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08/08/2004 |
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Native Instruments' Spektral Delay Ian Waugh reviews a soft-echo unit unit..unit..unit..unit
It's a delay unit, Jim, but not as we know it! Yes, indeedy, here is something rather different from mega soft synth developer Native Instruments. It doesn't just delay an audio signal, it splits the signal into different frequency bands and lets you apply different delays and modulations to each band. Explanations first. One of the Really Nice things about Spektral - and this goes for most (although not all NI software) is that the one pack contains both Mac and PC software with both plug-in and stand-alone versions. You may want to use it with your sequencer as a plug-in but you could process a loop or audio track and then import it into a song, too. The main screen is divided into two horizontally; the top for the left channel and the bottom for the right. This is divided into windows and the main sections are input modulation controls, attenuation matrix, delay matrix and feedback matrix.
The attenuation matrix is essentially a filter bank and you use the mouse to draw in the magnitude of the various frequency bands. The audio can be divided into 1024, 512, 256, 128 or 64 bands. It's like drawing a frequency curve onto a graphic equaliser and with so many bands, drawing is the most practical way to adjust the settings. The delay matrix works in a similar way but here you draw in the delay time of each band. The maximum delay time can be set to 375ms, 750ms, 1500ms, or 3, 6 or 12 seconds. The last two settings require significantly more RAM and processing power. A nice feature is the ability to set delays in sync with a sequencer's tempo. The feedback matrix, again, works in a similar fashion and here you set the feedback amount for each band. These three sets of parameters can produce interesting and fascinating effects as they are. But it gets even better because you can apply modulation to all three bands using a range of LFO settings to change the parameters dynamically.
There are some sounds you simply have to run through Spektral. One is vocals - it can do some amazing things to them. Another is drum loops. The delays can create new rhythms, add pitches and, if you want to be subtle, simply enhance the original loop. There are lots of presets to get you started. Although the interface is quite intuitive, you will have to read the instructions and the relationship between what you draw on the screen and what you hear is not always obvious. However, Spektral is fun to use - and experimentation is half the fun - and it can create effects that can't be created by other effects. Spektral is not something you'd apply to a TOTP tune but it's ideal for Trance and Ambient and for creating washes and the like. If you enjoy experimenting with sound, creating new sonic textures and playing fast and loose with bits of audio, you'll love it! |
Don't
worry too much about the names. The modulation section offers a
range of algorithms with names such as Deterioration, JelloMold,
PitchRoll and Lime Twist and selecting one produces
For
example, you could draw a frequency curve into the attenuation
matrix and make it sweep up and down through the frequencies. The
delays in the delay matrix can be made to lengthen and shorten and
sweep up and down the bands, too. And you can play fast and loose
with the feedback setting. This is great, although you're not always
sure what's going to come out the other end.