Not just a name for opera singers: Kiesel’s Helga virtual analog synth

($179 price drop! from http://www.kiesel.is/ )

Kiesel have put together a new virtual analog synth, and her name is Helga. My very first impression upon being asked to do this review was “woo…. Another VA synth…” I'll give her a chance, though, and we'll see how Helga stacks up. First, though, here are some basic stats:

Main features:

• 24db/oct LP/HP
• 2 oscillators, variable saw/pulse mix
• 2 MIDI sync-able LFOs
• Built in stereo delay unit
• 10 different microtune scale tuning systems
• Mixer with noise generator/external audio input
• Up to 32 voice polyphony per instance with unison and portamento/legato

Helga's oscillators are a mix of sawtooth and pulse waves, which offers some nice ways to simulate analog “fatness” through small variations in a pure saw or pulse wave. Using pulse width can help vary this too. As you probably know, oscillator sync and ring modulation are very powerful tools for making wild textures. For instance, the default Helga preset is called “RandomSync”, which basically syncs a noise-driven oscillator to a mix of saw/pulse, to make a “bubbly” sound which is still on pitch. All in all, the oscillators sound very good, a great foundation to make great sounds.

The filter unit is very powerful, not only does it include your standard envelopes and LFOs, but it also has additional features, such as aftertouch compatibility, key following, and legato capability. But what about the sound? In a word, the sound is FAT. Good amounts of resonance, hell, this filter can even have too much resonance! It just screams, and loves to be tweaked. You can make some great sounds just using the oscillators and this versatile filter unit; I did.

Kiesel have done a good job with the interface for Helga. It's a little on the large side, but it must be admitted that the layout is good, considering the amount of controls available. For some reason, I really liked the look of the audition keyboard, but don't ask me why. Kiesel have really thought this synth out, though, and have included a number of small interface niceties:

• Holding Shift allows you to finely control knob settings
• Holding Alt allows you to temporarily use circular knob mode
• Holding Ctrl resets the knob to its default position
• Holding Shift on the audition keyboard allows you to hold a note (a la sustain pedal), and holding Ctrl lets you slide the mouse across it like a finger
• A full listing of Helga's MIDI parameters

Overall, Helga has a lovely, well laid out interface. However, I do have some complaints: a “reset” button or “blank” preset would be welcome; otherwise you have to start a new preset by modifying one of the ones that comes with Helga. For those who only use presets, this is fine, but for those who prefer to create their own presets from scratch, this is somewhat of an inconvenience. Personally, I like to start with a totally blank template that just makes a basic sawtooth sound, and go from there.

Speaking of sound, so what's my overall impression of Helga's sound? In a word, it's lovely. It has a very “smooth” sound, for lack of a better term. Everything you play with it fits well with other things, as well as sounding good by itself. The included presets are good, though in my opinion, they don't show off the abilities of Helga as well as they could. Admittedly, the default bank includes lots of varied sounds, to show that Helga is versatile. However, when Kiesel contacted me about this review, they informed me that there are several additional banks available for download, so there are more programs available to get a better sense of what this synth can do.

Pros:

• Nice analog-ish sound, many options to change it.
• Full featured filter unit
• Clean and well laid-out interface
• The above interface niceties
• A very well written, detail oriented manual
• Full MIDI implementation, including a listing of all parameters
• MIDI sync-able LFOs, something you rarely see.

Cons:

• According to the manual, some features are not fully implemented yet. For instance, if you change the tuning mode, the change isn't saved with your project. Also, the current version apparently doesn't support loading other tuning modes not included with the install package.
• The delay module doesn't sync to the host tempo. This would be a welcome addition, and would save time if you decide to change the tempo of a song mid-creative flow.
• $210 is a little on the pricey side for a VA synth these days.
• The default program bank doesn't do it justice. There are additional banks available, but not everyone will go out of their way to get more presets.

As a whole, I enjoyed getting to know Helga. It sounds nice, the interface is clean, and Kiesel have done a good job of including many extras that most companies don't think to include, such as a detailed manual, and a fully documented and full-featured MIDI implementation.

Overall, Kiesel have hit the nail on the head with this one. For those of you after a good old fashioned “analog” subtractive synth, Helga is good for you. I've used it in mainly “popular” genre styles, to include DnB, “trance”, and breakbeat stuff, to good effect. Perhaps I'll post some snippits of what I've done, but until then, I recommend you check out the demo at http://www.kiesel.is/ and make your own decisions. Here's my scores, though:

Sound quality: 4/5
Features: 4.5/5
Value: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5