Yamaha WaveForce SW1000XG

The fun doesn't end with the basic SW1000XG either; three daughterboards are available. The DX board is basically a DX7, the classic synth of the 1980s; the VL features the engine of the VL-70m physical modelling synthesiser, giving a range of monophonic lead sounds of exceptional controllability; and the VH is a real-time harmoniser that allows creation of up to three part harmonies from any input signal.

Despite the incredible range of features and power on offer, you won't need a super powerful PC to push the SW1000XG to its limits. All the DSP functions are carried out on the card, and the sample set isn't passed out into system RAM. A Pentium/166 with 32Mb of RAM is all that's needed, although you should bear in mind that the software you run alongside it will probably have more demanding requirements.

This isn't a card for the amateur musician. The guts of it consist of the DSP3 and SWP30B chips as used by the O2r digital mixing console and MU100 tone generator/ A3000 sampler, all of which are professional pieces of studio kit. In the light of these facts, the price tag of just £384 is stunning.

The SW1000XG is a ground-breaking card that will stand the test of time and I'd be surprised if any manufacturer comes close within a couple of years. Instead of sending the review card back, I bought it, and on my modest means there can be no finer accolade.

Author: Tim Ponting