Review: UVI UVX670

Stack two vintage AKAI hardware synths together to make something unique? Why not! And it just happens to be very affordable and sound great. Hollin Jones discovered the UVI UVX670.  

UVX670 is a sample-based software instrument that runs in UVI’s Workstation or Falcon players and weighs in at just under 6.5GB. Once downloaded from your user account, it authorises via iLok but doesn’t require a dongle - the free iLok software will do it, which is a relief as dongles feel pretty outdated in 2019.

Classic Synths

Loading up the library is simple and you get 306 presets helpfully sorted by type. Since the instrument actually combines two hardware synths - Akai’s VX600 and the AX73 (both are six-voice analog polysynths), its interface is a sort of retro hybrid of the look and feel of both. The main page contains two main sections, one for the VX6 and one the AX7 where you can turn each engine on or off, select a preset and set its volume and pan. The workflow, as elsewhere in the synth, is pleasingly retro, especially if you grew up using these kinds of hardware instruments for real.

Best Of Both

Each oscillator has dedicated amplitude and filter controls and there’s a “both” button which allows you to apply exactly the same tweaks to both at the same time. To the left are further subsections, the first of which is Edit where you can change mod wheel behaviour, amplitude, pitch and stereo effects for either or both voices. A Mod section is next with step modulation as well as LFO, and you also get an FX section with multiple options. Finally, a simple but effective arpeggiator section lets you create movement within patches - it’s fun and sounds great.

The Workstation app also provides a dedicated FX tab where you can edit the synth’s effects in a more detailed way using more generic styled controls as opposed to the stylised ones of the instrument itself. Similarly, an Arp tab provides another way to arpeggiate sounds using Workstation’s own tools instead of or as well as the instrument’s arp facility.

Sonically it’s a really interesting beast - individually the sounds are classic 80s, pulsing, bright leads and throbbing basses. But it’s when combined that the two synths working together really shine, creating something that is truly unique. By tweaking and modifying each engine you can create huge, stacked sounds that burst with life, energy and movement. The presets are excellent too - many people may find that initially at least they just work with these, making minor tweaks. When you dive deeper into the mod matrix and fx sections, you can really go to town, making some towering 80s monsters that will find a home in many kinds of modern day productions.

Conclusion

Although the synths sampled for this instrument are perhaps among the less well-known of the vintage hardware units out there, they sound amazing, especially when stacked together like this. The workflow is straightforward and making changes is easy. It’s truly a breeze to create your own unique 80s synths. For the price, it’s a great way to bring the sound of some rich, harmonic 80s instruments to any of your productions.

Price: $79

Pros: Sounds gorgeous. Stack two vintage AKAI hardware synths together to make something unique. Powerful sound shaping tools and FX. Affordable.

Cons: Nothing really, at this price.

Web: https://www.uvi.net/uvx670

Hollin Jones was classically trained as a piano player but found the lure of blues and jazz too much to resist. Graduating from bands to composition then production, he relishes the chance to play anything with keys. A sometime lecturer in videographics, music production and photography post production, Hollin has been a freelance w... Read More

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