to the “sound after the sound,” as in chorusing, flanging, reverberating, echoing, delaying and ahead-of-their-time looping devices. Tapping into this legacy is Poland's first software developer, PSP (Professional Sound Projects), with its Lexicon-endorsed remake, PSP 42, and its own bigger, badder rebuild, PSP 84. If you are into tape delay, flanging, echo effects and analog-style tape saturation, these two premium-blend plugs are a joy to play with. Take the (up to) 10 seconds of delay afforded by PSP 84, with five synchable LFO modulation sources, as well as spring and plate reverbs, and your sound-design options just multiplied with more than 60 expertly programmed factory presets. Or check out Lexicon PSP 42's tight chorusing and rich feedback effects with up to 9,600 ms of delay, miniphrase (loop) sampling, lowpass filtering and beautiful-sounding tape-saturation algorithms — it's really just too much.
Because the delays are able to tightly synchronize to the host tempo, I had a ball feeding the PSPs small percussive loop phrases and then tweaking the daylights out of the delay time, depth, rate and modulation settings. All of the controls are MIDI-assignable and automatable and are said to work with Emagic Logic Control. Both virtual rackmount-style plug-ins are bundled for $199 ($150 if purchased separately) and available for PC (VST, DirectX) and Mac (VST, MAS) from the PSP Website. An Audio Units version is due in the near future. I should mention that PSP 84 did sap my G4/667MHz processor by about a third, the 42 by about 20 percent. At the time of this writing, a single Lexicon PCM 42 is listed for $1,000 on eBay and, interestingly enough, without a single bid.
Product Summary
PSP AUDIOWARE
LEXICON PSP 42, PSP 84 > $199 (BUNDLE)
At a glance: VST, MAS and DirectX delay and multi-effects.
Contact: tel. 48-60-196-3173; e-mail contact@pspaudioware.com; Web www.pspaudioware.com
Plugsound Vol. 2 Fretted Instruments
VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT
In November 2002, Remix reviewed three of Plugsound's tasty little UVI-empowered sample libraries, and in case you don't remember, the mag liked what it heard. The premise is quite simple: 670 MB of sample bang for just a few bucks. With the release of Vol. 2 Fretted Instruments, Plugsound delivers 256 carefully sampled and assembled patches of some of the world's most commonly sought-after stringed instruments. You'll find about 90 electric and 50 acoustic guitars, 45 electric basses, more than a dozen harps and acoustic basses, a few banjos and more than 30 world-music gems (such as Celtic guitars, sitars and West Indies basses). Most of the patches require between 5 and 30 MB of RAM to run, as well as a VST, RTAS or MAS host — OS X and Audio Units support is coming soon.
The UVI interface is straightforward with ADSR amplitude and filter-envelope controls, four frequency filters (one highpass and three lowpass), four velocity curves, a slightly erratic LFO (with rate and depth settings) and helpful built-in reverb controls. Zone or single-note editing is also featured for dampening overly bright strings or fine-tuning a single note. In terms of sounds, the quality of the upright basses and slide instruments is impressive. The Bonus and Best of PS02 patch groups feature a dynamic Dobro With U47s (with string bends), a dark and charming Oud and an inspiring Jazz Guitar-Full, which gives both hard plucks and full tones depending on how it is played. I was a little disappointed in the electric-guitars section, which may be okay for single-note use. However, electric guitars are among the most difficult instruments to sample because a guitarist's tone is so personal. Then again, so are sample libraries.
Product Summary
PLUGSOUND (DIST. BY ILIO
VOL. 2 FRETTED INSTRUMENTS > $99
At a glance: Virtual-instrument sample library.
Contact: tel. (800) 747-4546; e-mail info@ilio.com; Web www.illio.com
Useful Noise V2
EXS24 SAMPLE CD
From the depths of ex — Nine Inch Nails cohort Keith Hillebrandt's “evil lair” come 650 MB of twisted textures, extreme beat sequences and sassy one-shot samples sure to rattle your speakers' nerves. Although billed primarily as an EXS24 mk II instrument library, Useful Noise V2's included REX2 files can be imported easily into a number of programs. Determining just what kinds of sources that Hillebrandt sampled to make his “useful noises” would be a good debate, but, somehow, these once-horrific audio specimens have been modified, modulated and melted down to become a charming, original and even musical mix of digistatic clamor.
V2's robust drum one-shot collection includes upwards of 60 hissing hi-hats, 100 thwacky kick drums, 40 odd percussion sounds and 100 highly varied snare drums. Loops come in the form of groove menus, in which each MIDI note is a different loop synchronized to the tempo for maximum jam potential. As an added bonus, owners of V2 will be granted access to a members-only area on the Useful Noise Website, with weekly updates currently housing more than 100 MB of stressed-out loops and agitated samples. Many of the EXS patches offer a stark-sounding original and additional “Mod” patches with more ambient, softer tendencies. For example, a normal static patch called “Insulate” is followed immediately by the more ambient (that is, usable) “Insulate Mod” patch. By doing this, Hillebrandt gives you both the raw and the cooked and ultimately promotes creativity. Although Hillebrandt's second version of Useful Noise may sound like an oxymoron to some, to makers of glitch and “microsound” electronica, or to the hardcore and industrial-music contingent, these searing sounds have become a way of life.
Product Summary
USEFUL NOISE
USEFUL NOISE V2 > $99
At a glance: EXS24 sample library with REX files.
Contact: e-mail info@usefulnoise.com; Web www.usefulnoise.com
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