XILS-lab is proud to announce the availability of Oxium, its newly-launched performance-oriented software synthesizer. Oxium is a unique, yet cost-conscious soft synth plug-in, adept at giving equal billing to still-sought-after classic analog sounds and more adventurous modernistic tones.
Mastering Oxium is far from being a steep learning curve, however, thanks to its intuitive user interface. An Instant Visual Feedback (IVF) concept based around a ‘Flower’ design allows standard synth building blocks — oscillators, filters, and LFOs, etc — to be quickly absorbed at a glance. Meanwhile, modulation options are also accessible quickly and simply via a central page, and include the usual suspects — never has it been so simple to add performance-enhancing Vibrato (oscillator pitch), Tremolo (VCA level), or Auto-Wah (cutoff frequency) modulations to a patch!
Looking for ‘photorealistic’ analog-sounding sounds? Then look no further: Take two cumulative analog-modelled oscillators and simultaneously select several (Triangle, PWM Triangle, Saw, Square, and PWM Pulse) waveforms for each (together with cross and ring modulation); shape them with a flexible double-multimode filter structure using XILS-lab’s proprietary third-generation zero-delay feedback algorithm featuring six self-oscillating filter types (12dB and 24dB Lowpass, 6dB and 12dB Bandpass, and 12dB High-pass — plus 12dB Lowpass, Bandpass, High-pass, and an additional Formant Filter option on the second filter that can also be modulated); finally, mix to taste using the flexible double-mixer architecture with fully-configurable serial or parallel modes, and… voilá! Subtractive synthesis speedily taken to a new dimension.
Seeking something more modern and exotic-sounding? Then try using the Grid, Oxium’s onboard advanced sequencer modulator, adapted from the masked zones idea introduced in XILS-lab’s Le Masque: Delay timeline-driven delay effects plug-in namesake, featuring 16 freely-assignable zones, horizontal and vertical quantise modes, and two level parameters for added musical flexibility. Ditto the three (Amplifier, Filter, and Auxiliary) D-ADSR envelopes easily at hand to assist with sound sculpting — perfect for triggering tempo-synched modulation, for example. And rounding off this fanciful feature set, three full-featured LFOs that can be set to run polyphonically (with each voice having its own LFO) or monophonically (with all voices using the same LFO), each capable of modulating oscillator pitch and width, filter frequency (host application synchronised or otherwise), and amplifier level.
To top things off, Oxium comes complete with over 250 carefully chosen performance showcasing presets from XILS-lab’s talented team of well-known, world-class sound designers, while two user-selectable skins reflect its ‘split personality’.
On the Mac, Oxium requires OS X 10.4 and later for 32-bit PowerPC and Intel operation, or OS X 10.6 and later for 32- and 64-bit Intel operation, along with a compatible AU, VST, or RTAS host application. This is a serial number-protected product, no iLok is required.
Oxium is available to purchase from the XILS-lab online store for a special introductory price of $89 / €69 until 15 August 2012, rising to $129 / €99 thereafter.