Product Reviews by KVR Members

Recently, I grew tired of Logic and it's massive set of features. Sometimes I just want to jam a little or try a little sample in TAL's Sampler and improvise on that loop. Hosting AU is perfect for this: it launches in an instant, is very easy on the eyes with little distraction and is rock solid. As all of my plugins are AU only (or both AU and VST), non-availability of VST slots is not an issue for me whatsoever.

I wish the Ju-X guys came up with an immediate and simple MIDI looper like the Midiphy LoopA in software with support for external MIDI gear, that would make my dream jamming rig on a laptop and I'd be willing to shell out €€ for that. Actually, I'd be willing to pay for Hosting AU - the fact that it's free makes this an even more invaluable tool. Highly recommend.

For being a free plugin alone, this deserves 5 stars. Instant late 80ies/early 90ies feeling. If you like LFO (the band), you will love this plugin.

I have a K1r mk1 in my rack next to me and the plugin fails to model one crucial ingredient of the original: the noise floor;).

Really well done, Nils! And may I add that the fact this exists not only for Windows but also as a Mac VST and AU and on top of that also works on Linux systems is seriously mind-blowing. Especially if you consider the short time span during which all these versions for different platforms came out.

I have earmarked some € to donate (and may I suggest you consider doing so as well?), especially for the AU version. If this was a commercial plugin, I would not hesitate to part with 50 or 60€ if I was making as much music today as I used to. Don't like Ro-land Cloud but like the D-50? Get this. Seriously, download this plugin if you like breathy, aliasing ROMplers as much as I do.

So far, I haven't tried to use the plugin as an editor for the hardware but I am really excited to so. Just the fact that an emulation is capable of doing so is so awesome (Dexed comes to mind).

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with the author of this software in any way. I'm simply blown away that somebody so talented and focused on getting stuff right (read Nils' blog about the development of this plugin, he's a man of dedication) would share the results of all his efforts with the world for free. And I do have a soft spot for quirky Kawai synths, now I can take one of them with me when I travel. I love this plugin.

I'll keep this one short because the main points have already been mentioned by my fellow KVR reviewers below.

In short: yes, this does sound like a Roland synth - actually, it's the very first to do so in the virtual world besides Roland's very own products. No, I haven't used a JX synth in the past but a couple of other analogue Roland synths and the PG-8X shares the same rubbery, lush and fat character inherent to Roland synths. Similar to TAL's synths, this one is worth it for the chorus alone.

I acknowledge that presets are crucial for many, so the PG-8X being sysex patch compatible with the real thing opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Aside from the original factory banks that Martin supplies, you can find hundreds of patches on the internet. As I am more of a roll-your-own guy when it comes to synth sounds, I found the surface nicely laid out and inviting for tweakers. Making a vibrant pad is a matter of seconds, making massive bass patches is so, too. And the thing is: it instantly sounds like Roland. Right there in your DAW. For free. That's simply amazing - especially if it doesn't set you back 150€ if you purchase from other devs with a similar claim.

I'm a Mac-Head as well (AU only at that) so I'm using an older beta with all its quirks. But since I could not believe that you'd get such a quality plugin for free, I donated to Martin in order to support further development. I suggest you do the same if you're after a Mac AU version as well. On top of that, Martin is a very responsive developer (just read the dedicated forums) and seems to be a very nice guy - so there are even more reasons to support indie devs like him rather than the big corps. If he comes up with a virtual MKS-70 or models another Roland synth of yesteryear, I'll be the first in line to buy it without a prior demo run.

This plugin "saved" me from buying a vintage sampler and/or from buying 112dB's Morgana. It's a 1:1 copy of the original device with Typhoon OS (the gentlemen behind Sonic Charge developed "Typhoon", an alternative OS for Yamaha's TX16W sampler, back then), including all the chips inside the TX16W so the overall sound and artifacts from transposing are pretty much the same as if you had the device in front of you. Heavy aliasing when sampling on low sample rates is where Cyclone excels if that's your cup of tea.

If you are looking for that gritty vintage sampler sound and have tried the numerous bitcrushers - look no further, this is the one you should be getting unless you're after the sound of an MPC60, an SP1200 or any other specific vintage sampler sound (for the Ensoniq Mirage, get the aforementioned Morgana). This one does the 12bits Yamaha thing and it does it very well.

Cyclone can sample via sidechain inputs which makes it easy to set up in Logic. Sampling will turn into the thing it used to be with happy accidents by pressing "Go" too late or too early. Alternative trigger procedures are available though I haven't tested them.

Editing is far from today's standards, of course, but I find the method with using digits and your ears way more intuitive for special tasks such as sampling old records. This is not a replacement for the EXS24 or Kontakt, it's rather a digital time machine that takes you back straight to the late 1980ies/early 1990ies, although setting up keymaps/multisamples is possible (but a pain in the arse to be honest).

I am using Cyclone for sampling old records, drum hits, vocal snips and chord stabs or percussion loops to add that ringing aliasing patina to a few samples.

The plugin is actually free but I would have paid 90€ for something like this. I haven't used Sonic Charge's support but from reading in their forums, I'd assume that these swedish guys are quite nice and helpful should you run into any trouble.