Symptohm

I am known for loving the weird and wonderful. Why? Because there are so many products out there that pretty much do the same thing but with different GUIs and sample sets, that it does get a touch monotonous. I am a firm believer in having one of each type of synthesis particularly for Vstis as they are not dependent on circuitry and build components.

I like to have my Vstis perform a certain function, and perform it well, and that is pretty much all I need for my sound design projects. As an example: I only need one good FM Vsti, one good Subtractive Vsti and so on. I do not need 12 different Vstis that all perform the same type of synthesis. Because of this thinking I tend to limit my gear list to particular products that deliver what I want and deliver it well.

At times a product comes along that breaks all the rules and demands serious consideration. For me, as far as synthesis goes, Symptohm is one of those products.

Here is a brief overview:

Two unique sample based SyncGrain synthesis (Polyphonic or mono timbral, depending on preference). Create a morphing oscillator out of any sample, and even use multi samples to create drumkits!

Adaptable sub oscillator brightness based on SyncGrain spectral content, a stereo noise generator, a ring modulator per voice. Also features inter-voice ring modulation.

Dynamic routing of the signal into the Quad Frohmage filter bank (with loads of filter types, distortion, band delay and everything else you would expect).

Extensive modulation options (one LFO + one xADSR per parameter + MIDI) for almost every parameter.  

Output signal limiter.

Approachable, straightforward user interface: large integrated file browser with easy file management facilities, a thousand parameters instantly accessible across just two panels, and the usual Ohm Force selection system, flying faders and velocity simulation on the graphic keyboard.

Over 30 Meta Patches included each of them with its own complex MIDI behavior, 12 patches to morph with and the designer's comments to help you learn how to use them to their full potential.

Useful presets instant variable transitions where all the parameters switch from the old value to the new one in a ballet you won't forget!

• MIDI automation with Auto-Bind.
• Fast configuration (Save MIDI configurations).
• Tempo synchronization.
• High quality DSP algorithm.
• Sampling rate up to 384 kHz.
• Revolutionary graphic user interface.
• Move several buttons at once, with group selection and side-click.

Funky Skin

Classic Skin

Installation was a breeze, and that included both skins, and installing and copying the sample banks took no time at all. The most striking, and eye squinting, thing that hits you first is the GUI. I must admit to really liking the manic and dark design of the Funky skin, although the Classic is far more functional.

However, and this will be one negative point that I will use in my summation, is that the legending is very small and does require some serious eye squinting. Add to that that the dials and knobs on the Funky version are almost masked by the colours used. The signal flow diagrams and edit tools are nicely laid out on the Classic version and make routing both sensible and easy.

Symptohm is a complex instrument, combining SyncGrain synthesis and the Quad Frohmage filter bank. There are three distinct stages:

· Synthesis core

· Mixer

· Filter Bank

The synthesis core is made up of two SyncGrain oscillators, a Sub-Oscillator and a Noise Generator. The filter bank contains four identical modules, known as bands. Each one has a one-tap delay (syncable to the host’s tempo), a multi-mode filter and optional distortion.

The following flow diagram shows the signal flow.

Symptohm’s routing is quite complex and requires some lateral thinking, but do not mistake this complexity with lack of functionality. It is a very potent combination of processing, filtering and mixing, with some mind bending tools and excellent usability tools that enable the user to explore live usage and multi configuration triggering, all from midi controller data via controllers or via midi note assigns within the software.

Filters:

As with all synthesis softwares, it is the design and integration of the signal flow that determines usability and ease of functionality, but the real power lies hidden within the filters, and in this department Ohmforce reign supreme with the Quad Frohmage.

I am reserving a review for the stand alone version of the accompanied filter banks, but the Symptohm’s filters are the same filters used in the Quad, albeit simplified in features. Why am I discussing the filters before even touching on the rudimentary oscillators or processing stages? Well, the real potency of this Vsti lies in the sonic mangling of the oscillator samples (yes, you heard it right, samples) via the 4 bank filters.

The control over the filter stages is very detailed and requires some head scratching. Ohmforce have moved away from the standard ‘put in and get out’ thinking that accompanies most filtering tasks. They have cleverly afforded some neat modulation matrix source and destinations that, for a sound designer, makes the workflow far simpler in terms of patching sources and destinations.

Each filter offers Low, High and Band Pass, Peak and Notch, Comb + and even a Moog, all with varying slopes, and all of that is topped off with a Ring Modulator and a Delay function that allows for 4 beats of delay (4 seconds at 60bpm) pre to the filter. This makes for some extremely rhythmic, or simply ‘crazy, sequences’. And just to put the icing on the cake, these filters can self oscillate, a feature usually reserved for decent analogue hardware synthesizers.

The routing is actually quite straight forward. The filter banks are fed by the 4 outputs of the mixer and they can be configured in both parallel and serial combinations (offering a matrix of 8 possibilities), this can then be fed back into the output stage. This makes for some extreme and potent filtering. The quality of the filters is excellent and is, in my opinion, what differentiates this product from many others.

Oscillators:

Ohmforce call their oscillators SGO (Sync Grain Oscillator) and these are a cross between your standard hard sync analogue oscillators and sample playback. Basically what happens is that Symptohm treats an oscillator as a waveform derived from a sample. This sample can be anything you want. It will analyse and loop the sample to create a tone which is then treated as an oscillator. The pitch (or frequency) of the tone is determined by loop rate, i.e. how fast the loop loops. You can also alter the loop sample start (Sync Position) and alter it’s rate (Sync Speed). You have further slaving and editing tools available for each of the 4 oscillators on offer.

2 of the 4 are Noise Generator and Sub Oscillator.

The Noise Generator is self explanatory and no major surprises there; however the Sub Osc is another story entirely. The Sub Osc offers distortion (Brightness) that is directly controlled by SGO 1. The Brightness is also controlled further by 3 standard shapes, Low, High, and Band Pass. This accounts for some really thick and driving sound management.

The Sub Osc, combined with the SGOs, is a deadly combination for serious sound mangling tasks.

Additionally, you have one LFO that has some exciting features that have both data and graphical displays. The LFO comes with a number of waveform shapes that can be selected, as follows: Sine, Triangle, Square, Ramp Up, Ramp Down, Cos Up, Cos Down, Random, Brown Noise and Red Noise. There is also a Sample and Hold, Sync and Smooth, a feature which controls the transition of the signal after the sample and hold.

The midi control over each setting can be saved and recalled at any time.

These settings, or variations of the same virtual instrument, are called Meta Patches. A Meta-patch contains 12 slots where you can store your varying settings for a particular instance of Symptohm. You can then retrigger these setting via the virtual keyboard or by midi messaging.

The Meta Patch will house all relevant data and when using the load function from the browser, you can select to filter certain portions of the preset. You could load just the synthesis, samples, filters or midi settings.

This is a great utility as it means you can use the information from one ‘instrument’ and use it on another. Let us take this a step further:

Melohman:

Melohman is a powerful part of what Symtohm is all about. It allows you to control the actual sound of the Vsti via an octave on your keyboard, or the virtual keyboard provided, you can even assign the octave to it’s own midi channel so you free up the octave for playing purposes.

Melohman’s triggering encompasses a whole range of modulation changes. From morphing between presets to controlling the LFO modifier on a given note, or just about any settings configuration you like, this utility allows you to use the colour code of each key and trigger events in real time, this amounts to a visual one key parameter control. This makes for some great performance sessions, and this is what it was built for.

You can jump between these settings, save them, load them, group them to control a whole mid channel etc, the configurations are very flexible. Add velocity sensitive and Response Curve, which controls parameter amount changes, then you have a highly detailed and defined performance tool.

The VCA controls the amplitude of the oscillators and affords ADSR parameter controls for shaping the amplitude. The Ring Modulator, called Inter Voice Ring Modulator, can take multiple feeds from the Sub Osc and sum to a single output.

Mixer:

The mixer is pretty straight forward and controls all the feeds from the oscillators, VCA, Ring Mod and works off a 4x4 matrix, offering huge connectivity.

Sounds:

At the end of the day you are reading this because you want to know how it sounds, what it can achieve in terms of sound design and whether it’s worth all the text here. The supplied sounds are not too bad, but I do not feel they truly represent what this Vsti is capable of. It took me very little time to create thumping, gut wobbling basses that sounded dirtier than any tube I have. Evolving and grungy pads came next and they were programmed with equal ease.

Searing and eye twitching leads were on the list too, and they were even easier to pragramme. To be honest, I hardly had any difficulties programming sounds out of this Vsti. The endless control and mod matrix make this a delight to use. The fact that you can use a sample as an Osc opens up the whole programming architecture.

The Trance and Hip Hop fraternities are going to love this.

I could go on all day about all the features of this Vsti that I have not even touched on yet, the XADSR, Time Stretching, Layering, Morphing, Pitch Shifting etc. I could not do this product justice if I didn’t mention the extensive and detailed modulation control. Almost every parameter can be controlled via midi and all parameters can be connected to midi controllers by using the Auto Bind feature.

To top all this off, you can switch between High and Low Quality, which gives you the option to alleviate stress on your CPU.

What I did want to do was to very briefly explain the relationships between the oscillators and routing and the filter banks. For me, this is where the real power of Symptohm lies. The power of it’s modulation matrix coupled with the detailed midi control means that control of the wonderful filters is only a click away.

Others will argue that the extensive midi manipulation, either via controllers or assigning of midi messaging via the virtual keyboard reserved octave, deserves the real merit, or even the granular and morphing synthesis that is offered in abundance and detail, or even the fact that samples can be used as oscillators and manipulated as such. Hell, I could go on and list the dynamic control of all of Symptohm’s features, but for me, the real icing on the cake is the manipulation and control of both the midi and the filters. They are truly wild and powerful and the marriage of all the sub components that eventually end up at the filter banks makes this a very versatile and powerful Vsti.

My only concerns are regarding the Funky skin which I mentioned at the start of this review, and, more importantly, the learning curve required to use this Vsti, and the accompanied manual is helpful but not for those who do not understand the signal flow or the basics of synthesis.

But in all honesty, when you have got to grips with the thinking and architecture behind this powerful Vsti, you will be afforded hours of pleasure and a unique vsti that is both imaginative and flexible. I think a thank you is in order to the crazy guys at Ohmforce for a breath of Vsti fresh air.

Eddie Bazil (Zukan)

Samplecraze

www.samplecraze.com

System Requirements:

128 MB of RAM, 25 MB on your hard-drive, Pentium II.

· MacOS Classic

Requires OS 9.x and CarbonLib 1.5 or higher. See how to update on the Apple website:

http://www.apple.com/support/. The plug-in is available for the VST, MAS and RTAS platforms.

· MacOS X

Requires OS 10.2 or higher. The plug-in is available for the VST and AudioUnits platforms.

· Windows

Requires Windows 98, 98 SE, ME, 2000 or XP. The plug-in is available for the VST platforms.

www.ohmforce.com