Keyboard Magazine - March 2008 - (Page 76) AUDITION VIR2 SYNTAX SOFTWARE INSTRUMENT (MAC, PC) by Ken Hughes To view advanced controls and access the ScatFX and StepFX sequencers, choose from among the options in this drop-down menu. Kudos — envelope and filter controls are easily accessed on the topmost layer of available controls. Looks a lot like the Matrix in Propellerhead Reason, dun’it? It can work that way, but offers realtime control reminiscent of the Korg Karma synth’s onboard arpeggiators/ sequencers. Here, the StepFX sequencer is clocking along at four times the speed of the ScatFX sequencer. StepFX can play up to 16 times as fast as ScatFX, which can lock to host tempo. All the scales you care about and a few you may never have heard of are available here. Capture your own composition into the StepFX sequencer from a connected MIDI controller with this record feature. The proliferation of sound libraries with included plug-in instrument engines has made it pretty difficult for any one library to stand out, particularly when a goodly portion of them are offered with Native Instruments’ Kontakt Player 2. Ironically, because of this engine’s popularity, developers have to overcome the “Great, another Kontakt library” perception straight out of the gate. Syntax aims to distinguish itself by offering analog synth sounds and textures that are a little left-of-center, and in this it succeeds. Whether or not the same results can be had from hardware or plug-ins you already own, though, is a legitimate question, so read on to learn a little more. SOUND ENGINE Like a twentysomething dude hopping up a Scion or a Subaru, Vir2 pulled Kontakt Player 2 into the service bay for a couple of custom enhancements not found in other Kontakt-enabled libraries: ScatterFX and StepFX. They’re sequencers, one of which (ScatFX) creates pulsing and stuttering effects by retriggering the amplitude envelope with programmable velocity per step; the other (StepFX) exerts control over pitch or the filter. In practice, they work much like the Matrix sequencer in Propellerhead Reason, and both sync to host tempo at every note value from whole-note to 128th. Swing isn’t supported, but the target audience for this library is those working in genres where swing is probably an uncommon requirement. If you need swing, you can sort 76 keyboard 03-2008 Synthesizer-focused software instrument with Kontakt Player 2 PROS Excellent, slightly offkilter character to the sounds. Realtime control of dual sequencers is addictive. CONS As shipped, factory sequences don’t show off the potential of ScatFX and StepFX. Preset names are perhaps a little too arty to be helpful. $199 Vir2 www.vir2.com http://www.vir2.com
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