UVI released today UVX-80, a new sample library for Falcon and the free workstation for PC and Mac. It features sampled sounds from the rare AKAI AX-80 analog polyphonic Synthesizer built in a intuitive interface with a dual-layer architecture, build-in modulation and more. The Synth Anatomy website had the chance to review this new sample library some days before the release.
Available here: UVI UVX80
Sample Content
The basis of the new UVX80 sample library is the vintage AX80 analog synthesizer by AKAI. It was a eight-voice programmable analog Synthesizer with two analog DCO’s per voice plus an excellent sub oscillator to add punch to the design analog sounds. The AX80 features also a lovely filter and a full 61 note keyboard. For those who doesn’t heard before this synth, you can compare the sound character a lot with the Chroma Polaris or Roland Juno 106. Some of older Synth journalists also described it as better version of the iconic Roland JX-8p. The UVI team sampled this instrument and recorded 6771 individual samples and create a library with 252 included factory presets. To guarantee the maximum authenticity, the developers recorded this iconic Japanese Synthesizer at 88.2 kHz. In the end, it includes a massive amount of 3.95 GB of sampled content
Interface
The interface is split in two individual layers and each layer includes three different pages: Main, Edit and Mod. Unlike the first three pages, the FX and ARP section is made for both layers together.
On the main page of the interface, you have for each oscillator different sampled sounds and so you are free if you want to use one or two oscillators at the same time. This flexibility inside the oscillators enables users to create very easy own sounds and save them in the user presets. The sound quality of these sampled oscillators are great and really catch the sonic character of the AKAI AK80 perfectly. Than you have per layer, an amplitude with an classical ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release) envelope and a multimode filter with three different flavours and separate velocity amount.
On the edit page, you have the possibility to chance the pitch, switch to poly or mono and to activate a portamento effect per layer. Just below, you can route the mod wheel to one or multiple parameters what can be very creative in the end. With multiple parameters on one mod-wheel, you can change your sounds radically with some touches only. Beside this, you have some deeper stereo features like changing the stereo spread or colour.
Further to the next page, where you can find everything you need to add movements to your sounds.
On the mod page, you can activate a step modulator per step and route it to the volume or the filter. The step modulator is very versatile to use because you can draw you own shapes inside it and crate instantly sounds with different movements. Than below, you have also a classical LFO with some deeper function which can be routed to the volume, filter or pitch of each oscillator. On top, to get more flexibility inside the LFO, you can have the choice between different modes. Further to the FX page.
On the FX page, you can find 5 different effects (drive, chorus, phaser, delay and reverb) which can be routed only to both layers. Each effect can be switch on or off and includes several parameters to get the best result out of it. Especially, the delay and reverb effects sounds great and fits perfectly to the 80s sound of this iconic Synthesizer. Last but not least, we have the the arp/sequencer page inside the UVX80 sample library.
Both arpeggiators/sequencers includes creative features like drawing own steps in a nice graphic interface. This feature gives musicians and sound designers the maximum freedom to create own arpeggiator sounds. To offer the full control over this feature, the UVI developers added also three different types of direction and four parameters to weak: steps, speed, octave and gate.
Check here my complete video review where you can find more than 10 minutes of audio demos
Review
In summary, the new UVX80 sample library by UVI recreate excellent the sound character of the iconic analog polyphonic Synthesizer AKAI AX80. The sampled sounds are as usual high-quality and doesn’t sound cheap. Especially great in this new release is the factory library which includes brilliant ready-to-use sounds. In the past UVI releases, the factory presets doesn’t sounds excellent but here it’s clearly that the sound designers have done an excellent job for the UVX-80 library.
The interface is very easy and intuitive designed and invite musicians to design even new sounds with the different included oscillator types. Also positive to see is the dual layer system which allows to create instant big and massive sounds.
Unfortunately, there is nothing negative to say about this new sample library by UVI.
Summary
+ Excellent sound quality
+ Lovely factory sounds
+ Easy-to-use interface
+ A lot of sound design options
UVX80 is available now at an introductory price of $49 / 49€ through July 9th, 2017 (regularly $79 / 79€)
Available here: UVI UVX80
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