Recording - October 2010 - 63

Far too complex to detail here, Largo’s versatile arpeggiator remembers “chords” of up to sixteen notes, and relies on a staggering array of user-editable options to determine the arpeggiation results. Individual notes/steps can be accented, lengthened, shorted, or even shifted ahead or behind the beat. Largo’s two resonant filters can be routed parallel or in series. Filter modes include 12- and 24-dB/octave lowpass, highpass, band, and notch filters, as well as two types of comb filter. A “drive” feature adds optional saturation and distortion. For final polish, the two stereo effects units each feature a choice of chorus, flanger, phaser, overdrive, delay, or reverb. Also keep in mind that all of the above features— and several more I’ve only alluded to—apply to individual Parts, four of which can be layered to create a single sound program. (Parts can also be used for multitimbral operation, with each Part on its own MIDI channel.) As can be seen, Largo is an unusually versatile softsynth, offering a degree of patching complexity that is rare outside of modular synthesizers. In practice Because of—or despite—this potential for complexity, I was impressed with Largo’s efficient operation. Even on an old, first-generation MacBook Pro (2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo with only 1 GB RAM), a modulation-heavy patch used up only 22% of the available CPU for a fat, six-note chord. By the way, I tested version 1.5.0 of Largo in MOTU Digital Performer 5.11, under Mac OS X 10.4.11.

That was using a single Part, though, and, while that’s likely to be all you’ll find yourself needing, it’s by no means the extreme. Determined to max out Largo, I whipped up an improbable monster patch to take advantage of all four Parts. A six-note chord on that patch still used only 42% of the CPU. A four-Part patch is an anomaly as well: I went through hundreds of the factory patches (there are over 750) without seeing more than a handful that utilized even two Parts—and I never came across a patch that used three or four. Still, the capabilities are there, and though there are many recent software synths that would bring a computer like mine to its knees, Largo never did, no matter how much I pushed it for testing purposes. Final analysis Largo will have plenty of appeal for those who enjoy going under the hood of a synth and tinkering. Its flexibility suggests the kind of tool that will still have new surprises to offer even after years of use. If you love sound design, and especially if you’re interested in using the character of wavetables as a starting point for sounds that go far beyond the capabilities of early PPG instruments, then Largo may be just what you’re looking for. David Herpich (herpich@recordingmag.com) is a musician and sound designer living and working in Lawrence, KS, who records under the name Emerald Adrift. His latest album is the live concert recording Wings Of Morpheus—see www.earthmantra.com/wingsofmorpheus to learn more.

http://www.earthmantra.com/wingsofmorpheus http://www.stedmancorp.com http://www.recordingmag.com http://www.stedmancorp.com

Recording - October 2010

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