MOTU MachFive 3

MOTU MachFive | Reviews
85
it says on the tin – from the warmth of
an analogue synth right through
wavetables from some classic digital
machines to the percussive attack of
FM, seven very distinct characters that
cover pretty much most forms of
synthesis developed in the last 60
years. You have all the modulation and
filtering possibilities you can imagine
and, of course, you can build patches
using the synth oscillators and the
sample based ones so you can get all
those hybrid sounds too.
The Event Rack is another great
feature. You can work on parts or whole
patches. The arpeggiator has three
modes, the classic hold down a chord
and it arpeggiates, a chordal mode and
a mono mode for basslines and
sequences. Further, there are script
processors which do things like step
bass programming, chords from a single
note, a strummer which arpeggiates a
chord when you move the mod wheel,
and more. A whole slew of creative
effects is possible and you can create
your own processes for specific events.
MachFive also allows you to import
patches from Kontakt (up to version 4),
Giga, EXS24, Akai, EMU, Ensoniq and
more. I tried it with Kontakt and EXS
patches and it works a treat. Great if
you want to put all your patches in one
system and, of course, with all the filter
and mod effects available you can make
great new sounds impossible to achieve
in the original machines and software.
Stacks of samples
Now a word about the 45GB sample
library, which falls into three sections.
Firstly, Loops and Instruments with the
staples of sampled sounds, strings,
ethnic, drums, percussion, choirs and
synths plus a wide selection of drum
and instrument loops. While some of
them lack a little sophistication, the
quality is very high and there is a huge
range to choose from. Next, Biospheres
is a massive selection of sampled and
synthesized patches with plenty of
choice across multiple genres and there
is something for everybody in here.
Finally come the big multi sampled
instruments like Upright Bass, Piano,
Star Drums, Latin percussion, Guitar,
Electric Bass and a stunning Fender
Rhodes. Extremely realistic and
beautifully recorded, they really show
off the capabilities of MachFive. Listen
to some of the
Audio examples to
see what you can
do with them.
We were
already impressed
with MachFive but
this update takes
it to a whole new
level. It’s quite possibly the most
sophisticated virtual instrument around
and the creative possibilities are pretty
much endless. Highly recommended.
The IRCAM institute in
Paris has been at the
cutting edge of electronic
music from the very early
days of synthesis. MOTU
have licensed their
granular synthesis and
time-stretch software and
they both deserve their
own mention.
The time-stretch is one
of the best available
anywhere (check out our
time-stretch feature in
FM286) and its inclusion
in MachFive 3 opens up
huge numbers of
possibilities. Whether you
use it to time-stretch a
whole track (which it does
incredibly well), to fill in
missing notes in a sample
set, or to provide
incredible pitch changes
to create amazing
otherworldly sounds from
simple samples, it will be
something you return to
again and again.
The granular version
takes this to extremes,
creating whole shifting
soundscapes and insane
stuttering madness using
anything from single
notes to whole tracks.
The two of them together
add hugely to the
soundscaping possibilities
of the instrument and
also provide you with
state-of-the-art time-
stretching software worth
$249 as a standalone.
The IRCAM effect
Possibly the most sophisticated
virtual instrument around and the
creative possibilities are endless
VERDICT
BUILD
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VALUE
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EASE OF USE
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VERSATILITY
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RESULTS
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A hugely powerful instrument, it
has instant great sounds plus
endless sound design possibilities.
spECs
Supported formats
Mac: AAX, AU, RTAS, VST
and Standalone
PC: AAX, AU, RTAS, VST
System requirements
Mac: OS X 10.5.8 upwards.
64-bit requires 10.6
upwards, Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU 2.0GHz or faster
recommended
PC: Windows 8, Windows 7
and Vista, Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU 2.0GHz or faster
recommended
Authorisation: iLok
Sample library requires
45GB of disc space
ALTERNATIVEs
Kontakt 5
£339
With an equally huge
sample library and a very
similar feature set
(excluding the synth
modules) including an
excellent new time-stretch,
Kontakt is the major
competitor. While lacking
the synths, it does have the
biggest available set of
excellent third-party
sample instruments.
www.native-instruments.
com
Pro Magix
Independence Pro
296 euros
A powerful sampler with
plenty of filters, FX and now
with time-stretch too. The
sound library is huge (over
70GB) and is extremely
varied. Mac and PC too.
pro.magix.com
Steinberg HALion 5
£284
This is a big powerful
sampler with time-stretch,
bags of FX and filters, Slice
software and much more. A
potent instrument, certainly
up there with the best.
www.steinberg.net
The synthesiser modules certainly set MachFive 3 apart from all the other samplers on the market.
FMU287.rev_motu.indd 85 03/12/2014 12:49