Aparillo

Like most musical instruments, synthesizers have their own signature sounds that can be easily recognized by experienced musicians and generally perceptive listeners. This applies to virtual synthesizers as well, and some claim that even DAWs may sound different from one another.

But we’re not here to debate any of that, just to review the beautiful signature sound of a virtual instrument called Aparillo.

If you’ve ever wanted to incorporate cinematic soundscapes into your productions, then you probably found the right instrument for the job. Aparillo is a 16-voice FM synthesizer that you can use both as a plugin for your digital audio workstation and a stand-alone program.

If you’re new to these types of musical instruments, then you probably need a bit of an explanation: “16-voice” basically means that the instrument can play up to 16 notes at the same time, while “FM” stands for frequency modulation. This means that, while powerful, you should be using a keyboard midi controller in order to access the plugin’s full potential.

As soon as you play a few notes, you begin to understand why Aparillo was specifically designed as a means of creating (or at least imitating) film scores. This becomes obvious when you browse through over 500 presets, some of which have names like “Fx Old Sci Fi Movies” and “Leads Pirates Caribbean”.

You can access many functions from the synth’s main interface, like two low frequency oscillators, a highly customizable FX station and the Envelopes which allow further sound modulation. But probably the most interesting tool is the Orbiter, which is a really unique and original way to arrange sounds and effects.

If you’re not an experienced music producer, you may not understand everything that Aparillo does from the very beginning. But you may instantly become fascinated by its epic sound and will want to start exploring all its functions right away.