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Speedrum 2

Reviewed By rs8888 [all]
March 28th, 2024
Version reviewed: 2.0.0b4 on Windows

I already had speedrum v1, didn't hesitate to upgrade to v2. The additions and changes are really really useful. I think this sampler is the only one that unifies the advantages of any VST drum sampler i've ever used. What i really liked: fast gui, fast drum layering, volume env per drum layer, 4 band eq per pad, drum sequencer, export patterns to a drag and drop MIDI file (!). Using Speedrum with XO library is really fun! Last but not least, the developer is really a nice guy and listens to feedbacks, providing support the best as he can. Bravo.

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BA-1

Reviewed By BONES [all]
March 28th, 2024
Version reviewed: 1.5 on Windows

This is a terrific little synth. It's not really an emulation, although Baby Audio obviously started out with the Yamaha CS01 as inspiration. They have taken it much further, though, adding extra features that take it way beyond the CS01, whilst keeping the original's simplicity of operation (and some of the limitations that go with that). Sound quality is excellent, very much in the spirit of the good ol' days but right up there with the best emulations and V/A plugins.

You get two oscillators with the usual V/A waveforms and tuning options. FM modulates Osc 1 with a sine wave for a gnarlier sound. The low-pass resonant filter does its job, without standing out in any way. There is just one ADSR envelope and a single LFO (sine wave only). At the end of the signal path is a decent suite effects - sidechain (ducks the signal to a 4/4 beat if there is no input), Tone (EQ), Drive (two kinds), Delay, Reverb and Chorus.

The instrument is velocity sensitive (on/off) but doesn't respond to aftertouch or a mod wheel (even though the CS01 had pitch and mod wheels). It all sounds a bit basic and mundane but the reality is that all the elements work together really well, to create something that is much greater than the sum of it's fairly simplistic parts. BA-1 ships with several hundred presets to prove this point. Hitting the "re-gen" button also shows that it's pretty hard not to make a useful patch, even when assigning random values to everything.

The Version 1.5 update added a basic arpeggiator and a few "hidden" controls to extend the synth's functionality (look for little dots in the cracks in the UI). While we are talking about dots, there are a couple of labels on the bottom row with dots next to them - press the dots to change the functionality, as per the screen. V1.5 also gives you an effect VST with the BA-1's effect chain, which is a nice addition. The updated preset browser is also pretty good, allowing you to tag presets with three different colours.

There are a couple of weird, unique features I feel are perhaps unnecessary and take up a lot of space on the GUI. The speaker sim is kinda cute, I suppose, but it's pretty limited and doesn't need to take up so much space. The Battery emulation is supposed to mimic the effect of running out of juice but it feels either too subtle or too full-on, there's no real sweet spot where it feels useful. The sidechain can be used like a second LFO on the VCA so it has its uses.

There are also a few things I'd like to see added to this synth, limitations that feel unnecessary to me. Being able to modulate the FM amount with the envelope or LFO would extend the usefulness of the feature. In fact more destinations for the LFO would be welcomed, as would a few more LFO waveforms. I also feel the LFO's modulation depth isn't always enough. HP, BP and Notch filter modes would be nice, too. Being able to assign the Mod Wheel to various parameters would make the synth a lot more playable. Maybe the speaker box could be halved to make room for the chunky wheels of the CS01, which I always thought looked really cool. They'd be particularly good for the standalone, if not so much for the VSTi (where you can more easily assign controllers). The biggest improvement I'd like to see, though, is the addition of a unison mode so I can stack all the oscillators into even bigger sounds.

To be clear, none of those things stop this from being a really good little synth, just as it is. The sounds I can get out of it are incredible, from soft and subtle to monstrous and scary, and all the while it delivers a high quality sound that always seems to work in a mix. You can use the re-gen feature to build your own bank of unique, usable sounds in no time and tweaking those sounds to get them working in an arrangement/mix is about as easy as it gets. As I said, BA-1 is a lot more than the sum of its parts and it has become my "go to" synth for most things.

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Visco

Reviewed By Tagirijus [all]
March 26th, 2024
Version reviewed: 1.0.2 on Windows

A really great sounding, intuitive and okay on the CPU-ish drum sampler with some kind of a twist.

Pros:

  • Loads fast: At least on my machine this plugin almost loads instantly even after a cold start of my system. To me this is a plus, since it avoids breaking the creative flow.
  • Fast and intuitive to set up: You can literally draw and shape the sound with the blob grid. But I also really love the Modify section on the right with which you also can shape the sound quite intense yet detailed. Also the GUI is very clean and easy to understand.
  • Sound is astonishing: At least to me it is. If I load the same sound into another sampler it just sounds and feels different. This might sound a bit esoteric, but I assume that this tool seem to break down the audio and rebuild it somehow different instead of just playing it back. Especially when it comes to editing the blob it gets clear that it's no plain playback. What really like is that you also can change a model for the velocity. This quite changes the sound somehow interesting. So something special is going on under the hood (to me, haha).
  • Effects: Normally I do not like to use inbuilt effects in an instrument plugin, but here I actually like the compressors. Maybe the others as well, if I'll use the tool more and more over the next time.
  • Modulation: I love modulating things. Here you can! But it could be a bit better, though. See my Cons.
  • Superb demo: I just hate subscriptions and/or demos which are quite time limited. Give ma a muting or a noise, totally ok to me, but let me test the tool also one year later again, for example. And then there is Vicso: giving a hint screen which gets longer to wait for with every new GUI start. And this seems to be all!? I bought it quite fast, since it just flashed me, hehe. But if I understood the demo restrictions correct (also from the website) it really only gives this "demo prompt to upgrade". How kind is that? Really great, thank you.
  • Price fair: To me the price is fair. Considering the intro price, which even is nicer. I guess there could be other companies, who would charge way more for such a plugin after all. So I am grateful for the kind price. Also: no subscription or iLok crap.

Cons:

  • Modulation could be improved: The modulation possibilities are great already. Yet the sources are only limited to 8, which can feel a bit restricting sometimes. Also a quicker and intuitive linking from a modulator to any knob would be great.
  • FLAC support: I love using FLAC, yet you cannot drop FLAC files onto the plugin.
  • Save dialog path: The saving dialog always uses the last location, which was used from the DAW, I guess? It would be great if the path/location of the dialog would be in the correct folder already. E.g. if you like to save a preset, the presets folder should be chosen already.
  • Undo missing: There is only an undo button when changing the blob, yet nor for the whole plugin. This would be great to have, since it can happen quite fast to chose a preset without saving the other one and thus loosing something.
  • Further ideas: I'll contact the devs as well, yet wanted to write down here as well. It's not quite a "Con" list, yet still something where I think the plugin could be even better: Randomising a single track instead of the whole plugin, a Button to switch the elements for a track (the blob), better copy&paste features, note stretched out through whole keyboard mode (like Microtonic has, for example), choosing the part of the dropped audio, simple cleaning of unused blobs.

Overall I love this plugin already.

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Primavera

Reviewed By zisser [all]
March 25th, 2024
Version reviewed: 1.0 on Windows

Another great plugin by Pulsar Audio and this time it's the Primavera spring reverbs.
This plugin is all about grit and low-fi sound with a cool preamp section and the 6 vintage reverbs.

Here is my review: Pulsar Primavera Vintage Spring Reverb

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Simple Stems

Reviewed By Yed [all]
March 20th, 2024
Version reviewed: 8.xx on Windows

It's a nightmare.

Twice their updates destroyed my Windows. Leaving such a violent bug is a complete lack of respect. They've made quite a few updates in recent weeks. Why send us to the fire? We can test but not at this level of risk for our PCs.

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Mariana

Reviewed By SOUTWOOD [all]
March 20th, 2024
Version reviewed: 1.0 on Windows

Very CPU heavy. I've got a brand new top of the line intel chipset with 64g RAM and it still overwhelms my PC to the point where it's almost unusable. Forget about using it on multiple tracks.

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Efektor Omnivibe Optical Vibe Machine

Reviewed By Faydit [all]
March 19th, 2024
Version reviewed: 1.0.0 on Windows

Nice, much more flexible adjustable Univibe based plugin, which also allows some more or less differently voiced sounds in comparison with the original, while on the other hand adjusting a really authentic sound can become a little more complicated.

I personally like it, especially for creating some more unusual sounds.

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UAD Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection

Reviewed By JeffRay [all]
March 19th, 2024
Version reviewed: 1.3.10 on Windows

The best LA-2A plug-ins I've found. Mostly due to the phenomenal design of the original hardware and the faithful emulation here. If you haven't tried using LA-2As in your production (cause you're living under a rock?), definitely pick this up or pick up a UAD Spark subscription. Nearly transparent, Easy to set, just makes things sound louder and better with minimal fuss.

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Hitsville EQ Collection

Reviewed By JeffRay [all]
March 19th, 2024
Version reviewed: 1.3.10 on Windows

This can really add punch and character to drums because of the half speed processing. Haven't used it for other content but it's easy to use and is an excellent tool for shaping the overall sound.

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Delay Eleven

Reviewed By Padol [all]
March 18th, 2024
Version reviewed: 1.0.0 on Windows

Simple, easy to use delay, with user friendly UI. This VST became my favourite delay from now! Thank you guys for your product.

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