FabFilter Twin 2 - Soft-synth plugin: The original Twin had more than its share of fans, but does FabFilter's sequel match up?

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FabFilter Twin 2 - Soft-synth plugin

The original Twin had more than its share of fans, but does FabFilter's sequel match up?

The Fabfilter Twin 2 is the follow up to Fabfilter�s Twin soft-synth plug-in, which was a firm favourite for many on its release back in 2006. People were impressed with the versatility and usability that it offered, as well as noting the surprising amount of grunt it had concealed under the bonnet. We already know then that Fabfilter are more than capable of delivering the goods, The only question that remains is whether the Twin 2 can fill the big shoes of it�s daddy�

The first thing you�ll notice upon firing up Twin 2 is how pretty the whole thing is. For such a potentially complex piece of software, it�s to FabFilter�s credit that they can produce an interface that doesn�t intimidate in the slightest. The wording is clear, the graphics are crisp and sharp, and there�s a general sense that FabFilter have worked hard to ensure that working with Twin 2 is as easy on the eye as it is on the ear. Help windows regularly pop-up with reassuring snippets of advice and work well to ease you into the experience. Compared with the older Twin, the interface seems a great deal more fluid and considerably less technical. Whether this approach will appeal to everyone is a matter of personal taste, but we really rather liked it.

More than just a pretty face

Let�s face it though: the Mona Lisa is pretty, but falls flat when you try to design sounds with it. So how does the Twin 2 fare in the sound creation department? First of all, anyone who is familiar with Twin 2�s predecessor the Twin will notice that little has changed markedly in the synthesis section. The Twin 2 starts with 3 powerful oscillators (one more than it�s daddy, which perhaps draws attention to some discrepancy in Fabfilter�s naming conventions), which are capable of the standard sawtooth, square, sine and triangle waveforms as well as noise and sync options. So far, so good.

Following this, there are two envelope filters to sculpt the basic waves. These initially appear as small windows and can be adjusted by clicking and dragging the wave, rather like an XY pad. While this is a good idea in theory, many may find this a touch too fiddly and imprecise. Clicking once, however, will reveal a larger window for fine-tuning the frequency waves, and provides an altogether more comprehensive interface for editing. Here, Fabfilter really show off their expertise in offering broad range of filter sounds. 11 different filter types are available, from raw and sharp sounds to soft and warm. The signal then splits into a dry circuit and a wet circuit, the latter of which includes two delay generators and two further envelope filters. The range of sounds this allows for is pretty impressive on it�s own.

Arguably, however, it is the astoundingly comprehensive modulation section that the Twin 2�s creators should be most proud of. Fabfilter have loaded the Twin 2 with the standard collection of LFOs and envelope generators, but added plenty of other modulation options to create a broad variety of sounds. In particular, the new XLFO option can be used as a basic LFO but also allows for the addition of up to 16 extra steps to craft bizarre, beat-synced waveforms. On top of this, the XLFO can be hooked up to create techy arpeggiator effects across two octaves either way. The entire thing is accompanied by a wave display to clarify exactly what changes are being made. It�s beyond the scope of this review to explain the many other options at your disposal here, but suffice to say there's plenty to get your teeth into.

If we're honest, it's a bit pedantic to really fault any of the features on offer here, especially in terms of user-friendliness. Even down to the drag-and-drop approach to modulation connections (one of the most popular and forward-thinking features of the earlier Twin, thankfully still present and correct here), everything is pleasingly straightforward and it�s no exaggeration to say that we�d become pretty well acquainted with the Twin 2 after only a couple of hours of use.

This can only mean good things for your workflow and, on this front, it�s also worth drawing attention to another neat little feature that Fabfilter have snuck into the software. That is, the option to save presets for each individual section. So, for example, it�s possible to program a XLFO modulation that you wish to reuse, and save the settings for that XLFO alone. From then on, you can call up that XLFO setting for whichever sound you�re working on, without having to import an entire global preset. The usefulness of this feature only reveals itself after a few hours of use, but after a while we were genuinely falling in love with it!

Sounding off...

Workflow and usability aside, how does it actually sound? The first port of call for any review worth it�s salt would be the presets. All 1600 of them. That's right.. 1600. It�s safe to say FabFilter have packed an astonishing number of preset sounds into the Twin 2, and for the most part they sound good. Most types of sound are covered in the presets, from deep, dark bass sounds to bright keys, from techy arpeggiators to funky Strats. Of course there are hits and misses, but when the Twin 2 gets a sound right it does so admirably. Fabfilter have even thrown in a �Best Of� bank of presets for those eager to get started, among which some tasty sounds can be found.

Suffice to say, there�s more than enough presets here to keep an avid audiophile amused for quite some time, and plenty more to spark one�s creativity into developing new ones. More importantly though, they collectively serve as testament to the degree of diversity that the Twin 2 is capable of, given a little bit of love and attention.

Summary

When applied to everyday use, the Twin 2 reveals itself to be a great addition to anyone�s set of soft-synths. It seems to reward experimentation with interesting and inspiring tones, while still providing the basis for more bread-and-butter sounds.

There�s a sense that Fabfilter was meant to be warm and welcoming to use, not cold and mechanistic. It goes without saying that, in terms of brute power, the Twin 2 doesn�t compare to the likes of Native�s Reaktor, but arguably that isn't really the point. It�s best to think of the Twin 2 as a loyal Labrador rather than a hyper-efficient Doberman; perhaps not as focussed as the latter, but certainly a lot more cuddly. The bottom line is, the Twin 2 is an excellent companion to any producer and more than justifies it�s �114 asking price.