XILS X-505 captures “The Analog Orchestra” of the Roland RS-505
The X-505 is a string machine, a synthesizer, and a bass synth in one vintage analog style software synthesizer modelled on the Roland RS-505 with some added choir for good measure
X-505
It looks like a good old string machine and is definitely angled at giving that vibe. It offers all the layering and editing possibilities of the Roland and has brought to the surface lots of hidden parameters not previouslty accessible.
The oscillator is a Top Octave Divider oscillator capable of producing 49 notes of polyphony with paraphonic articulation. The String section has it’s own filter with an AD envelope and waveform mangling. The Synth section has an ADSR, filter with envelope and LFO and various sound sources that you bring in with the rocker switches. The Bass section has three waveforms with its own envelope. The additional Choir section has some formant and balance settings.
For modulation there’s one main LFO tied to the vibrato and another one that’s freely assignable via a modulation matrix where we also find another envelope in DASDR form.
As with the original the effects engine consists of an enormously thickening quarduple BBD Chorus/Ensemble unit and each section has a send level. They’ve added an analog phaser, vintage sounding reverb and a stereo space effect.
We seem to be constantly fascinated by old string machines. There’s something in the thickness and wobble that warms our cockles.
X-505 is available now in all the usual formats on an introductory price of €89.
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