Product Reviews

Today's synthesizer sounds are more likely to come from a software plug-in than a sound card or hardware keyboard. The best cost hundreds if not thousands of pounds, but there are lots of cheap and free alternatives. These tend to be outlandish, but Cakewalk's Studio Instruments is affordable and not particularly weird.

It comprises four distinct plug-ins covering acoustic drums, bass guitar, electric piano and strings. Each runs as a standalone application, a VST plug-in (compatible with most recording software) or an Audio Units plug-in (running on a Mac). As with any virtual instrument, you'll need a MIDI keyboard and a sound card with

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ASIO drivers, unless you're happy to compose by drawing notes with the mouse.

Each plug-in draws on a set of samples to emulate the instrument in question. Cakewalk's extensive experience in this field ensures that quality is excellent. There are a few exceptions: playing a scale on the electric piano reveals some slightly awkward changes in tone on certain notes, and it's odd that the string sounds draw on violin, cello and double bass but not viola samples. Still, the emulations are convincing, with realistic changes in tone at different playing volumes. Cute animations of swaying bows and rattling drums ensure that first encounters are particularly enjoyable.

Some variation is available for each instrument, but it's mostly limited to different effects settings, as each one is based on a single set of samples. This might frustrate some people, but the straightforward approach did encourage us to get on with writing music rather than browsing through stacks of presets.

Studio Instruments is an excellent concept, particularly for songwriters and guitarists in need of a virtual backing band. It's well executed and keenly priced, and only the lack of an acoustic piano instrument stops it getting five stars.