MOTU Ethno Instrument 2

MOTU launched the original Ethno ROMpler
in 2006 as a plug-in/standalone combination
that proved a very convenient way of accessing
a variety of exotic sounds. Some of that material
came from previously released sample titles
and this remains the case, but Ethno now ofers
21GB of content spread across three DVDs, as
opposed to the original’s 8GB.
The Ethno GUI is still conveniently contained
in one window, and its mildly eccentric design
remains a matter of taste. One instance of Ethno
will now play as many parts as your system can
handle, so ‘scenes’ consisting of many layers of
instruments can be rapidly conigured within
the plug-in. Typing in the browser window will
quickly locate material – a handy new feature.
As with v1, the sounds fall into two basic
categories: Instruments, this time ofering 875
playable multisampled patches; and Loops and
Phrases, totalling 7600. The instruments are
African, Asian, European (including Spanish,
Eastern and Celtic), Caribbean and Australian in
origin, and there are vocal performances from
each region as well. Delving quickly into the
library, West African balafons, ‘tango accordions’
(bandoneon, surely – it certainly sounds like
one!), Arabic ouds and Celtic harps, for example,
gave convincing results. There are a good
number of new instruments, such as larger
African drums, Polynesian percussion, more
Balkan voices and a gaggle of gongs. Then there
are the new tuning features – see the boxout.
While a greater number of sample layers
(velocity, round robin and so on) doesn’t always
translate into better sound quality, realism and
usefulness, we do feel that some instruments
in the collection would beneit from a more
detailed, layered sample set. And the violins are
unconvincing, as multisamples often are.
In our opinion, Ethno’s strength is still its
Loops and Phrases library. Of relevance to this
is the new timestretching algorithm which,
although not perfect (Spanish guitar phrases,
for example, didn’t pitch up that well), worked
nicely on things such as voices.
Hall around the world
The convolution reverb helps bring much of
Ethno’s material to life and it’s now easier on
the CPU. Even so, patches that use it can still
be quite CPU-intensive, and while presenting
no problem to our MacBook Pro, some caused
a dual 1.8GHz G5 running Logic Pro to stall
noticeably. Also new on the processing front is
an analogue-style EQ and eight new ilter types.
Despite the limitations of some of the
multisampled instruments, Ethno Instrument 2
won us over with the sheer variety of loops and
phrases, and the rapidity with which it’s possible
to combine them into a rich-sounding mix.
Contact Music Track, [phone]
Web www.motu.com
Info Upgrade from Ethno 1, £140
MOTU
Ethno Instrument 2
£299
This world/ethnic ROMpler has grown to almost three times
its original size, but does bigger really mean better?
System requirements
PC P4 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, Windows
XP/Vista/7, VST/RTAS host for plug-in use
Mac G4 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, OS X
10.4.11, AU/VST/RTAS host for plug-in use
Verdict
For Huge library of world loops
Mostly excellent sound quality
New tuning system
Unlimited parts in one instance
Against GUI not so intuitive
Some multisamples lack realism
Convolution reverb quite a CPU drain
While the multisampled patches can be
hit and miss, Ethno 2’s splendid selection
of loops is highly desirable
8/10
Alternatively
East West Quantum Leap Ra
N/A >> N/A >> €340
A well-known library that’s strong
on Middle Eastern instruments
Best Service Ethno World 4
135 >> 9/10 >> €389
A comprehensive collection with
some good stringed instruments
One new feature of Ethno 2 is that many
instruments ofer authentic, non-tempered
tuning or Western chromatic. For example,
the ngoni, a funky six-stringed harp from
Mali and neighbouring countries, is tuned
to a kind of pentatonic scale, but not quite
an equal-tempered one. Using Ethno, we
could bring this into line using an altered,
tempered version that sat better in a track
that also had typical pianos and guitars.
However, when more exposed, playing
with just percussion in its traditional
setting, the naturally tuned ngoni could be
used for greater authenticity.
There’s a menu of non-Western scales,
containing up to 24 tones, that you can map
to your chosen instrument. Ethno accepts
iles in a format called Scala, which is an
established standard. Scala tunings are
simple text iles than can be dragged and
dropped into the tuning menu, and you
can create your own as well.
Temper, temper
ON THE DVD
Enjoy a plethora of
Ethno 2 audio demos
on your
DVD
110 / COMPUTER MUSIC / August 2010
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CMU154.rev_ethno 110 11/6/10 4:02:16 pm