ONE-SHOTS
Jun 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Dave Hill Jr.
Groovecube Technologies Exciton
VST SYNTH
It used to be tough to find inexpensive software synthesizers that were stable on both Mac and PC platforms, received regular bug fixes and created sounds that you still respected in the morning. Lately, however, the market has witnessed an onslaught of kitschy, clever and highly customizable VST Instruments. Topping the latest list is Groovecube's debut, Exciton. Programmed by Yuji Miyane, Exciton's tight housing of two identical oscillators, built-in effects and a multitude of filter-shaping options delivers a functional and compellingly original sonic flavor. Like any good synth, Exciton can get weird, nasty and plain unlovable — only to turn the corner with a single tweak of a knob and thus transform into something altogether wonderful. Comparing its sound to Emagic's ES1 or ES2 (two totally different animals), Exciton's basses do sound a hair thin. However, pitting Exciton against the lot of VST Instruments, the newcomer shines with originality. You can choose from sine, saw, triangle and pulse oscillators, as well as six waveform LFOs for shaping the 128 user-customizable patches. Several authentic-sounding organs (Plain, Clean and Church), a couple of eerie leads (Clipped Sine, Acid Saw) and some inspiring sci-fi effects (Plateaux, Nautilus 7000 and Gravity Field) are among Exciton's most notable patches. Stay tuned for free user-made patches and an Audio Units version (for Mac OS X). Now that is Exciton.
Product Summary
GROOVECUBE TECHNOLOGIES
EXCITON > $75
At a glance: Twin-oscillator VST synth. Best for leads, pads and percussion.
Contact: e-mail yuji@groovecube.com; Web www.groovecube.com
Q UP Arts Voices of the Aztecs
EXS24 LIBRARY
Eight hundred years ago, the Aztec people made up the most advanced civilization on the planet. Although no one can attest to their musical prowess or to how their instruments were used, you can now hear how they might have once sounded. Voices of the Aztecs provides an interesting new palette of sampled one-shots and loops of some of the world's most unknown instruments. Percussive sounds range from clay and wood Native American — sounding drums to the teponaztli (drum), which sounds like a cross between a xylophone and an African slat drum. Wind instruments include flutes, trumpets and animal/bird-call whistles.
Each EXS24 sampler patch is grouped according to natural phenomenon. For instance, The Seed is, in fact, a varied group of shakers, rain sticks and percussive adventures in a single patch. To continue the ambiguity, certain patch names do not describe their sound. One example is Trumpet Roaring, which conjures images of a growling Aztec priest as opposed to a Miles Davis ancestor. Aztecs ships in an attractive DVD-type package with a new-age-style pull out. And though there are a few loops, Voices of the Aztecs consists primarily of sampled one-shot instruments. In other words, you'll find The Thunder, The Seed, The Wind, The River, The Heartbeat, The Song and The Word, but you will need to bring your own Funk. What will they say 800 years from now when they find your sampler?
Product Summary
Q UP ARTS
VOICES OF THE AZTECS > $199
At a glance: EXS24 patches of unusual instruments and organic sounds.
Contact: tel. (800) 454-4563; Web www.quparts.com
Q UP Arts Increased Velocity
EXS24 LIBRARY
Surround sound may be more of a theatrical debate than a musical concept, but the idea of producing sample libraries geared for movie theaters still certainly stimulates my cinematic mind. That said, I loaded up Q UP Arts' new surround-optimized title into my EXS24 mk II (Emagic Logic) soft sampler and let the cameras (in my head) roll. Increased Velocity is flush with dark synthesizer pads; thunderous drum hits; swarming synth effects; and throbbing, noisy arpeggiators. At times, Increased Velocity sounds something akin to the final assault on the Death Star or even an attempt to restart the Earth's core. Bank upon bank of sampled loops and instruments (often of the sound-effect variety) deliver filmic tension, rumbling ambience and some gradually spooky swells. Surprisingly, you'll also find 135 MB of dance-spirited drum loops, which range in tempo from 96 to 110 bpm. In addition, Increased Velocity offers 234 MB of drones, 20 MB of one-shot drum hits and 75 MB of synth arpeggios, as well as several smaller groups all mixed and encoded for Dolby Stereo Surround. (Of course, all samples also can be used in traditional stereo environments.) Both of the EXS titles reviewed this month are long on otherworldly if unrecognizable sounds yet short on cool ready-to-go EXS sampler patches. Even though it is fairly easy to build your own EXS presets with sounds like these, more musician-friendly patches might benefit both the producer and the moviegoer.
Product Summary
Q UP ARTS
INCREASED VELOCITY > $199
At a glance: EXS24 programs optimized for surround production.
Contact: tel. (800) 454-4563; Web www.quparts.com
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