XILS-Lab EMS Inspired Vocoder 5000 Arrives

"XILS-lab launches last word in vocoding with powerful plug-in inspired by EMS flagship

GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of XILS Vocoder 5000 — inspired by its expensive EMS Vocoder 5000 hardware (partial) namesake (still held high in analogue awe) as an awe-inspiring, affordable vocoder plug-in for Mac (32- and 64-bit, AU, AAX, RTAS, VST 2.4, and VST 3 for Mac OS X 10.6 or higher) and PC (32- and 64-bit, AAX, RTAS, and VST for Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8) — as of December 23...

By (typical dictionary) definition, a vocoder is an analysis and synthesis system used to reproduce human speech. Speaking historically, Homer Dudley, a research physicist at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, USA, developed the Voice Operated reCOrDER (VOCODER) way back in 1939 as a research device to test compression schemes for the secure transmission of voice signals over copper telephone lines. Later, Werner Meyer-Eppler, the Director of Phonetics at Bonn University in Germany, recognised the relevance of these machine marvels to electronic music following a visit by Dudley in 1948, subsequently using the vocoder as a basis for future writings which would inspire, in turn, the German Elektronische Musik movement. Musically speaking, the vocoder is indebted to German synth pop pioneers Kraftwerk more than most for bringing its distinctive robotic-sounding voice into commercial consciousness — so much so that Wikipedia even has a photograph of one of their early-Seventies custom-built vocoders alongside its own online definition of the word.

Whatever way one views it, actually it was Peter Zinovieff’s London-based company EMS (Electronic Music Studios) — best known for making musical history in 1969 with its introduction of the VCS3, the first portable synthesiser commercially available anywhere in the world — who released the world’s first commercially-available vocoder, the EMS Studio Vocoder, in 1976. Soon renamed the EMS Vocoder 5000, this vocoder par excellence ended up in the talented hands of a privileged few, both musical or otherwise, including Kraftwerk, predictably; Stevie Wonder; US Seventies-vintage sci-fi TV series classic Battlestar Galactica (‘Cylon’ centurion voices); and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. With its 22-band analysis and synthesis sections, the EMS Vocoder 5000 is probably the most highly-specified such unit ever produced. The fact that it can still be bought new today is testament to its still-stunning design, though there is only one (not so small) problem: purchasers should be prepared to part with a handsome five-figure sum for the privilege and then wait quite some considerable time to take delivery of this weighty (20kg) vocoding heavyweight. However, XILS-lab has an answer to that problem: now those fantastic features and more can be accessed instantly in the comfort of your computer at a fraction of that cost, thanks to the XILS Vocoder 5000 plug-in!

Put simply, XILS-labs’ software-based vocoder virtually emulates the fanciful filtering techniques and incredibly complex circuitry of its analogue predecessor to achieve the same organic sound, precision, and clarity. Just like the EMS Vocoder 5000 before it, XILS Vocoder 5000 can be made to ‘speak’ clearly in English and German — just like Kraftwerk... or in any other language for that matter! Respectively resurrecting the still-sought-after sounds of the EMS VCS3 synthesiser and Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus keyboard in popular plug-in form as XILS 3 and XILS V+ certainly stood XILS-lab in good stead when it came to meaningfully modelling the EMS Vocoder 5000’s impressive feature set of no fewer than 22 bandpass filters and envelope followers; oscillators (modelled from the EMS VCS3); noise generator; frequency shifter; and spectrum analyser — including its distinctive 22x22 pin matrix patchboard, allowing any band of the modulator signal to be connected to any band of the carrier signal. So while analogue vocoders like the esteemed EMS Vocoder 5000 typically analyse an incoming signal by splitting it into a number of tuned frequency bands with modulator and carrier signals being sent through a series of tuned bandpass filters — in the case of Kraftwerk’s beloved robotic voices, for example, the modulator is a microphone and the carrier is a noise or sawtooth waveform — with XILS Vocoder 5000 it’s just the same.

Haying that, XILS-lab being XILS-lab, that’s not all. Additional features that make XILS Vocoder 5000 a truly 21st Century product par excellence in its own right include additional filter types; more SLEW RATE modulations; two LFOs — the original Vocoder 5000 had only one; in-depth FM AMNT (Frequency Modulation amount) and PWM AMNT (Pulse Width Modulation amount) controls; additional oscillator waveforms; improved SPEECH (sibilance) input detector; GATE input; and also a keyboard for playing melodies or chords. Unlike the restrictive nature of the original Vocoder 5000’s ‘real world’ pin matrix patchboard, XILS Vocoder 5000 users can quickly populate its onscreen matrix by freely drawing lines... and it helpfully has its own presets! Picture-perfect, some might say!

So there it is. As well as feeding the human voice — truly the most variable sound source of all — into XILS Vocoder 5000 to alter its pitch, tone, vibrato, and other characteristics to synthesise a choir from a single voice or create musical melodies from ordinary speech, why not use XILS Vocoder 5000 to process drums, percussive elements, guitars, or any kind of synthesiser to breathe new ‘analogue’ life into them or reshape them totally? Try creating vocoded synth patterns from drum loops... loopy! Almost anything is musically possible with XILS Vocoder 5000, so why not give it a try today? Here at XILS-lab we’re sure you’ll love its authenticity, adaptability, and affordability.


XILS Vocoder 5000 is available to purchase and download directly from XILS-lab as an eLicenser or iLok copy-protected virtual instrument and effects plug-in for an introductory discounted price of €99.00 EUR (including VAT within the EU) until January 17, 2015 — thereafter rising to €149.00 EUR (including VAT within the EU) — from here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/XILS-Vocoder-5000.html

For more in-depth info, please visit the dedicated XILS Vocoder 5000 webpage here: https://www.xils-lab.com/pages/XILS%205000.html

Several short audio demos showcasing XILS Vocoder 5000 can be heard here: http://www.xils-lab.com/pages/XILS5000_Audio.html

Various XILS Vocoder 5000 tutorial videos showing several key features and functions can be seen here:
https://www.xils-lab.com/audiosample/XILS5000/video/XILS5000_TutorialProcessFreqShift.mp4
https://www.xils-lab.com/audiosample/XILS5000/video/XILS5000_TutorialMatrixPatchSlewRate.mp4
https://www.xils-lab.com/audiosample/XILS5000/video/XILS5000_TutorialCarrierControl.mp4
https://www.xils-lab.com/audiosample/XILS5000/video/XILS5000_SideChainCubase.mp4"

XILS-lab breathes virtual life into prototyped EMS VCS4 analogue matrix modular monster

"'XILS 4: a life-changing tool... absolutely 100 percent indispensable modular heaven!'

- Anthony J. Resta (record producer and multi-instrumentalist)

GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of XILS 4 — an authentic software emulation of the legendary VCS4, a ‘dual VCS3’ analogue matrix modular synthesizer prototyped by EMS back in 1969, but never commercially released — as of May 19...

EMS (Electronic Music Studios), a British company founded by the pioneering Peter Zinovieff, made musical history in 1969 with its introduction of the VCS3, the first portable synthesizer commercially available anywhere in the world. Its innovative modular matrix-based patchboard dispensed with the telephone exchange-like cabling of other (much larger) modular systems in favour of making connections with (removable) coloured pins, so it could be comfortably housed in a small wooden (solid afrormosia) cabinet.

Needless to say, the (hi)story of the EMS VCS3 is well documented, with XILS-lab later playing its part in resurrecting its still-sought-after sound with its cost-conscious and award-winning XILS 3 software emulation for Mac (OS X 10.4 and above) and PC (Windows 7, Vista, and XP) proving popular with both first-time buyers beginning a wonderfully in-depth journey into the wonderful world of modular synthesis and also seasoned synth explorers, including renowned sound designer Richard Devine and original VCS3 aficionado Tim Blake (Hawkwind), and even Peter Zinovieff himself, who commented kindly: “A great step forward!”

Not so well documented, though, is the stuff of legend: the 1969-vintage VCS4 was EMS designer David Cockerell’s so-called ‘Live Performance Module’, comprising two VCS3s sat side by side, together with a five-octave keyboard, a mixer, and a signal-processing unit, all housed in a single wooden cabinet. Only one prototype was ever produced, its ear-opening sounds lost in the sands of time... until now, that is!

By being based on two intricate and interacting VCS3 (‘Synthi’) cores — following in the fanciful footsteps of its one-off analogue ancestor to a tee, XILS-lab’s XILS 4 favourably emulates EMS’ VCS4. Indeed, those two cores can be set to work side by side or operate in serial (with one feeding the other). Each and every module on one side can be used to modulate or feed anything on the other side with stunning sound possibilities plus weird and wonderful effects readily available in abundance as a direct result. That said, XILS 4 shows its true 21st Century colours by also allowing amount settings to be individually applied to each patch ‘pin’. Providing patchboard power par excellence to an already special soft synth shows that there is clearly so much more to XILS 4 than solely emulating vintage hardware — rare as the vintage hardware in question clearly is. Little wonder, then, that XILS 4 is billed by its creator as being the Ultimate Analog Matrix Modular Synthesizer!

XILS-lab has sought to take things severals steps further still by coupling those cores with the SEQUENCER 256 module, inspired by EMS’ trailblazing Synthi Sequencer 256 namesake. Needless to say, this three-layer sequencer with analogue-to-digital and digital-to-analogue converters to enable digital processing of control voltages to drive multiple analogue synthesizers or multiple parameters with storage of up to 256 ‘events’ was well ahead of its time when released in 1971. Here in the virtual world, XILS-lab has well and truly transported it to the present day with three independent layers, slew rates, and recording modes, together with added abilities like sequencer layers acting as modulation sources in a dedicated SEQ MATRIX — matchless, even by today’s most sophisticated DAW standards!

So is that all? No, not at all! Adding a second ‘pin matrix’, two additional envelopes, an LFO, comprehensive SAMPLE AND HOLD module, and VOLTAGE PROCESSOR, plus several new input modules — including GATE, ENVELOPE FOLLOWER, and PITCH TRACKER — means that there are hundreds of additional connections available to the discerning synthesist set on exploring XILS 4 to the full as a superlative soft synth or as a powerful effects processor plug-in in its own right. The fact that there are over 1,140 possible connections per patch makes for a literal lifetime of programming possibilities that will surely far outlast the host computer concerned, though those in need of a helping hand have easy access to almost 700 professionally-programmed presets from world-renowned sound designers, including the complete XILS 3 factory library and over 350 presets specifically designed for XILS 4. A selection of tutorial-style patches are also available to help users seeking to take their first tentative steps towards scaling the heady heights of this mountainous modular monster of a soft synth!

Simply put, with a whole host of modules and associated far-reaching functionality — for starters, 12 aliasing-free oscillators, grouped in six pairs with wave-shaping and hard sync — yesteryear’s impossibilities have become today’s possibilities with XILS 4... a great step forward, indeed! A giant leap for modular synthesis software, some might say.


XILS 4 is available to purchase as an eLicenser or iLok copy-protected virtual instrument and effects plug-in for an introductory discounted price of €149.00 EUR (rising to €179.00 EUR on June 17, 2014) from the XILS-lab web store here: http://www.xils-lab.com/pages/STORE.html (Note that this time-limited offer also includes the XILISTICS sound bank with 160-plus presets worth €25.00 EUR, plus a free USB-eLicenser copy-protection dongle!)

XILS 3 owners can upgrade to XILS 4 for an introductory price of €29.00 EUR (rising to €49.00 EUR on June 17, 2014). XILS 4 can be directly downloaded as a 32- and 64-bit-compatible virtual instrument and effects plug-in for Mac (AAX, AU, RTAS, VST) and Windows (AAX, RTAS, VST) from here: http://www.xils-lab.com/pages/XILS4_Download.html

Check out several informative XILS 4 tutorial videos here: http://www.xils-lab.com/pages/XILS4_Videos.html"

XILS-lab launches classic keyboard vocoder emulation plug-in

First announced here, videos here (human vocies), here (glide and layered sounds), and here (strings), the following is the official press release for XILS-lab's new XILS V+ vocoder emulation.  You'll find some additional renders at the bottom of this post. Be sure to click on them for the super size shots.

"GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of its XILS V+ virtual instrument and effects plug-in, a faithful emulation of a well-known keyboard vocoder classic, as of May 27...

Following a year of intense instrument modelling deep inside XILS-lab’s ear-opening laboratories, the XILS V+ virtual instrument and effects plug-in has finally emerged, sounding nigh on indistinguishable from an instantly-recognisable keyboard vocoder classic much loved by both contemporary and acclaimed artists alike. But what keyboard vocoder are we talking about here exactly? And what’s a vocoder, anyway?

By definition, a vocoder is a synthesizer that produces sounds from an analysis of speech input. Vocoders arguably had their musical heyday in the Seventies with the likes of British record-producing heavyweight Jeff Lynne’s symphonic rockers ELO making much use of them throughout several striking recordings — think smash hit ‘Mr Blue Sky’ and the Time album (featuring the Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus keyboard) — while German techno pop pioneers Kraftwerk crafted themselves an ongoing robotic vocoder-led career that’s still resonating throughout EDM’s many modern-day stylistic offshoots; French house music stalwarts Daft Punk became big vocoder fans with several memorable club-friendly hits to their eminently danceable name, par exemple. Historically speaking, the aforesaid Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus is also musically immortalised on celluloid thanks to Greek synth wizard Vangelis’ memorable early-Eighties electronic scores to the Oscar-winning Chariots Of Fire and Ridley Scott’s sci-fi film noir classic, Bladerunner, both of which made much use of the instrument’s signature Strings — ‘emulating’ the sustained portion of orchestral strings — and Human Voice Ensemble ‘choir’ — remarkable and unique — sounds. Subsequently the long-since-discontinued VP-330 Vocoder Plus has become something of a sought-after classic itself... for those in the musical know. Yet finding a fully-functional, pristine example of this 30-plus-year-old temperamental hardware has become nigh on impossible. Which is exactly where XILS V+ comes into play, of course, thanks to XILS-lab’s labours.

So how, technically, does that historic hardware produce those distinctive sounds? And, more to the point, how has XILS-lab been able to magically model them? First things first. Just like the real thing, XILS V+ is based on a Top Octave Divider oscillator — the hidden heart of almost all vintage string machines. Basically, back in the day, this clever concept enabled hardware designers to achieve 49 notes (or more) of polyphony without having to stabilise and tune 49 (or more) oscillators! Instead, a single square wave-generating so-called Top Octave oscillator designed to oscillate at very high specific frequencies is ‘divided’ to provide 12 standard tempered frequencies over four (or more) octaves that are then used to create the waveform for each individual note. All notes are kept in phase with no drift between octaves and only a single tuning circuit is needed for the complete keyboard range. This was quite a technological breakthrough by Seventies standards, but by its very nature there were some divisive downsides — no polyphonic attack stage to the sound which we take for granted today, for instance. Yet, thanks to today’s cleverer computer world, XILS V+ offers polyphonic attack (and also monophonic attack for the sake of authenticity).

So, just like the real thing, XILS V+ features a 10-band VOCODER, Top Octave Divider-based STRINGS and HUMAN VOICES — or, indeed, sophisticated layering of any these three elements! It successfully captures the keyboard in question’s Top Octave Divider oscillator’s unique sound (that no sampling technology or other simple synthesis techniques can reproduce); the ensemble (chorus) circuitry, featuring a compander and no less than four bucket brigade delays; the voice and vocoder ‘vibratos’ (based on two more bucket brigade delays); the 14 filters involved in producing that heavenly Human Voice Ensemble sound; the three filters used for the Strings section; the 40 ‘vocoder’ filters; and sophisticated Attack, Release, and Glide circuitry. Visually, the main control panel section above the keyboard basically mirrors that found on its inspirational hardware predecessor so anyone familiar with the VP-330 Vocoder Plus will immediately feel right at home here — right down to the classic colourful rocker switches!

But that’s not all: rather than simply producing a feature-by-feature emulation of the original hardware, XILS-lab has truly taken the opportunity to bring this Seventies-vintage keyboard vocoder concept kicking and screaming into the convenience of present-day DAW workflow with four additional panels boasting advanced settings: Mixer/ARP allows users to fine-tune the internal sound generators — from adjusting the relative level of the Male 8 and ML/FM 4 Human Voices to tweaking voice formants, the Top Octave Divider waveform, as well as the Strings filter shape — while a built-in arpeggiator is also provided; Vocoder allows users to adjust the analogue-like Pitch Tracking, the ATT (attack) and REL (release) of the ANALYZE algorithm, as well as FILTERS parameters; Effects provides three built-in effects (STEREO SPACE, based on XILS-lab’s now-well-known Stereo Dynamic Engine; a simple, but efficient REVERB; and an analogue-like resonant PHASER); and last, but by no means least, Modulations with over 14 sources and 24 destinations!

So there you have it. If you’re lusting after those classic keyboard vocoder sounds — and more besides, perhaps, but could never afford or find a suitable hardware original, then your prayers have surely now been answered by XILS-lab. Load up multiple instances of XILS V+ into your favourite DAW. Play. Smile. After all, it’s even better than the real thing!


XILS V+ is available to purchase as an eLicenser or iLok copy-protected virtual instrument and effects plug-in for €99.00 EUR/$128.00 USD until June 30 from the XILS-lab web store: http://www.xils-lab.com/products/XILS-V%252b-%3A-iLok-or-eLicenser-protected.html (Thereafter its MRSP will rise to €149.00 EUR/$194.00 USD.)

XILS V+ can be directly downloaded as a 32-bit (Intel and PowerPC) and 64-bit (Intel) compatible virtual instrument and effects plug-in for Mac and Windows in various formats (AAX/RTAS, AU, VST2.4, and VST3) from here: http://www.xils-lab.com/pages/XILS-V%252b_Download.html

Various videoed A/B comparisons of XILS V+ and the original hardware it has been so successfully modelled from can be seen and heard here: http://www.xils-lab.com/pages/XILS-V%252b_Video.html"

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XILS-lab Updates XILS 4 Matrix Modular Soft Synth to v1.5

The press release:

XILS-lab updates ultimate matrix modular soft synth with welcomed fanciful features added to XILS 4 v1.5

“My favourite analogue synth is probably the VCS3, so when I heard that a company was releasing a software version I was quite cautious; today, XILS 4 is one of my favourite plug-ins! Working with it gives me the same excitement as the original hardware, plus there are lots of extra features, since it is basically two VCS3s with an interconnected sequencer. The sound is great, and it is one of the best soft synths on the market for experimenting with new ways of creating sounds!”

- Jean-Michel Jarre (award-winning composer, performer, and record producer), April 2015


GRENOBLE, FRANCE: audio software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of XILS 4 v1.5 — a major update to its self-styled ultimate matrix modular soft synth, effectively emulating a conceptual ‘blend’ of the legendary VCS4, a ‘dual VCS3’ analogue matrix modular synthesizer prototyped by British trailblazing entity EMS (Electronic Music Studios) back in 1969 but never commercially released, with pioneering British synthesist Tim Blake’s so-called ‘Crystal Machine’ (comprising two EMS Synthi AKS analogue matrix modular synthesizers with hard sync between their oscillators, one connected to the keyboard and the other connected to the sequencer) — with welcomed additional fanciful features including a powerful preset manager in a single window and new effects with semi-modular routing, as of November 30…

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XILS 3LE EMS VCS3 Soft Synth

via this auction
"The XILS 3 is a virtual instrument based on the of the architecture of the EMS VCS3* matrix-based modular synthesizer.

Matrix connection brings modularity and sound design to a new dimension. More than 450 connections (audio signal, controls signal, trig signals) are available on the XILS 3, much more than any other type of modular synthesizer!

Easy to connect, easy to modify, easy to see, the matrix is far and away the easiest way to connect modules to each other.

But a connection matrix would be nothing without modules to connect! XILS 3 boasts alias free, warm sounding analog style oscillators, analog curve matching, 2 pole and self-oscillating 4 pole dynamic filters, fast envelopes, a noise generator, a spring reverb, and a ring modulator.

approach to sound design, the XILS 3’s matrix and the sequencer get their own presets, providing the user with flexible sound management options.

Although the XILS 3 is an instrument, you can also use it as a powerful and versatile effects processor. Two mono inputs can be modified, modulated, or used as modulator source or trig source, thanks to four input modules: gate, envelope follower, pitch tracker and transient tracker.

* Xil-Labs is in no way affiliated with EMS (Electronic Music Studios)
* Three alias-free oscillators with sine, ramp, square, triangle waveshapes.
* One 2/4 poles low pass filter
* One envelope, based on two different designs, trapezoid and ADSR
* One spring reverb
* One ring modulator
* One 128 steps sequencer
* two output static filters
* One joystick
* Three connection matrix
* One input gate
* One input envelope follower
* One pitch tracker
* One transient tracker
* Mono/Unison/Polyphonic playing mode, up to 18 voices of polyphony
* all parameters MIDI controllable
* Many presets made by famous sound designers (Kevin Lamb, Chris Pitman, Cliff Douse, to name but a few )

This is an audioMIDI.com Special Edition of Xils-Lab XILS 3; the full version upgrade adds the following extra features:

• filter enhancement with a self-oscillating 18db/oct three-pole filter (this is the type of filter
used in the original VCS 3 synthesizer that XILS 3 is based upon)
• driving sound possibilities with an analog modeled distortion adds to the output stage
• oscillator hard sync
• various enhancements of the sequencer features (a "playlist" of existing patterns)
• various enhancements of the preset management for better preset browsing and sorting

Warning : the XILS 3 is not a stand alone application, but a plug-in to be inserted into a music software application.

The XILS 3 is available in the following formats :
* Mac OSX 10.3.9 and later : VST, Audio Unit, RTAS (Protools 7.0 and later)
* Windows XP and Vista ; VST, RTAS (Protools 7.0 and later)

NOTE: Along with the XILS 3 virtual instrument, the installer will install an iLok extension. This is because XILS 3 makes use of a "soft" iLok license, but you do not need a physical iLok key to install and use XILS 3. This will not effect existing iLok devices or associated software. You will not need to do any additional registration procedures- as soon as your serial number is sent, simply enter it the first time XILS 3 is opened."

XILS-lab Launches StiX by Xils V1.0 Virtual Analogue Multi-Synthesis-Driven Drum Machine Plug-In

StiX by Xils Overview

Published on Mar 19, 2016 xilslab

"GRENOBLE, FRANCE: after almost a year of diligent development, music software specialist XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of V1.0 of StiX by Xils — a virtual analogue and multi-synthesis-driven drum machine with sophisticated sequencer plug-in for Mac (OS X 10.5 and later) and PC (Windows XP, Vista, and 7/8), inspired by a whole host of trailblazing drum machines that have helped make music technology what it is today, all adapted to the modern-day digital paradigm and fast-footed user workflow with ease — as of April 5…

35 years is a veritable lifetime when it comes to music technology. Today’s computer-based music-makers bombarded by staggering software developments on an almost daily basis may mock at the idea of hefty hardware blazing the trail back in the 1980s. But breakthroughs came throughout that genre-defining decade — often at a prohibitive price. Take the wonderful world of drum machines, for instance. Innovative American designer Roger Linn’s revolutionary Linn LM-1 Drum Computer was first to use digital samples of acoustic drums — albeit at 8-bit/28kHz — and also one of the first fully-programmable drum machines to boot. But back in 1981 most musicians could only dream about accessing a $5,000 USD digital drum machine, revolutionary or otherwise!

Only programmability in itself would be a dream come true for many musicians of the time, tied to realistically restrictive constraints when it came to auto-accompaniment budgets. But the technological tide turned in their favour that same year with the timely arrival of the STIX PROGRAMMA ST-305 from (now-long-lost) Italian manufacturer SoundMaster as one of the first affordable analogue drum machines to feature programmable patterns rather than just presets. Proactively, perhaps, the STIX PROGRAMMA ST-305 included individual outputs for several sounds — unlike its main competitor, the breakthrough Boss DR-55, though, similarly, ‘programmability’ was restricted to basic bar-based patterns, which would soon become its downfall. Within a year, Roland’s radical TR-606 Drumatix was a better buy as an affordable analogue drum machine offering a higher number of fully-programmable patterns and, crucially, an ability to chain them together into songs, such was the speed of technological change… before long, the advent of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and affordable digital drum machines changed everything. Endgame? Paradoxically, an ‘analogue renaissance’ is still being felt (and heard) today — a fact far from lost on XILS-lab CEO Xavier Oudin.

Obviously, times change as, of course, does technology — music and otherwise. Today, then, StiX by Xils takes the best ideas (and subtly-different, yet strangely contemporary-sounding sounds) from the likes of the STIX PROGRAMMA ST-305 and Roland TR-606 Drumatix — and many more notable drum machines besides — and successfully transports them to a virtual analogue and multi-synthesis drum machine plug-in for Mac and PC, pumped up for a truly 21st Century computer-based music-making experience that is second to none.

Central to the StiX by Xils workflow with fast-footed users in mind — and centrally positioned in a GUI that’s as easy on the eye as it is to understand — is its engagingly-expressive XoX Sequencer, boasting a multitude of fanciful features, including a multilane editor with customisable steps per beat; per step division trigger (for fills and stutters); customisable beats per bar; and global swing, as well as a single line editor (for in-depth editing of individual sequencer lines), plus pattern and song modes (for speedy song building).

Building upon traditional analogue drum machine design, several sounds — BD (bass drum), SNARE, HH CL (hi-hat closed), HH OP (hi-hat open), TOM L (tom low), TOM H (tom high), and CRASH — are always accessible — alongside additional user-definable PERC 1 (percussion 1), PERC 2 (percussion 2), and MISC (miscellaneous) ones — via the drum pads bar at the top of that intuitive GUI. There the similarity ends, though, as StiX by Xils takes things to another level entirely as an inspired piece of contemporary software design that leaves the historic hardware from which it took its initial inspiration standing (way back in the early-Eighties)! Fit for today, StiX by Xils comes complete with 10 full-featured synthesisers — one for each sound being hosted by those 10 drum pads, each of which can call upon several sound engines, including virtual analogue (with components closely modelled upon a selection of prestigious and rare analogue synthesisers for percussion and drum sounds with unmatched analogue authenticity) and FM sine oscillators (with wave shaping and a third oscillator that can load samples), as well as easy and advanced synthesis pages. Put it this way: yesteryear’s hardware drum machine users couldn’t have imagined such heightened levels of control in their wildest dreams!

Desirable StiX by Xils features well worth noting in that regard include MIDI output (for controlling virtual instruments or recording MIDI data within a DAW); MIDI learn (with full automation of all synthesis parameters of each drum pad and associated mixer, etc); multi-criteria database (for finding the right preset efficiently as well as creating custom tags); randomise (drum kits, sequences, and full patterns); live control (for chaining patterns, plus muting/un-muting tracks on the fly); multi outputs (with volume, groups, and pan preservation); high-quality effects (including natural-sounding reverb, analogue delay, and analogue phaser, plus per drum crusher and distortion); sample-accurate synchronisation and audio engine (to create the tightest beats imaginable); hundreds of simultaneous modulation targets; and gang mode (to edit sequencer lanes, mixer, and effects sends).

Stacked with 390 exclusive samples — including 15 drum kits sourced by production partner Wave Alchemy from classic drum machines of the past (including Roland’s revered TR- series as well as trailblazing digital dream machines such as the E-mu SP-12 and LinnDrum); 2,000 presets; 120-plus global presets; 720-plus patterns; 700 drum pads; and 60 drum kits, StiX by Xils means more sounds and styles are available to the modern-day discerning (virtual) drum machine user than ever… roll on some truly 21st Century computer-based music-making!


StiX by Xils is available to purchase as a USB eLicenser or iLok (soft or USB iLok dongle) protected plug-in for an introductory (30% discounted) price of €125.00 EUR until April 30, 2016 — rising to €179.00 EUR thereafter — from the XILS-lab web store here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/StiX-by-Xils.html

StiX by Xils can be directly downloaded as a multi-format (AAX, AU, RTAS, VST), 32- and 64-bit-compatible virtual drum machine plug-in for Mac (OS X 10.5 and later) and Windows (XP, Vista, and 7/8) from here: https://www.xils-lab.com/pages/StiXbyXils_Download.html"

XILS-lab Announces XILS V+ Vocoder Synth

"The XILS V+ combines a Vintage 10 band Vocoder, Supreme Top Octave Divider based Strings and Human Voices, or any sophisticated layering of these three elements.

After more than one year of intense modelling deep in the basement of the Xils Laboratories, we offer you this complete recreation of a legend. Its unique vintage vibe and beauty that can only be brought back to life by precisely emulating different ancient and forgotten techniques.

When the XILS V+ is released, in less than two weeks, everyone will be able to invoke the Top Octave Divider oscillator (T.O.D ) and its unique sound, The Ensemble circuitry (Chorus) featuring a compender and no less than 4 Bucket Brigade Delays, The Voice and Vocoder Vibratos (also based on two other BBD), the 14 filters involved in the Human voices, the 3 filters used for the Strings, the 40 Vocoder filters and the sophisticated Attack, Release and Glide circuitry.

T.O.D : The Top Octave Divider Oscillator provides a unique sound that no samples, or other simple synthesis techniques can reproduce. Emulating the T.O.D, without any aliasing on the whole frequency range, with its pitch and waveform modulation, was a real challenge, worthy of XILS-lab. We are very proud of this effort and offer it to you for your inspiration and enjoyment.

XILS-lab touch : The XILS V+ would not however be a real XILS-lab instrument if we did not add a lot of functions and possibilities that were not present in the original machine, some giving access to its internal circuitry and parameters. And some being totally new.

"T.O.D and Beyond", following the Analog and Beyond tradition XILS-lab initiated a long time ago.

The XILS V+ will be available in the following formats : Effect AND instrument, VST2.4, VST3, AU, AAX ( All versions 32 and 64 bits ), Mac and Windows.

Release date : May 25th, 2013

Important Note : Please note that the XILS V+ is protected by a dongle : You’ll need an iLok 1 or 2 , or USB-eLicenser to play it."

A nod to Roland's Vocoder Plus via XILS-lab

XILS-lab Releases miniSyn’X

"XILS-lab launches low-cost luscious soft synth emulation of Eighties polysynth par excellence!

'I’ve just got miniSyn’X and am so excited, because the Synthex is a fantastic rarity. Thanks to XILS-lab for giving everyone the opportunity to play with it.'

- Jean-Michel Jarre (April 2015)

GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of miniSyn’X — an authentic, cost-conscious soft synth emulation of a much-loved Eighties-vintage analogue polysynth of Italian origin that helped define the sound of an era — as of April 8...

miniSyn’X is a multi-format (AAX, AU, RTAS, VST), 32- and 64-bit polyphonic, duo-timbral virtual analogue synthesizer plug-in for Mac (OS X 10.5 and later) Windows (XP, Vista, and 7/8) that faithfully emulates the still-sought-after sound of the Synthex, a luscious, 1982-vintage, eight-voice programmable analogue polysynth independently designed by Mario Maggi and built by Italian home organ manufacturer Elka. Indeed, it was much loved by synth luminaries of the day — not least French synth wizard Jean-Michel Jarre, whose well-known Laser Harp performances still emanate exclusively from an amazing-sounding Synthex patch produced by one-time UK demonstrator/ programmer Paul Wiffen and audible in isolation in ‘Second Rendez-Vous’ on Jarre’s multi-million-copy-selling Rendez-Vouz album of 1986. Pity, then, that the Synthex did not sell in such Jarre-like quantities during a four-year, three-stage (50-, 800-, and 1,000-unit) production run, with one last post-production unit being built especially for Stevie Wonder, such was the legendary American singer-songwriter/multi- instrumentalist/record producer’s love for the future-classic instrument that initially failed to fly in the face of the-then ‘art nouveau’ digital age of dominating desirable FM synthesis from Yamaha’s considerably cheaper, MIDI-equipped DX7, and subsequent super-selling, all- singing, all-dancing digital designs from the likes of Roland (D50) and Korg (M1).

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XILS-lab PolyKB III Gets a New Hi-Res UI & More in Version 3.6.3 Update

video upload by matrixsynth

The press release follows.

XILS-lab lovingly lavishes virtual makeover on acclaimed PolyKB III virtual instrument plug-in, providing new hi-res UI and more with Version 3.6.3

“Since starting XILS-lab, the rarified and revered RSF PolyKobol II analogue polysynth from France has always held a special musical place in our hearts — the true destination of our ongoing journey to create one of the best-sounding virtual analogue synthesizers available today. Tweaking our algorithms for a better sound with less CPU load, we’ve never stopped working on PolyKB III, always adding new features.”

- XILS-lab CEO Xavier Oudin, 2023

GRENOBLE, FRANCE: XILS-lab is proud to take PolyKB III to Version 3.6.3 status — lovingly lavishing the virtual instrument plug-in par excellence with a new hi-res UI (User Interface) and associated faster UI engine alongside full Apple Silicon compatibility and VST3 support, while ensuring that it remains one of the best-sounding virtual analogue synthesizers available, thousands of development man-hours after first being launched in its original PolyKB incarnation as the then-fledgling virtual instrument and effect plug-in-specialising software company’s second product release way back in May 2010 — as of March 14…

Like its predecessors, dating all the way back to a May 2010 release in its original (PolyKB) incarnation, the latest Version 3.6.3 of PolyKB III truly captures the sound and spirit of the rarified and revered RSF PolyKobol II analogue polysynth from France — one that surely should have made more of a musical mark in its own right with advanced analogue waveform-morphing oscillators well ahead of their time, yet sadly saw the demise of its innovative creators, completely out of touch with 1983’s untimely arrival of Yamaha’s digital dominance-triggering DX7 super- seller (shifting upwards of 200,000 units, compared to the miserly 40 units, each costing several times that of a DX7, managed by RSF before it ran into financial difficulties) — to include its most revolutionary feature: analogue waveform-morphing oscillators.

On the face of it, then, those analogue waveform-morphing oscillators — providing instant access to hundreds of different analogue- modelled free-running oscillator waveforms, which is far more than those provided by other virtual instrument plug-ins, including those that switch between oscillator sets — are available for all to see clearly now in Version 3.6.3 of PolyKB III, thanks to its new hi-res UI. Ultimately, they can be dynamically modulated by a number of sources.

When working with the latest Version 3.6.3 of PolyKB III, there are also two gorgeous, creamy-sounding multi-mode filters — VCF 1 and VCF 2 — to play with, each of which is self-resonating in all modes while also making use of XILS-lab’s proprietary 0df (Zero Delay Feedback) technology. There are also three analogue-modelled envelopes — ADSR1, ADSR2, and ADSR3 — with time multiplication and looping facilities, all working together with two LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) — LFO1 and LFO2 — to deliver a fat, warm, and instantly inspiring ‘analogue’ sound like no other.

Of course, even when first released to the musical masses in December 2016, PolyKB III would not be worthy of joining XILS-lab’s ever- expanding virtual instrument lineup if it did not include innovative and exclusive features — features like each voice having its own modulation engine or, indeed, using the polyphonic SEQUENCER as a giant 128-step, four-line/16-destination so-called ‘Step Sequencer Modulator’ making it fit for being propelled well and truly into the 21st Century! Creatively, this allows users to sculpt not only the most detailed trance- gate patterns, but also slides and incredible rhythmic patterns. Put it this way: with PolyKB III it is possible to modulate anything with anything!

And it is also possible to make each note sound different: the Voice XY module acts as a single-note quad XY modifier — with total control over the creation of subtle or wild variations for each note in a 2D window with four different parameters, while the Space XY module makes creating a 3D space a breeze — users can freely place each note in a three-dimensional space to build otherwise unachievable ‘stereoscapes’ with movement induced by inbuilt chaotic functions. It is fair to say that users have never had so much creative control over the stereo field! Furthermore, both modes can be combined with the True Unison engine, producing dazzlingly deep sounds that will musically take anyone’s breath away and immediately take pride of place in any mix.

Meanwhile, with its new hi-res UI and associated faster UI engine alongside full Apple Silicon compatibility and VST3 support vying for attention and distinguishing the latest Version 3.6.3 of PolyKB III from its acclaimed predecessors while it readily remains one of the best-sounding virtual analogue synthesizers available, XILS-lab CEO Xavier Oudin is justifiably proud of how far it has come and where it is going: “Since starting XILS-lab, the rarified and revered RSF PolyKobol II analogue polysynth from France has always held a special musical place in our hearts — the true destination of our ongoing journey to create one of the best-sounding virtual analogue synthesizers available today. Tweaking our algorithms for a better sound with less CPU load, we’ve never stopped working on PolyKB III, always adding new features.”

The latest Version 3.6.3 of PolyKB III is available to purchase as an iLok-protected virtual instrument plug-in (including computer-based authorisation), priced at an introductory promo price of €59.00 EUR until April 16, 2023 — rising thereafter to its regular price of €199.00 EUR — directly from XILS-lab via its dedicated webpage, which also includes more in-depth information, here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/polykb-iii-&-ii-p-159.html

The latest Version 3.6.3 of PolyKB III can be directly downloaded in 64-bit AAX-, AU-, VST- and VST3-compatible formats for macOS (10.9+) and 64-bit AAX-, VST-, and VST3-compatible formats for Windows (7/8/10) from here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/polykb-iii-&-ii-p-159/download.html#FullInstallerPK3"

XILS 3 LAB - EMS Style Soft Synth Videos

You might remember the XILS 3 from this post. You'll find a link to the XILS-Lab website there. XILS-Lab also make the PolyKB featured in this post.

Tuto MAO XILS 3 LAB Test des Presets Noise par Didguitare

YouTube via didguitare — December 05, 2009 — "Tuto MAO XILS 3 LAB Test des Presets Noise/Percu par Didguitare.
Retrouver tous les tuto et tests vidéos sur le forum MAM :

*MAO ( musique assistée par ordinateur)
*Ableton live
*Mastering

http://www.maoableton.forumactif.net/"

Tuto MAO XILS 3 LAB Test des Presets Pads par Didguitare


Tuto MAO XILS 3 LAB Test des Presets Bass par Didguitare


Tuto MAO XILS 3 LAB Test des Presets Leads par Didguitare


Tuto MAO XILS 3 LAB Test des Presets Synthe par Didguitare

XILS-lab Releases Syn’X 2 Polytimbral Virtual Analogue Synthesizer Plug-In

Tutorial videos previously posted here. Press release follows:

"XILS-lab relaunches revolutionary virtual analogue soft synth with modern-day makeover

GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of Syn’X 2 — a multi- format (AAX, AU, RTAS, VST), 32- and 64-bit polytimbral virtual analogue synthesizer plug-in for Mac (OS X 10.5 and later) and PC (Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7/8) that not only continues to pay perfect homage to the legendary Elka Synthex Eighties-vintage Italian instrument from an original-sounding sonic standpoint, but balances that musicality against a multilayer card-based architecture that is inspired by similarly sophisticated hardware analogue synthesizers, such as Oberheim’s mighty Matrix 12, to create one of the most powerful and complex virtual analogue synthesizers of the modern era — as of June 22...

At the time of its 1982 launch the eight-voice polyphonic Elka Synthex sounded like no other synthesizer around — analogue or otherwise, and brought with it high hopes of being instrumental in ending the dominance of oversized (and overpriced) Japanese and American analogue programmable polysynths, thanks to the eight monophonic synthesizer circuits central to its innovative 16-DCO (Digitally Controlled Oscillator) driven design by independent Italian synth-master Mario Maggi. Many — meaning 1,000! — ICs (Integrated Circuits) were used in that design, however, meaning that it was not necessarily the most reliable around and did not come cheap. Consequently, not that many — not much more than the number of ICs in each instrument, in fact — were sold before being discontinued in 1985 (with one last production unit being made especially for legendary American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder) as a ‘new wave’ of considerably cheaper and more reliable digital synthesizers boasting better MIDI (Musical Instrument Interface) implementation brought about its untimely demise. Not that this mattered much to French electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, who has three to his not insignificant name to this day, with well-known Laser Harp performances still emanating exclusively from an amazing-sounding Synthex patch produced by one-time UK demonstrator/programmer Paul Wiffen (and audible in isolation in ‘Second Rendez-Vous’ on Jarre’s super-selling Rendez-Vouz album of 1986).

Today the Elka Synthex is one of the most sought-after synthesizers around. As a result of its superlative sound design and avant-garde architecture, it’s a true musical instrument that’s truly stood the test of time. Today it sounds as fresh as it did back in 1982. Just ask Jean-Michel Jarre, who is on record as saying, “The Synthex allowed me to also develop something I had in mind with electronic music — epic, symphonic type of sounds that you probably had with the modular Moog before, such as those that Walter/Wendy Carlos used for Switched On Bach or A Clockwork Orange — a deep, mad, classical approach to a polyphonic synthesizer.” Truly, madly, deeply, indeed.

Indeed, given that finding an Elka Synthex in fine working order has become such a pricey (and patient) proposition, is it any wonder that in 2011 XILS-lab decided to effectively emulate it in software, even going so far as to enlist the eager ears of Paul Wiffen himself. “The sonic results are uncannily close to the original,” he promptly pronounced. Surprisingly, Syn’X has already been available to purchase and download from the XILS-lab web store for longer than the production lifespan of the original hardware synthesizer from which it drew so much musical inspiration. It’s time, therefore, for a serious update, and with it some fanciful features that look beyond merely modelling the Elka Synthex...

So what, exactly, is it, then, that makes Syn’X 2 so different and so much better than its predecessor? Well, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could create a synthesizer with the sophisticated multilayer architecture of Oberheim’s mighty Matrix 12 analogue polysynth, say, with an abundance of modulation matrixes per layer — effectively enabling flexible routing to rival the monstrous modular systems that preceded it in decades gone by, but then musically married that to the expansive Elka Synthex sound? Well, with Syn’X 2 that’s no longer a dream synth, but rather reality! Roll up your sleeves and delve deeper into sound design than was previously dreamed possible, thanks to the talented teamwork of XILS-lab.

Lest we forget, Syn’X 2 offers a unique combination of clear and punchy DCOs with cutting-edge analogue-modelled multimode filters to faithfully reproduce the superlative sound that so clearly defined the Eighties era, but, because it’s polytimbral, users can access up to eight individual synthesizers simultaneously with 16 oscillators, eight 0DF (Zero-Delay Feedback) analogue-modelled filters, 32 D-ADSR (Delay, Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) envelopes, and modulation matrixes addressing any of 132 possible destinations when creating their own patches — truly a sound designer’s dream come true!

This being a XILS-lab product, predictably, perhaps, there are many more features to make a serious song and dance about. All-important additions to Syn’X 2 include: oscillators with (up to 40) cumulative waveforms (per patch); new 0DF PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)/hard sync oscillator algorithms; unique CHAO (2D space movement) and (five rhythmic effects) RTHM LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) with (up to 50) cumulative waveforms (per patch); two arpeggiators; two keyboard zones — Upper and Lower, suitable for split and layered instruments; guitar multitimbral mode — whereby all layers can be assigned to independent MIDI channels, so playing different sounds with each guitar string, for instance, is possible; polyphonic SEQUENCER (that also acts as a modulation source); vintage-sounding CHORUS, DELAY, PHASER, and EQ effects (with proprietary True Stereo Technology); and 300 phenomenal presets programmed by professional sound designers, to name but few.

Fortunately for some, a helpful Easy mode provides programmers with an intuitive and powerful yet streamlined environment, similar to XILS-lab’s recently released miniSyn’X polyphonic, duo-timbral virtual analogue synthesizer plug-in, but with additional envelopes and LFOs, etc, easily accessible. Alternatively, the Advanced mode makes all aspects of Syn’X 2 available, allowing users to create complex, thick, and never-heard-before patches with a radically reworked workflow, which, it turn, makes it one of the most powerful and complex virtual analogue synthesizers of the modern era!


Syn’X 2 is available to purchase as a USB eLicenser or iLok (1 and 2) protected plug-in for an introductory discounted price of €127.00 EUR until July 21, 2015 (rising to €169.00 EUR thereafter) on the XILS-lab web store here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/Syn'X-%3A-iLok-or-eLicenser-protected.html

Syn’X 2 can also be purchased as a bundle together with the miniWork’X sound library — featuring 268 miniSyn’X sounds for Syn’X 2 programmed by Lotuzia — for an introductory discounted price of €148.00 EUR until July 21, 2015 (rising to €198.00 EUR thereafter).

Note that owners of the original Syn’X can upgrade to Syn’X 2 for free while owners of miniSyn’X can upgrade to ‘full-blown’ Syn’X 2 status for an introductory discounted price of €93.00 EUR until July 21, 2015 (rising to €124.00 EUR thereafter).

Syn’X 2 can be directly downloaded as a multi-format (AAX, AU, RTAS, VST), 32- and 64-bit polytimbral virtual analogue synthesizer plug-in for Mac (OS X 10.5 and later) and Windows (XP, Vista, and 7/8) from here: https://www.xils-lab.com/pages/Syn%27X_Download.html

Several superb audio demos showcasing Syn’X 2 can be heard here: https://www.xils-lab.com/pages/Syn%27X_Audio.html"

XILS 3.2 : Update & First Patch Tutorials

"The XILS 3 V2.0 not only emulates the Synthi ( VCS 3 ) modular synthesizer, it also adds an emulation of the 256 Analog Sequencer, the natural companion of the VCS 3.

Is that all ? No, of course, we added a SECOND Matrix, with 2 additional envelopes, one LFO, a detailed Sample and Hold module, and a Voltage processor …

And some input modules : Gate, Transient, Envelope Follower and Pitch Tracker to transform the XILS 3 into an advanced Effect Processor !

This means hundreds of additional connections. Add to the pile the analog chorus with its three modes, the analog delay and the phaser ... the picture emerges.


In the XILS 3, you can connect everything with everything, and you get more than 800 possible different connections per patch ( ‘Only’ 583 simultaneous connections possible ).

Did we say at Audio Rate ?

An endless source of inspiration for those who want to go deep into the heart of Analog Modular Synthesis.
It’s nearly impossible to summarize what the XILS 3 can do, but, in short, here’s the list of the main modules :


6 Oscillators grouped in 3 pairs, with WaveShaping (on sine wave, saw, triangle and square)
1 Noise Oscillator ( With Noise color )
1 Analog Filter, Non Linear and zero delay Behaviors, with 3 Modes (12/18/24 dB LowPass)
3 Trapezoidal Envelope Generators, Looping EG in the time of analog (Switchable to ADSR )
2 Polyphonic LFOs ( including 1 Oscillator acting as LFO at audiorate )
Polyphonic Ring Modulator
2 independent outputs feeding the Stereo Bus, each with one analog Lp/Hp filter
Programmable Joystick Vector Controller ( up to 32+32 modulation targets )
Polyphonic Sequencer with 3 independent lines, Slew rates, 3 recording modes.
Sequencer can behave as modulation source.
Pitch Tracker, Envelope Follower, Transient, Gate, Sample & Hold Modules
Chorus, Delay, Spring Reverb
6 Play modes (including Unison 2/4/6 ), Polyphonic and mono Portamento/Glissando/Legato, 2 different Keyboard Scaling, Polyphonic Aftertouch and VCA handling.
Hundreds of presets made by worldwide famous Sound Designers
Preset Database Engine ( Find the right patch in a flash, create your own tags )
Comprehensive manual with a getting started and tutorial sections
Instrument or Effect plug-in"



Published on Apr 2, 2014 xilslab·40 videos

"Create your first sound with the XILS 3 : Learn Matrix, Don't forget the trig !"

XILS 3 v2.0 : Using the Sequencer part 1 (basic)

Published on Apr 2, 2014

"First steps with the XILS 3v2.0 Sequencer: A live performance"

XILS 3 v2.0 Sequencer Editor

XILS-lab PolyM Polymoog Soft Synth Released

You can find a few videos previously posted here on the XILS-lab label (scroll down to previous posts).

via XILS-lab


"XILS-lab literally creates plug-in pleasure principal when recreating revolutionary polysynth

GRENOBLE, FRANCE: audio software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of PolyM — an authentic recreation of the pioneering Polymoog polysynth, dreamed up by American designer Dave Luce and produced by Moog Music between 1975-1980, but benefitting from finest French software skills to truly create a plug-in pleasure principal as arguably the best ‘virtual’ divide-down oscillator technology-toting soft synth available anywhere and teaching the old dog some new tricks in the process — as of July 3...

That’s today. Putting PolyM in its present-day context involves initially looking back. But back in the early-Seventies, setting out to create an analogue, functional voltage-controlled synthesizer that was polyphonic against a backdrop of monophonic mainstays proved problematic for many. Moog’s musical solution came quicker than most, making an appearance in 1975 in its extremely expensive ($5,295 USD), nine-preset original form as the Polymoog keyboard (model 203a). It included a front panel packed with an almost continuous row of slider pots (permitting presets to be fully modified into more individualised analogue sounds via various subtractive synthesis parameters, including a 24dB Moog ladder filter section — allowing modulation modulated from its own envelopes and low frequency oscillation — alongside a unique and flexible three-band resonant filter section with lowpass/bandpass/high-pass filter modes) before being joined in 1978 by a marginally more economically-viable ($3,995 USD), 14-preset stripped back version (with editing reduced to volume, tuning, high-pass filtering, and basic LFO — Low Frequency Oscillator — features), which was also (confusingly) called the Polymoog keyboard (model 280a), though the original fully-variable version was then rebadged, admittedly, as the Polymoog Synthesizer.

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XILS-lab Releases Ring’X Virtual Effects

Press release follows.

XILS-lab releases Ring’X representing latest addition to lengthening line of virtual effects as inspiring and musical multi-effect plug-in par excellence


GRENOBLE, FRANCE: audio software company XILS-lab is proud to release Ring’X — readily representing the latest addition to its lengthening line of virtual effects as an inspiring and musical multi-effect plug-in par excellence — as of September 28…

Duly developed as an inspiring and musical multi-effect plug-in for seriously satisfying anyone’s needs, Ring’X is certainly worthy of the oft- overused French phrase par excellence — literally translated into English as ‘by excellence’ — as evidenced by its feature-packed GUI (Graphical User Interface) that is as easy on the eye as it is easy to use.

Ultimately, it is anchored around a six-slot so-called ‘Effect Ring’ that allows anyone to insert the effects they need in the order they want, choosing from a selection of deeply-modifiable classic analogue effect emulations: ANALOG FILTER — modelled from the CMS 3320 chip, used in the exciting-sounding (early-Eighties-era) Elka Synthex subtractive synthesis-based polytimbral powerhouse (much loved by the likes of famous French electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, who still uses it to this day to create the distinctive sound of his onstage laser harp), providing five (LP24 — 24db Low-Pass, LP12 — 12db Low-Pass, HP12 —12db High-Pass, BP12 — 12db Band-Pass, or BP6 — 6db Band-Pass) self- oscillating filter types; ANALOG 18db FILTER — modelling the specific sound and behaviour of an 18db self-oscillating filter from the breakthrough British EMS VCS3, which made musical history upon its introduction in 1969 by being the first commercially portable synthesiser available anywhere in the world, thanks to its innovative modular matrix-based patchboard dispensing with the telephone exchange-like cabling of other (much larger) modular systems in favour of making space-saving connections with (removable) coloured pegs; CHORUS (BUCKET BRIGADE DELAY); DELAY — stereo delay that copies the input signal to the left and right channel; DISTORTION; PARAMETRIC EQ — a three-band affair with each band type selectable from six standard filter types; PHASER; and REVERB — with three (L — Large, M — Medium, and S — Small) algorithms. Each effect provides four MODULATION points with a SOURCE and DESTINATION menu associated with an AMOUNT knob.

Standard STEP and specific LOC locator sequencers for modulating effects are also available — the loop goes through a defined number of steps and each time the internal clock is fired the next step is triggered, in the case of the former, while the latter is designed to be synchronised to the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) with the loop being synchronised to the DAW bar (or a multiple of the bar).

But that’s not all. Another area well worth highlighting here features four input followers; a TRANSIENT tracker ‘module’ — detects the transients present in the input sound, each transient triggering a simple envelope without attack and release controlled by the RELEASE knob; S- DETECTION ‘module’ — detects sibilance present in the input sound, and also useful for separating high-frequency parts from those with more middle and bass frequencies; GATE ‘module’ — removes all the parts from the input sound that are below a specified threshold; and a STEREO SPACE ‘module’ — powerful stereo processing that allows users to dynamically position their audio signal into a true stereo space.

By being so flexible in both operation and resulting effects, it stands to reason, therefore, that Ring’X should come complete with a raft of presets. All are accessible via an integrated (single-window) Preset Manager, making it easy to find the right patch in seconds, manage presets, sound banks, and create custom tags. That being said, then, inspiring and musical multi-effects are only a click away, but those wishing to dig deeper to seriously satisfy their needs are always free to do just that! After all, as the latest addition to XILS-lab’s lengthening line of virtual effects, Ring’X is, indeed, an inspiring and musical multi-effect plug-in par excellence — in the literal sense of those (French- originating) words.

Who better, then, to put Ring’X in its rightful place than the Frenchman primarily responsible for bringing it into existence — namely, XILS-lab CEO Xavier Oudin (credited in the multi-effect plug-in in question’s user manual with: Concept of Ring’X and original UI design; Digital Signal Processing and plug-in coding; [and] the graphical user interface). “For a number of years, customers have been regularly asking me to create an effect featuring filters extracted from our synthesizers,” he begins, before adding: “This idea grew into providing a sort of Swiss army knife-style tool capable of sculpting audio with modulation fully independent of its content, and also able to create any kind of de-esser and transient shaper with far more possibilities than standard such effects. Eventually, Ring’X was born.”


Ring’X is available to purchase as an iLok-protected virtual effect plug-in (installable in up to two independent locations) at an introductory promo price of only €69.00 EUR until October 31, 2023 — rising thereafter to an MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) of €179.00 EUR — directly from XILS-lab via its dedicated webpage, which also includes more in-depth information and several must-see video demonstrations, here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/ringx-p-172.html#

A time-limited full version of Ring’X can be requested for pre-purchase evaluation purposes here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/ringx-p-172/download.html#AskDemo

Ring’X is downloadable in 64-bit AAX (native)-, AU-, VST2.4-, and VST3-compatible formats for macOS (10.9+) and 64-bit AAX (native)-, VST2.4-, and VST3-compatible formats for Windows (7/8/10) directly from XILS-lab.

XILS-lab Synth: The Sound & New High Res UI

video upload by xilslab

"XILS-lab sound quality explained by examples and comparisons between real hardware, other software synthesizers and XILS-lab algorithms."

XILS V+ and XILS 505 new High Res UI

"XILS V+ new version 1.6 and XILS 505 new version 1.1 with OSX apple Silicone compatibility and High Res resizable UI."

XILS-lab Syn’X 2 Update

Check out the demo by SoundsDivine here.

"XILS-lab elevates exciting Syn’X 2 subtractive synthesis polytimbral powerhouse to higher heights with v2.5 upgrade


GRENOBLE, FRANCE: first available as Synthix back in 2011 before being relaunched to widespread critical acclaim in 2015 as Syn’X 2, audio software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of Syn’X 2 v2.5 — elevating its exciting- sounding subtractive synthesis polytimbral powerhouse to higher heights with a welcomed upgrade duly delivering several serious additions — as of January 6…

With origins dating back to its original release as XILS-lab’s third soft synth, Syn’X 2 is a polytimbral subtractive synthesis powerhouse, paying homage to the legendary (early-Eighties-era) Elka Synthex — much loved by the likes of famous French electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, who still uses it to this day to create the distinctive sound of his onstage laser harp — from an original-sounding sonic standpoint with the striking sound of clear and punchy DCOs (Digitally-Controlled Oscillators), but brilliantly balanced against a multilayer card-based architecture that is inspired by similarly sophisticated hardware analogue synthesizers — such as Oberheim’s mighty (mid-Eighties-era) Matrix 12 — to create a powerful and complex virtual analogue instrument fit for 21st Century discerning DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) users. Ultimately, by drawing its inspiration from two distinctive design classics, it combines eight fully-independent layers with multitimbral flexibility; up to 72 oscillators; eight exciting-sounding ZDF (Zero Delay Feedback) filters; 32 envelopes; 32 LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators); eight glides; and more than 500 possible modulation combinations — ‘hardwired’ or user-customisable — per patch!

Put it this way: with those eight layers combined with true unison, users can creatively think about using a unison mode that allows them to sculpt not just the number of oscillators but also subtle modulation variations for each of the hundreds of available parameters, including filters, envelopes, LFOs, stereo position, sync, ring modulation, frequency modulation, and more besides. Above and beyond that, though, it is perfectly possible to apply the creative concept to different layers to create complex layered sounds, such as animated epic pads, keyboard performances (where every component reacts to velocity in a different way), as well as splits that creatively combine arpeggios and bass parts, to name but a few exciting-sounding examples.

Several serious additions to the Syn’X 2 v2.5 upgrade elevate this exciting-sounding subtractive synthesis polytimbral powerhouse to higher heights — namely, a new natural-sounding vintage reverb effect with high-pass filter; customisable signal path for all effects and keyboard performances, so the chorus could be positioned before the reverb or visa-versa, for example, or the chorus could be applied to a lower bass split while an upper pad feeds into the phaser and then the reverb; single- window integrated preset manager for finding patches in seconds, managing presets and sound banks, and creating customised tags; revamped 1,536-pixel-wide GUI (Graphical User Interface) with Easy and Complex modes; more factory presets with widened scope for covering more musical styles; powerful InterLayer Modulation, whereby layers can now source modulations from other layers; and integrated help engine. Meanwhile, MacOS 10.15 Catalina compatibility is a given from the outset.

On the face of it, Syn’X 2 v2.5 fancifully frames an amazing vintage sound in a modern setting with hitherto unavailable possibilities, but better than its predecessors’ already amazing features. Fire it up in a DAW host running on the latest MacOS or Windows (7, 8, 10) to add some seriously creative firepower to modern-day music creations!

Syn’X v2.5 is available to purchase as a USB eLicenser or iLok (1 and 2 dongle hardware or software) protected plug-in priced at €169.00 EUR from XILS-lab here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/syn-x-p-134.html (Note that the Syn’X v2.5 upgrade is free for owners of Syn’X 2.)

Syn’X v2.5 can be directly downloaded as a multi-format (AAX, AU, VST) 64-bit virtual instrument plug-in for Mac (OS X 10.7 and later) and Windows (7, 8, 10) from here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/syn-x-p-134/download.html"

XILS-lab launches Oxium 1.5 performance soft synth plug-in update

"GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of Oxium 1.5, an Avid Pro Tools 11 AAX format-ready major update to its popular performance soft synth plug-in, as of April 13...

Oxium has gained a solid foothold in the competitive computer-centric music marketplace since successfully launching last year to critical acclaim. Its intuitive GUI and awesome realtime modulation capabilities conspire to deftly deliver those still-sought-after analogue sounds of yesteryear alongside today’s more modernistic adventurous tones. Thanks to the Grid, Oxium’s onboard advanced sequencer modulator adapted from the Mask concept introduced in XILS-lab’s Le Masque: Delay timeline-driven delay effects plug-in namesake, users can create, delete, and edit the different Masks; specify Grid length; quantise locators; swap between Mask and non-Mask areas; and specify the background quantisation of the Grid itself, both horizontally and vertically. Sounds amazing? Absolutely! As such, obviously Oxium appeals to those simply seeking a quick musical fix and also deeper-digging sound designers.

Of course, time stands still for no one, and XILS-lab has hardly been resting on its laurels, working hard on the Oxium 1.5 update. Besides being on the receiving end of a graceful GUI makeover — with welcome ergonomic enhancements including a redesigned Double Filter Block (that is easier to locate and identify), relocated KEYB/FX/INFO toggle buttons (to the right of the keyboard), a third skin (Ice, complimenting the original Orange and Rusty ones), and much more besides, Oxium 1.5 benefits from several well-thought-through new features to further increase its functionality and musicality, benefitting both existing users and all-new adopters alike.

More than 10 new modulation targets have been implemented, including both mixers’ global levels, as well as all oscillator levels and noise source levels in each of those mixers. Think mind-blowing morphing filters, LFO-controlled components of sounds, and excellent evolving textures — just a few flexible examples of what is now musically possible with Oxium 1.5 as a direct result! Additionally, each Mask now has its own elementary envelope, elements of which have also been added as modulation targets. This allows the creation of hitherto-unheard sequence stylings when modulating those parameters in realtime with the mod wheel or other hardware controllers. All told, the Modulation Matrix and Musical Gestures Modulation pages now boast 59 modulation targets between them, making Oxium 1.5 one of the most powerful virtual analogue soft synths for serious sound designers anywhere!

Meanwhile, Mask functionality and usability has been dramatically increased and improved, thanks to MultiSelection and MultiEdition selection options of continuous or discontinuous Masks for speedy simultaneous editing. New Select ALL, Select ODD, and Select EVEN toggle buttons are available for this very purpose. Moreover, Mask Locators now gradually change colour when approached while onscreen editing, making it easier to grab them to change their lengths without running the risk of accidentally moving them. Thanks to these new Oxium 1.5 developments, Masks can easily be adapted to quickly create complex grooves and sophisticated syncopated music material — mimicking old-school step sequencers or gating techniques, and much more besides!

Rounding off this major update, Oxium 1.5 comes complete with over 50 new presets that mostly make use of its new features. So why not check out the downloadable demo and try before you buy? Rest assured, we’re sure you’ll like what you hear!

Free for all existing Oxium owners, Oxium 1.5 is available to purchase online directly from XILS-lab for €89.00 EURO via a reduced rate Group Buy offer (with up to 700 additional presets) lasting until May 10 from here: http://www.xils-lab.com/pages/Oxium-Reloaded-Group-Buy.html

Thereafter, Oxium 1.5 rises to €99.00 EURO, and is available to purchase from here: http://www.xils-lab.com/products/Oxium.html"

XILS-lab Releases Rotary Speaker Emulation Plug-ins

"GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of its LX122 and LX122 Premium rotary speaker effects plug-ins as of November 5, 2012...

LX122 and LX122 Premium are Mac OS X 10.4 (32-bit PowerPC and Intel) and OS X 10.6 (32- and 64-bit Intel) or later- compatible (VST, AU, RTAS — Pro Tools 7.0 or later) and Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7-compatible (VST, RTAS Pro Tools 7.0 or later) rotary speaker emulation plug-ins, both featuring XILS-lab’s proprietary True Stereo Dynamic Engine (TSDE), offering a whole new way to record rotary speaker effects.

As such, LX122 and LX122 Premium are the perfect partner for present-day organists and keyboardists everywhere — or, indeed, anyone seeking that still-sought-after sound, so first... a little history: the instantly recognisable tone of a Hammond organ/Leslie speaker combo remains a staple of many musical genres — think Procol Harum’s psychedelic multi-million-selling single ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’, one of the standout anthems of 1967’s so-called Summer Of Love. Yet there was little love lost back in 1937 when Leslie speaker inventor Donald Leslie bought a Hammond, hoping it would prove to be a suitable substitute for a pipe organ. Disappointed with its sound at his home compared to the spacious showroom where he had originally heard it in action, Leslie sought to improve things somewhat by experimenting with his own moving speaker designs, finally settling on the now-familiar form of a rotating drum and horn for bass and treble frequencies, respectively.

Until now, a classic rotary speaker system simply comprised a stationary treble unit with spinning horns and a stationary woofer with spinning rotor (or drum), together with two filters to divide the frequency spectrum between the horn and woofer; both the horns and the sound baffle for the bass are rotated to create Doppler effect-based vibrato, tremolo, and chorus effects, while the rotating elements can be stopped, switched between slow (chorale) and fast (tremolo), or transitioned between the two settings. All are effortlessly emulated in LX122’s core modules alongside an authentic recreation of tube-based amplification — one of the most important characteristics of the original concept, which inadvertently paved the way for the heavier rock tones pioneered by the likes of Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, together with three reverb types, and MIDI-controllable SLOW and FAST mode buttons (for individually controlling the horn, drum, or both by keyboard inertia) for added flexibility.

Remaining in the computer-centric 21st Century, XILS-lab recognise that the true sound of a rotating speaker rests principally in how it reacts to the room in which it resides; to that end, the TSDE algorithm adeptly evokes this physical phenomenon. Moreover, the angle of the two ‘recording’ microphones can be tweaked within LX122 and LX122 Premium to allow varying amounts of room effects into the resultant mix, while internal cabinet reflections are also emulated to faithfully capture that much-loved mellowing side effect. It is even possible to increase or decrease speaker positioning from far away to directly within the cabinet itself — impossible with real rotary speakers, of course!

As implied by name, LX122 Premium is fundamentally the same as its LX122 software sibling, yet offers much more sonic scope to the discerning user, including control over microphone movement, room choice, room size, cabinet speed, horn diameter, diffuser removal, speaker configuration, ribbon age, horn and drum balance, rotation direction, and more besides. Digging deeper, its additional Studio Panel allows users to position the microphones anywhere within five different room models, for example, while different cabinet configurations can be chosen within the Cabinet Panel, as well as randomly rotating the horn and drum. Don’t be afraid to experiment; LX122 Premium is even better than the real thing, capable of rotary speaker effects hitherto unheard of in the real world!

LX122 features 14 factory presets to get users started, while LX122 Premium boosts that magic number to 75 by way of ably demonstrating its increased sonic scope. So why wait to rotate?

LX122 and LX122 Premium are available to purchase from the dedicated XILS-lab online Store (http://www.xils-lab.com/products/LX122.html) for a special introductory price of €29 EURO/ $37.00 USD (LX122) and €45 EURO/$58.00 USD (LX122 Premium) until December 5 (respectively rising to €39 EURO/$49.00 USD and €69 EURO/$89.00 USD thereafter). Note: these are serial number-protected products — no iLok required!

Listen to LX122 audio examples here: http://www.xils-lab.com/pages/LX122_Audio.html"

XILS-lab PolyM 1.1.0 Update

via XILS-lab

"XILS-lab pushes polysynth hommage beyond the pleasure principal with welcomed PolyM 1.1.0 update additions

GRENOBLE, FRANCE: audio software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of PolyM 1.1.0 — updating its critically-acclaimed, authentic-sounding software recreation of a pioneering polyphonic analogue synthesizer manufactured between 1975 and 1980 (based on divide-down oscillator technology similar to electronic organs and string synthesizers of the time), and arguably made most famous by British ‘new waver’ Gary Numan, notably seen as well as heard when ‘driving’ over an endless ‘synthscape' in the trailblazing promo video for his 1979 chart-topping ‘Cars’ single; someone since observed that career-defining song’s parent album, The Pleasure Principal, “...is almost an album-length advert for the Polymoog...” — with welcomed additions including a new preset manager and an ability to run as an effects plug-in, plus compatibility with Native Instruments’ Native Kontrol Standard (NKS®), as of October 2…

PolyM first put in an appearance last year, when XILS-lab clearly considered those oft-overlooked Polymoog presets to be well worth revisiting, recreating an ‘unlimited’ polyphony polysynth that was recognisably revolutionary upon its initial release and making it fit for today’s creative computer-based music-makers with a state-of-the-art software makeover. Making that happen took two years — such was the complexity of its inspirational hardware predecessor. PolyM palpably didn’t disappoint, deftly reproducing yesteryear’s divide-down technology with two TOD (Top Octave Divider) oscillators — one for the sawtooth wave and another for the square, slightly detuned for a phenomenal phasing effect (when running independently in FREE mode), yet taking the concept further forward by adding polyphonic pulse width modulation. Meanwhile, in LOCK mode, those two TOD oscillators are almost locked in phase, producing PM (Phase Modulation) instead of FM (Frequency Modulation) when the square wave oscillator is modulated in pitch. The two TODs can also be modulated — tempo-sync-able — in pitch by an LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator), while the square wave oscillator has it own pulse width modulation by a tempo-sync-able LFO. Alongside a distinctive envelope generator, this represents the musical heart and soul of PolyM, pushing that revolutionary polysynth sound kicking and screaming into the future!

Further features of note include: 71 emulated chips, offering mixer, VCA (Voltage-Controlled Amplifier), envelope, 12dB filter, and pulse width modulation for each of the available notes; stunning-sounding 24dB ladder filter (using XILS-lab’s critically-acclaimed zero-delay algorithm); nine dedicated acoustic filters — STRING, PIANO, ORGAN, HARPS, FUNK, CLAV, VIBES, BRASS, and VOX — carefully recreated from the original (model 203a); RESONATORS filter bank with three parametric (6dB and 12dB) filters matching the original; three vintage — DEL. (delay), PHAS. (phaser), and REV. (reverb) — effects (with adjustable settings from within an Advanced Settings Panel alongside nine modulation slots for furthering sound design possibilities well beyond the scope of the original hardware); and more.

Today, thanks to the PolyM 1.1.0 update, there’s even more to (literally) make a song and dance about. As such, the NPM (New Preset Manager), a newly-integrated, single-window affair allowing users to easily and speedily perform different tasks with welcomed visual feedback — for example, locate and load the best fitting preset in seconds courtesy of a multi-criteria search engine, save/save as presets with (user-generated) tags, batch-tag multiple selections of presets, export/import multiple selections of presets, and select view (such as showing only favourite presets) — represents a major step in PolyM’s evolution; by that same token, those acoustic filters and RESONATORS, as well as the three vintage-sounding effects, are also available to work with other sound sources when running PolyM purely as an effects plug- in proffering plentiful possibilities for modulation; meanwhile, support for Native Instruments’ NKS® extended plug-in format for all virtual instrument developers delivers intuitive and seamless interaction with the German giant’s cutting-edge KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series keyboards and MASCHINE hardware.

Helpfully, there are now over 300 professionally-programmed presets available as creative kickstarters in PolyM; parameters are all MIDI- controllable, combining to musically position this soft synth par excellence as an innovative instrument of its time while retaining a certain pioneering polyphonic analogue synthesizer’s coveted performance properties of the past. Put it this way: while what the deceased Austrian neurologist (and founder of psychoanalysis) Sigmund Freud would have made of this polysynth hommage is obviously open to speculation, surely the still active Gary Numan should approve... as will anyone’s bank balance by paying (comparatively) so little for so much playing pleasure. Thanks to its welcomed 1.1.0 additions, PolyM pushes beyond the pleasure principal in both senses, so anyone wishing to sonically travel back to the future should seriously consider adding it to their soft synth arsenal — all the more so at an attractive (albeit time-limited) introductory promo price representing a welcomed 40% saving. Best be quick, though — time waits for no man... or woman (or child)!


PolyM 1.1.0 is available to purchase as a USB eLicenser or iLok (1 and 2 dongle hardware or software) protected plug-in at an introductory promo price of €89.00 EUR until October 31, 2018 — rising thereafter to an MSRP of €149.00 EUR — from XILS-lab here.

PolyM 1.1.0 can be directly downloaded as a multi-format (AAX, AU, RTAS, VST), 32- and 64-bit soft synth and virtual effects plug-in for Mac (OS X 10.7 and later) and Windows (XP, 7, 8, 10) from here."