AudioMedia - June 2008 - (Page 30)

KARL FOSTER examines EastWest/Quantum Leap’s 64-bit, network-capable Play sample engine and assesses the quality of its two new sample libraries: Goliath and SD2 – The Next Generation. T here are numerous ROMpler engines on the market, each front-ending large sample libraries and offering a degree of sound-sculpting. Soft samplers they are not, in that you can’t drop in your own audio clips and perform extensive modification. Rather, the ROMpler relies on banks of audio files, often of a specific genre, and shaping tools by which to customise them. Quantum Leap, a division of Hollywood-based EastWest, has until recently relied on Native Instruments’ technology to present a diverse range of virtual instruments to the user. Of late, however, QL has rolled out a new range of ROMplers driven by the Play Advanced Sample Engine, which is included free with its latest virtual instruments. The first products to sport this new interface technology are Fab Four, Gypsy, Pianos, Voices of Passion, Ministry of Rock, and the two examined below: Goliath and SD . hooked up to a Mac via SATA, and so sound files fair-well flew up the wire. It’s possible to load multiple patches into one instance of either product, each assignable to up to nine stereo outs, although QL reckons you’ll get better performance by loading multiple instances when running the software as a plug-in. Goliath’s interface is uncluttered, with handy Delay and ADT modules on hand, as well as a preset-driven Reverb and a Filter section equipped with Resonance and Frequency rotaries. Envelope is more generously endowed, featuring AHDSR rotaries, and all the above are modifiable via MIDI. If a master patch has multiple articulations, activated by key switches outside of the instrument’s range, they show up at bottom right in the Articulations window and can be selectively deactivated, or unloaded. It’s an excellent way to present the possible articulations, saves an age looking them up EAST WEST/QUANTUM LEAP GOLIATH & SD2 VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTS O ver view Play, while -bit compatible, offers -bit support, meaning it’ll happily make use of all the RAM on your system. There’s also Network Control, which enables you to load instruments onto other machines on the network and control them from the host workstation. The Play browser lists all of the instruments installed, so it’s a case of choosing a volume, previewing a patch, then loading it. The interface automatically changes to match the package hosting the patch. The software runs standalone on Windows XP, Vista and -bit, and Mac OS X. Also supported is VST, ASIO, DirectSound, Audio Unit, and Core Audio, while certain libraries are being made available as RTAS – the SoundsOnline website can advise on availability. Incidentally, Mac users should note that, while the instruments are compatible with both PPC and Intel, QL suggests they perform better on the latter. That’s the underlying technology of Play. At the business end, each supported QL instrument sports its own interface design, complete with a moderate set of sound-tweaking tools, backed up by sound libraries ranging from the huge to the truly titanic. SD – The Next Generation is the successor to StormDrum, a collection of percussion hits and loops ideal for filmscore work. Its GB library is supplied on two dual-layer DVDs, so you’ll need an optical drive capable of reading such media. Even bigger is, as the name implies, Goliath, a pumped-up incarnation of its predecessor Colossus. Six single-layer DVDs host a GB install, which takes an age to load, but places more than instruments and patches on your more-than-necessary dedicated media drive. Piracy protection is via iLok hardware dongle (not supplied), so that’s another USB port gone, but it can accommodate more than cross-platform licenses. THE REVIEWER KARL FOSTER has been involved in high-tech music production since the days of the Atari ST, and has edited a number of music technology magazines along the way. Based in Staffordshire, he currently specialises in technology journalism and can be found online at www.karlfoster.com. in the manual, and the switches are clearly tinted blue on the keyboard. SD ’s interface is even more Spartan, dispensing with the Articulations window and much of the MIDI information you’d see when using melodic patches. In essence, then, it’s merely a case of picking your sounds, loading them up, assigning MIDI inputs and audio outputs, making FX tweaks, and bashing the keyboard. The most important thing, however, is the quality of sound. Quantum Leap does not disappoint. Both products’ multi-sampled, velocity-switching samples are rendered in excellent detail and with not an artifact in earshot. From raunchy guitars, through sonorous flutes to the lush tone of the PMI Bosendorfer , Goliath offers an awesome sound palette. SD ’s wide-ranging percussive timbres, meanwhile, have an excellent stage-ambience appeal, even when untreated. And there’s more than score-orientated MIDI performance files on hand to make programming sequences a cinch. Folk often talk about the ‘learning curve’ involved when mastering a new piece of music-making gear. ‘Flatline’ seems more appropriate to both SD and Goliath. Delving through and organising the huge number of patches is easy thanks to an elegant browser with both a Recent sub-menu and a Favourites section into which you can create folders of oft-used sounds. During testing, we loaded the core libraries onto a four-volume RAID , I n Use For an easily manageable and comprehensive library of staple sounds, plus numerous esoteric excursions, Goliath is hard to beat. The samples are of top quality, and the sheer variety of timbres make it a great addition to the music-producer’s arsenal. And for those seeking added percussive power, SD brings rock, world, and even electro-glitch to the party. It seems clear that QL has decided that content is king, concentrating on quality sound and abjuring such bells and whistles as built-in EQ, compressors, and the like – all stuff that can be hived off to other devices. With the Play engine at the heart of the product line, flexibility and ease of use are also clearly high on the agenda. Make sure to take in the audio demos at SoundsOnline’s website for an earful of what this combo can do. ∫ I N F O R MAT I O N Conclusion £ Goliath RRP: €495 (ex VAT), SD2 RRP: €329 (ex VAT) A SoundsOnline T +1-323-957-6969 (USA) W www.soundsonline.com 30 AUDIO MEDIA JUNE 2008 http://www.karlfoster.com http://www.soundsonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - June 2008

AudioMedia - June 2008 Contents Recording Post Broadcast AES Review What's Up UK? Geofocus: Australia For the Record Special Report: Videosonics Newstalk: DPA New Microphones Novation SL Compact Allen & Heath IDR-8 Eastwest Quantum Leap SD2 & Goliath Final Cut: Indiana Jones Merging ADR Module Koolworld SSL Duende Good Product Sampler: Microphones Video Guide AMSR Meyer Sound The Blue Planet Live! Royer Labs Mics R-121 & R-122

AudioMedia - June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.