UVI
From the very old to the über new, UVI’s latest library has been collated with care. Roland Schmidt blows off the dust on some classics
We all know that hardware synthesisers can be a costly alternative to their software counterparts, albeit with the tactile joy, but imagine a compendium of classics that could satisfy your synth-gear lust in one convenient and cost-effective package.
Anthology rising
Well, you needn’t imagine any further. UVI’s newest release and update to its applauded Synth Anthology series has risen to version 4, but this is no minor release with a few tweaks here and there. Apart from a smart new look, there’s a wealth of additions and improvements that add up to a package which feels to be far more than a sum of its parts.
Firstly, a bit of background. UVI has an excellent track record for creating sample-based software instruments, which operate from within its own plugins. UVI’s freebie Workstation plugin is the basic host software, presenting the information in a style which always feels uncluttered. This is exemplified with SA4, as the interface graphics have received a makeover, revealing a stunning new look. You can also use UVI’s Falcon softsynth plugin as host, which does open up a greater number of options at the programming level, but for our money, the clarity provided by Workstation is a thing to savour, as well as being free.
Because this is a sample-based suite, it does mean that we’re at the mercy of the supplied content, which is both plentiful and extensive. The sounds are drawn from a bewildering array of hardware machines, ranging from classic analogues from the likes of Moog, Roland and EMS, to virtual analogues such as the Access Virus, and even samplers from Akai and the legendary Fairlight CMI. Over 200 machines have been sampled, building a sample base of over 38,000 samples. The end user is able to sculpt these at will, although UVI has supplied 4,767 preset patches, which are all organised by either sound or machine. Thanks to clever FLAC compression technology, the content occupies a mere 20.42GB, which represents a 42GB equivalent in a WAV state.
The production-ready nature of the patches leaps out, with enormous depth and detail in all sounds
Layering up
The sound engine used in SA4 has been rebuilt from the ground up. As you open the plugin and begin to audition the patches, the productionready nature of their content leaps out of your monitors, with enormous depth and detail in all sounds, and a musical responsiveness as you play. Another new addition is Layering, which is indicated on the interface by layer A & B. Who doesn’t want to make a lush synth pad from a CS-80 and Jupiter-8 sample? That’s about £60k plus, in hardware terms, and totally plausible within SA4’s domain.
Between each layer, a see-saw Mix pot blends the signals, which
