Cakewalk Rapture

For multitimbral sounds, each element can be driven from its own channel. Rapture recalls Korg’s Radias (reviewed Aug. ’06) somewhat, as they both control an “ensemble” of highly rhythmic instruments within a unified interface. Rapture is innovative, fun, and a definite step outside of the box. Let’s check it out.

ARCHITECTURE

Each of Rapture’s six elements has the basics (tune, transposition, velocity and keyranges, polyphony, bend range, etc.), but also incorporates a signal processing chain with two multi-mode filters, a decimator/bit reduction processor, and drive control; you can change the order of these. There are also excellent ring mod options at the oscillator and element levels, but no hard sync.

Modulation includes envelopes, syncable multi-waveform LFOs, and step sequencers for six destinations per element (pitch, each filter’s cutoff and resonance, pan, and amplitude). Then add three stages of variable response EQ for each element, and an insert effect slot. What’s more, the envelopes are multi-stage affairs, with variable curves, velocity tracking, and keyboard tracking for each segment. They’re loopable as well, so in effect, they can double as sophisticated LFOs.

The six elements all feed a mixer, with pan and volume for each element; and a global window offers master effects and modulation. When you multiply the number of possibilities per element by six elements . . . well, this is a tweaker’s dream.

I tried loading some SFZ sound files from Dimension Pro, and they loaded just fine (although D-Pro program files themselves don’t load, due to the different architectures). It was fun to load an acoustic guitar into Rapture, then put it through a bunch of filters with highly resonant step sequencing.

IN USE

Initially, the lowpass filter didn’t seem to have that warm, fat sort of Minimoog-like sound. So, I loaded instances of Arturia Minimoog V and Rapture (with a sampled Mini sawtooth wave) into Sonar, both with two oscillators. I adjusted the oscillator settings as closely as possible for the two synths; props to both, as setting the controls to the same numeric value produced a seemingly identical sound.

I then tied filter cutoff to my controller’s mod wheel for both synths, and created a modulation track to open and close their filters. Next, I rendered each result to WAV files. I chose versions for each synth that looked similar, indicating their oscillators had similar phase relationships. The sample offset parameter in the mod matrix is effectively a phase adjustment for each oscillator: Rapture’s oscillators play in sync with one another by default, but enter negative values, and they become truly free-running. Very flexible indeed!

I saved the series of two sounds as a single MP3 file (visit www.keyboardmag.com/0906121), but I don’t think the sound is very different. The fabulous Mini bass sound, at least in “emulation land,” seems to have as much do with filter and amplitude envelopes as with oscillators and filters. With a little more tweaking, I came up with a pretty good Mini bass emulation.

Of course, I have a wish list (see cons above), but Cakewalk informs me that many of these issues will be addressed. I like the way you can control the virtual X-Y pad with a PC joystick, although it doesn’t have a MIDI Learn mode, so you can’t drive it from MIDI controllers.

I liked Rapture as soon as I started playing with it, but then I’m partial toward the idea of a construction set for those who like “synchro-sonic” effects. In this area, Rapture provides incredibly fertile ground for sound design, dance music, hip-hop, and more. Although the six step sequencers give it exceptional pattern and loop-based possibilities, with six elements and a batch of waveforms, Rapture is also an extremely capable synthesizer — especially because you’re not locked in to either the oscillator or (more unusually) the LFO waveforms that come with the program. I created a lot of programs based around sampled waveforms and custom LFO shapes.

CONCLUSIONS

The more I used Rapture, the more I developed a profound respect for just how much it can do. With most programs, you learn the big features, then pick up on the details. Rapture kept delivering surprises. Just when I thought I’d figured everything out, I would discover an even greater depth of its multitimbral sound generation and step-sequencing abilities.

Admittedly, one reason this review is so positive is because Rapture is my kind of synth. It’s deep, novel, clever, and perfect for electronic music genres. But I realize it’s not what everyone wants from a synth; Rapture’s specialty is doing things other synthesizers don’t do. I suspect Ableton Live fans will flock to Rapture, as it excels at creating multiple, self-contained loops. Rapture would also be an exceptional complement to Sony Acid 6’s beefed-up MIDI instrument implementation, as well as Cakewalk’s own Project5. For those who use more conventional DAWs, Rapture instantly converts them into dance beat monsters, with a tasty side order of more traditional synth sounds in the bargain.

If all of this sounds good, you’ll become a Rapture convert. I certainly have.