Creating a Vst Plug-in is not an easy thing. If we then decide to dedicate ourselves to the faithful reconstruction of a more or less legendary instrument, things get extremely complicated.
Andrea Agnoletto, owner of Crumar, takes on the responsibility of coordinating a colossal project and takes care of all historical research. The software programming was instead entrusted to three giants:
Guido Scognamiglio (GSi), Michele Picaro (Tantalum audio), Luigi Felici (Nusoting).
To program what? Oh sure, I forgot ... The legendary PERFOMER!
What?
A legendary strings machine from 1979. In those years the strings machines formed a real galaxy of more or less interesting machines where noble names such as Korg, Logan, Farfisa, the empress ARP (the Solina is the mother of all strings machines); obviously one of the most interesting brands on the Italian scene which was Crumar he could not escape the challenge.
What was a strings machine?
Actually the lower manual of a Dutch Home Organ that was called EMINENT.
Brand as unknown as it is famous, why?
Who does not remember the second half of oxygen of the great Jean Michel Jarre? Here is the legendary "pad" with abundant dusting of Phaser Small Stone (or Bad Stone? ...) It is not a Solina as many believe but the lower manual of an organ "EMINENT 310 Unique", which represented the backbone of the most beautiful albums by Jarre: Oxigene and Equinoxe. The ARP understanding its potential, bought the patents and in 1974 released the "Solina", sold in the US as the ARP Strings Ensemble.
Few people know, however, that in Italy strings machines of undoubted value were already being created at the end of the sixties, that under the "false" name of Combo Organ held the market for the product so loved by psychedelic groups such as i Pink Floyd.
The "machine" of which the CRUMAR pool created the virtual copy was born in 1979, the last period of life of these machines (then the analog / digital "paddoni" of the 80s will arrive) and was a resounding success, both for quality / price ratio, both for its portability and for its "brass" session which, if used alone, is a bit pumped up (especially if compared to certain competitors of its time) but actually very effective when coupled with Strings, because they give it that thickness that transforms the sound of a "mosquito" into that of a "swarm of hornets".
No more chatter!
INTERFACE
We start the software we finish the registration and then? Too bad that a Plugin cannot give off odors, because the reproduction is so similar to the original, that it almost seems to smell the dust accumulated over the years on the circuits It seems photocopied! Identical.
The first thing that catches the eye is the typically 70's rigid arrangement of the synth interface: tidy and effective as only we Italians knew how to do. We were the absolute masters of design ...
Il MENU resumes the graphics of the original machine and we find access to the most important menus:
1. MAIN. - Provides access to synth parameters
2. EFFECT. - Provides access to expertly chosen effects from Crumar's pool.
3. WRITE / FILE. - Provides access to parameters for saving, loading and choosing patches.
4. EDIT / SETTING / HELP. - Provides access to all global parameters, i.e. pitch control, Control Change setting and online help
BE VERY CAREFUL at the top left you find secluded and with a serious lack of self-esteem (a bit like Native Instruments ...), the button OPTIONS, essential for programming sound cards and MIDI interfaces !!
We click on MAIN
From left to right we find:
Section BRASS
Section STRINGS
Section MODULATION
And finally the poor MASTER always isolated doing his dirty work!
Programming has to be a bit of a callus!
The BRASS section contains:
- A two-stage envelope (attack and decay) and a low pass filter.
Attention because if the RESONANCE is unmistakable there, the Cutoff is called RANGE (sigh ....).
- A nice button for switching the section on and off.
- A nice fader for the section volume.
The STRINGS section which is the most important is placed in the center and we find:
- A three-stage equalizer (Low, Middle, High).
- Two buttons for selecting the octave of the oscillators (16 'and / or 8').
- A two-stage envelope, here too pay attention:
1. GROWING UP corresponds to the attack of the sound
2. SUSTAIN which actually corresponds to the RELEASE phase
3. The usual Fader for the section volume
The MODULATION section instead contains an LFO that can act either on the cutoff or on the pitch of the oscillators (here the Crumar marks FM but let's not be fooled... let's say it's a sort of FM lite but it has nothing to do with what the Yamaha DX series has accustomed us to)
The MASTER section instead contains the master which would always be the general volume of the plugin.
Below we have the keyboard.
Nice angular, very Crumar Old Style (Crumar from the 70s)
Finished?
Crumar's pool wasn't enough, and only those who played them know very well that a strings machine without effects is like a Ferrari without the right carburetors!
Then click on the button EFFECTS or on the touchpad with two fingers swipe up (on the mac it works, on the pc I could not try but update me.
Et Voilà !!!!
All effects in series to you! From left to right we find the nirvana of effects for strings machine, so the Crumar pool, not only created the performer's Plugin, but also effects that closely resemble the Bad stone (Electro Harmonics), the 220 of the DOD or a analog delay of MXR, plus a 7-band graphic equalizer.
Let's summarize !!
From left to right:
1. Graphic equalizer
2. Phasers
3. Chorus / Flanger
4. Analog Mod Delay
The equalizer allows you to fill that tonal gap typical of the strings machine, without which even the performer has many sonic possibilities.
Il Phaser and Chorus / Flanger they give you the possibility to create those liquid sounds typical of strings machines, so loved by the Kraftwerks or by Jean Michel Jarre or by Wakeman for example.
Il Analog delay gives you that spatialization that is always typically 70s so as not to distort the character of the machine.
OK HOW DOES IT SOUND?
The Virtual Performer is virtually identical to the original Performer, both in strengths and weaknesses. For example being a polyphonic synth by multiplication but having only a couple of envelope generators, the latter will only work on the envelope created by the first key pressed and held, the rest of the notes will follow accordingly.
Is it a flaw? But when ever! It is precisely the character of these machines: the type of execution of the chords or parts is heavily affected by this parameter, without they would be "vulgar bakers"!
The sound is incisive and sharp as a strings machine must be, but thanks to the graphic equalizer you can wander towards an almost infinite universe of sound..
Do you remember the famous BRASS section? As I mentioned above, taken as it is, it seems a bit loose, especially when compared with machines of the time such as the series Jupiter of Roland or even the legendary Synthorchestra of Farfisa. So what's the use? To give body to those violins that have no body of their own!
The BRASS section returns to the STRINGS section that substance that String Machines normally lack.
The MODULATION section then takes us to that band of sounds so loved by Pink Floyd and LED ZEPPELIN (think No Quarter).
The EDIT section
If you open the section EDIT find something that only fools can conceive. I will be very essential even if someone shouts scandal, but I have to try to be as simple as possible:
Il PERFORMER generates the pitch of the notes thanks to a chip with the high-sounding name of "MK50240". This chip generates 12 sounds of different pitches, the rest of the octaves are mathematically generated. What does this mean? That if by any chance the FA oscillator breaks, all of the keyboard's ago will not work. These 12 sounds could be tuned separately by means of trimmers.
Very well the Crumar pool proposes the same feature on the plugin; consequently we have the possibility to tune the oscillators with a range of 110 cents frequency (-55 +55), being able to reproduce the tuning (or detuning depending on the point of view) used in that period, or create one suited to our needs.
Where's cool? That in fact, the original machine has no Trimmer!
It doesn't give me any chance to tune anything, as the pitch is generated by the MK50240 chip. Why then this anti-philological addition (someone will cry scandal, patience ...)? Because it makes the Plugin even more 70s !!! This very “CS80 Style” philosophy allows you to create typically “seventy” atmospheres that only that kind of parameter can give. Brilliant.
But that's not all: still in EDIT we can choose which filter of the BRASS section to use, already because there are two versions of PERFORMER.
We also cover what the PERFORMER actually is equipped with REVERBER! In fact, from the EDIT menu we have access to the reverb and its parameters.
Also all the parameters listed above can be adjusted PATCH by PATCH !!!
Personally I would have preferred faster reverb management, but these are personal points of view that have no influence on the power of the plugin in the slightest.
SETTING MENU
Last but not least is the menu SETTINGS which allows us to program all the control changes to be assigned personally (thanks to the Crumar pool for not forcing us to change the mappings of our keyboards on the plugin) parameter by parameter; but don't worry if you want you can always use the MIDI Learn directly from the parameter itself.
Price? Basic version package 99,00 euros.
This package includes the blunt blunt plugin, ready to use
DeLuxe version package 129,00 euros
Containing:
1. The license for 3 seats
2. A0 size poster (porc….)
3. Black cotton T-Shirt with PERFORMER AND CRUMAR logos
4. Hard plastic CRUMAR logo
5. CRUMAR vinyl sticker
6. 2Gb USB Memory Stick (USB pen) in metal with laser engraved CRUMAR logo
CONCLUSION
Is it worth buying the PERFORMER? And you ask me too?
For once they finally make an Italian legend plugin! Absolutely yes.
The PERFORMER has its own character, given precisely by all that versatility digitally re-proposed thanks to that avalanche of parameters expertly organized by the Crumar pool. If you are a geek this is the plug for you: go wild!
If you are not a geek, here you are 10 patch that I have programmed on this magnificent plugin; other patches will follow because this virtual has grabbed me heavily !!!
Crumar, when is T1 the Organizer?
Link Performers: PERFORMER
