East West/Quantum Leap Gypsy review

  • €322
  • $395
Quantum Leap Gypsy: a strange brew.

MusicRadar Verdict

Useful for anyone interested in producing 'ethnic' sounds.

Pros

  • +

    Great violins and guitars.

Cons

  • -

    A couple of other instruments are not so great.

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Using EW's new PLAY instrument technology, this 64-bit compatible instrument not only offers fantastic output quality, but also impressive onboard effects and unparalleled cross-platform native compatibility (including Vista 64).

As you may have guessed, it's a playback-only system, so you can't modify individual samples, but with many patches incorporating multiple keyswitching articulations, the idea is that you'll be drawn to the playability of the instruments rather than the technology.

Musically, Gypsy is certainly a strange brew, and articulation options vary from instrument to instrument. But with only 13 instruments to choose from, it's easy to spot the good stuff, and we were particularly impressed by the flexibility of the violin and guitar patches.

It's never easy coaxing realistic solo parts from sample-based instruments, but Gypsy gets you one step closer. However, with a mere 13 instruments (albeit spread across 11GB of samples), you'd be wise to look carefully at the line-up before you splash any cash.

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