SPECTRASONICS Stylus RMX review

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Verdict:

Review Date: 18 Feb 2005

Price when reviewed: inc VAT

Our Rating 4 stars out of 5

Stylus RMX is an inspired spin on the sample library concept.

Rather than presenting its drum loops as a CD-ROM of WAV files, Spectrasonics has loaded them into a VST instrument plug-in so they're ready to perform within any VST-compatible software such as Cubase, Cubasis or Ableton Live. This isn't a unique idea but Stylus RMX raises the stakes with a massive 7.4GB sound library and unparalleled scope for customising each loop.

The plug-in's high-quality time stretching enables you to play loops at pretty much any pitch and tempo. It also divides loops into slices, one for each rhythmic event, making it easy to place samples in a different order to create new patterns. You can subject each event to a range of different treatments, and there's a good set of filters, envelopes and effects for tailoring loops or events.

Most unusual is the Chaos Designer, which adds a controlled degree of randomisation to samples. There are controls for pitch, volume, event reverse and timing, and you can even alter the order subtly to give the feel of a live performance. The MIDI data that triggers these randomised loops can be dragged to the host program's timeline, allowing you to keep the bits you like and edit them further, although there's no way of making randomised pitches and reversed events permanent.

The samples are fresh and exciting, with a tendency towards heavily processed and generally weird noises. The only real problem is that some loops are so big and complex that they leave little room in the mix for any other instruments. Still, most come in alternative stripped-down versions, which can be recombined up to eight at a time.

The results are fantastic across the board, making Stylus RMX a worthy purchase for anyone looking for superb drum results.

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