MusicRadar Verdict
The sheer volume of samples involved and presets programmed is impressive, and it'll take us a long time to run out of uses for them. One of UVI's best yet, no question.
Pros
- +
Huge range of samples. Quality presets. Instruments are fun and easy to use.
Cons
- -
Not much.
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
There's an almost overwhelming amount of material in UVI's latest, a collection of five sample-based instruments for producers of hip-hop, trap, R&B and the like, supplemented by 140 construction kits.
"All of the interfaces are flexible, responsive and well designed, particularly Urban X (the synth)"
Borrowing a fair bit of engineering from UVI's Electro Suite, the instruments comprise two drum machines (a solid TR-808 emulation and a superb general purpose one that divides its kick, snare, clap and hat sounds up into editable stages or components), a three-oscillator synth, a multitrack REX file player and a vinyl scratch emulator.
All are entirely sample-based, but their interfaces are flexible, responsive and well designed, particularly Urban X (the synth), which plays beautifully and sounds incredible, and Scratch Machine, which is admirably honest in its controlled approach to scratch emulation and works all the better for it.
“It’s an old-fashioned piece of conceptual rock”: Steven Wilson issues album update and promises no less than the reinvention of the “extended classic rock solo”
“We were always going to try to break boundaries and try new things”: It was the first No.1 pop single to feature rapping - and it came from Debbie Harry and Blondie
“I have to try and talk about the neck without sounding offensive or angry”: Johnny Marr says satin finishes have no business being on a guitar neck
