Pro Tools 8 – New Instrument Review – XPand2
Hi Folks -
So sorry for the lag in posts. I’ve been mad busy perusing and using Pro Tools 8. Now that I’m out of the studio cave, I want to bring you the first of many posts about the new features of Pro Tools 8. Let’s start with the new instruments.
Pro Tools 8 comes with 5 brand new instruments (Xpand2, DB-33, MiniGrand, Vacuum, and Boom), as well as Structure Free. If you’ve owned earlier versions of Pro Tools, you’ve probably had Xpand! already… well, XPand2 is a serious upgrade to that already well-rounded instrument. Xpand2 has double the number of patches as XPand!, as well as an easier to use interface.
Xpand2 takes all four different pages of the original Xpand! interface and combines them into one. All controls are on one page… including the effects, arpeggiators, and modulation. The effects section has also been upgraded with some new effects… see the Chaos Delay and Cloud Delay listed on this Sitar patch.
XPand2 includes all of the original Xpand content, and adds almost a gig of new content. All new patches have a little plus “+” symbol in front of them, while the original patches are labeled just as they were in Xpand.
Xpand2 has a lot of firepower. Shoot, I’ve used the original Xpand on innumerable projects for studio projects and corporate clients alike. Get in there and use this program!
