Spectrasonics Stylus RMX

I have been using Stylus RMX since about 2008, I use it frequently because of the sound quality and its abilities to work with VST’s. This program does require a lot of patching though when working with sounds and VST’s it reminds me of how you have to patch a lot with Battery 3. Installing it takes a bit more time than I expected because it is a big file to have to install. It does take up a lot of disk space as well so before I purchased it I made sure that I waited until I got my new PC with a lot of disk space/CPU and RAM.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

This software is expandable, allowing you to add more groves as needed. It comes with 27 different effects like power filter, spring verb, gate expander, tube limiter, vintage compressors and many more. There are over 7 gigs of sounds that come with it, which is why it takes so long to load and install. It is not hard to install it just takes a very long time to do so.

OVERALL OPINION

The interface is easy to use and understand though I am not a fan of the purple color of the interface, I am not sure if you can change it but I would if I knew how because the purple is more of an eye sore for me. The price of this software is a little more than expected but after working with the effects racks I feel like I have gotten my money’s worth in no time at all.
I love the compressors, in fact the “vintage” compressors could be the reason that I feel that I got my money’s worth with this software. The sounds are very good as well and the performance of this software is great. I have experienced no crashing or freezing while working with it on my PC.

Installing is pretty simple. It's rather large compared to some simple synth plugins so it will take some time. Pop in the the first disc, then the second, install, and authorize. There is a little bug where the folder you put the files in has to be in the same folder as another particular file. I can't remember off the top of my head but it's very common and simply googling is an easy way to find a solution.

Other than that, though, it's fine. The manual is nice and thorough, and the GUI is pretty easy to get the hang of, it just takes some experimenting because there are a lot of features.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

It is a little CPU intensive. Not like an EWQL plugin, but I definitely can't be running 3 instances of it at the same time. I use a Dell XPS studio computer with Windows 7 running FL Studio 10. My computer has six cores and 6GB of RAM, so if you have a computer less suited for music than you may have some issues running Stylus RMX. It has never crashed on me though, it's always been very stable. I've been using it for about 2 years.

OVERALL OPINION

Your going to find that you'll need to go through a lot of crap to find some gems. Personally I think the gems are worth it, others may not. I like to use Stylus RMX for tambourine loops and other percussion. I never really use it for full drum loops. Usually these sound very generic. The percussion loops are pretty nice though. There is a wide variety to choose from and every now and then I find something that fits so well into my track that I wouldn't find anywhere else.

So Stylus has it's ups and downs. The GUI is nice, and it has some nice features. I can't quite find out how to route multiple loops to different mixer channels from one instance though. That's a negative. People say it can be done, but I'm nos sure. Overall it's a good addition to my studio and a lot of my tracks wouldn't be the same without it. I'd recommend it.

Stylus RMX has worked on both of my pc's to a great standard. I have used it on a low end computer (1.8GHZ pentium and 1gb ram) as well as my current (2.5GHZ Core2Quad & 4GB ram) and it runs decently on both. Some of the sounds on the low end PC end up coming out choppy in the final mix, though I think this could be a cause of my lack of CPU power. All the sounds and drum samples in Stylus RMX are easily accessable and findable. They are all organised into genres and are quick to load. It works nicely in both of the DAW's that I use, Ableton and FL Studio.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

This software runs fine in both FL Studio and Ableton. I picked this as my drum VST of choice for ableton as it does not have a step sequencer on par with FL Studio. However it does has its use in FL Studio, as the actual drum sounds on offer are brilliant and some of the loops are great. The bank of stock drums in this VST are much better than Battery in my opinion and they are all well EQ'd already so you don't have to tune out the bad frequencys in the bassy drums. It weighs in at about 12 GB, a very good size for software filled with so many different samples and loops. Sometimes bad patches can overload my CPU and cause crashes, so if you are on a low end computer, watch out. I'm not sure if it is specific patches causing this or the VST itself.

OVERALL OPINION

All of the clap sounds in this VST are brilliant, as are the main drum kicks. The snares are snappy and fit well with most tracks. However its the electric drums that seem to let down this VST. The club drums are pretty flat and lack any real energy. Maybe this is because they are not mixed so well. I would reccomend layering these drums as much as any other drums. I cannot seem to find a search function on the VST too, this makes finding specific sounds a damn nightmare. This VST however is a vital piece to my music and my songs would be a lot less well off without some of the percussion elements that come from this VST. I reccomend Stylus RMX to anybody.

While there is over 7 GB of sounds just in the main release, I would have liked to see more in certain areas. For example, there are at least 12 menu's worth of snares, and only 4 or 5 octaves worth of cymbals. It still covers everything you need, but it could possibly be balanced a little more. I would have liked to see a few more processing options within the VST interface, but the sounds are so nice you very rarely consider processing them any more. Regardless, if you're into hip hop, electronica, or even if you want live-sounding drums either from a preexisting groove or in your own patterns, Stylus will handle your needs. I don't know of a better drum module, and according to most critics and publications, neither do they.

$200 or so

If you have any experience in using VSTs, this is very easy to use. If not, you can learn quickly. It requires more patching than say Battery, but it gives you infinitely more options in terms of grooves etc. When you find a groove you like, you just drag it and drop it on a channel and it snaps itself to your project tempo. Nothing could be easier.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

The sound quality of Stylus RMX is ridiculous. Every sound has been processed and tweaked to the nth degree, and while that statement can put you off, in this case, it sounds awesome. There is every conceivable type of drum sound in its libraries, and the grooves are varied and very live. Nothing sounds fake or electronic. All of the sounds from the grooves can be used individually if you prefer to build your own kits.

The quality is great. I haven't had it lose my kits or stop working on me. Its very stable.

OVERALL OPINION

I love this product. It gives me virtually every drum sound I could possibly imagine in one tight package. If I don't feel like creating my own pattern, or feel like backing up my pattern with a quieter live loop, it is amazingly easy to pick a groove and throw it on your track. The sounds are fantastic, and it seems to be engineered towards hip hop heads, so it is right up my alley. Spectrasonics is a very trustworthy VST manufacturer. Grab Trilogy as an accompaniment to Stylus and your bottom end is Vida Guerra. PHAT!

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: XL83 ( 7-, 2005)