Heavyocity Evolve R2 review

  • €199
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Rhythmic Suite and Arp are two of Heavyocity Evolve R2's five sonic options.

MusicRadar Verdict

Superb for adding something special to your soundtracks and dancefloor smashes.

Pros

  • +

    The quality and range of sounds are superb; the percussion and drum loops are world class; Trigger FX adds another layer of playability.

Cons

  • -

    So sonically distinctive it may overshadow other mix elements.

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Evolve is a collection of loops, pads and hits ideal for productions where impact is vital.

It's available as a download from the Native Instruments website and is packed with what Heavyocity describes as 'walls of cinematic percussion, punchy beats, and next-gen tonal elements'.

"The percussive loops are a real treat, and Heavyocity's attention to sonic detail is evident on every instrument."

The company isn't exaggerating - these sounds leap out of your speakers. There are nearly 4,000 percussive and evolving samples; many of the loops are presented in 'slices' enabling you to play the components in any order.

In addition, 'trigger fx' is a range of effects and modulations that switch on and off with MIDI key presses, manipulating the loops in real time.

Good taste

The sounds are presented in five distinct flavours: Rhythmic Suites, Percussive Kits, Seq and Arp, Stings and Transitions, and Tonality and FX. The interface is clean, simple and gives you the controls to tweak the master effect, filter and envelope settings. Sadly, like Heavyocity's Damage collection, you don't have full access to edit the instrument directly; large scale changes to patches are not available.

The Seq and Arp instruments deserve special mention, because they include a simple integrated step-sequencer to manipulate the velocity, pan and filter settings. This gives you instant burbling filter swept patterns, and sounds amazing when playing chords.

We'd have liked to see the ability to 'slew' between filter settings, giving the player a smoother and more natural transition as you scroll through the steps. Maybe in version three…

First impressions are that these sounds will be ideal for dramatic moments in movie scores, but that's not the whole story. 'Orchestral Bass Drum' is a menacing roll that could be just as useful in a dancefloor 'build up' as in a murder scene. 'Piano Dreamer' is a beautiful lead sound with a haunting twist; standard piano key hits fade away with a convoluted reverb tail that's as haunting as it is beguiling.

Techno sounds are well represented too: 'Raspy Peddler' could form the basis of many a tech-house treat and 'Robotic Malfunction' sounds like a deranged android playing the hi-hats. This is not the place to come for an all-round collection of standard pad, bass or drum sounds, though.

Singular sounds

Evolve covers many bases and excels at them all, giving you exciting extra colours to add to an otherwise lacklustre arrangement. The percussive loops are a real treat, and Heavyocity's attention to sonic detail is evident on every instrument.

Evolve now integrates seamlessly with Native Instruments' Maschine too; access to the hundreds of percussion sounds and loops is quick and easy through the Maschine interface. The only downside is that every sound is so vibrant and distinctive you might spot an Evolve sound in a mix a mile away.

Many producers can live with that - it simply bears testament to this collection's exceptional quality.

Steve Hillier