Hollow Sun Crumar Performer

I run this on a Macbook Pro i7 with 8gb ram and an RME Fireface 800. I run this Kontakt 5 either as a standalone or in Logic 9 or Ableton 8. So far I have had zero compatibility issues. This is a very simple instrument so you really don't need to reference the manual. The setup is as simple as installing, then finding the set through Kontakt's file browser. The configuration is very simple. You essentially get three tabs to find all the controls offered on this synth. The three tabs are Master, Control Panel and Effects and they contain simple parameters like Velocity, tuning, pitchbend, reverb, delay, phase shifter and other parameters to "fine tune" the string sound (envelope, filter, level/mix). These are easily found and tweaked.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

So far I have not had any crashes, lost work of audio dropouts and glitches. It appears to be very stable and it sounds terrific. I never used one of these in real life, but a fellow engineer says he worked with one back in the day and was fairly impressed by the sound quality. The performance is great. No latency, no issues with mapping and such. I have had this for about two months. I usually reach for my various Mellotron samples to get that vintage string sound. This sample set was cheap so I picked it up and I must say, I still love my Sampletron but I also grab this one out just for something a little different.

OVERALL OPINION

What I do like is the samples are quite full and warm, despite being sampled strings. Also, the GUI is neat, and very easy to navigate. I also love the price. There is really not anything to complain about with this synth. For only $15, you can't go wrong. Even if you have some solid Mellotron samples in your arsenal, this synth still has a place. Again, I haven't used the real deal before. A friend has, although many years ago, but he says it seems pretty spot on. I have not had much experience with synths made solely for strings. I highly recommend this sample set, especially for the same price of your average album.