Yo what’s good!
You know what it is, time to checkout a new synth
This one is is from Native Instruments and it’s their new one built for Reaktor Player called RAZOR
let’s check it out
So what is RAZOR?
This is a new additive synthesizer based on the Reaktor engine and built to be used directly in the free Reaktor Player.
It creates sounds and fx based of of it’s 320 “partials”
basically 320 sine waves all working together to create the sounds.
It comes with 350 sounds and an interface that’s simple to tweak yet gives deep control over all the parameters and modulation capabilities.
Quick Specs
- content: 10.4mb, 352 patches
- format: Reaktor Player and Reaktor
- price: $79
How does it sound?
Man, this thing sounds CRAZY. I admitidly thought it was just going to focus on hard, dub style sounds.
So I kinda wondered how it would differ from MASSIVE, or even Lazer Bass in the Reaktor library….but it’s more than that.
Not only can it do hard, edgy, piercing sounds, but it can also do smooth pads and bell-ish keys.
It has a very raw sound, very thick, very weird, very smooth…pretty much whatever you want.
The fact that the fx are created from the waveforms themselves is also a cool feature that cuts down on cpu usage.
I just really dig the diversity of sounds I can get from it, from deep, round, sub bass, to thick, wicked, synth leads.
What’s the bototm line?
I love it, I didn’t think it was going to be all that special, but the complex and original sounds mixed with the fact that the interface is dead simple to understand makes it a joy to work with.
The modulation system is crazy and the graphical representation for all the parts and modules really makes programing or tweaking new sounds a simple task.
No menus to dive into, no complex routing to understand, just move from right to left, tweak, click, experiment and enjoy.
I’ve never been a huge Reaktor user, so I’m glad they started doing the Reaktor Player thing, this opens up the deep world of Reaktor to anyone that wants to enter it.
I give this synth 4.5 out of 5 subs, it’s fun, unique and most important sounds great!
Bottom line is that this is not just a simple library, this is a full and deep synth instrument.
Checkout the videos, checkout the demos, and decide if it’s something you can use.
http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/powered-by-reaktor/razor/
Leave a comment below, let me know what you think!
Thanks for the review I was real curious about this. Looks like I’ll be purchasing this right about……..Done!
@Mean Gene, yeah man, I’m really impressed with it, loving it so far, becoming one of my favorite synths.
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Do I need another synth…no, will I be getting this…yeah, I got my coupon ready…LOL. Thang sounds awesome…I tranced out looking at the promotional video on NI. Thanks for the review, pretty much confirmed it sounds awesome. Peace!!!! I might end up learning a different GENRE of music mane!
@VIVID, yeah fam, this joint is nice!
Thanks for the review saint joe. Im definitely gonna cop this joint.
@DaHeat, word fam, thanks for watching.
It’s like some kind of weird love child of FM8 and Massive, works for me.
@Metatron72, yeah man! Exactly lol !!!! ahahahahaha, dope!
I co-sign the love child comment. I had the chance to dabble with it in store and must sassy it is a nice unique combo of piercing & lush at the same time. My coupons are here now being delegated to Razor & the George Duke pak. It’s going to be hard getting my studies done with this and the official 1.6 update….there’s just not enough hours in the day.
@Jamari, word man, yeah, it’s really good man, versatile for sure.
@saintjoe, here’s a little something that I came across while reading CDM. Francis Preve’s blog has some freebies *(Razor loops, etc.). Although the blog seems more EDM oriented the content is still interesting enough to be applied to different genres.
http://francispreve.blogspot.com/2011/03/download-ni-razor-loop-six-pack.html
When time and enough energy drinks allow, I plan on really trying to learn Reaktor and how to build ensembles or to at least modify those already created (i.e. Razor,ResoChord, etc.).
@Jamari, Nice one fam, yeah man I’m loving it yo.
man that thang sounds nice gotta add that to the setup, the sounds are crazy jus what i was needin’ good lookin saint joe peace
@ed h, word bro, thanks for checking the video.
That thing is crazy! I love it, it will be mine 😉
@thomasgreco, yeah man, it’s dope!
I just got this the other day , it sounds amazing . In your review SJ you mentioned it was not heavy on cpu. When I loaded it Live ( one instance) my meter shot up to 40% . Let me know if that is norm case . Probably I might I have to tweak my pc settings.
@Stereo Monk, yeah I love it, I don’t have any cpu issues on my end, but Reaktor in general is not light on cpu so it looks about the same as other Reaktor instruments and ensembles on my computer.
I’m all synthed out right now but this was good enough for me to at least bookmark it – liking some of those sounds.
@Jon, I hear ya bro!
I’m still going through a lot of the presets on Razor but I really dig the control you can get in the interface. I haven’t messed with the vocoder either I’ll have to experiment with it later.
All in all seems like a impressive synth. NI keeps turning out usable apps in there product line.
Thanks for the review.
@Madbull Studios, yeah man, great synth. I messed with the vocoder on some synth sounds lol, was pretty cool man.
Damn, i really wanted to see what those vocoder patches could do!
Other than that, great review, i gotta have this!
@Oscar, yeah man, the vocoder is cool, I used it on synth sounds then recorded those and made new sounds lol.
But yeah, it’s my favroite NI synth right now man.
Thanks for the great review saintjoe. I’m not usually one for modern sounds, more of a vintage guy, but everything I’ve heard from this one has really blown me away. All that was putting me off buying this synth was assuming it would be to difficult too program (I’ve already got too many synths I can’t really use). After watching your vid, I really reckon I could get my head round this one.
Looks like NI are gonna be getting some more of my hard earned… still, at least I’ve got an e-voucher from registering my free Komplete Elements on Monday!
@DJ Rock Well, I hear ya man, this thing has a lot of character for sure, I’m in love lol.
that synth is dope! i got’s to get it…
@dj jambone, yeah buddy! This thing is crazy!
Whuzz Happenin St.J Mannn I think this is the next Vst in my Maschine, thx for the presentation. You helped me see a difference, I was starting to think it was just club sounds. Mind made up, payday.
@Jakeel01, yeah fam, this joint is nice!