Gear review: Ohmforce's Quad Frohmage
$155 (electronic)
The programmers with France’s Ohmforce have been writing pure DSP manipulation
software since early 2001. Their first plug-in was the venerable Ohmboyz, a four-tap
delay workhorse that tied LFOs to compression, filter, feedback and distortion
effects in real-time. Their newest plug-in, Quad Frohmage, approaches this kind
of manipulation from the other direction, starting with their original Frohmage
plug-in and expanding it to a four channel bandpass filter, with each band having
unique delay, envelope modulation and filter settings to choose from. Bands are
formed from left or right input channels, from a mix of both, or from the output
product of both. Along with new modulation capabilities, the four bands can be
arranged in various serial and parallel circuits that change the output in surprising,
non-linear ways.
As with the rest of Ohmforce’s offerings, there are VST versions of the
Quad for hosts running within Windows and Mac OS 8 and 9. For those running Mac
OS X, there is carbonized VST support, but at this time, Apple’s new AudioUnits
format is not yet supported, which means those using Logic under OS X will not
be able to make use of this effect. There are the usual RTAS, DXi, MAS and Winamp
options for various other host platforms.
Pricing is set at 149 Euros (about US $155) for the Professional package, which
does not include the Pro Tools RTAS option, while the RTAS package is 299 Euros
(about US $310) and includes all other formats. For people who want to try before
they buy, the company has released a free stand-alone version of Quad Frohmage
that requires no host application, as well as a free demo version of the VST
plug-in. Both evaluation packages will gradually add more noise to the output
as they are used; the commercial license removes this hindrance and adds MIDI
automation and higher quality sample rates, as well as the right to publish commercial
works that use this effect. Finally, as with other Ohmforce modules, there are
two skins: “classic” and “funky”. Both provide full access
to all of QF’s features, but the classic skin provides a cleaner interface
and more importantly – in this reviewer’s opinion – quicker,
easier access to all the essential controls. Which you prefer may depend on your
fashion sense and tolerance for the bizarre; you may want to test both versions
to get an idea of which you prefer.
As mentioned, Quad Frohmage takes its cue from the one-channel bandpass filter
in the free Frohmage plug-in, extending it to sift through four bands. A band’s
input can be a left or right input channel, another band, or a mix of both left
and right input channels.
Modulation options start with the application of one of eight provided filters
to each of these four bands: low-, high- and band-pass, peak, notch, Moog, comb,
and ring modulation. The first three provide cutoff at the set frequency and
either above, below, or anywhere outside the specified cutoff. Peak and notch
either amplify or diminish sound at the set frequency. The Moog filter emulates
the classic low-pass, self-oscillating analog filter of the same name, while
the ring modulator adds a sine wave to the input, achieving a brassy, “ringing” tone.
However, it is the comb modulator that may provide the most diverse range of
sounds, as it literally combs out “tines” of frequency from the input.
What is left can take on the plucked resonance of strings or a hollow, chirping
timbre. In fact, one of the factory presets is called “singing” with
all four bands making use of this comb filter. Familiar elements of the Ohmboyz
plug-in flesh out the remainder of the bandpass interface, adding resonance,
delay, distortion and panning dials.
Of course, no Ohmforce plug-in would be complete without the ability to tie all
of these interface elements to an automated LFO modulator. The LFO component
provides host-synced timing, amplitude, sampling and smoothness controls to shape
any one of ten oscillation curves. These curves adjust the selected parameter
based on the timing you select. To provide a simple example, let’s suppose
you want to have a filtered sound scan from the left to right and back again,
once every four beats. It is as straightforward as clicking once on the Pan dial
of that band, clicking once on the Sine oscillation curve button, and dialing
in the desired period, amplitude and smoothness curves on the LFO.
Audio modulation in Quad Frohmage doesn’t stop with filters or effect oscillators.
Ohmforce added a new component in the “envelope modulator”, which
analyzes the sound as it goes through one of six points of the circuit, measuring
changes in its energy over time. A curve based on a sudden increase or decrease
in volume, for example, can be amplified and fed to the new xADSR component,
which can be modified to shape an input band. This kind of indirect feedback
chain can easily lead to a less predictable and non-linear effect on the final
output.
Quad Frohmage is filled with useful design touches. For example, the addition
of a green LED to each modulation element, which stays alit when a slider or
dial is being modified by the LFO, makes it easy to see at a glance if a band
attribute could use tweaking to get the sound you want. And since the end result
of using xADSR is not usually obvious, oscilloscope windows are provided for
each of the major modulation components to help sculpt output. The four scopes
provide graphical feedback on what is happening in real-time at the various points
in the circuit, and they are a virtual necessity in making use of the xADSR component.
Six “probe” buttons provide quick access to points throughout the
audio routing circuit, and the expert mode panel allows access to assorted circuit
configurations and further control over envelope modification. A clean, consistent
layout can be a big help in learning a new piece of software, and it is good
to see that this plug-in does not deviate much from Ohmforce’s established
design practices.
The interface may be a little intimidating at first, simply because of the sheer
number and variety of controls. But by following a consistent user interface
design strategy, Ohmforce has rewarded its loyal users with a gentle learning
curve. For others, and for those who want to take full advantage of the envelope
following and xADSR components, the manual is recommended reading material.
Eight factory presets are included with the plug-in, providing a good introduction
to what Quad Frohmage can do. The Presets component also provides the ability
to build and save your own custom patch set, and you can switch between patches
with a timing of your choice, while you are performing. You can download additional
presets from other QF users via Ohmforce’s website, as well as contribute
your own efforts. A user forum is available from the same site for discussions
and feedback.
Processor usage seemed more than reasonable for everything that this plug-in
accomplishes, and the sound quality was consistently excellent. Even with all
four bands filtering and oscillating in a parallel arrangement, I never managed
to get above 30 percent usage of an 800 MHz G4 PPC, and so long as the output
levels were kept under control, I could not coax any glitches or stuttering from
the output (at least, none that were unintentional!).
As a pure bandpass filter, it does its work quietly and competently.
But modulation – dense,
nasty, unapologetic modulation – is Ohmforce’s bread and butter,
and Quad Frohmage doesn’t disappoint. After about half an hour of reading
the documentation and fooling around, I was making dark, pulsing ambient music
with nothing more than a single, looping percussion sample and two send channels,
each running a copy of QF. With proper tweaking, the LFO automation and xADSR
components added a degree of unpredictability to keep the piece fresh. Connecting
a MIDI controller to the frequency and resonance dials allowed me to rapidly
throw some evil, oozing noises into the mix. If you want to break down a sound
and rebuild it in an entirely different way, Quad is perfectly suited to the
task.
last
updated
June 14, 2003
