Product: Allen & Heath VF-1
Price Paid: 6000 (SEK) used
Submitted
02/15/2006
at
11:27am
by
m?ttstock
Ease of Use
:
8
I find it hard to see how you could achieve a construction that was complicated, but anyhow, it's a lot more predictable and simple than the mutronics mutator, which I bought the same week. But it's a dj tool and I guess that the instant knob-tweaking is what it's all about.
What brings the rating down a bit, in this category, is the midi control. Allen & Heath seem to stay tuned only for dj;s as if they didn't care to make this a bestseller. Check the manual and you will probably see what I mean.
Sound Quality
:
9
I'm making my first experiences with analogue filters these days, so I'm heavily optimistic with these things and have not much to critizise regarding the quality. I?d say it's superb actually. And the valve/overdrive really shows how important it is to make some barbeque in the post section. This part is what will make me keep it for a long time. It?s useful for warming up any soundsource, and leaving it turned down completely, hasn't happened yet, and the oppisite neither. The maximum distorsion is too much, and it sounds about the same whatever sound-source you process. Really trashy.
With the mono button turned on, it makes me a bit frustrated to realize, the sound has now become dynamite, because it will take another unit to get this in stereo. Although I was close to ordering another one last week, I think I?ll get along. One reason is that it's easier to get tired of it at 24dB cutoff, and turning the resonance up to max, at the 12dB stereo-mode, can be very satisfying, if you're after that vibration in your stomach. And I somehow feel that it's gonna come more "music" out of the 12 dB mode anyhow. But I'll warn you. Buying one of these, will include taking the risk of ending up with two, sooner than you think...
Reliability
:
10
I would rather say it might be TOO easy to predict.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
No experience.
Overall Rating
:
8
The problem to me is that it's too much a dj tool. Yes the filter frequency can be midi controlled, but not lfo nor resonance. I think they at least could have made the lfo re-triggable through midi but no. So you'll have to keep the filter close to your "working area", because it's irresistable to tweak it. And the square lfo really sounds great, much better than the mutator's. And I forgot to mention the gate trigger mode; the attack is perfect! (but not adjustable)
If you're about to buy your first analogue filter, this one is solid rock. So much in a small - and good looking - unit. Multimode, midi-ctrl, envelope follower, and a tasty little heater.
