Zone-Magazine-Wally-Lopez-Issue-040

Software Hardware and Tech
Albums - Dance
// LOUK
Hello all. My name is Louk and I am a DJ / Producer from England. I have produced / written /co-produced / co-written /
engineered / remixed and ghost produced over 300 productions that have been released since 2003 of varying genres. After a four
year hiatus since my last reviews and articles in Zone as my youngest was born, and I scaled back lots of musical activity, I have
decided to return to the world of Journalism, covering all things music Software, hardware and tech (as well as giving advice). This
month I cover two VST instruments, a hardware synth and a sample pack!
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9.5
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PotenzaDSP Amigo (£59.90) - https://potenzadsp.com/amigo/
This was a welcome throwback and an instant addition to my studio! I started music production on an Amiga 500
using Octamed in my teens. I also tried the tracker ProTracker as well which this VST is based on the sample editor
of. If it wasn't for the Amiga and Octamed, I highly doubt I would be writing this now and having had the musical
history I've had so as soon as this was announced I was all over it. Imagine having an Amiga and add to that the
quintessential time stretch of the 90s from the Akai S950 and the results are magnificent. You can instantly be
recreating the effects of Goldie's 'Terminator' or timestretching vocals like on Double 99's Rip Groove in minutes. I
am not kidding when I say that ther there are some absolutely fucking mental VST instruments out there at the
moment and I seriously cannot believe that this is only a tenner. One thing I've always liked about trackers is the
ability to get ideas down very quickly and the possibilities on a budget are endless. Taking me straight back to the
old days with setable trigger points, instant reverse and groovy timestretch and lots of instantaneous playability, this
is fantastic. It is literally like having an Amiga 500 and an Akai S950 all linked up with full sample manipulation
techniques available in Cubase. No wonder the likes of Eats Everything, Pete Cannon, Groovin' In G, Bizzy B,
Stranjah and many more are all raving about it. I am not keen on giving 10/10 for most studio items but this fully
deserves it. Best £10 you will have spent in ages on anything musical.
Oszillos Megascope (£69) - https://schulz.audio/products/oszillos-mega-scope/
If you thought the fun ended there with the Amigo, you are very much mistaken. If you are very quick, you can get
this one for the discounted price of £69, and I mean this with the utmost shock as when I first saw the plugin when
Robin Tabor (Champion / Sleazy Deep / New State) shared a picture to his facebook, but Holy fuck! This literally is a
mindblowing bit of kit that I wish I discovered earlier as it would have solved many problems over the years of relying
solely on my ears for mixes. First, let's get into the logistics, this is a very powerful oscilloscope, but the added
advantage is you can place it on individual channels and group tracks and colour code them, and you can see in real
time waveforms of each coloured channel on screen. I was absolutely lost for words when I saw it and it definitely
caters for a much needed niche for any producer struggling to get their mixes on point. I showed this to my good
friend producer/DJ wizard Tim French who lives down the road when we had a studio jam together and we got it set
up on his Mac, and within minutes and a few colour codings, it highlighted some volume issues on why his latest track
wasn't kicking in with enough power. A few minutes later and levelling did a world of difference and his track
certainly has a lot more power. What more needs to be said than that? The proof is certainly in the pudding. An
absolutely vital bit of kit that will literally transform your mixes for the better. Seriously well done guys!
The Usual Suspects (DSP56300) Vavra - https://dsp56300.wordpress.com/vavra/
I've got to begin by saying fair play to the DSP56300/The Usual Suspects collective. I have been beta testing their
synths for quite a while and they have succesfully managed to emulate the Motorola DSP56300 chips with pin point
accuracy, enabling you to be able to have a VST version of hardware synths running on their firmware on your PC/
Mac/Linux devices. This has shocked many of the producers I know because if you were to say to any of us a few
years ago 'Yeah give it a few years and you'll be able to have a pretty much identical clone of your Access Virus C/
Virus TI or Waldorf XT & Micro Q on your computer, running off the same technology as the processors inside it', none
of us would have believed you. However, here we are in 2024 and they have not only managed this but have pretty
much made the hardware versions of all four synths totally redundant. I own an Access Virus Snow and end up using
the plug in more. The recording down and total recall are simply phenomenal, and although the hardware does sound
great and is hands on, the software versions are sublime. On the Vavra, you can instantly load any of the sounds of
the Micro Q and the late nineties charm is there in full force, with some wonderful synth leads, basses, pads and loads
of charisma. With only a slight little bit of effort getting the VST3 version to work compared to usual, and at the rock
bottom price of absolutely zilch, this (and their other synths) are welcome additions to any studio!
Stoneface & Terminal - Between Techno & Trance Vol 1 & 2 (From £5.95 - £34.95)
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https://stoneface-terminal-fancy.sellfy.store/p/stoneface-and-terminal-between-techno-and-trance-vol12/
A bit of a double whammy this month, and rightly so, as both packs were recently released and on offer as a bundle
at the time of purchase. Stoneface & Terminal, the German duo of Henry Nix & Matthias Gierth, have been releasing
anthems for over twenty years. As well as being two absolutely awesome producers and DJs, with a very talented ear
for A&R (their FSOE Clandestine label is second to none), they are also a couple of very sound gentlemen as well.
Boasting a production history on some of the most notable labels in the trance world such as Perfecto, Skullduggery,
Euphonic, Monster Tunes, A State Of Trance, Flashover, Pure Trance and more as well as their releases as Gundamea
and Terminal East. The packs boast 200 sounds and bunch of presets for Xfer's Serum as well, and what you are
provided with is a very strong mixture of one shots, loops and presets ready to drop into your latest productions to
help give them a much more fuller sound. In particular the kicks and the drumloops are what stand out here and you
can hear the influence from the duo's love of techno and trance. Whilst I've not had chance to test the Serum presets
out yet, the samples alone are of a very decent standard and for the price of both packs it is an absolute bargain.
These are instantaneous samples and ready to give your tracks that extra shine and much needed inspiration.
58 Zone-magazine.eu