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We’ve talked quite a bit about the newest rendition of Applied Acoustics Systems’ Lounge Lizard series, the Lounge Lizard EP-5. I think it’s high time we tested it out.
In case you haven’t heard, the Lounge Lizard is claimed to be one of the more faithful electric piano emulators on the market. The fifth edition allows users to switch between a reed and a tine engine, allowing more flexibility and sound design possibility than ever before. It may seem like a simple electric piano from a top-down view, but open up the hood (which you can literally do) and you’ll see that it’s just as complex a synthesizer as any of them. As someone who hasn’t fully explored the possibilities of electric pianos before, I was stoked to check it out.
As always, thoughts are completely my own here. It’s my job to tell you whether or not you should actually use your hard-earned cash on this, so all of this is my 100% unbiased opinion (as usual, of course). Let’s get into it.
Layout
Upon opening the plugin, you’re greeted with a pretty simple interface.
At the top of the screen, you can decide how bass and treble heavy the sound the piano makes is. You can adjust the tremolo on the right super easily as well – I’m going to assume that you know what tremolo means if you’re reading this, but if you don’t, consider it an LFO.
On the bottom half of the screen, you can pick the character of your sound (it’s worth playing around with all of these on every preset), and you can play with effects. Note that there are many more than the five presented here – you’re able to pick and choose what kind of effects you want on your piano and in what order they’re processed in. You can also get in depth with processing by clicking on the ellipses on the right, which will bring you to a screen kind of like this one.
However, you could use the plugin without even knowing about this feature and still get great processing out of these effects at their simplest. This is part of the reason why I’m such a big fan of this plugin: it’ll fit your workflow whether you want to use it in a simple or complex way.
Another big feature of this plugin are the two different engines, which you can easily switch back and forth from. The reed and tine engine both provide distinctly different sounds: tines will give you dreamier, more upbeat tones, while reeds provide super cozy, moodier tones. All things considered, this might be the single worst description for these two engines in the world, but that’s how the sounds they generate make me feel. I definitely prefer the reed engine, but they’re both great.
Note the switch at the top left of the screen. Click that and you’ll literally “remove the hood” and get to go even deeper into shaping your sound.
In this page, you can really shape your sound exactly how you want to, down to how hard the hammer hits. It’s super in-depth stuff that, honestly, kind of went over my head at points. It’s worth playing around with these settings and learning to use them though – there is a ton of power in here. But, just as the case was with the effects, you don’t need to do this to get a great sound out of this emulator.
There are also tons and tons of presets to play with that each provide a distinct sound, showing just how much is possible with this piano. There are presets for both engines, an “Outside The Box” category that pushes the Lounge Lizard to its sound design limits, and a remastered version of the Lounge Lizard EP-4 factory library.
That’s an overview of what you can expect from the Lounge-Lizard EP-5. How is it in practice?
Usage
It may appear simple at first, but this is truly a super powerful synthesizer disguised as an electric piano emulator. It pushes the idea of electric piano to its limits, and goes further than that.
Sound-wise, it’s one of the best electric pianos I’ve ever used. I forgot I was using a VST at points. It’s inherently warm, rich, and pleasant to listen to. And, if you don’t want a classic electric piano sound, you can really get into some sound design madness by taking off the hood. But, make no mistake: you don’t need to be a sound design genius to have fun and get great results with this plugin.
I’ve attached a quick demo below with four presets from the base library. The first preset is a reed piano, the second is a tine, the third is an “Out of the Box” preset, and the fourth is a remastered Lounge Lizard EP-4 preset. Take a listen below.
All four of these sounds could have come from a real electric piano – that’s how good the emulation is here.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
It’s a great electric piano – and much more.
Describing this as a synthesizer disguised as the best electric piano you’ve ever used feels right. If you want to use it as a simple electric piano, you’ll be happy. If you want to do crazy sound design, you’ll be happy. It’s as simple as you want it to be, and as complex as you want it to be. It’s a great plugin.
The character slider.
This is my favorite part of the plugin. Is the sound you’re using not quite there? Just change its character and see what happens. Being able to keep the same core sound while changing its color at the click of a button is wonderful.
Cons:
It’s not cheap.
The Lounge Lizard EP-5 retails for 200 USD – so it’s not the cheapest thing in the world to buy. If you don’t regularly use electric pianos or have the patience to learn all the sound design capabilities in this plugin, it might not be the best plugin for you. But, if you DO regularly use electric pianos, this is worth the investment.
Conclusion: Should you get it?
If you’re ever looking for an electric piano emulator, this is the one you should get. It can fit any workflow, and consistently puts out incredible sounding tones. It’ll be the last electric piano you ever need – that is, until they release Lounge Lizard EP-6.
Buy Lounge Lizard EP-5 here.
The post AAS Lounge Lizard EP-5 Review: A Powerful Synth Disguised as an Electric Piano Emulator appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.