Recording - June 2013 - 61
Blade offers an unapologetic, synthetically
digital sound-sculpting package that’s not
often seen among the multitude of meatand-potatoes subtractive synthesizers in
the wild. While the sound generated
might not be suitable for every music
genre, providing something a bit different
is highly desirable. Thankfully, the results
are very good for someone who enjoys a
decidedly digital flavor in their music.
Even better, it wasn’t a noticeably huge
CPU hog on my PC, which sports a
Nehalem i7 950 3.0 GHz processor.
Getting your head wrapped around
Blade and its sound synthesis will take
some time, especially if you’re not familiar
with the concepts of additive synthesis.
Even though programming Blade is quicker than that of comparable additive synths,
due to the fact that it doesn’t offer detailed
programming for each partial, it will still
take study and experimentation to understand how each parameter affects the overall sound. As most of us have learned over
the years, dedication pays off in the end,
and Blade is no exception to the rule.
Front and center in the GUI is the XY
pad, and it’s what makes Blade the
“motion machine” of wonder. Working
and recording the built-in parameter
automation is straightforward and intuitive. I find it far easier and faster to experiment with Blade’s automation than trying
to work multiple lanes of automation in my
host for this type of sound shaping.
However, the way some common parameters are buried and not grouped together (like getting to the free LFOs by selecting the Mod page, then select the LFO
page on the left on the Mod page, compared to getting to the Harmolator’s LFO
which is always on the main page) feels a
bit awkward in comparison to the XY
pad’s elegance. It makes me wish there
was a separate modulation/envelope
page away from the main page itself.
Blade comes with a large variety of presets, of mixed quality for my taste. There
seems to have been plenty of guest performers amongst the preset designers. I prefer Rob’s expert work on the knobs, but at
least there are plenty of gems scattered
throughout the banks.
Conclusion
For those of you who have had enough of
the ‘me-too’ synths on the market and are
champing at the bit for something a bit different, Blade’s characteristic “bite” and builtin automation ability really delivers the
goods. If the standard subtractive synthesizer is the “meat and potatoes” in the synthesizer world, then Blade is the herbs and
spices that can add flavor to an otherwise
bland dish. Not that every meal calls for
exotic flavor, but Blade just might be that bit
of zest your musical palette has been yearning for. A worthy addition to your soft-synth
collection at a reasonable price.
http://www.isoacoustics.com
http://www.isoacoustics.com
http://www.recordingmag.com
Recording - June 2013
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - June 2013
Recording - June 2013
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
SXSW 2013—From Guerilla To Gorilla
Finding Fault
Reviewed & Revisited: Ableton Live 9 and Push
Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveler Collection for UAD-2
Apogee Quartet
Reviewed & Revisited: Steinberg Cubase 7
Mock-Up Magic
Reviewed & Revisited: MOTU Digital Performer 8
Ingram Engineering MPA685
Reviewed & Revisited: PreSonus Studio One 2.5
Reviewed & Revisited: Cakewalk SONAR X2
Readers’ Tapes
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 18: Headphones—Part 1
Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
For Your Bookshelf
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - June 2013 - Intro
Recording - June 2013 - Recording - June 2013
Recording - June 2013 - Cover2
Recording - June 2013 - 1
Recording - June 2013 - 2
Recording - June 2013 - 3
Recording - June 2013 - Fade In
Recording - June 2013 - 5
Recording - June 2013 - Contents
Recording - June 2013 - 7
Recording - June 2013 - Talkback
Recording - June 2013 - 9
Recording - June 2013 - Fast Forward
Recording - June 2013 - 11
Recording - June 2013 - 12
Recording - June 2013 - 13
Recording - June 2013 - SXSW 2013—From Guerilla To Gorilla
Recording - June 2013 - 15
Recording - June 2013 - Finding Fault
Recording - June 2013 - 17
Recording - June 2013 - 18
Recording - June 2013 - 19
Recording - June 2013 - Reviewed & Revisited: Ableton Live 9 and Push
Recording - June 2013 - 21
Recording - June 2013 - 22
Recording - June 2013 - 23
Recording - June 2013 - Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveler Collection for UAD-2
Recording - June 2013 - 25
Recording - June 2013 - 26
Recording - June 2013 - 27
Recording - June 2013 - Apogee Quartet
Recording - June 2013 - 29
Recording - June 2013 - Reviewed & Revisited: Steinberg Cubase 7
Recording - June 2013 - 31
Recording - June 2013 - 32
Recording - June 2013 - 33
Recording - June 2013 - Mock-Up Magic
Recording - June 2013 - 35
Recording - June 2013 - 36
Recording - June 2013 - 37
Recording - June 2013 - Reviewed & Revisited: MOTU Digital Performer 8
Recording - June 2013 - 39
Recording - June 2013 - 40
Recording - June 2013 - 41
Recording - June 2013 - Ingram Engineering MPA685
Recording - June 2013 - 43
Recording - June 2013 - Reviewed & Revisited: PreSonus Studio One 2.5
Recording - June 2013 - 45
Recording - June 2013 - Reviewed & Revisited: Cakewalk SONAR X2
Recording - June 2013 - 47
Recording - June 2013 - 48
Recording - June 2013 - 49
Recording - June 2013 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - June 2013 - 51
Recording - June 2013 - 52
Recording - June 2013 - 53
Recording - June 2013 - 54
Recording - June 2013 - 55
Recording - June 2013 - Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 18: Headphones—Part 1
Recording - June 2013 - 57
Recording - June 2013 - Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Recording - June 2013 - 59
Recording - June 2013 - 60
Recording - June 2013 - 61
Recording - June 2013 - 62
Recording - June 2013 - 63
Recording - June 2013 - For Your Bookshelf
Recording - June 2013 - Advertiser Index
Recording - June 2013 - 66
Recording - June 2013 - 67
Recording - June 2013 - 68
Recording - June 2013 - 69
Recording - June 2013 - 70
Recording - June 2013 - 71
Recording - June 2013 - Fade Out
Recording - June 2013 - Cover3
Recording - June 2013 - Cover4
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