Product Reviews

These are interesting times for the virtual synth fanatic. Now that many of the more famous names have been successfully emulated, attention is turning to some of synth history's forgotten heroes. Yesterday's oddities are today's revelations and GMedia's resurrection of the 1983 British-built OSCar synth is a case in point.

Although only 2,000 OSCars were ever produced, the combination of a broad sound palette and peculiar visual charm have kept the cult flame burning. OSCar sounds still feature on many records today (Underworld and Basement Jaxx both use them) and with the release of the impOSCar, those sounds are sure to feature on many more.

The impOSCar features two oscillators and 13 waveforms, along with a user-programmable wave matrix where sounds can be uniquely refined. Other features include mono, duo or polyphonic operation, two envelope generators, multiple triggering

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modes, keyboard velocity response, a four-mode arpeggiator, an effects section and the particularly sweet-sounding and wide-ranging filters, offering nine filter types.

Given the impOSCar's inherent flexibility, it is no surprise that the sound is impressive at all octaves - highs are clear and crisp, mids are rich and detailed and bass sounds are full-phat. The filter section certainly plays its part here, shaping timbres from pillow-soft to harsh and rasping, with every kind of echo and shimmering bell-tone in between.

Patches are selected via Banks, although there is no systematic ordering of sounds - pads, basses and lead sounds are jumbled together. It makes browsing the presets more fun, but better organisation would be a long-term plus. Incidentally, the 500 presets supplied are mostly excellent. You can also load original sounds via sysex and .wav files. The wide tonal spectrum of the impOSCar is controlled by the 50 or so knobs that populate its interface, grouped according to their function, all of which can be operated via MIDI.

The impOSCar is a fine musical tool, with both the virtual interface and the sounds beautifully realised. Even the well-written, wax-cover manual deserves a mention, along with the 20-minute introductory QuickTime video included on the CD. For only £100, this is one of the best virtual synth packages available.

NEEDS: PowerPC G4 400MHz, 64MB RAM, OS 9.x or OS X 10.1, VST or AU compatible sequencer