Posts tagged ‘Review’
Se Electronics Se X1 Bundle Review
Price €190 from thoman.de including delivery. (I have to admit Thomann were extremely fast on shipping and even let me know by text message that the item shipped then emailed me once the package had reached a new destination!)
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz
Sensitivity: -32 dBV/Pa (25.1mV/Pa)
Polar Pattern: Cardioid
Impedance: ≤ 200 Ohms
Equivalent Noise Level: 16dB(A weighted)
Max SPL for 0.5% THD@1000Hz: 125dB
Power Requirement: Phantom power 48V±4V
Connector: 3-pin
“The sEX1 is the latest addition to the entry level range of sE microphones, produced with one thing in mind… to outperform every other mic on the market in its price category and significantly over it.”
I wanted this bundle mainly for the portable booth (it was one of the cheapest with the best ratings I could find) so I said why not give it a shot.
The Mic:
I currently use the M-audio Solaris mic (€450) for vocals and to be honest I’m never happy with the way they turn out, they always feel like there lacking, even when I tried it with the reflexion filter I just wasn’t happy so I said why not give this little SE mic a shot
After unboxing the first thing I noticed was the weight this mic is heavy for its size, running the X1 requires 48v phantom power and connects with a XLR Connector, It is a CARDIOID CONDENSER mic, with a nice black steel grill.
The X1 also has a Bass cut and 10db pad switch (which after looking at some other mics in the same price range it appears to be one of the only ones) with a very nice black finish which feels kind of like rubber, and this one feature alone makes you kind of warm to the mic from the get go.
So I hook it up, didn’t replace any cables just replaced one mic for the next and I’m really impressed with X1, the vocal is clear a lot clearer than the Solaris, usually with the Solaris I have a LOT of noise removal to do with this it picked up a slight bit of noise that honestly I didn’t really have to remove but I did anyway, also if someone is standing in font of the mic and I’m at the desk talking to them the Solaris never picked up what I was saying the SE mic did.
I’m really impressed by this mic and unexpectedly so, for the price I was expecting value for money but you really get so much more, now dont get me wrong im not gonna give the old Solaris the boot just yet as it could be useful for instruments and its always nice to have different mics for options but for the price and quality as an entry level product I think this Se X1 mic is a great product and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a first or even new mic.
The Reflexion Filter (Portable Booth) :
First off, for those that arent sure what the Reflexion filter is or what its purpose is then I suppose the answer would be this : To give you a dryer vocal when recording in a not so perfect environment, giving your vocal a more professional sound than recording in an untreated room.
For the size of the filter its not too heavy, after all its just a metal back lined with acoustic foam, setting it up is relativly straight forward and only took about five to ten minutes with no instructions, (as it didn’t come with any) to attach to the stand it came with a wrench which I didn’t use, (it will come in usefull for something else im sure) if you do plan on buying this product make sure you have a good solid mic stand with a tripod base, (if you don’t then herculesstands.com have some nice affordable stands available that are well constructed) as I honestly can’t see this staying standing on a round based stand.
I tested both mics with and without the filter and the difference is definitely noticeable, making this filter a nice little addition to those of us who have to record in an untreated room on a budget.
The filter can be purchased seperatly as can the mic, however with the cost being so low I would highly recommend buying the bundle as together they work really really well.
Jontbeats :
Heil Sound PR-40 Review
I bought the Heil Sound PR-40 over two years ago and there has yet to be a project I haven’t used it on either. It is one of the most well rounded dynamic mics I have ever owned without question. The build is solid and has a heavy quality feel to it. The Heil Sound PR-40 comes in a small metal case with a mic clip and a cutout to fit the mic and clip inside the case. There are various accessories you can order for it also such as a shock mount or even a desktop boom stand. This is a radio announcers dream too because it is a very solid contender on vocals! Other large diaphragm dynamics that are comparable are the Shure SM-7 and the Electro Voice RE-20.
The first place I tried the PR-40 was on vocals in place of my usual Shure SM-7 with a loud rock singer. I usually use a dynamic in place of a condenser for louder sources and the PR-40 was a shoe in for that, but what really surprised me was the condenser like high end. Usually with dynamic microphones you lose some of the high end but the Heil had a very condenser like response. There was even one session where I had forgotten my Kel Audio HM7U and had to use the Heil PR-40 in its place for a few background tracks and it faired well in the track! Not exactly the same sound but closer than any other dynamic would have! For vocals it is a great mic to have in your locker.
Next up was recording drums. I used it in place of the Shure SM-7 again on kick and wow it wiped the floor with it! The low end that the Heil PR-40 picked up was sweeter on the PR-40! Not only did it sound better but it went lower and gave me a more woody, natural sound that really surprised me! I have yet to try it on a bass cab but because of the natural sounding low end I wouldn’t hesitate at all to mic up a cab with it instead of the SM-7 like I usually do. After a few more sessions it started to replace the SM-7 a lot, especially on kick drums. One other place I tried it was snare and it worked well but it is a rather large mic for snare and I prefer it on kick than snare so I’ll be sticking to my i5 for snare.
Last place I tried the Heil Sound PR-40 was on guitar amps and man it blew me away! I first tried it on a metal record on a Marshall 4×12 with a Peavey 5150. Again the low end chug that the guitarist liked was picked up well by the Heil Sound PR-40 and the high end of the guitar solos were just as present. It still blows me away, this mic is incredibly versatile and has amazing spl handling. From screaming vocals, kicks, snares and huge 4×12 guitar cabs its a perfect match. I even tried it on a small Crate Vintage Club 20 combo amp with a 10″ speaker. The amp has a strong mid presence that some mics can’t get past no matter how you position the mic but the Heil PR-40, when positioned correctly, made it sound a lot smoother than any other mic I have tried on it!
I was once told there is no such thing as a bad mic, only a bad mic for that situation. With the Heil Sound PR-40 it seems to be a great mic in ANY situation. There aren’t very many mics I think that of either but the Heil Sound PR-40 deserves it. In all the situations I used it in it performed flawlessly. It’s only been two years but me and my Heil will be together for years to come. It is now a staple in my mic locker.
Sonic Reality Sonic Refills Ultra Loaded Review
I have always loved Reason, so much so I have preferred it to any workstation keyboard out there. The mere fact that there are thousands of sounds from all over the world available for Reason in their Refill format is a really great thing – I mean anything and everything you could ever want is probably available in refill format. The downside to this is that there is also so much garbage to sift through. Some of the best refills have always come from Sonic Reality. Recently they started a group buy called Monster Reason Refill which is a huge bundle of the best refills out there. I am privileged enough to have these refills and would like to help other reason users on the fence or even reason users looking to expand their sound library immensely with some new refills.
When it comes to quality Sonic Reality is one of the first names in the business when it come to great sample libraries. The Sonic Refill Collection is Gold. Pure Gold. It alone puts many many many other workstation and sample libraries to shame. It has everything you could think of sound wise: Vintage drum machines, Synths, Basss (Both natural and Synth), Guitars, Rhodes, Pianos, REAL Drums, Strings, Brass – the list can go on and on. When it comes down to it I will say this, there is no shortage for great sounds. So much so that I still have not gone through every single Thor Patch, NNXT multi samples, Rex loops or even the Malmstrom patches but oh how wonderful the sounds are. I picked Reason with a controller instead of a workstation because of the great QUALITY of refills and the endless amounts of refills available. I now have over 15 gigs of Sonic Reality Refills and no one else can touch them when it comes to the quality they provide. I hate trying out refills, workstations, Synths or VSTis that have some great features or even a few great sounds but then the rest are just kind of “meh”.
Homer: Kids, how would you like to go… to Blockoland!
Bart & Lisa: Meh.
Homer: But the TV. gave the impression that–
Bart: We said “meh”.
Lisa: M-E-H. Meh.
When it comes time to compose, or write a song, melody, make a beat or whatever it is you do musically Reason and Sonic Reality Refills are something you want in your corner. You just play. You don’t have to stress about adding a compressor or eqing it to fit. You start with a solid, beautiful instrument that is perfect as is and yet with Reason you can transform it to something totally different. My personal favorite are the drums. I started as a drummer and always pride myself on my drum sounds or “tones” as I refer to them. I really feel a nice full drum sound is hard to achieve and Sonic Reality are some of the best at achieving it. From the Vintage & Monster Drum Refills to the free to members Ocean Way Kit 10 Refill they are solid. And then there are the keys, Oh my the keys. I get all flustered just thinking about choosing the perfect sound for keys. I mean The Meaty Grand, Nice Rhdz, and the A Grand Piano from the Pianos & Organs refills are some of my favorites but sometimes I get to clicking other presets and have the hardest time figuring out which sounds better. It is the best problem I have ever had! We’re barely scratching the surface for the Sonic Refill Collection but we still need to discuss the Ultra Refills too!
dope (dp) n.
1. Informal
a. A narcotic, especially an addictive narcotic.
b. Narcotics considered as a group.
c. An illicit drug, especially marijuana.
d. Sonic Reality Refills (I’m just saying…)
After much playing around I have started digging into some of the refills from the Ultra Series, or more specific the Ultra Hip-Hop, Electronic and Symphonic Refills. Dope. Plain and simple. They are so addictive! They are kind of generalized in a style but there are some awesome natural flute sounds in the Ultra Electronic Refill, an amazing Organ in the Ultra Hip-Hop and then there is the Ultra Symphonic. Doper. Yep. Didn’t think that word existed-and it didn’t…..til Sonic Reality made Ultra Symphonic! I can’t believe the amazing quality of the strings, pianos, and percussion in here. Amazing Timpanis, Choirs and again, by surprise some sweet Synths that are still fitting in with the rest of Ultra Symphonic Refill. When you take just those three, each of which by themselves can hold up against any other collection, VSTi or workstation, you have yet another combination that will keep you busy for a long time not wanting.
What I hate the most when it comes to Refills or workstations or any product I get, I hate it when I hit a brick wall or am not satisfied with my end product. Well I am glad to say that bad music done with this is because the user is at fault, not the sounds. Sonic Reality has brought amazing Refills to the world and you would be a fool to have Reason and not be using these!
Sonic Reality Ocean Way Drums Review
If you haven’t heard of OceanWay Studios your really out of the loop. They are a world renown studio known for how well they record drums. Everybody from Eric Clapton to Kanye West have recorded there. Amazing studios. Their A and B rooms were designed by Bill Putnam himself! These are amazing sounding rooms with amazing sounding gear! Custom console, mics the whole nine yards! Well OceanWay Studios along with Sonic Reality have put together a drum collection that will make you drool! Not only in how well it sounds but also in the variety and flexibility in the sounds!
Usually I record drums and if I need to replace any mishaps or mess ups I sample the songs drums themselves and spot replace them. Never bothered with electric sets for a real drum sound. I have heard of some products out there promising amazingly real sounding drums. Never bought it so I never well bought them. Just sounded like a scam. Well when I was told that OceanWay Studios was going to release a drum sample collection it peaked my interest. When I found out about Sonic Reality working on it too I was impressed! I have the Sonic Refill Bundle for Reason and have been using it as my main sound bank ever since!
In this review I will be reviewing the DL version. So after doing some research this is what I gathered. Besides being recorded in a world class studio, having amazing engineers, and amazing gear, there are 5 kits with Dry, Medium and Ambient versions of each kit. Everything is 24 bit/48 Khz EXPANDABLE format. Meaning you can purchase additional DL kits or even upgrade to multichannel kits like in the bigger versions of Ocean Way Drums Silver and Gold Editions. The DL version comes with a redeemable Download Card for either 2 more DL stereo kits or 1 multichannel kit. It all comes packed in their Kontakt Player so it can be added to or used with other Kontakt collections. The player itself is really customizable and has a really flexible routing. After browsing through the site, reading how it was recorded and with what gear my mouth was watering! Next step, install and try it out!
Now after I installed it I was nervous to start messing with it. Like I had said I am a drummer and have never really been impressed much by these collections. After I opened up Reaper and loaded the OWD Kontakt Player I loaded up the Ocean Way Drums collection. I started with Kit 16, Dry and with the IMAP layout. This offers 2 ways to work with the way the samples are layed out. IMAP is a format that Sonic Foundry came up with for a logical way to layout the drum set over a set of keys. The other is made for the universally compatible General Midi (the multichannel kits also feature maps for Roland V-Drums). You can midi this in and play your kit without having to worry about assigning certain sounds and velocities to your set, it is already done for you!
Now my favorite part about this is the sound. Really when you hear it you’re kinda blown away. They don’t sound over compressed and EQ’d. They are natural as can be ready for you to shape into your own sound or use them as is for a natural drum sound. I love the toms in this. Usually toms and cymbals are the easiest way to tell whether something sounds realistic or not and Ocean Way Drums pass with flying colors! Nice deep and round tom sounds and smooth even cymbal sounds really blew me away! Best part is how they let you control the ambiance and mix and match so you can have a ambient snare with a tight dry kick or toms, and on top of that every drum was recorded with both snare on and off!!! The sounds possible here are unbelievable! The attention to detail is something I have never seen in any other drum collection before, you can tell they took their time in dialing in amazing sounds!
Well I finally did it. I admit that samples can replace an acoustic set and drummer. After years of notbelieving I feel both embarrassed and proud. Ocean Way Drums has convinced me that as someone who has always prided himself on their drum sound it is possible to get great drum sounds for your music entirely in the box. Ocean Way Drums has made a outstanding product that engineers, drummers, and musicians can appreciate. After messing with this and getting to know the sounds I feel spoiled that it is this easy to get amazing world class drums for this price!!!!
IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik Review
Well the deeper I dig the more I love IK Multimedia. They have wooed me many a times with their great T-Racks and Amplitube releases including Amplitube 2, 3, Fender, Metal and Ampeg SVX. Every time something new comes out I try it out but every time I keep going back to IK Multimedia. It seems like no matter what comes out IK still has the best sounding stuff hands down and at any price! Well recently I started jumping into some of their Workstation products including Sonik Synth 2 and more recently Miroslav Philharmonik. In all reality though Miroslav Philharmonik is famous in its own right. Miroslav Vitous (a Prague composer, bassist virtuoso, and a founding member of the group Weather Report) is the man responsible for the Miroslave Vitous Symphonic Orchestra and Choir sample collections. From these world renown collections, including extra recordings not released in the original collections, comes IK Multimedia’s Miroslav Philharmonik.
Now lets start with how and where it was recorded. Growing up I played Clarinet and then moved into Classical Guitar. All through elementary school, Jr. & Sr. High I played for any and every musical group I could. In school I played in the Orchestra, Jazz and after school I played in a few Rock bands. My Senior year 5 out of 8 classes were in music. I loved playing and learning music, but my favorite was when we got to travel. I have always had a fascination with sound and loved to hear how we sounded in different places. Gyms, cafeterias, malls, other schools auditoriums each one sounded great and had a sound uniquely their own. My favorite place to play was our auditorium because it had a nice wood background and floor along with brick sides along the stage and part of the audience section and a bright wall and the end of the auditorium. I always thought the strings and choirs sounded great there. Full and bright with just the right amount of reverb, that was til I went to Abravanel Hall where the Utah Symphony Orchestra play here in Salt Lake. If you haven’t heard of Abravanel Hall check it out, it has won many awards for its acoustics and architecture.
Well as this story goes I had a friend who played there with the Utah Symphony Orchestra. He invited me to come hear him one night and I went loving every minute of perfection there. Hearing an Orchestra live is amazing, even more so in an amazing concert hall. It is thick, full, more lively, real, in your face- yet all around you. Some of the best recordings ever recorded have been in concert or church halls for a reason, they sound spectacular! Well the same had been done with IK Multimedia’s Miroslav Philharmonik!
When Miroslav Vitous first started making the Miroslav Vitous Symphonic Orchestra and Choir Sample collections he was making them as a tool for himself, not as a product, but as a tool to help him compose using newer technology. These recordings are a reflection of the musical genius that is Miroslav Vitous. This collection was the first sample set that became widely accepted as the best of the best and quickly became a main stay all over the world especially in the entertainment industry. Some of the best movies soundtracks were done with IK Multimedia’s Miroslav Philharmonic. (After playing through it for a bit it starts to sound familiar, not in a bad way more of a light bulb in your head going off saying “Ahh this is how they do it!”) He started recording it in 1993 in the world famous Dvorák Symphony Hall in Prague. Because of the way it was recorded and layed out you get the sense of being there with real musicians layed out just like a real orchestra would! There is a familiarity in the sense of space, warm, full like it is in front of you yet all around you…just like in Abravanel Hall and that is not something that can be recreated with simple reverb and panning.
In IK Multimedia’s Miroslav Philharmonik you have this award winning and amazing collection of the best musicians, instruments and choirs at your fingertips in one of the worlds best concert halls. Okay, okay, now I’m getting all the DAW users out there saying “We get it, it sounds good, but how well will it work in my DAW? What about effects and layering?”. Well you need not worry about that! Like all of the IK Multimedia workstation series this is based on the SampleTank engine so if you have used it or any of the other workstations there will be a zero learning curve! 16 layer-able parts, each with 4 insert effects, 7 gigs of samples, 3 synth engines with traditional resampling, 20 world class effects including an amazing reverb from IK’s own Classik Studio Reverb and it comes in VST, RTAS and AU working on both Mac and PC platforms. From a feature stand point alone this is a amazing deal your getting! The biggest feature to me though is the great and simple layout. In larger sample collections, much like this one, it is really easy to get lost or not know where to find what your looking for, but not here! Everything is laid out so easily you can navigate through it in a breeze! Want violins, cellos or even odd percussion? They are all easy to find with well named patches, you can even load all of these into SampleTank if you want to stick with that!
Now where I was taken off guard was the quality of samples. I know I was just raving on it, and trust me it is justified, BUT the other instruments you don’t usually hear about included here are amazing! Now my favorite instrument to play has always been classical guitar and the classical guitar here is AMAZING! I mean, not just amazing for a workstation, I mean amazing as a classical guitar…my jaw dropped. Seriously, no joke I was speechless when I heard it. (Not entirely true. I was at first but then, if my recollection serves me correct, the only word uttered at first was “Really?” followed by “Seriously?” which was then followed by “Oh sh*t this rocks!”) The Classical Guitar 2 patch was mellow and full sounding with a certain depth like I was playing a real guitar! Some adjusting of my playing and programming and I might be using this instead of recording in my less than ideal space again! (Compared to Dvorák Symphony Hall that is.) Another sleeper here was the Steinway Concert Piano and the Cathedral Organ which are great, different than what your used to hearing (Again that Dvorák Symphony Hall in action!) in other sample libraries but still very nice. It would depend on the project and sound I wanted to go for in deciding between a few different pianos I have but this is at the top of the list!
Now of course the strings sections, brass, woodwind and choirs were amazing as expected! There is nothing normal or even mediocre about Miroslav Philharmonic. From where and the way it was recorded to how it is laid out, this is a very realistic, full and thick sounding collection that has yet to be surpassed at this or just about any price point. Its so realistic there are even a bunch of patches of musician noises that can be added which included page turning, talking, tuning and warm ups! All that along with amazing IK Multimedia effects like Classik Studio Reverb, EQ’s and Compression from T-Racks and Amplitube and of course the 16 layer-able parts, well you would be a fool to not look into IK Multimedia’s Miroslav Philharmonik if you are doing any kind of orchestral work!
IK Multimedia SampleTron Review
We are so spoiled today with technology. We have amazing DAW’s, effects, and amazing sampling libraries from companies like IK Multimedia that help you do anything you can think of! Well I have been digging into Sampletron and to be honest I have never played anything like it before. I mean lofi sounding strings, choirs and flutes that sound so bad they sound amazingly good!
Before we had digital samplers, digital pianos, workstations and all the computer software there were the real instruments. If you wanted to write a song you had to have a real piano, choir and orchestras! Then there was analog recording, you could finally record sound! You could even play it back when ever you wanted! Add effects? Sure! You can even slow the tape down or speed it up for weird sounding effects! It was both a gift and a curse really looking back before digital people were going for clean and now that we have clean we want dirty. Ridiculous really but SampleTron is the best of both worlds bringing old technology to a new medium plus some extras! This isn’t just a re released VHS on DVD re released on Blue Ray then streamed online from your NetFlix account, not at all! This is what people have grown to love plus the SampleTank engine which makes for a amazing duo!
So again before digital there was analog right? Well before the Motif, Triton and Fantom there were Chamberlins and Mellotrons. They, much like today’s workstations, had a wide range (well at least for that day and age) of sounds recorded to tape reels on each key. When you pressed a key it played the tape of which ever samples were on the tape. They took sounds like strings, flutes, brass, choirs and made them sound beautiful with analog tape! At the time of their release people were very impressed by being able to play many sounds from one keyboard like instrument. Now because all these sounds were recorded and played on tape, and being how tape can wear out and be affected by things like temperature, humidity and even abuse these were very expensive and very fragile. Because of this these are very hard to find or fix and much harder to get one in working order! It is these types of vintage sampler/playback devices made famous by The Beatles, Yes, Genesis, Kanye West and Beck that have become known as “trons”
Now some of you are thinking “Why do I care about old sounds when I have the newest hottest keyboard/VSTi/Software out with tons of fresh sounds!”. Well these sounds are unique in that they sound amazing. Kinda like throwing on a old LP and playing the sounds you hear there.
[annoying TV personality voice] “But, but, but, but wait! There is more!” [annoying TV personality voice/]
In SampleTron you get the greatest sample library that you can’t really get in real life (Being that they are so hard to find in any type of order and parts are hard to find.) but you also get some extras that will really make people wish they had SampleTron instead of the real thing! With these tapes, once it was finished playing the sound stopped. That’s it, sorry I have to rewind and then you can hit the key again and it will sound again. Well much like in Miroslav Philharmonik you have the choice of going the looped route and have a infinite note or have it just like the old days and let the tape run its course. Now being that tape was the main medium used here there were at times noise issues like wow and flutter. Another great feature here in SampleTron is the ability to add or take away noise! Now being that this comes in the great SampleTank engine you also get great synth engines; Stretch, Pitch shift/Time stretch and resampling. All of which really come in handy with some of the Powerhouse and Rhythm Mate models being that instead of the usual strings and such these come with percussion and drum loops! You get amazing lofi sounding drums AND you can match them to any tempo you can stretch too! So for old timers and purists…be jealous, very jealous because we are just getting started.
In comes the beginning of the digital age. Remember? CD’s in the 80′s? What about 8 bit samplers in the early 80′s? Well in SampleTron you get the end and the beginning of a era. You have your basic tape based playback and then you have your Optigan, Talentmaker and Vako Orchestron which used analog optical discs. Even in the Powerhouse which used 8 track tapes for its sample playback medium, but in SampleTron you get 3 welcomed and fitting instruments. The 360 Systems Digital Tron, (An 8 bit digital sampler originally created to replace the analog based trons) Roland VP-330, (early Vocoder) and finally the Stylophone. (Simple electric organ.) Everything about this collection oozes retro lofi that people try and achieve by mangling today’s instruments. SampleTron is the best sounding and easiest way to go!
Most purists will hate the idea of their favorite Tron being sold as a sample library, but if they’re smart they will jump in on this. You can complain about it all you want but IK Multimedia has a reputation of taking great stuff that was and even is and making it something new fresh and make you instantly fall in love with it! SampleTron is no exception from IK Multimedia’s great line up! From the great loops to the amazing retro strings and flutes you will find a spot for SampleTron in your music!
IK Multimedia Sonik Synth 2 Review
It’s no secret that I love IK Multimedia’s plug-ins. From the whole Amplitube series to T-Racks 3, they are a solid company worth the investment. Well I just recently decided to check out some of their virtual instruments and jumped in with Sonik Synth 2. Now for those that aren’t familiar with Sonik Synth 2, it is a virtual workstation that comes in AU, VSTi and RTAS formats for both Mac and PC with over 8 gigs of sounds. Pianos, Rhodes, Wurli’s, ARPs, Moogs, Jupiters, B3′s – You name it Sonik Synth 2 has it. It has 3 synth engines, 16 part multi timbral with layer-able sounds, 32 built in effects and 16 stereo outputs. From the feature list alone it seems like this is a must have workstation to have!
From the very beginning I was impressed with the layout. One thing IK Multimedia has always done right is make it very easy to use. Everything from the patch selection to effects are logically laid out. In the top half of Sonik Synth 2 you can select a patch, where it be to layer sounds together to make a combi or to just select a simple piano sound to jam out. In the bottom half you can edit each sound, add effects and edit those effects. Fairly simple and straight forward editing with volume, pan, filter and poly/mono/legato along with portamento time selection. Also you can have up to 5 effects per layer or channel. There is a wide range of great sounding effects including EQ, compression, reverb, rotary speaker, tremolo, chorus, delay and tons more. 32 in total, many of which come from their studio quality T-Racks 3 and Amplitube series which I reviewed earlier this year.
So I first started out by loading a Rhodes patch being that Rhodes have always been my favorite and I’m very picky with them. I was really taken by surprise the first time I tried out non synth sounds in Sonik Synth 2. After playing for a few minutes I started getting curious on how to edit sounds a bit and found it incredibly simple. I added Leslie to it, reverb, took away chorus add distortion and I had a whole new sound that still sounded incredible! Different but incredible non the less. Now I started getting curious. If it sounds this good with no synth sounds I can’t wait to get into the synths in it! So I started navigating through the synths and found myself going through the basses which are always the hardest to get right in my opinion. usually theses are the most overlooked and worst sounding in other libraries but not in this one! I kept scrolling through each of the bass sounds and couldn’t stop smiling, I was really impressed! Some of my favorite ones that stood out being Mr Nice Guy and Invaderz Bass, but all of them sounded great!
Up next were some leads and pads and Sonik Synth 2 has them in spades! Prophets, Jupiters, Moogs – All of them are here and all sound amazing! From subtle smooth sounding to hard sync styled pads and leads. One of my favorite things to do in Sonik Synth 2 is add slight overdrive and a short delay. Really makes leads sound huge, wide and helps them pop. When testing out new plug ins I like to try and recreate sounds from newer songs I like. So here I went for Drakes “Successful” and in under 5 minutes I found the V-tra Bright String Pad and put a low pass filter on it at 560 Hz and had the intro synth down pat! The synths here in Sonik Synth 2 are the best thing about it!
Finally I got to something I don’t usually use virtual workstations on, Drums. I am really picky on my drums and have my little collection of drums I use for all my drum sounds, but the 808s, 909s and the acoustic kits here are too good! After running through a few drum sequences with them I can replace a lot of my wav kits. Never thought I’d see the day I’d be using a VSTi for my drum sounds! I love having all in one solutions for sounds in Reaper because it doesn’t come with much at all in that department. Reaper along with Sonik Synth 2 is a solid workhorse for me and is now my main tool in production!
So in the end I am more than loving Sonik Synth 2! I was expecting some good synths and some so so everything else but what I got is world class everything. I didn’t even get to touch on everything in this review for times sake but the strings, guitars, basses, pianos, drums, synths and effects in this are top notch! For the price you can’t go wrong for bread and butter sounds – no wait, forget the price. You can’t go wrong with Sonik Synth 2 for bread a butter sounds for you DAW!
IK Multimedia Stealth Pedal Review
So I have done reviews on Amplitube 2, Amplitube Metal, Amplitube Fender and Ampeg SVX. Well these amazing tools all came with the Stealth Pedal I just got. That is a intro to how awesome of a studio tool the Stealth Pedal is! It is a USB pedal interface for guitar or bass. It has 2 separate 1/4″ inputs, 2 1/4″ outputs, a 1/8″ headphone out and 2 1/4″ inputs for addition pedals to be added for more control. When I first opened the box it actually surprised me. It is pretty heavy! A solid feeling metal pedal with great smooth action when you put your foot on it and adjust it. On the right side there is a input for a expression pedal, 2 inputs for guitar or bass as well as a master volume knob. On the left side there is another input for a foot switch, 2 1/4″ outputs, a 1/8″ headphone out, a usb input and 3 status LED’s. This thing is feature rich before we even hit the software!
When I first received the Stealth Pedal I was really impressed by the awesome sounding software it comes with. Granted each in their own right have tons and tons of features but what I wanted to focus on here is the ease of use when controlling the different programs. When I first installed the drivers it installed a program called X-Gear. It is basically a shell that hosts the other Amplitube programs. Inside of this you can use Fender, Ampeg SVX, Metal and of course Amplitube 2. You can easily and quickly switch between a clean shimmery Fender to a heavy metal 5150 sound with a single click. Really great too! At the top of the screen you have your Speed Trainer where you can play along with your favorite songs as well as slow down or speed up the music without changing the pitch so you can learn different solos or study different parts. This is a GREAT practice tool! In the upper right hand corner there is a metronome and control option. This is where you can change what the pedal actually controls. This is super easy to set up and change on the fly. Even if you add all the options with the external controllers it is simply labeled and logically laid out. Then in the main section of the screen appears all your usual Amplitube settings your familiar with.
I first tried this in the studio and was impressed. Solid feel, great sounds and easy to use. The next step was to try this out live. I took it to a gig I play regularly at a local jazz spot. Plugged into the pa and pulled out my laptop. The drummer was a bit curious as he sometimes plays to a metronome on his laptop but never thought you could use a laptop instead of a amp. One of the best things for me here was that I was able to walk in with my backpack and my guitar case. That’s it! Laptop, Stealth Pedal in the backpack and my guitar and cables in my guitar case! It was easy and the fastest set up/sound check ever!
After I played a few chords along with the band to check how it sounded they were all impressed. No more big Fender deluxe for me when this is just as good and a million times better on my back! After the gig I had a few regulars stop by to ask me about what the laptop was for. They were very impressed at the sound coming from this little pedal! I played the whole gig with out a hiccup! Lastly I tried this with the bass player who is a great friend of mine and we record and gig together regularly. I had him plug into this and play straight through the PA. After a few clicks to find a decent sound he liked with Ampeg SVX he was asking me where he could buy one! He was loving this! The best part about it is how well it integrates to control the software. You can set it and forget it. Volume pedal, wah, channel switching – it can all be done with this pedal!
Now after writing reviews for each version of Amplitube that the Stealth Pedal comes with I can say I love this whole package. For less than a lot of people pay for a pedal board or amp you can get a whole suite of world class guitar amp and effect modeling as well as a interface to control those sounds live! This has to be one of the best things I have seen for guitar. You can use this to control the software functions with a pedal! Its no surprise that if comes from the labs of IK Multimedia.