Recording - June 2013 - 60

RECORDING'S

SHOWCASE OF SOUNDS

Rob Papen Blade
By Devon Brent
Sound designer Rob Papen has been
around for quite some time; for me, his
work goes back to the late ’90s with his
signature E-MU ROM, Techno Synth
Construction Yard that fills the belly of
my Proteus 2000. Rob’s latest offering
with Jon Ayers (creator of the well-loved
Kubik synth reviewed in our April 2011
issue), called Blade, provides another
palette of sonic possibilities.
Blade—it cuts like a knife
Blade, at its heart, is an additive synthesizer. [Rob Papen points out that while the
“additive” description may make Blade
easier for readers to understand, technically Blade is not an additive synthesizer; his
goal was simply to provide direct harmonic control in a different way than what’s
offered on other synths.—Ed.] It offers the
following: An oscillator section dubbed the
Harmolator (more on that in a bit); 14 filter
types (6/12/18/24 dB/octave high- and
lowpass filters along with a variety of
comb, vocal, and bandpass filters); 21 distortion algorithms; four modulation slots
with a multitude of modulation possibilities
(see below); excellent keyboard velocity
who desires that level of control for true additive sound sculpting
control; a 16-step arpeggiator with all the typical trimmings; a
(and who probably has Kubik already... or should), but for the
well-designed preset management system; and two independent
rest of us poor guys who love the sound of additive but are
effects processors with 27 algorithms to choose from.
daunted by all the partials, the ease of use is heaven-sent!
About those four modulation slots: Examples of sources
The other feature that sets Blade apart is the XY Pad automainclude two dedicated envelopes for pitch and the Harmolator
tion section. It offers 12 parameters along each axis; nine of the
along with two free envelopes, two dedicated LFOs for pitch and
Harmolator parameters including Base, Range, Symmetry,
the Harmolator along with two free LFOs, plus plenty of MIDI
Timbre, E/O Harmonics, Ripple, Ripple Width, Harmonics, and
sources that can be routed to pretty much any parameter!
Harmonic Volume, along with the Filter, Filter Q and Volume.
The Harmolator is one of two features that set Blade apart
From there, we can easily record automation paths drawn with
from other additive synthesizers. Its parameter list includes
a mouse that morph between the X and Y axis in multiple ways
Base, Range, Symmetry, Timbre amount with multiple timbre
like loop the automation path, trigger for each note individualtypes, Even/Odd Harmonic balance, Ripple with type, wave
ly, control the speed of the automation, and more. Cool stuff!
and width control, Harmonics and Harmonic Volume control,
Octave, Spread, and a sub oscillator with multiple pitch options
In use
beyond the typical one octave down.
In a market chock-full of too many copycat synthesizers, Blade
Without diving into specifics for each control, quite simply
certainly does a good job at setting itself apart from the pack.
each of these parameters is used to manipulate all the available partials within the Harmolator in a
hopefully musically useful way. However,
Delivery: Digital download only
those of you familiar with additive synFormat: VSTi 32/64 bits for Windows XP/Vista/7/8, AU/VSTi 32 and 64 bit
thesis will likely notice the distinct lack of
with 32 bit AAX/RTAS support for Mac OS X 10.5+
control for each partial; no panning,
Copy Protection: Serial Number
envelopes, or volume control for any of
License: Two laptop/desktops after registration
the individual partials whatsoever. It’s
Documentation: PDF only
only possible to manipulate the partials
Price: $139
as a whole body of partials in relation to
the above parameters selected. This
More from: Rob Papen, www.robpapen.com
might irritate the additive connoisseur

Blade’s user interface is dominated by the
XYpad that provides intuitive control.

60

RECORDING June 2013
http://www.robpapen.com
Recording - June 2013

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