Applied acoustic systems Lounge Lizard EP-3 review

Applied Acoustic Systems' Lounge Lizard EP-3 is a software emulation of the electric pianos popular with Motown, funk and jazz bands and, more recently, hip-hop producers and Radiohead soundalikes.

It can run as a standalone program or as a VST or DirectX instrument plug-in in a host audio sequencer. Boxed copies of version three cost around £150 including VAT, but if you buy version two, you can upgrade for free at www.applied-acoustics.com.

Rather than using sampled recordings, Lounge Lizard makes its sounds using a technique called physical modelling, a mathematical model of the instrument's acoustic properties, with virtual mallets hitting virtual tuned forks, sensed by virtual pickups. You can adjust the stiffness of the mallet and the distance between the fork and pickup, giving direct control over the sound itself rather than merely processing a pre-recorded sound. It also means the instrument responds realistically to dynamics, producing the full gamut of tones from quiet to loud. Version three adds a Wurlitzer-style pickup model to the Rhodes one in previous versions, an enhanced fork model with realistic damping and an improved effects section.

The extensive controls mean it's possible to get anything from dreamy, undulating vibraphone-like tones to a nasal, reedy spank or a bell-like chime. In fact, Lounge Lizard can go well beyond realistic simulations, and extreme settings can sound pretty outlandish, although not always in a good way. The unusual controls take some getting used to, but an excellent preset library guides the way.

Lounge Lizard goes way beyond the sample-based emulations we've heard, and although many of the presets sound too quirky or naff, the extensive control is a delight.

Lounge Lizard's flexibility makes it an excellent choice for any budding musician who's looking for a different sound, but it needs careful fine-tuning so as not to sound too outlandish.