XILS Lab XILS 4 Review

Recently I was given the opportunity to check out XILS Lab's new XILS 4, which is the successor of XILS 3, a plugin version of the famous VCS3 by Electronic Music Studios (EMS).  The original release of the VCS3 came in 1969, making it one of the oldest synthesizers, yet today it's still lusted after and used by many great electronic artists, like LCD Soundsystem, Vince Clarke, Brian Eno, and Kraftwerk.  At first sight, the VCS looks more like old communications equipment than it does a musical instrument, and the plugin's interface accurately recreates that feeling.  The interface isn't quite as easy to grasp as your more modern plugins at first, but if you're considering the X4, you likely know that and are embracing it, as different interfaces are what allow synthesists to create so many different sounds.

Review: Kavinsky's 'OutRun' is a Unique Treat

If you're a fan of Kavinsky, today is a long time coming.  The mysterious Producer/DJ has been floating around for a couple of years now, with various EPs and Singles, but today is finally a full album release of 13 Kavinsky tracks, some new and some old, to form OutRun.  Kavinsky's built a theme for his record of a man whose soul becomes one with a Ferrari Testa Rossa.  Each track seems to represent an imaginary scene in a mental movie of this character, and I find it to be incredibly effective.  The sound of this record is so thematic and soundtrack-like, it seems to bounce from what Daft Punk did for Tron: Legacy, to going back to true 80s, where the sounds could from the original Terminator.  I'm not sure what the secret here is for such a cinematic approach, but it gives the record such a unique, awesome quality.  It makes OutRun the perfect album to drive your car around in, especially at night.

The production work is also stellar.  Kavinsky's chosen a very analog/vinyl sound.  Of course, the low end is modern and punchy enough to dance to, but it has an old-school charm as well.  There's plenty of vintage synth sounds too, and Kavinsky's developed a very signature growly in the low end-- you'll hear it all over OutRun.

If you've heard anything by Kavinsky and liked it, or you're into 80s soundtracks, I highly recommend OutRun.

 

Vermona PERfourMER MKII Review

Vermona is an interesting company, having been around since the 80s but certainly not as well known as some of the other names in the synth world (or at least, here in the US).  Interestingly, though, they have a full line synths and effect modules, and I happen to have a review unit of their biggest synth, the PERfourMER MKII, the quad analog synthesizer.  The reviews of the newer version seem to be scarcer on the net, so it's very exciting to be able to talk about this interesting piece of gear.  At $1,850, this synth is no lightweight, and screams "professional" and "boutique" at the same time.  Can a heavyweight synth from a lesser known company really make a splash in the synth market?  Read on to find out.

Alchemy 1.5 Review: New Update for a Huge Synth

Alchemy is one serious piece of music software.  Although it's more than 3 years old at this point, the recent release of version Alchemy 1.5 has brought some new additions to the table for Camel Audio's flagship instrument.  Just last year, it was rated as one of the public's favorite plug-ins on MusicRadar.  So what is Alchemy, and does it still stand up to the hype now?

Jupiter-8V2 Review - How does the Jupiter stand up with a fresh pair of 64-bit legs?

From the upgraded collection of the Arturia plugins comes another vintage synth, the Jupiter-8V2.  The Jupiter-8 is, again, regarded as one of the classic and legendary 80s synths.  A quick look on eBay will show you that right now, these are hot, going for as high as $8,000, which is money you could build an entire studio with.  The Roland Jupiter-8 was first released in 1981 and was Roland's first great synth.  It offered all the bells and whistles of the time-- it was multitimbral, it had an arpeggiator, dual oscillators for each of the 8 voices, and two envelopes.  These are pretty standard and almost expected today, but at the time, it was an important step forward.  Roland filters have always had a unique sound to them, and the Jupiter-8 is no different, being the favorite for many who are making string sounds.  Of course, it does many other fantastic sounds as well.

Fred Falke at the Blockley Review, August 17th, 2012

Fred with opener Goldroom while switching between sets

Hey everyone.  Got to check out Fred Falke playing at the Blockley in Philadelphia last night.  If you've seen Fred before, you know it's a treat.  Fred combines standard DJing through Ableton Live with live bass playing.  It adds a really fun element into the mix and it's not your standard "turn knobs all night" affair.  He's got a huge selection of fantastic tracks and remixes to choose from, so there's never a dull moment in the set.  He even mixed in some funky drum and bass just to keep things interesting.

Some highlights for me include "Reaching Out", which is a Hall and Oates/Nero mix, which builds up to jumping moments.  There's also the always popular remix of Robyn, which takes "Dancing On My Own" from a pumping pop song into a smoother, bassier affair.

Also, have to give a shoutout to Goldroom who opened with an excellent set of his own.

Be sure to check the rest of Fred's upcoming tour dates on here on Facebook.  Seriously, I wouldn't miss any of these.

Check out more pictures below.

The Drive Tour Review

All of you Ryan Gosling and Drive lovers are going to appreciate this post.  Last night the Drive tour came to the Union Transfer in Philadelphia.  The Tour takes its name from the Ryan Gosling film from last fall, which scored incredibly well on Rotten Tomatoes and introduced many new ears to the 80s revival.  Capitalizing on new fans, the tour was put together to cross the US with College and Electric Youth, who share a song on the record, and Anoraak, because he's of the same Valerie Collective.

Arturia SPARK Vintage Drum Machines Review

Arturia, the softsynth giant who has recently captured the hearts of producers everywhere with the MiniBrute, has also pushed into the territory of drum machines recently with the Spark drum plugin and hardware combination.  They've just come out with a different Spark called Vintage Drum Machines, and I felt it was my duty to check this out for all of you, seeing as how drum machines, especially those of the 80s, are so essential to many producers out there.  If you checked out the press release, you'll know they've got all the classics included-- the Roland 707, 808, 909, the LinnDrum, and lots of other kits.  Now the package of the software comes in at about $99 USD as a download, and $129 as a boxed product.  It's certainly more expensive than samples (which can be found of varying prices and qualities on the net), but is it worth it?  Let's find out.

Amazing Machines MIDITRIBE I/O Review

The MIDITRIBE by Amazing Machines

I received an interesting piece of gear courtesy of the folks at Amazing Machines, a small company based out of Brazil.  It's the MIDITRIBE I/O, and it's a mod for the Korg Monotribe to give it MIDI In and Out.  The installation doesn't require any soldering, just opening up the Monotribe, screwing in the board, plugging in a small plastic clip to the Monotribe board, and looping in the MIDI In and Out cables through the back cover of the Monotribe (it's worth noting, this mod will void the warranty on your Monotribe immediately).  The MIDI ports themselves are high quality and metal, so they won't crack or break.  There are a few different ways to have the MIDI cables attached; I have the way recommended for quickest use by Amazing Machines which has the MIDI cables coming out of the battery compartment.  I haven't been able to shut the battery compartment due to the cables, but the batteries stay in well enough where I don't need it for now.  If you have the wall adaptor for the Monotribe, you don't need to worry about this.  You could, of course, drill small holes in the side of your Monotribe to let the wires hang out and close the battery compartment, or even create proper MIDI ports right in the side of the Monotribe.  It's up to you, but the very basic setup is easy and only requires a medium size and smaller screwdrivers.

Korg Monotron Delay Review

Just about a week ago, I got my hands on one of the two newest members of the Monotron family, the Korg Monotron Delay.  This little beast is an analog synth and filter with a Space Echo style delay.  I don't think the delay is analog, but it isn't clearly stated anywhere-- only as an "analog style" delay.  It seems Korg doesn't want to admit that this isn't an all-analog affair, but that doesn't make this little module any less fun.

Korg Monotribe Review

Click here for an a closer look at the Monotribe's front panel.

A couple months ago I got my hands on the Korg Monotribe, one of the newer members of the Monotron collection.  I figured it would be worth reviewing since it's recently had its software updated.  The Monotribe is basically a rethought version of the Monotron, the single-oscillator analog module, with more features added, including a sequencer for the synth and the added analog drum sounds.  The three drum sounds included are a bass drum, a snare, and a closed hi-hat.  The synth is a single oscillator with selectable waveform (square, saw, and triangle) with the classic Korg MS-20 low pass filter with resonance.  The synth is played by ribbon keyboard, which can be locked into key across an octave, played continuously across an octave, or set to wide mode, which can encompass the entire frequency spectrum of the synth on the ribbon.

Review: Zenhiser's 80s Drum Collection

A couple weeks ago, I got a copy of Zenhiser's recent sample multi-pack, The 80s Drum Collection. This set consists of 10 of Zenhiser's other sample selections, so not only am I reviewing this entire collection but the individual parts-- three sets of 80s Electro Beats, the Pure 80's Kick Drums, Hi Hats, and Snares & Claps, three sets of Ultra 80's Drum Beats, and the Ultra 80s Drum Kit. All this totals to 885 samples and it's just over a gig in size!

AIMES Album Review

AIMES - Every Time When I See You by Aimes

I was given the album Your Floor Is Now a Tree a couple weeks ago by newcomer AIMES. I had been meaning to review this for a couple weeks now, but kept having to push it back-- I wanted to make sure I heard the record enough to know what I like, and I figured since this is the first album review on the site, I have to do it justice.

First and foremost, I'm not really sure how to categorize this music-- regardless if you like categorization or not, it helps explain what an artist sounds like to new comers. It's certainly not a house record, as there are far too many slower jams, but it's definitely synthy and out there. Perhaps this is the "chill-wave" I hear so much about?

Zenhiser's Roland CR-78 The Machine Sample Pack Review

CR-78 The Machine - Zenhiser Sample Pack Demo by The Synth Symp

The Roland CR-78 is a classic drum machine. Whether you've heard of it or not, it greatly influenced the sounds of the 80s and is featured on many famous tracks. Some of the artists who used it include Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Blondie, Ultravox, OMD, Roxy Music, and Gary Numan. While the CR-78 lacked full programmability like the Roland TR-707 or 808, it still had enough customizability to make it a great addition to any musician's studio. Unfortunately, eBay prices for this collector's item have forced it well past the $500 USD range. If someone wanted its classic sound for a new recording, they'd have to pay out a pretty penny for it.

When I heard Zenhiser was putting together a high-quality sample pack of the famous drum machine, I'll admit, I was pretty excited. The samples I had before this pack lacked any low end and needed desperately to be tampered with in order to make them come to life at all, so much to the point that I've never gotten anything I like out of them. With this new sample pack, I would be able to enjoy the sounds of the CR-78 without tampering with them or putting a massive hole in my pocket. But would it actually live up to such a classic machine?

Review: Tempo Rubato's NLogPoly Synth

Last week, I was lucky enough to get a review copy of Tempo Rubato's NLogPoly Synth.  This is one of the few synth apps available from the Mac App store, and is currently priced at USD$24.99.  If you're like me, you are a bit shocked at the prices of everything in the app store due to how cheap mobile apps are on the iPhone, but 25 bucks isn't bad for a softsynth, especially considering it can be used as a standalone as well.  But is it really worth it?  We'll delve in below.