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Looper's Delight
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---------- > > >The NEXT! Wave Has Arrived. > > > >Ahh... analog. For most DJ's and producer-types, the very word itself > conjures up those big, deep bass tones and sharp-as-a-razor filter sweeps > that only vintage analog gear can really deliver. But until now, scoring > that classic piece of retro analog gear-a TB-303 Bassline, a Moog synth, a > Vocoder, or any number of pawn-shop prizes-meant scouring the swap meets or > paying big, big bucks on the vintage synth market. But thanks to a new > company called NEXT!, all that's about to change... > > > >When American Gear invited me to review four products from the new NEXT! > lineup of analog music and DJ processing gear, I jumped at the chance. What > arrived on my doorstep days later was the real deal: the SUPERBASS 4.4 and > SPACEBASS 3.3 Analog Bass Synthesizers, the REZ-30 Resonator, and the VOX-II > Vocoder. Each unit was a compact 1U rack-mount size and sported a bunch of > front panel knobs with cool retro synth names like "VCO," "VCF," and "LFO." > Anxious to drop these beauties into a house remix I was working on, I > plugged 'em right in. > > > >First up was the SPACEBASS 3.3 Analog Bass Synthesizer. This unassuming > little unit was simple to set up. I connected my keyboard to the MIDI In > jack on the 3.3's back panel and then connected an instrument cable to the > 3.3's audio output (the big one labeled "OUT"-duh). The front panel was > similarly sparse: just eight knobs for VCO Tune and Wave; VCF Cutoff, > Resonance, and EnvMod; VCA/VCF Accent; Envelope Decay and Master Volume. If > you don't know what all these abbreviations stand for, don't worry. These > terms come from the glory days of analog synths, standing for things like > "Voltage Controlled Oscillator," and "Voltage Controlled Filter." And trust > me, you've definitely heard the sound of these knobs being twirled on > classic techno and electro-funk tracks from Detroit to Germany-making it > easy to just plug in and start tweakin'. > > > >The devilish analog growl of the SPACEBASS 3.3 had me floored within > seconds of hitting that first key. Squealing techno lines of the "acid" > variety and ultra-deep dub-style bass from those hip-hop records your mother > warned you about are easy stuff here. This bass synth is, in short, a > modern-day emulation of the classic R..... TB-303 Bassline, right down to > the built-in Accent functions, which activate when you play your keyboard > above a certain velocity. In my opinion, this affordable little box has got > that 'must-have' 303 sound nailed-truly sick bass sounds, teeth-grinding > filter sweeps and all. And it's a heck of a easier to use and more reliable > than the original. > > > >Having dropped a few choice filter sweeps and a gnarled buzzsaw hit or two > into my track, I decided to explore the SPACEBASS 3.3's big brother, the > SUPERBASS 4.4. The family resemblance was strong between these two bass > brethren, with this big guy boasting just a few more knobs and features and > expanded MIDI capability. Namely, the SUPERBASS gives you a cool Autoslide > control for "sliding" between notes (also called portamento), a Wave switch > for selecting between Saw and Square waves (the 3.3 has a continuously > adjustable knob instead), an Envelope PWM control for thickening up the > Square wave, and a built in Distortion knob for adding, well, you know. My > favorite addition on the 4.4 however, was the Sub Oscillator, which added > some phat bass frequencies so low that I'm sure only dogs could've heard > them. The Sub Oscillator can be blended with the Square and Saw waves for > some truly luscious and full bass sounds, which I quickly used to replace > the now-wimpy bass sound in my remix. For those who spend any time in the > world of MIDI sequencing, you'll be glad to know that SUPERBASS 4.4 also > offers MIDI In, Out and Thru jacks. > > > >I next plugged in to the REZ-30 Resonator to see what I could do to really > tweak my almost-full house track. Thankfully, the REZ-30 opened up lots of > possibilities. This unit offers some very sharp sound filtering and > phasing/flanging type effects based on a classic analog synth circuit with > three parallel filters. To make things interesting, it also includes a > three-mode LFO Modulation section with adjustable rate and depth and an > Envelope Modulation section with depth and decay controls-controls which > react to input frequencies to make things downright scary. I decided to run > my drum loops and keyboard tracks through the REZ-30, and the resulting > filter sweeps and tweaks were among the sharpest and most powerful I've ever > heard. I filtered away at two of my loops to give them a unique "pulsing" > feel, then I went back and used the REZ-30 to flange out the synth sounds > and give them an ambient touch. Best of all, this whole process was really > simple, and I could easily see bringing the REZ-30 into my DJ rig to tweak a > mix, flange a breakbeat, phase out a vocal, and more. The possibilities here > are really endless. > > > >The final piece of NEXT! gear in my rack was the big, bad VOX-II Vocoder. > For those of you who haven't played with a vocoder-a good analog vocoder-the > VOX-II is a real eye- and ear-opener. Basically, a vocoder takes a sound > with lots of sustain-a long synth sound, for example-and controls its attack > with a separate distinct sound-usually the human voice or something with > lots of rhythmic variation like a drum loop. The effect produced by > combining these sounds is truly unique, as heard in the synth-like robot > voices of some of funk and disco's biggest hits. Possible uses include robot > voices, talking basslines, singing synth leads, synth sounds that "pulse" > like drum loops, and more. Not to be overlooked in the VOX-II is its awesome > 11-band Filter Bank section, which I used to dial in to the exact vocoder > frequencies I wanted to hear, as well as to create some general madness with > my loop. I spent hours just playing with the VOX-II, seeing how far I could > merge my voice into synthland. I eventually decided to run the vocals from > my remix through the VOX-II and create a very funky chorus vocal. > > > >Without exception, the new analog NEXT! gear was a joy to use. Simple, > straightforward operation, ultra-phat analog sounds, sturdy construction, > and DJ-friendly pricing was clearly the goal here. Thankfully, NEXT! gear > delivers on all counts. Let's hope my remix does the same in the clubs next > weekend... > > > > > > > >JK > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >