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Best Service releases Galaxy X - Convolution Synthesizer

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Best Service

After three years of development, Galaxy Instruments and Best Service recently released a new virtual instrument with what they say is "an extraordinary new kind of sound design": Galaxy X.

X is a Convolution Synthesizer, putting an extremely powerful and creative sound design tool at your disposal: FX Convolution.

X features over 1400 convolution X-Files to completely change over 15GB of Source Sounds, all especially recorded and tweaked for X. Divided into three instrument categories, Galaxy X delivers a complete production pack. For instant use, you can choose from over 1000 Ready-To-Play Instrument Layer. With the specially created intuitive and effective user interface, it's a snap to completely change an instrument layer or create new ones from scratch.

Sound categories include spheres, impacts, rhythms, tonally playable loops, tons of effects, morphed sounds, sequences, cinematic soundscapes, wild ambiences, drones, effect grooves, reversed sounds - all from smooth and deep to hard and heavy, and a lot more.

Galaxy X works great for Score Music, Games, Ambient, Chill, Soundtrack, Trance, Electronic Music, Dance, Pop, Progressive, Experimental... for everybody who is after new sounds.

X Convolution

In the audio world, Convolution is the process of multiplying two signals together or folding one audio file over the other one. The result is a hybrid of the two original sounds, introducing a whole new world of sound creations. With Galaxy X, those two sound files are the Sources and the X-Files.

The Sources are sample sets especially and exclusively recorded and tweaked for use with FX Convolution. All in all X delivers about 15GB of source material with almost 1000 tonally playable source key instruments, over 2000 Effect Sounds and over 5000 Loops.

The X-Files are Impulse Responses, specifically created for FX convolution, which shape, twist, filter, reverse, deepen, morph and even destroy and rebuild the source sounds.

By the X-Engine's X-Files a celeste mutates into a tuning orchestra, a bowed ventilator sinks into the resonances of a piano, a sitar smashes into a clatter of glass, a tonal dance loop arises from a kalimba.

The combination of Sources and X-Files creates trillions of sounds unheard before.

X Eye

The X-Eye is the center of the X surface. Its color corresponds to the amount of FX-convolution in action. The great thing about X is that you are always in charge of easily and dynamically changing the amount of FX convolution by simply using the Modulation Wheel or any other MIDI controller.

This way the final sound of X can be constantly and musically modulated. Listen to your music and decide instantly, how much the Source should be convolved.

The Recordings

Overall you can choose from over 4000 basic source sounds, which are based on over 16000 samples.

Almost 1000 Tonally Playable Sources like bowed mallets and cymbals, piano overtones, waterphone, mini-celesta, synthetic attacks and weirdos, different pianos, plucked and beaten instruments, noises or reversed sounds.

Over 2000 Effect Sounds such as magic balls, whirling wood, circuit bent noises, scratched cymbals, electronic effects, industrial and machine samples or flute and voice phrases.

Over 5000 Loops such as tongue drum, body percussion, world percussions, tonal loops, chopped loops, vinyl loops and weird ones like Rod Spring Piano or Trembling Chimes.

X Files - Impulse Responses

The X-Files put their mark on the Sources, be it the envelope, the frequency, the position or tonality and resonance. The kind of effect they achieve always depends on the interaction between Source and X-File. Galaxy X being a virtual instrument featuring both the sources and the convolution files gave Galaxy Instruments the opportunity to co-ordinate them on each other.

The effect of the X-Files ranges from filtering the source to shaping, deepening, morphing or completely mutating it.

Galaxy Instruments recorded hundreds of 'real' X-Files like instrument resonances, phrases, 'mistreated instruments', voice noises or environmental noises and treated them big time for great effects on the sources. They sampled different rooms, vintage equipment like tape delays or old turntables, ... They programmed noises for filtering and shaping the sources or recorded and tweaked different loops for creating tonally playable loops.

They reversed all kind of X-Files for creating reverse effects for every X-Source.

Interface Tour

Galaxy X brings convolution sources and X-Files together into one virtual instrument for the first time. This enabled the co-ordination of all sounds and aspects of FX convolution into one integrated system with an intuitive, easy, but effective user interface. The source sounds start in the top triangle of the interface, the Sources section. The Sources can be layered by up to three, already creating a whole bunch of complex sources. These combined source sounds take their way counter-clockwise to the next module.

The Pre-X-Engine prepares the sources for FX-convolution. The source can be distorted, crunched and crushed, resulting in a very different interaction with the X-File. The 'Dirt' Section is followed by either a Groove and Sequence generator or an EQ/Filter section. Contour shapes the signal and Repeat adds filtered echoes, also being convolved afterwards.

The combination of source Sources and Pre-X effects already creates a zillion of complex sounds. But these are only the feed for the beast: the X-Engine.

The X-Engine is the convolution module of X. This is where you choose your X-File, change its length and tuning, sync it to the host tempo and reverse it, if you choose to do so. The main control is the 'X-Factor', representing the amount of convolution. The 'X-Factor' is always controlled by the Modulation Wheel (unless you choose another controller) and always visualized by the centered X-Eye, so you can always 'keep an eye' on the convolution amount.

At the end, the Post-X-Engine finalizes the Xed sound with a panning automation, Color and Filter control and the final Space module. Behind Space hides another convolution module, but this time exclusively serving for all kinds of reverb, from weird small spaces to the Taj Mahal.

Facts & Features:

  • Convolution Synthesizer.
  • New sound synthesis for exciting new sounds.
  • Integrated system for FX convolution in one virtual instrument.
  • Complete production kit: X-Keys, X-FX and X-Loops.
  • More than 1000 ready-to-play Instrument Layers.
  • Easy creation of user sounds.
  • 15GB of Source Sounds.
  • More than 1000 multi-sampled Source Key Instruments.
  • More than 5000 Source Loops.
  • More than 2000 Source Effect Sounds.
  • More than 1400 Convolution X-Files for completely altering the source sounds.
  • Complex sound design with an extremely intuitive user interface.
  • Easy dynamic use of convolution using the Mod Wheel.
  • X-Eye for visualizing the amount of convolution.
  • Musical and intuitive Pre-X and Post-X effects.
  • Endless sound possibilities designed by you.

Pricing & Availability

Galaxy X costs €249 and is available for 32- and 64-bit Windows and Mac OS X in VST, AU and RTAS instrument plug-in formats.

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