All In the tests

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EastWest has successfully broken into the virtual instrument developer world. Play has got the sound, is quite intuitive, has a really nice graphic design (even if a bit imposing) and above all comes as a 64-bit plugin with all the advantages of this format. The sound libraries themselves are of course worthy of this editor’s reputation, with its “big” acoustic sound.

However, since nothing is perfect, there are some flaws and shortcomings: the CPU strain on “old” computers, some unconvincing instruments, some disparities between articulations of a preset, tiny noises on a few samples, the Stereo Double mode can be a source of imaging problems, the impossibility of gathering and saving samples from different programs  in user’s presets, etc.

The assessment is, on the whole, positive. Foremost because the plugins live up to their names: each one does exactly what it was meant to. In my opinion, Gypsy is the best of the series, followed closely by VOP for its versatility, despite the lack of content for India and Syria. Fab Four is  more anecdotal, even though it could be used in various modern productions. In regards to VOP, one might regret the absence of time stretch, pitch shifting abilities and an equivalent of Wordbuilder.

Of course, it’s up to each person to judge each Play instrument utility compared to its projects. But movie composers, and composers in general looking for great sounds with some unusual ones will find numerous possibilities, great ease of use and top-notch sound quality in these instruments.

 

Excellent sound quality
Only one instrument for all libraries
Multitimbral
bit plugin (Ram handling...)
Uniqueness
Proclaimed and successful specialization
Really great instruments and voices in Gypsy and VOP
Fab Four’s successful nostalgia
Complete sounds
Various articulations
Keyswitch use
ADT
Mod Wheel implementation
Simplified and streamlined settings

Some failed instruments (Django...)
Tiny noises on a few samples
Some imaging issues (Stereo Double)
Lack of precision in min and max settings (except when using Mod Wheel)
Too much reverb on some presets
No multi-outs when using Logic 8, Cubase, Nuendo and Pro Tools
No copy-paste or import from one preset to another
Some instability
Unreliable CPU gauge
Heavy on the CPU