Symptohm: Melohman a Gluar synth like no other….

Symptohm: Melohman was released at the end of 2003. Why bother reviewing a soft-synth that has been out for about a year and half? (I hear you mutter under your breath.) Well, 1) Have you taken the time to download the demo and play with it? 2) Do you know what a Melohman is? 3) Do you want to be the first kid on your block to have one? I thought so, and I also think that this amazing synth has not got the recognition it deserves. So yeah, go ahead and sue me and my mother, but I just gotta help get the word out. So, set aside 15 minutes, grab yourself a nice cuppa tea, relax, take it easy, and let’s learn all about Symptohm:Melohman, OK?

Symptohm:Melohman is the world’s first and only Gluar synthesizer. If you are wondering what a Gluar synth is, rest assured, if you can hang in there with me to the end of this little review, you will be able to impress your friends (and enemies) at your next dinner party/scrabble game with your in-depth understanding of the term.

Symptohm:Melohman is sold as a downloadable RTAS (for Mac OS 9/X), VST 2.0 or Audio Unit plug-in. Although their manual (supplied as PDF) says there is a standalone version, I have been told that is a typo, Symptohm:Melohman is only sold as a plug. It comes in two flavors, one is a Performer Edition (which has some limitations like not being able to create your own pre-sets). The other package is the big daddy Symptohm: Melohman. The Performer Edition sells for 49 Euros. If you only want/need one plug format and one skin, the full edition sells for 199 Euros, but if you want all plug formats and both skins, it'll cost you 249 Euros. Once you pays your Euros, you get a URL and a license key. Downloading went smoothly for me, and once I unpacked and fired up the auto-installer, it quickly took me through the steps to get everything running. It's simple to just copy-n-paste in the license key when prompted by the auto installer –no dongles or other tricks here. There are also demos available if you want to do a bit of tire kicking before you buy.

Symptohm:Melohman is made by a pack of mad French men known as the 'OhmForce'. The OhmForce also make a nice filter-set, 'Quad Frohmage' (look for a review on that soon) and another soft-synth, 'Minimonsta:Melohman'.

BTW, I've just got to know, what is it with these independent Euro development houses? Is there something in the water or air in Europe that compels the guys from Camel Audio, Fabfilter, LinPlug, OhmForce, Swar, U-he, etc. to create great sounding audio plugs? Is it just my perception, or is it true to say that Americans don't typically set up small, independent dev houses because they only do things that are REALLY BIG and glossy? Maybe I’m oversimplifying here, but I do find it intriguing that so much good work is being done by these smaller European developers –anyway, back to Symptohm: Melohman.

Probably the first thing you will notice is the spectacular GUI on Symptohm:Melohman. Actually, that should read GUIS, because (uniquely, AFAIK) Symptohm:Melohman comes with two user-selectable skins –one called 'Classic', the other called 'Funky'. I chose the funky skin ('cause that’s the kind of guy I am!) and although it is a bit busy and ornate, I absolutely love it. It probably won't win any easy-on-the-eyes awards because of its density, but it is a lot of fun to look at and if you tend to sit in front of a computer as much as I do, it is really refreshing to have something a bit different from the ho-hum GUI's we are all used to. Artist Greg Mackles, who has illustrated a French-language comic book, designed the GUIS, and he also designed the Ohmforce web-site. (I've provided a link below if you want to look at his groovy comic.)




He's a real, Melohman, sitting in his Melo land, making all his Melo plans…
Mélomane means 'Music Lover' in French, and I guess that, coupled with the whole 'OhmForce' thing, is how they derived the name for the concept they call the 'Melohman'. It’s a clever name, but it doesn't really give you any idea of what it is, and poking around the OhmForce web-site doesn't make it much clearer either. Don't panic tho, BK is here to reveal all. Melohman is really three things.

Firstly, Melohman lets you morph between pre-sets, or randomise pre-sets, or group parameters for MIDI modulation. You may not think that morphing between pre-sets is such big deal (hell, even the free Crystal synth can morph between two pre-sets), but the unique bit about all the Symptohm:Melohman implementation is that it is performance focussed. You can tell that the Ohm boyze like to play with their own toyze, because Melohman-morphing is all about manipulating your sound while playing (and much of its capability can be automated via MIDI). Being able to group parameters is another Melohman innovation, one that I would think would make this synth great for live performance.

There is something else you should know about how these guys have implemented Melohman functionality. In a very well thought out approach to providing complex control for performance, it is set up so that you can assign a MIDI channel to control the Melohman octave. (You can use your controller for this, or the built-in keyboard.) Each key in the octave controls different parameters; the parameters vary depending on the mode you have chosen. The colors of the keys of the built-in keyboard change depending on the mode, which is useful visual feedback. The whole thing is velocity sensitive to give you even greater control. Modes include Pre-set Morphing, Morphing Back and Forth, LFO modifier (using the Mod Wheel), Mutation and Partial Mutation. The manual covers all of these modes in some depth, and it does a good job of explaining which parameters can be controlled, and their likely effect on the sound output.

Secondly, Melohman gives you a very comprehensive MIDI modulation matrix, with among other things, a really innovative 'Response Curve' function. The Response Curve function lets you change the intensity with which your controller will affect parameters. This is a really cool idea, because it allows you to fine-tune your MIDI control to suit the circumstances. There are several curves; some are strictly positive, while others are bipolar and can some generate negative modulation values. If you want to have fine-grained control over how your Symptohm:Melohman deals with MIDI, the Response Curve parameter will get you there.

The final piece of the Melohman puzzle is the user interface. I know I made a big deal about the funkiness of the funky skin, but the Melohman concept is not just skin deep. The interface lets you get to every little nook and cranny of this beast. You get the usual control over the oscillators, filters, envelopes, etc, but you can also delve in detail into things like the LFO/ADSR modulations (available for just about every parameter) without too much fuss. It is really a rich and deep interface, and it includes lots of nice little touches. For example, when you click on a knob or other adjuster, the parameter value pops up in a nice big display, which allows you to enter in exact values – no more struggling with micro-mouse-moves to get to the setting you want. Just click on a knob, then punch in the number you want. Methinks some other VI developers ought to take note of this idea. I for one am sick of painstakingly eeking out little mouse movements to get the settings I want.

There are a pile of clever interface ideas like this, far too many to go into here, but here are a couple more worth mentioning. If your DAW is Digital Performer or ProTools, you get visual feedback directly on the plug-in interface as to which parameters are currently automated. A green triangle on a knob indicates that the automation is playing, and a red disc shows when an automation is being recorded. Another neat trick is that the transparency/glow of the virtual cables on the Funky skin version vary in intensity depending on settings, and there are some cool, yet tres' useful, antique-looking VU meters for monitoring VCA output. The Classic skin is different in some respects from the Funky skin, but it is also a great way into Symptohm:Melohman.




Take up the lotus position, close your eyes, and start saying "…ohmmmmm…"
That's a nice sound, yes? It kind of makes you feel connected to the universe, eh? Well, if you liked that sound, but you are into making more complex sounds (like to modulate your ohmmmmm with a modulatable LFO or ADSR envelope?) then you really ought to try the Symptohm:Melohman demo, because Symptohm:Melohman is a complex instrument, combining SyncGrain synthesis and OhmForce's Quad Frohmage filter bank. This is a great sounding synth, producing some of the richest basses I have ever heard. It also has the ability to produce rich and evolving pads, but you will have to put in a bit of work to understand how to get the most out of its capabilities.

Symptohm:Melohman has three main bits. The first is the Synthesis Core, then there is the Mixer, and finally the Filter Bank. The Synthesis Core is comprised of two SyncGrain oscillators, a Sub-Oscillator and a noise generator. The filter bank contains four identical modules, called 'Bands' by the Ohm Boyze.

The Synthesis Core is where you will find the two Sync Grain Oscillators (SGO's). The two SGOs can use any sample as a large wavetable. Symptohm:Melohman interprets samples in a pretty accurate/high resolution manner, producing relatively little aliasing. The SGOs let you loop a part of a sample to produce a shifted waveform (as you would be able to do with other, similar oscillators). It also allows you to playback a sample, or resample a sample. (Although you can use it to play samples back, it should be made clear that Symptohm:Melohman is NOT designed to be used as a sampler – it uses samples to generate waveforms.)

You get a fair degree of control over how the SGOs interpret samples. The three main parameters are speed, master pitch, and slave pitch. The speed parameter controls the movement of the loop start point. When speed is set at zero, the output is a static waveform, at low values it produces an evolving spectrum, and at 100% it moves at the 'slave pitch' speed, so that the sample itself is played back. The master pitch controls the length of the loop, thereby contolling pitch. The slave pitch controls how fast the sample is read. Slave pitch modifies the waveform, producing an effect similar to hard sync on analog synths that use simple waveform sampling techniques.

To add life to sounds coming from the SGOs, or to produce more natural or atonal sounds, you can use the built-in Noise Generator. It can generate a broad range of noise styles from blue to red as well as the more traditional pink and white noise.

And last of all, there is what Ohmforce calls the "…weirdest oscillator…". The weird one is nothing to fear, its just a sub-oscillator, but a sub-oscillator with a difference. It can produce a basic sine wave, or it can be distorted to produce additional harmonics which typically add brightness or brittleness to the sound. The magic of OhmForces' implementation of their sub-oscillator lies in the ability to regulate how it is distorted. Distortion is controlled by the first SGO. The output of that SGO is filtered, and its volume analyzed. This results in an evolving value, which is combined with the Brightness parameter to affect the amount of distortion applied to the sub-oscillator. What this all adds up to is a very rich set of harmonic possibilities that will change over time as the SGO waveform changes. Finally, you can also apply Inter-Voice Ring Modulation (IVRM) to the Sub Oscillator.

The Mixer is a kind of bridge between the synth core and the filter bank. Typically Ohmforcian, it gives you a ton of options, far too many to drill into in this review. Suffice to say you get all the usual pan, spread and other general controls, plus quite a few extras as well.

The final of bit Symptohm:Melohman's is the filter bank. This synth sports a pretty sophisticated filter bank with far too many features to list. There are 8 possible routing possibilities, including serial and parallel configurations. There are four chained blocks comprised of a delay, the filter itself, distortion and a limiter. Before entering the filter, sound can also be delayed. Delaying (via the simple delay –it has no feedback) parallel bands differently allows you to achieve spectacular rhythmic effects, especially when complex modulation is applied. The filters have the usual settings, including cut-off, resonance, low pass, high pass, and band pass.

Still with me? Just breathe deeply and say "…ohmmmmmm…", we are almost there, soon you will be saying Gluar this and Gluar that, just hang in there a bit longer.

(oh)Modulation
Symptohm:Melohman is packed with modulation possibilities. They include LFOs, and/or ADSR envelopes that can be attached to almost every parameter. LFO waveforms include the usual suspects, including sine, triangle, and square. You also get ramp up/down, cos(sine) up/down, random, and my personal favorite, brown noise. The manual says that the brown noise is made up of “…wide but slow moves with small and fast oscillations…" Man, there is a goldmine in there for the budding comedian in me, but I’ll leave them alone, well, except I can't resist saying that I won't use this waveform too much, because usually, I try not to make too many brown noises when there are other people in my studio.

Parameters and their LFO/ADSR sub-parameters can all be modulated by MIDI signals. It is very easy to bind MIDI controllers to parameters, you only need to activate the auto-bind feature and send a MIDI event to the plug-in and the association is done for you.

If all that wasn't enough to get you downloading the demo…
Here are a few more goodies worth knowing about Symptohm:Melohman:

It is possible to load only parts of Meta-Patch. For example, you could extract the MIDI configuration from one meta-patch without altering the oscillator settings of the currently loaded Meta-Patch. Or you could exclude synthesis parameters (oscillators without samples, and mixing), or the samples, the filter bands settings and/or the MIDI configuration of a Meta-Patch as you load it.

Summary
What do I think of this Symptohm:Melohman thingy? Well, if I had to sum it up in one word, if would have to be 'YES!'. (Actually, because its French made, I might be inclined to say 'Oui!') I think that this is a great VI –its strengths are in its performance orientation, as well as its overall great sound.

If it had any weaknesses I would say that they arise out of its complexity. Symptohm:Melohman takes some time to understand fully. Understanding it sometimes not helped by the fact that the manual, while being pretty comprehensive, is written in a sort of Frenglish. The tutorial does help make up for this though because it is extremely well put together. Another thing that OhmForce might want to look at is its cost. Depending on your exchange rate, 199 Euro could make it a bit more expensive than other download VI's, but there is so much to this synth that it is still pretty good value for money.

Well, how was that cuppa tea then? Hope you enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed playing around with this great VI. Now, if you stayed with me this far, I know you are dying to know what Gluar means, so here is a direct quote from an OhmForce spokesperson:

"Gluar is a pretty undeterminate multi-shaped material used by various members of the ohm force crew."

See, it was worth reading through to the end, right?

The Verdict (5 star system)
GUI/Interface… 5/5 (If you ain't funky, like me, go classic.)
Stability… 5/5 (Works like a charm for me.)
Manual/Tutorial... 4./5 (I would give the manual only a 3, but the tutorial gets it that extra star.)
Sound... 4/5 (Its not a synth for instant gratification, but if you have patience, it can be astounding.)
Value For Money... 3/5 (Its worth it, but I think it might be time for an OhmForce special.)
X Factor... 5/5 (There is no other synth that looks like this, and this one also has the Melohman!)

For more information, see www.ohmforce.com

Review set-up:
OS X 10.3.9
Digital Performer 4.12

Bye-line
BK is justa guy trying to make his way in the universe by making dangerous modern art.

Apart from access to a review copy, the Ohm Boyze have never given me anything, but I am hopeful that they will ship some Gluar to Oz in the next month or so.

Greg Mackles' comic book 'L'Encyclopédie Du Mal' which is described as a "…un monde d’héroic fantasy, une ancienne prophétie…" can be found by clicking this paragraph!

Added:  Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Reviewer:  Bryan King
Score:
Related web link:  OhmForce
hits: 16912
Language: eng

  
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