With the latest addition to their softsynth lineup, Expressive E get modelling, and there’s not a tube of glue in sight

˃ How does an electronic musician attempt to create an electronic sound with acoustic ideals using software-based sound generation? Expressive E might just have an answer for you, being, as they are, an organisation that likes to push boundaries in terms of both sound creation and performance.

No Air-fixes

Their latest offering is produced in collaboration with Applied Acoustic Systems and is called Imagine. Despite a relatively nebulous product name, which doesn’t give much away, Imagine is a pretty hefty, creative powerhouse, in the form of a modelling synth.

The construct, on the face of it, will be relatively familiar to most; two instrumental layers provide the tonal colour within a given patch, but the difference lies in the initial tonal palette itself, which ranges from simplistic to beautifully complex.

Back to basics

As a concept, the aim of acoustic modelling is to electronically recreate a timbre which sounds like an acoustic counterpart, at least initially. This concept can quickly become mutated or extended, as it’s possible to move away from the initial construct, introducing other elements. What we all like about modelled sounds is that they do sound familiar, but often have an electronic quality, leaving the listener to question whether they are acoustic or not. While Imagine is heavily laden with 400 superbly crafted presets, we’re going to start by peaking under the hood.