ROB PAPEN BLUE REVIEW
Posted on Tue 29 March 2011 in entries
Following on from my recent SubBoomBass blog post, I decided it would be useful to give you a little look at another Rob Papen product… Blue! I’ll admit now that I haven’t been using Blue for as long as I've been using SubBoomBass, so the information in this post may be a little less detailed, but hopefully I will be able to give you a little insight into how the Blue virtual instrument comes across from a beginners point of view…
ROB PAPEN BLUE – INTRODUCTION
Joe’s fact of the day: noughties boyband, Blue, actually came up with their name because all of their songs were produced using just a small copper saucepan, a washing up bottle filled with an assortment of birdseeds, and Rob Papen’s Blue synthesiser! It was either ‘Blue’ or ‘CopperSaucepanBirdSeedZone’, as suggested by bandmember, Duncan. What, you don’t believe me? Ok, you sussed me out, they also used some extreme auto-tuning vocal software!
…well, actually that was all a load of rubbish! Can you tell that I don’t have as much to write about Blue (the virtual instrument) as I did with SubBoomBass? Also, is it properly sad that I knew that one of the members of Blue (the band) was called Duncan??? Anyway, I think I’ve pretty much messed up this introduction with pointless, meaningless words! Will you give me just one more chance? Thanks! Here goes…
ROB PAPEN BLUE – INTRODUCTION (ATTEMPT 2)
Congratulations on sticking with me this far! Either you really want to learn something, or you're just feeling sorry for me! So what is Blue? Blue is an extremely powerful virtual instrument from Rob Papen, capable of FM Synthesis, Phase Distortion Synthesis, Wave Shaping Synthesis, and Subtractive Synthesis, so it has the ability to produce a huge variety of complex sounds. Blue features 6 oscillators (that you can mix together in various ways), two analogue modeled stereo filters, loads (and I mean LOADS) of modulation options, an in-built sequencer, and even an arpeggiator! Due to the increased functionality and flexibility of Blue, it is naturally more expensive than SubBoomBass (which is ultimately specialised for bass sounds), but for what you get, I feel that Blue is still very modestly priced compared to some of it’s competitors.
(I hope you will agree that that was definitely a more informative introduction!)
ROB PAPEN BLUE – INTERFACE
Despite the internal complexity of Rob Papen’s Blue, the interface is very intuitive and easy to use. I don’t think that the GUI (Graphical User Interface) is quite as pleasing on the eye as Rob Papen’s Predator instrument, nor do I find it as immediately exciting as another of his creations, Albino, but I do prefer it to the interface of SubBoomBass. The interface is plain and simple with no distracting sequins, frilly edges, polka dots, black lace stockings, or graffiti writing in the background, and that suits me just fine as it makes the controls the main focus of the interface.
I also love the way the interface is organised. Considering the amount of controls that Blue has to offer, it is all done very efficiently. Controls for each oscillator are laid out in individual oscillator sections (labeled A-F) at the top of the front panel, and underneath these you have the two filters. As the oscillators and filters form the main foundations to any synthesiser, it is really handy that they are positioned so intuitively, and are always visible to the user.
All the rest of the features of Blue are accessible via a number of tabs, which can be selected to open up dedicated control sections in the lower pane of the Blue interface. Section headings include: Presets, Easy, Alg, PD/WS, Env, Multi-Env, LFO, Mods, Step Seq, Arp/Seq, FX, and Global. I will go into a little more detail on some of these later in my post, so stick with me! Obviously, using a tab system means that you can never view all of these sections at the same time, but this isn’t a problem at all given the specialised nature of the controls under these headings. All in all, I think that the Rob Papen team has done a brilliant job making the interface of Blue as intuitive, understandable and useable as humanly possible! Congratulations ‘R’ to the ‘P’!
ROB PAPEN BLUE – PRESETS
Does anyone else buy a new product, not look at the manual, assume you are using it correctly, then later discover that you’ve been missing out on huge chunks of functionality just because you were too lazy to look at some words on a page? I hope I’m not alone because that’s exactly what I did here! The first time I loaded up Blue I went through it's various banks of sounds to get a flavour of what it could do, and I thought to myself, ‘this can make some amazing digital bass, analogue bass, and synth lead sounds!’ The second time I loaded up the synth I began to but a simple analogue bass pattern together. The third time I loaded it up, I created a synth lead melody. The next few times I played with the synth were a similar story… I then came to make the preset video that is shown below, so I carefully went through every visible bank to pick out some of my favourite sounds. It was then that I noticed a little arrow button underneath the list of preset banks… I pressed it, and hey presto! Up came an unbelievable amount of additional banks that I didn’t even know existed! D’oh!!! And within these banks were some truly astonishing preset sounds… hence I had to double the length of my video and cram in as many additional preset examples as I could!
The extensive range of banks included with Blue is highlighted towards the end of this video when I scroll through them all! Like me, I’m sure you will be impressed with the variety on offer! There are banks for pads, analogue bass presets, digital bass sounds, synth leads, sequenced sounds, arpeggiated sounds, tempo based presets, general synth sounds, clusters, percussion, and effects, as well as presets for Dance, Dubstep, Hip Hop/RnB, and Drum and Bass genres, and even a blank bank so you can save your own sounds. And there isn’t just one bank of each… most categories contain multiple banks! In fact, just watch the video, you will be able to see and hear it all for yourself! Basically, Blue is packed full of inspiring sounds! Word up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfram8EnHFM
ROB PAPEN BLUE – OSCILLATORS
As I’ve already mentioned, Blue features 6 oscillators, each capable of producing a variety of waveforms (including analogue, additive, and spectral). The first 2 oscillators (labelled ‘A’ and ‘B’) offer additional Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and symmetry controls for further creative purposes. Pulse Width Modulation gives a kind of chorus effect to your sound, whereas the symmetry control can be used to reshape a waveform by shifting the ratio between the size of the left and right hand side of a wave cycle. The symmetry control works better with some waveshapes (such as pulse/square) than others, but in both cases it is worth experimenting with these controls when sound-shaping as the results can often be pleasantly surprising.
Controls that are common throughout each oscillator section include Semi and Fine tuning dials, Shape and Feed, and Velocity and Volume controls. Each oscillator also features a Free mode (read my SubBoomBass review or comment my blog and ask if you are unsure as to what this is), an Invert button, and a Keytrack button, which controls whether MIDI notes have an effect on the pitch of the oscillator. If Keytrack (Trk) is turned off, no matter which key you press on your keyboard, the pitch of the output note will be the same, and will be determined by the Semi and Fine controls of the oscillator section. Each oscillator can also be switched on and off by pressing the associated A-F label, which allows you to control how many oscillators are used in the creation of a sound.
In addition to just selecting and tuning waveshapes, Blue also allows the user to combine oscillators in a number of intuitive ways using 32 different modulation routings in the Algorithm (Alg) tab! You can apply Frequency Modulation or Ring Modulation to oscillators, and even hard sync them. Blue also gives you full control over how the oscillators are output. You can decide whether you want to send them to the filters, straight to the effects, or output them in their pure, unprocessed form! Hopefully you are now beginning to get a feel as to how seriously powerful and flexible this synth really is…
ROB PAPEN BLUE – FILTERS
Unless you decide to bypass them, the first place that the oscillators will be sent is the filters. Like SubBoomBass, Blue offers 2 filters, but unlike SubBoomBass, Blue equips the second filter with all the controls of the first, so you can be extremely precise with your sound creation. Both analogue modeled stereo filters offer 6dB, 12dB, and 24dB Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass, Notch, Ring, Comb, and Vox modes. For those of you who are wondering what a Vox filter sounds like, it can be used to sculpt a sound into something resembling a spoken vowel sound – because of this it is also sometimes referred to as a Formant filter.
Each Blue filter features a fantastic range of controls for sculpting your sounds. You are provided with controls for the cutoff frequency of the selected filter, the filter resonance (Q), pre-filter distortion (to add extra character to a sound Sorrybefore the filtering process), as well as parameters to determine how much the filter envelope, MIDI velocity, MIDI pitch, and modulation wheel affects the filter's behaviour. Finally, you also have filter volume and pan controls! I’m sure you will agree that there is a lot of creative potential here!
ROB PAPEN BLUE – MODULATION
Modulation can really bring a limp and lifeless sound to life, so you will be pleased to know that Blue gives you plenty of options. In fact, it offers a massive 9 envelopes, and what’s more is that each is of AHDSFR type! You know that these are flexible envelopes because of all the letters! :P Let me see if I can remember what they all stand for… Attack.... um... Hold, Decay, Sustain... F...F...er... Fade, Release… phew! And I didn’t have to look it up on Google either! That’s what a Degree in Music Technology gets you people! Ha! Again, if anyone is unsure as to what any of these elements actually is, then let me know with a comment to my blog and I will fill you in with the details! These envelopes (found under the ‘Env’ tab) are linked directly to a number of important controls (to each oscillators volume, each filters cutoff frequency, and the main output volume to be precise), so it’s quick and easy to create complex modulation effects. However, if this isn’t enough for you, then Blue also features 4 multi-envelopes. This is where things get extra interesting, as multi-envelopes allow you to create your own custom envelopes using up to 16 different sections! Using multi-envelopes, you can create some really complex dynamic sounds, although they can take a bit of getting used to before you start to achieve useable results, especially if you’re plan is to go really unorthodox and creative. Practice is key here, but if you invest time, you will soon begin to learn what works best.
All this modulation talk and I still haven’t mentioned LFO’s yet! So I best get a move on! Blue gives you an impressive total of 10 LFOs to play around with, and all are MIDI syncable, so you can tune them to fit perfectly with the tempo of a current project if you require. To make modulation easier, 6 of Blue’s LFOs are hard-routed to some of the most useful synth parameter destinations, including individual Pulse Width Modulation settings for oscillators A and B, each filter cutoff, the main amplitude (tremolo), and the main pitch (vibrato). The remaining four LFOs are freely assignable to any synth parameter that you require, and each LFO has a number of controls associated with it, including mode (free, poly or mono), keytracking, symmetry, smoothing, attack, decay, and humanise. These controls allow you to twist a standard LFO shape into new and unique forms for adding a deep level of complexity to your sounds.
You know how I was worried earlier that I wouldn’t have much to say about Blue because I hadn’t been using it that long? Well, I’ve changed my mind! The more I think, the more I’m realising just how much this virtual instrument can do! In fact, I’m not even finished with it’s modulation functions yet!
The next tab along in the lower pane of Blue is entitled ‘Mod’, and it contains a Modulation Matrix with 20 slots! “But I’ve only got 10 slots on my version”… click the ‘Page 2’ button to the right of the matrix to reveal ten more! This modulation matrix features 12 synth sources, 23 MIDI sources, and 91 synth destinations!
If there are any synth newbies out there, then don’t be put off by the term ‘Modulation Matrix’. I know that when I first started experimenting with synths, this term used to scare me a little, but it’s basically just a way for you to link up a control or a parameter to affect (modulate) another parameter, and control how much the control affects the destination parameter. Modulation Matrix’s are simple to use, but require skill and practice to create useful results.
Ok, last word on the modulation capabilities of Blue now… so I’m going to tell you about the three modulation step sequencers that are included within the virtual instrument, which include sequence loop start/end, poly/mono/free play modes, speed, and a step smooth control. This allows you to program in complex modulation changes in tempo sync with a host project!
ROB PAPEN BLUE – ARPEGGIATOR/SEQUENCER
In addition to the modulation step sequencer, Rob Papen’s Blue also features a dedicated arpeggiator and sequencer with adjustable length, speed, swing, and slide controls. Each step then features On/Off, Reset, -32/+32 Semitune, – Volume, Slide on/off, Filter A, Filter B and Free modulation settings, and every sequence that you make can be saved separately from the main project, so you can build up a library of complex arpeggiation patterns for use with future projects!
ROB PAPEN BLUE – EFFECTS
Just like SubBoomBass, Blue contains a whole host of built in effects to add the finishing touches to your sounds. The list of available effects within Blue is as follows: Mono Delay, Stereo Delay, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Distortion, Low Fi, Stereo Widener, Reverb, Comb Filter, Gator, Speaker Simulator, Wah/Delay, Chorus/Delay, Autopan, Waveshaper, Ensemble and Compressor. Most effects also feature MIDI sync controls, so you can easily tweak them in relation to a host tempo.
ROB PAPEN BLUE – THE FEATURES I HAVEN’T TALKED ABOUT YET!
To prevent this blog entry from turning into a full on novel, I have decided to summarise some more important features of Blue into a few bullet points! So here goes:
• Multiple play modes (Poly/Mono/Legato/Seq/Arp) – to suit different song styles.
• Unison 2 / Unison 4 / Unison 6 mode with detuning – to really fatten up your sounds!
• Adjustable Precision setting per oscillator to simulate the instability of vintage analogue synthesisers – this is a really cool function. In my opinion you still can’t beat a proper analogue synth, but this gives a decent simulation!
• Equaliser – can be used to sculpt your final sound even further, although I tend to stick with the EQ provided by my host application (Logic) as it offers much more flexibility. But I guess it's nice to have included!
• 16 voice polyphony - for people with 8 fingers on each hand, or people who like to play a keyboard with their hands and feet. I guess you may also find it useful when creating complex chords in a sequencer, or using the Unison effect though!
ROB PAPEN BLUE – SUMMARY
There are loads more features that I could go into when it comes to Blue, but hopefully this blog has given you a flavour of what the synth is about. If you own or purchase Blue then it is always worth giving the manual a little read to ensure that you are unleashing the full potential of the synth! It may seem boring at the time but in the long run it will be worth it!
For me, there are three things that make Blue stand out as a fantastic product. Firstly, and most importantly are it’s sounds. I was really blown away with the amount and the diversity of it’s presets (when I eventually discovered them all!) They just seemed to contain so many layers of complexity, and so you really could get away with using this as your flagship synth for projects! This leads me onto the second thing that I think makes Blue stand out, and that is it’s depth of controls. With 6 oscillators, you really should be able to create anything you want, and the flexibility of the filters and modulation controls just adds to the immense power of this synth! From moving pads, to in your face basses and leads, to unusual effect-type sounds - with it's range of controls Blue can create them all with detail that needs to be heard to be believed!
And third and finally, I think that Blue's price really makes it stand out. I think that considering the power and flexibility of this virtual instrument, Blue is a real bargain! If you have the money I would certainly recommend purchasing both SubBoomBass and Blue, as with this combination you really wouldn’t need much else in the way of virtual instruments! This team would give you a dedicated bass instrument to fill out the lower elements of your tracks, with a highly flexible instrument capable of creating complex basses, leads, pads, etc! And the great thing about using multiple Rob Papen products, is that a lot of the features work in the same way on each instrument, so you will not need to spend extra time learning the controls of an instrument from another manufacturer!
I think that Rob Papen has pulled a bit of a blinder by creating this instrument! But then again, his stuff is usually top-notch! His Albino synth has been at the heart of many of my past productions, but with Blue, I may just have found a virtual instrument to take it's place...