albino

"Albino Virtual Rob Papen Synthesizer" is the full name for a virtual plug-in synthesizer from LinPlug and Dutch sound designer Rob Papen. The plug-in is available both for PC, as a VST plug-in and for Mac as an AU.

As with many modern virtual synths it is a hybrid in terms of sound synthesis. The overall architecture is modular and you can either use it as a three oscillator subtractive synthesizer or link the oscillators together to do both FM and AM synthesis.

So, what makes it different from all the other plug-ins available?

First of all: the sound quality. The Albino produces crisp and full sounds with the opportunity to either stand out in a mix or subtly complement it. The analog patches sound warmer than most virtual analog plug-ins I've tried and it's close to the sound of an actual vintage analog keyboard.

The second significant feature is the built-in arpeggiator. You can use it as a simple 32-step arp, but the fun doesn't stop there. It is extremely easy to modify the attack and swing of a pattern and make loops with plenty of life in them.

The filters, named "cream" and "silk", are the final icing on the cake. Some other plug-ins gives you a whole list of filters to choose from, but the Albino only has two. That is a good thing in my opinion, since they do exactly what you need and there is no browsing through long lists to get that specific sound.

Making your own sounds with the Albino is relatively easy if you know the basics of sound synthesis. There are no unnecessary functions in the user interface and tweaking the parameters gives immediate and (most of the time) predictable results. Chances are that you never get to do this a lot, since the included patches are excellent.

The current version of Albino is 2.0 and has the following specs:

• 3 oscillator modules
• 2 filter modules
• 2 envelope modules
• 8 effect modules
• up to 4 oscillators per voice
• 2 filters per voice
• 8 envelopes per voice
• 2 effect blocks with chorus, flanger, distortion, delay and reverb
• Recognizes most, but not all, controllers including velocity, aftertouch, pitch bend and mod wheel.

Al*bi"no . [Sp. or Pg. albino, orig. whitish, fr. albo white, L. albus.]

A person, whether negro, Indian, or white, in whom by some defect of organization the substance which gives color to the skin, hair, and eyes is deficient or in a morbid state. An albino has a skin of a milky hue, with hair of the same color, and eyes with deep red pupil and pink or blue iris. The term is also used of the lower animals, as white mice, elephants, etc.; and of plants in a whitish condition from the absence of chlorophyll.

Amer. Cyc.

⇒ The term was originally applied by the Portuguese to negroes met with on the coast of Africa, who were mottled with white spots.

© Webster 1913.