The story
This instrument offers eight different pad sounds, two of which can be selected and mixed with a crossfader (the crossfader can be controlled with the modwheel). In addition, a simple waveform can be mixed in. This was cut out of a low tone and multiplied to a usable length.
All three sound-sources have an independent amp envelope. The sound created in this way can be further processed with effects and filters.
Seven presets should offer an insight into what is possible.
I hope someone enjoys this instrument and find a use for it. I appreciate feedback and suggestions for improvement for future sample projects.
Version Release Notes
v1.1.1
– Fix: Due to an update of DS, the LFOs/modulators with modBehavior=”add” and
modBehavior=”multiply” no longer work. Changed to modBehavior=”set”
v1.1
– New GUI Design
– Naming the samples to choose with the dropdown menu (before just numbers from 1 to 7)
– Repitching the samples for more accurate tuning
– New FXs (Vibrato and Tremolo)
– Adding high-pass filter plus resonance control
– Adding “Damping”-control to reverb
– Adding global pan control
– Updating presets
v1.0
– Initial release
Interface
Reviews for Dusty Wave
- Sound
- Character
- Playability
- Inspiration
- GUI
Leave a review to let others know what you thought of the instrument!
Turns premium instruments to dust!
Initially, I was quite surprised not seeing this having 5 stars across all categories, because to me this is a perfected instrument that shows the potential of DecentSampler and how versatile and non-restrictive it can be as a sampler.
The idea of being able to crossfade two out of 8 different layers of sounds, and with such a huge array of settings, is an absolute win for me. On top of that, the sound quality is amazing, the playability is great and the design is perfect, especially if you consider the DecentSapler's limitations.
This is one of the instruments that you will definitely need some time to explore and get used to though, because of all goodies available to you. With that said, there are 7 different presets for the uninitiated that sound mezmerizing right from the start.
- And all that, just in a ridiculously small size of 50MB, an completely for free!
Dusty?! This is Pristine!
The options in this pack are endless. Though the GUI is a little bit complicated, it is very easy to read and offers the largest array of options I've seen in a Decent Sampler library so far! The Glide feature is particularly excellent when ramped up and used in its full capacity. I could play with this for hours! 5 across the board for me :)
Great instrument!
Love the extra thought put into the GUI on this one, I find it very organised and usable. will certainly be keeping it in my collection. Thank you.
Lots of tweak options!
A very neat and sophisticated UI, on top of a lot of leading edge DS functionality (mod wheel blending, multiple menus, three envelopes, three effects in the chain, and more). I'm not sure about horizontal sliders for anything other than pan position - I'm never sure which direction I'm supposed to move the slider. Take the 'Velocity Sensitivity' as an example - does this increase as it moves to the right, or reduce?
The idea of adding in a basic pitched tone is handled nicely (shades of 'Mattress' here) - I particularly liked giving it an envelope and having a menu to set the harmonic content (although the '5th' does overlap the down arrow, which makes the text looks slightly strange).
I've always been a fan of adding 'noisy' stuff to purer tones, and so this is very familiar territory. The choices of dirt and grit from the Afrorack source material are good, and blend well with the pure tone.
Having two menus for the sound selection could be confused for octave transposition. I would have preferred a label for the menu to make it obvious.
The zip contained a mysterious ~eadme.docx file, which Microsoft Word told me was damaged. This may be a cross-platform issue, because the Read Me.txt file was fine.
The sound generation tweak-ability is very good, and the name says it all! Having three envelopes and the mod wheel blending gives lots of scope for contrasting timbres over time, as well as under manual (mod wheel) control. But with great versatility comes great responsibility, and it is a good thing that there are seven example presets to give an idea of the range of possible sounds. There are many different opinions on Pianobook.co.uk as to the ideal UI complexity: this one is on what I like to call the 'sophisticated' side.
Overall then, a flexible and confident sample pack that is difficult to categorise because the multiple envelopes make it a timbral chameleon. The ongoing development and resulting exploitation of Decent Sampler's features continues to be a joy to watch/hear, and this virtual instrument is on the leading edge of the wave (!).
Dust Galore
A super detailed GUI here with plenty of options for messing with the sounds straight within the sampler.
A big problem for me was that many of the samples from the selection menu are out of tune with each other and makes them difficult to blend together.
