Signal Processors

Classic low-pass gates are probably best associated with the Buchla modulars. However, Rabid Elephant decided against the vactrols, aiming to produce something faster, more accurate, durable and natural-sounding.

Formant Filter offers morphing between three different vowel sounds and via parallel band-pass filters, it delivers convincing vocal tones...

Rainmaker consists of a stereo 16-tap spectral delay paired with a 64-tap comb resonator, the latter sporting external triggering options that turn it into a (single-voice) Karplus-Strong synthesizer.

Roland have recreated their classic vocoder at a fraction of the cost — and size.

The original E-mu Morpheus was capable of real-time morphing in just one dimension, but today’s processors have much more power and can therefore offer 3D morphing — and in stereo.

Vermona’s Eurorack stable continues to grow with the addition of the TwinVCFilter.

There are two AJH modules on review: the Sonic XV, based around an early 24dB diode filter from the Musonics Sonic V; secondly, the discrete transistor-based Ring SM, which can double as a five-input mixer and incorporates a pair of sub oscillator generators.

FabFilters powerful plug-in suite brings us advanced modulation possibilities, filters with multiple personalities, and plenty of overdrive.

If you've ever fancied creating your own VST plug-in synths and effects, Outsim's slick development tool might just have made the process that bit easier for PC users.

The Radias is described by Korg as a synth and vocoder, but that's somewhat modest — it manages to cram analogue modelling, S&S, FM and formant synthesis into its stylish frame, plus a host of sound-shaping and triggering facilities. Plus that vocoder...

Basement Arts Frantic, Cakewalk Z3TA+, and Progress Software Soup get the install treatment.

Native's sound design software is back, and with v5, you have more control over your instruments than ever — offering fully user-definable looks, the ability to construct your own modules from scratch, and an improved library. We get patching...

If your computer could sing, what would it sound like? With the Cantor software synth from Virsyn, you can find out...

If you are looking for effects and instruments to give your mixes a sideways slant, Cycling '74 might have just the thing...

Native Instruments' flagship modular software synth has now reached version 4, dispensing with the dongle copy-protection that bothered v3 owners, adding many user-friendly features and allowing even greater scope for personalising your patches.

Times change. When announced in 2001, the Chameleon, a reprogrammable DSP unit, looked out of date compared with the software studio concept. But with piracy rife, and software companies being bought out everywhere, the idea of reprogrammable, unhackable hardware now seems quite timely...