Atmosphere Added to Spectrasonic's Line of Virtual Intruments

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A key product of their new line of virtual instruments, Spectrasonics has announced Atmosphere, the first virtual instrument exclusively designed for Pads.

Atmosphere is a brand new type of software plug-in instrument that integrates a custom three gigabyte core library of more than one thousand original pad sounds, with a powerful user interface for shaping new textures. Atmosphere can be used as a native plug-in instrument in hosts like Logic, Digital Performer, Cubase VST, Nuendo and Pro-Tools...no sampler is required.

Atmosphere was designed from the ground up by synthesist Eric Persing. In addition to creating influential libraries like Distorted Reality for Spectrasonics, Eric has been the Chief Sound Designer for Roland since 1984, and is responsible for many of the most famous sounds in Roland1s instruments like the groundbreaking D-50, the vintage JX, Jupiter and Juno series, the JD-800/990, and the best selling modern JV and XV series Roland synths.

The range of sounds is vast, from lush analog beds, to crystalline glass swells, europhasers, wavetable sweeps, vocoded choirs, thick string pads, to processed vocal washes and transparent harmonic evolutions. An extensive arsenal of vintage and modern hardware and software synths was used to create the core samples in Atmosphere.

Evocative Ambient drone textures are provided in addition to the huge Pads section. The ambiences range from dark brooding atonal clouds, to shimmering prisms of harmonic convergence. Highly unusual sound design and creative processing techniques were developed just for this section of the instrument.

The core library of a thousand pads is the starting point for user exploration. Atmosphere's powerful layering functions allow users to create their own complex textures very quickly. All of the pads and ambient elements can immediately be layered together, and tweaked independently. Since each of the one thousand patches can be combined, there over a million possible combinations! Each layer has its own multimode resonant filters, four LFOs, three envelopes and matrix modulation. There is also an additional master filter for quick tone shaping. The possibilities for creative manipulation are extensive... but Atmosphere's power is balanced with an emphasis on easy of use. Although pad sounds are extremely popular across the musical spectrum, Atmosphere represents the first-ever instrument dedicated to this sound category, and has been designed to inspire and surprise for many years.

Atmosphere features include:

• 3 gig core library of over 1,000 multisampled pads by Eric Persing
• Dynamic layering of pads for over 1,000,000 mix combinations
• Built-in auditioning system... Rapid load times
• Easy to use., built-in patch management system
• Sounds organized by mood/texture/type
• Fully programmable
• Total recall with your sequence
• Multimode resonant Filters for each layer, plus Master Filters
• Three envelopes per layer for Pitch, Filter and Amplitude
• Matrix-style modulation routing, four LFOs
• Powered by custom 32 bit UVI engine
• Cross platform plug-in compatibility!

$399 MAS, RTAS and VST Mac/PC included.

Compatible with Logic, Cubase, Performer, Pro Tools, Nuendo and other VST hosts.

System recommendations:

• 512 MB RAM, 3.5 GB free hard disc space
• MAC: OS 8 or higher, 450 mHz G3 or better CPU, MAS, RTAS or VST 2.0 host
• PC: Windows 98, 600 mHz Pentium III or better CPU, sound card, VST 2.0 host

Atmosphere will be shipping in April of 2002.

For more information, visit their web site at www.spectrasonics.net.