TONE2 WARLOCK
Warlock is Tone2’s attempt to deliver a power and workflow combination that is a rare partnership in softsynth design. And it’s damn cheap too…
Surely the big draw of the virtual synthesiser is that you are not limited by any physical restraints as you would be in the real world, just by how much grunt is delivered by your computer processor. You want dozens of filters and oscillators? No problem. Hybrid design? Yes please. A lime green GUI? Well, maybe. But then the ability to have unlimited features can have an adverse effect. Many software synths have become unwieldy, weighed down by their own bloated offerings, unable to focus on anything in particular, jacks of all trades and full of so many options that you become terrified of the choice and loading them up.
A powerful, feature-packed synth with a smooth workflow is something of a dream, then, but that’s what Tone2 are attempting with Warlock. Grunt, diversity, ease of use and amazing sound quality. Surely what we all want, right? What’s that you say? Less than 70 bucks?
Can this be, then, the golden synth ticket we’ve been waiting to unwrap?
Lots in, nothing out?
First impressions don’t, shall we say, deliver a massive level of frenzied excitement; the interface is not exactly enticing. This, however, is deliberate. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and this is – if we stretch that analogy a little too far – perhaps attempting to do War & Peace with a touch of Enid Blyton simplicity. OK, maybe that is overstating things, but Warlock is presenting, as Tone2 say, “a reduced userinterface to facilitate an efficient workflow” with “a limited feature-set, but huge sonic range”. In that respect it is an attractive proposition but don’t expect the larger graphics of the company’s fabulous-looking Icarus2 and Gladiator3 – this has all their best bits behind a simple UI mix.
Looking at the specs though, and things do start getting a lot more interesting. 84 oscillatortypes (and up to 24 per voice), 38 filter types, 18 effects, an arpeggiator with 22 modes, a Random button for instant sound generation and over 2000 of said sounds (not, we hasten to add, generated randomly but expertlyprogrammed – see later) are just some of the stats we can throw at you. And already you can see that Warlock is delivering in its promise, at least with the numbers.
Unlocking the detail
While the power might be hidden, it is there to tap into – and we discuss the Warlock’s Harmonic Content Morphing architecture more in the box to the right.
What Warlock does well is put the minimal number of parameters you need from this synth architecture on display for you, with each
control having a dramatic effect. This means that on a sound design level you can simply change a waveform here or a morphing action there and you will instantly hear an obvious sonic development.
On a basic level, there is no need to really understand what is going on – although it helps, and reading both the Warlock and the more detailed Gladiator manuals from the Tone2 website pays dividends. Yet experimentation often yields that ‘Eureka’, just-come-up-withyour-own-sound-but-not-quite-sure-how kind of moment. And as good as these manuals are, having a good old play with Warlock will soon have you feeling your way around the edges of its wavetable-like innards.
Or, if you really want to take that simple philosophy further, just dive into the 2100-odd sounds! One of the first things that might strike you, as it did us, was the quality of what’s on offer – let alone the width – many presets with a great dynamic, both in terms of movement and range. Basses thud when they should, arpeggiations sear and tear through with a twist of the Filter and Resonance controls, and there are plenty of incredible growls, bassy twists and show-off leads for dance music. In fact, if anything, that is the focus, which is fair enough these days. We’d have liked some more unusual textures, but the beauty here is that you can change core Spectrum Wavetables in an instant – along with many other parameters like Modifiers, Loopmode/speed and the many filter and effect types – to easily twist anything on offer to something new and more out there. And then there’s the Random button to do it in an instant. It’s all very creative and very quick.
Go to War?
Part of the appeal of a great instrument can undoubtedly be its almost ‘come hither’ looks, beckoning you to make sweet music together. We’re being a little unfair on Warlock, criticising it for not having those as its appeal lies in instant programmability for all levels of synthesist. You can just get in there and make any of the many sounds on offer your own, with just one or two clicks. That said, we’d love to see an option to switch it from ‘Simple Mode’ to ‘Slightly Less Simple Mode’, throwing in some of the larger graphics from Gladiator3 into the UI mix or unveiling some extra modulation or surgical parameter tweaking. But maybe we’re missing the point – that is what Gladiator is for after all – or maybe Tone2 have that ace up their sleeve for version 2.
Whatever your thoughts on the UI, the most important aspects of any softsynth are: does it sound good and will you use it? On the former, the answer is ‘most definitely’ – the dynamic range and quality is there to behold, and the diversity of Warlock’s output can be heard with one sweep through any bank. And on the latter ‘in use’ question, here’s the thing: we found after a few days of use, that Warlock had barged its way into most of the projects we are currently working on, and seems to have absolutely no intention of leaving, which is high praise indeed. This synth delivers more than pretty much any synth of its price (and more than many costing a heck of a lot more). You won’t want to ask too many questions along the way, but enjoy the ride you most certainly will.
“A good old play with Warlock will soon have you feeling your way around its wavetablelike innards”