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Do you know what is a love at first sight ? I mean the real one, the one that makes you say "ah yeah, oh now, yeah yeah yeah !". Miss FeedBack wouldn't bear me a grudge, not too much, if I say that I fell hardly in love with a... Reverb ,-o))

As this plug-in isn't a property of Steinberg, Waves or any big company, I think that it would be a good thing to introduce the author, who is already known by some of you. Perharps best is to let him do it himself !

"Vincent Burel, pigheaded programer... I've begun in data processing with a ZX81 Sinclair (like everybody) and Music Assisted Computer on MSX... :-). Being a director as well as a sound engineer, a data processing programmer or a pianist in pubs, I wasn't never be able to choose... I was lucky to become a professionnal in the department of audio processing and Music Assisted Computer by entering in a very little enterprise at Bordeaux two years ago : the SIPAB (the plug-ins lownmower, quickverb, Multiverb are my realizations at this period). Then, I left the SIPAB in april 1998 in order to be able to express fully myself (an artist needs to feel free :-) and to become craftsmann in data processing with the nearly only restraint that is mine today : to make something different, of quality and that works. Well, that's at any rate what I try to do".

So well, Aphro V1. A reverb on more. Well. Let's make a round in order to see what's different.

Vincent doesn't have of course a team of designers at his disposition that works on the beauty of the interface. But the result is in spite of that much superior to what can be seen in general for this type of product. In fact there are several interfaces !

Not too ugly, isn't it ? One can watch here the presets, compare a program edited from the original one and call the 3 other interfaces.

Here, we arrive in a much concrete domain ! First amazing thing, one doesn't have any button to adjust the size of the simulated room. Confusing at first approach, then logical when one discovers the next things. On the PGI interface, one has access to the adjustments of pre-delay, of the dry and wet signal. It's commonplace, should you say to me... Yes, but one can split the left and right channels by desactivating the Channels Link button ! One can play too with four buttons of phase inversion ! And here, I'm shouted by our friend Arnaud LE BOULANGER, who gives to us the following commentary. No hard feelings, Arnaud ,-o)) But one obtains some very amazing result. Even without using to the phase inverters, it's promised Arnaud, the fact to be able to have some pre-delays and some different levels at left and at right allows to play easily with the stereo space. .

For those who find the adjustments not so practicable, with one right-mouse clic, one has access to some options. Some keyboard shortcuts are available !

Color Panel Interface

If Aphro distinguishes itself, it's because of this very intuitive interface. Rather than having some buttons that make reference to some audio and audio processing knowledges that everybody doesn't necessary have, Aphro proposes to you some adjustments that appeal only to what your ears know. As for the previous interface, one can split the left and right channels. The obtained effects are one more time atonishing. The CPI is just a filter which have some pre-adjustments that you can sharpen ... with the mouse in two littl' windows all coloured ! When moving the gadget a little bit at random, one finds what one searches or what one doesn't search, that is not devoid of spell. With practice, one can find finally how to have a desired effect.

The problem is that it's ridiculous to try to make you discovering this reverb with words. You should listen to it !

've done many tests and I can say in spite what I was able to hear ! Aphro makes it possible to obtain some very classical effects. Applied on a track or an entire mix, the result is amazing. Clear,any audio click, musical etc. By moving the buttons at left and at right, one can obtain also some never hearded effects. As for an example, un big pre-delay on left, with brightness and a "tunnel" effect on right. One is at this time out of the border of reverb to arrive in the world of sound creativity. It's not the same thing ! Be careful however, Aphro takes all its greatness with stereo audio files.

Improvement again ! Four banks are available with "factory" presets and "user" presets. With one right- clic of the mouse, one can load some other banks, that Vincent proposes on his website. The last one, the Fx, is essential !

And what about the failings ? Well, I've found some even so ,-o)) For example, the windows stay in foreground, it's sometimes irritating. I was obliged to come in with the presets because the "Wet" signal was too faint to hear the effect, even with the aux-sends and returns heavily opened. The lift on the side of the Preset interface doesn't move when one let the mouse button pressed. Same thing for the presets buttons of the main interface. There are only some blemishes of ergonomy, that are only my estimation ,-o))

In short, I've found the reverb that will be the essential effect of my VST. One waits for the release of the next version that will propose 256 algorithms instead of... one !! Vincent promises to us too three new interfaces, for which the secret is still preserved at this time. This trick will kick hard.

Last info, Aphro is enough greedy in computer resources, like any DirectX plug-in, but not much or less than others. At any rate, less than a famous reverb by the Waves ,-o). About the price, well, for 68,60 ?, it's much than moderate. The second version will be a little bit more expensive, but less than its famous concurrents

To learn some more, just go on the Vincent BUREL's website.

Pascal VALENTIN, on the 20-12-1998

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