View other reviews for this product:
jonoftheshred88 « Solid Yet Flawed »
Published on 07/10/14 at 08:50Gladiator has the perfect opening preset. It's that sound test at movies, the slowly rising sound that ends on a perfect, harmonized pitch. You see it at the start of the previews in movie theaters. (Now it's more like at the start of the COMMERCIALS, am I right?)
In any case, this is a truly killer sounding synth. It's got a very signature sound, very airy, as if recorded in a giant hall. The installation was simple and fast, and getting started writing songs was even faster. I also use Nexus 2, as I stated in an earlier review. This is a comparable synth, as far as strengths go. Arps and gates are the name of the game. In fact, the arps along can spark creativity and inspire you to write a song in no time at all. When I first started using Gladiator 2 the presets alone had me coming up with ideas I never would have without using the synth.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
This software works great with my DAW. Pretty much, keeping my laptop clean of any dust and OS optimized for peak performance capabilities has ALL of my software running smoothly. But Gladiator 2 never seemed to be too resource heavy. Nexus and East West Orchestra software BOTH seem far more straining on the speed. Gladiator seems comparatively light-weight - you can have multiple instances of this running, like 10 different arps and gates all playing together, and it doesn't seem to have a difference on speed at all.
My only big gripe with the software is a lack of editing capability, similar to Nexus. Perhaps I should research both VSTs more thoroughly, but it just seems to lack the diversity some synths (even freeware VST Synth1) have more of. Gladiator is GREAT....for very specific genres. A talented musician can use this software for any genre they choose, but most people are going to e buying it for trance, house, and other popular EDM-centric electronic music. Incidentally, Gladiator 2 and Nexus 2 are by far the two best for capturing this sound, so it's a mixed bag really.
OVERALL OPINION
The thing I like most is the way all the arps meld together and interact. But having said that, the interface is rather clunky and difficult to traverse. There's a LOT of options when you open the synth up, but with barely legible text you'd wish they chose a better way to offer all these features. The interface is beautifully designed from an aesthetic standpoint, but the functionality could be increased exponentially with more intuitive arranging.
The precision of the sound is very high quality - crispy and professional, this synth sounds truly unique. Similar in a fashion to Nexus 2 in it's strengths, I've noticed the two compliment each other rather splendidly, having such different sounds but the same strengths.
In any case, this is a truly killer sounding synth. It's got a very signature sound, very airy, as if recorded in a giant hall. The installation was simple and fast, and getting started writing songs was even faster. I also use Nexus 2, as I stated in an earlier review. This is a comparable synth, as far as strengths go. Arps and gates are the name of the game. In fact, the arps along can spark creativity and inspire you to write a song in no time at all. When I first started using Gladiator 2 the presets alone had me coming up with ideas I never would have without using the synth.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
This software works great with my DAW. Pretty much, keeping my laptop clean of any dust and OS optimized for peak performance capabilities has ALL of my software running smoothly. But Gladiator 2 never seemed to be too resource heavy. Nexus and East West Orchestra software BOTH seem far more straining on the speed. Gladiator seems comparatively light-weight - you can have multiple instances of this running, like 10 different arps and gates all playing together, and it doesn't seem to have a difference on speed at all.
My only big gripe with the software is a lack of editing capability, similar to Nexus. Perhaps I should research both VSTs more thoroughly, but it just seems to lack the diversity some synths (even freeware VST Synth1) have more of. Gladiator is GREAT....for very specific genres. A talented musician can use this software for any genre they choose, but most people are going to e buying it for trance, house, and other popular EDM-centric electronic music. Incidentally, Gladiator 2 and Nexus 2 are by far the two best for capturing this sound, so it's a mixed bag really.
OVERALL OPINION
The thing I like most is the way all the arps meld together and interact. But having said that, the interface is rather clunky and difficult to traverse. There's a LOT of options when you open the synth up, but with barely legible text you'd wish they chose a better way to offer all these features. The interface is beautifully designed from an aesthetic standpoint, but the functionality could be increased exponentially with more intuitive arranging.
The precision of the sound is very high quality - crispy and professional, this synth sounds truly unique. Similar in a fashion to Nexus 2 in it's strengths, I've noticed the two compliment each other rather splendidly, having such different sounds but the same strengths.