Audeon UFO Review (Continued)

In Use

Installation of UFO was a snap—a simple download and password combo is a nice respite from the hoop-jumping required by Native Instruments and others. UFO is currently available for PCs only, though a Mac version is in the works. UFO ran smoothly and practically glitch-free on a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 machine with 1GB of RAM, and its super-efficient design would likely exhibit similar performance on a less powerful computer. The CPU footprint remained remarkably small even in heavily polyphonic situations—unlike some other synths, you’ll be hard pressed to push it into the 50-percent range. Multiple instances of the VST plug-in ran without a hitch, and automation duties melded seamlessly with host programs. (Cubase, Ableton Live 5.0, and MAX/MSP were used for this review.) Audeon’s Web site offers a free standalone host for those who prefer to tweak sounds outside the sequencer environment or for use in live performance.

UFO’s sound quality proved bright and lively, with a particularly zippy high register and satisfactory low-end punch, though it’s not likely to replace any dedicated bass units you might be using. Versatility is UFO’s strong suit—everything from wispy digital shimmer to rough faux-analog grain and gritty static shines through with equal aplomb, though aficionados of harsh sounds might long for something with more spine and crunch. After your initial adjustment to its unconventional interface, programming a range of leads and basses is a straightforward and speedy affair thanks to Audeon’s emphasis on perceptual guides. Changing a timbre is as simple as pushing the cursor toward the appropriate pole, and this ease and fluidity encourages both extensive fine-tuning and risk-taking. Tuning patches becomes a matter of feeling things out rather a succession of hit-or-miss tweaks. A bit of experimentation pays dividends for K-Osc units in particular, as many staid leads can be easily punched up with the grainy click found at the “chaotic” end of the Y-axis.

As the wealth of modulation possibilities suggests, UFO is most at home in more textural applications, particularly extended and constantly evolving synth pads. The ability to modulate the base waveforms yields textures bristling with internal motion, to say nothing of its capacity for generating sounds from radically juxtaposed components. Some favorite techniques I developed include starting with a noise burst that gradually coalesces into a well-formed tone and its converse, allowing pitched material to dissolve into buzzing swirls of simulated shortwave fuzz. The remarkable flexibility of UFO’s synthesis algorithms produces richer aural effects than many multi-oscillator applications, which allows it to get by with a comparatively crude system of envelopes and LFOs. Transitions between sound shades are fluid and ear-grabbing enough that you’ll soon stop longing for more customizable modulation sources and relish the low CPU demands and stress-free shaping of straight-line envelope shapes. Of course, it’s possible to argue that the UFO’s strongest suit might also be its weakest—it’s easier to make complicated sounds than simple ones, and many attempts at making more straight-ahead tones produce multi-layered affairs instead. That’s still not necessarily a bad place to start, as most synths have precisely the inverse problem.

Conclusion

With its sharp sounds and affordable price, UFO makes for a worthy addition to your synth battery. It’s a refreshingly original approach to synthesis in a world overcrowded with hardware-emulating retreads, yet its ease of use, clean looks, and broad sound palette save it from mere “niche product” status. UFO is capable of plenty of idiosyncratic tones that reside out of the reach of more conventional synths while retaining enough flexibility to handle familiar synthesis tasks without difficulty. It might not totally replace your Absynth or Reaktor, but UFO’s quick patching makes it ideal for both simple jobs and conjuring up more intricate textures-and the lack of strain on your CPU will give the usual favorites a run for their money. Above all, it’s fun to use, completely headache-free, and full of intriguing and useful sonic surprises. Future Audeon products will have to live up to some very high standards set by this debut.

Joe Panzner

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