EXS 24 Logic Sampler Users Group

In a message dated 1/30/02 11:12:06 AM, musos@... writes:

>Eric Persing wrote:
>>These new instruments are NOT sample libraries, but new virtual 
>>instruments that are designed around a core set of samples (similar 
>>to a Roland or Korg hardware synth...but better!)
>
>Okay - let's take this analogy a bit further. Are you going to make 
>new "cards" to plug into the front of these synths, or are they like 
>a Roland Sound Canvas - nice but non-expandable.
>
>I'm fishing here, but I have my credit card ready.......  :-)

Hi Colin,

This is a really funny one to answer for me, as I think you'll see why :-)

Here's the history of Roland's expansion concept:

When we were creating the PCM internal wave ROM for the JV-80 at Roland R&D 
Los Angeles, it originally had no expansion slot. We were supposed to "blow 
away" the competition (at that time the Korg M-1/01W series) with covering 
every instrument category in a whopping FOUR megabytes! Obviously, pretty 
hard to do... 

So early on, I campaigned hard for the idea of an expansion slot in the unit, 
to hold new waveforms expanding the synth, so that you didn't have to buy a 
new keyboard every year (which was then the current practice). After much 
debate and argument, the idea of the expansion board slot was adopted at the 
last minute. As you probably know, this is now the core of Roland's very 
succesful hardware synthesizer line and expandability is now an essential 
concept of every hardware keyboard company's products.

However, with Virtual Instruments, the situation is totally different since 
it isn't a hardware physical box. The Virtual Instrument in this case IS the 
expansion, and "box" is your computer and host program like Logic....see what 
I mean? The reason we don't have "expandable" Virtual Instruments is that it 
isn't necessary. While a product like a JV workstation or a Triton has to get 
EVERY category of sounds into 8 or 16 or 32 or even 64 megabytes, we are 
doing ONE category of sound with THREE Gigabytes! 

Let me try and put this more into perspective:

Roland expansion board 8mb 255 mono samples $299
Stylus Groove Module 3 gig 38,000 stereo samples $299

The Sound Canvas analogy REALLY makes me cringe, because the concept of these 
Instruments is exactly the opposite. The whole point of the massive core 
sound library is that it is there as a STARTING point for your own 
creativity. These instruments are super flexible and powerful synthesizers, 
based on the simple idea that the more options that are available makes 
something exponentially more powerful. 

For example, Trilogy has 1,000 Basses. Each Bass has two layers. The layers 
can be mixed and matched instantly. That's over one MILLION Basses without 
touching a single slider! Then each layer has it's own multimode Filters, 
Three Envelopes and Four LFO, Matrix Modulation, etc. Then each KEY has it's 
own Filters, Env, LFOs etc (yes, you can have a different synth set-up for 
every KEY!). 

Can you do any of this with an eight meg Sound Canvas? Don't get our 
instruments confused with something like Sampletank, which has no real 
editing capabilities and is more like a big Sound Canvas in concept.

Our whole approach is to design instruments that are simple to use, but so 
powerful and flexible, that you NEVER run out of inspiring ways to use them. 
So YES, they are expandable, by you!

Our instruments are self-contained, sample-based synths, not a replacement 
for a good sampler like the EXS. However, the whole concept is that it's much 
more powerful and simple to use than a sampler. We can do one thing really 
well, instead of trying to do everything at just an OK level. Look how many 
issues there are in dealing with any sampler...Importing problems, complex 
features, missing features, etc...that's why this forum exists in the first 
place!...to help users solve all the issues relating to the EXS and Logic. 

The EXS is still an essential tool IMO, to convert sample libraries and 
create your own samples. It's still my favorite sampler amongst all the 
samplers out there.

However, these new virtual instruments are what Spectrasonics is doing now 
INSTEAD of libraries. It's a much more powerful concept, because the design 
of each instrument is based on its own set of new sounds, AND a unique 
feature set and interface. By not having to worry about compatibility, we can 
optimize the interface and the experience to just the sounds it was designed 
to do....keeps it really fast and musical. When we do new sounds in the 
future, they won't be presented only as just sounds, but combined with a 
unique interface and custom software engine designed specifically to the 
unique requirements of the concept of the sounds. The custom interface of 
each product is designed to allow you to really create your own unique stuff 
very quickly...it brings creativity and originality back into the equation in 
a big way. That's what makes it an Instrument, and not just a sound library 
with a player.

The instruments are also a great value since the core libraries have WAY more 
sounds than a regular sample library. For example, the Metamorphosis library 
has one gig of material and is $199, the Stylus instrument has nearly THREE 
gig and is only $299. The Bass Legends sample library has 600mb for $299, the 
virtual instrument Trilogy has an all new selection of 1,000 Basses at 3 
gigbytes for $399....you get the idea.

In other words, these are the first of many instruments to come from 
Spectrasonics.

To the readers and moderators of this forum, please forgive the off-topic 
reply to a question...but since it was posted here, I wanted to post a 
complete answer. Future questions about our new Virtual Instruments should 
probably be sent to us directly at:

info@...

All the best,

Eric Persing
Creative Director
Spectrasonics

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for more info about Spectrasonics new Virtual Instruments please visit:
http://www.spectrasonics.net/