UJAM’s Usynth range is about getting good results quickly, and GLAM is no exception.
Alongside their virtual guitarists, bassists and drummers, UJAM have recently added synth‑based instruments to their catalogue with their Usynth line. The latest addition to this range is GLAM and, like the other Usynth titles, GLAM’s sounds are designed to suit a particular musical style. In this case, that sonic target is polished, modern, electronic pop. Like all UJAM’s products, Usynth’s design is intended to give the user high‑quality sounds within a streamlined control set. The aim is to avoid getting bogged down in option paralysis and, instead, to get on with your creative process. Therefore, the UI is stylish, simply laid out, and not overly stuffed with endless synth parameters. Don’t be fooled, though; Usynth GLAM gives you plenty of sound‑design options and, given how good many of the presets sound, there appears to be a lot going on under the hood.
More Than Meets The Eye
While the detailed cosmetics change, GLAM shares the same UI with other Usynth titles. As such, the user gets access to presets along the top, the Sequencer, Synthesizer and Finisher (a multi‑effects engine) control panels (each with their own additional preset systems) and, at the base, Delay and Ambience effects, a virtual keyboard and the excitingly named Surprise section. This last offers a whole range of randomisation options; it’s a very clever design, allowing you to generate subtle variations or dramatic changes in the current sound.
The Usynth engine includes a number of different synthesis types, and each preset uses a specific combination of these. However, as the UI makes obvious, the Synthesizer section provides just a few controls. The Dark/Bright knob serves as a filter, while Fast/Slow changes the sounds amplitude envelope. As with almost all the controls, these macro‑style controls often tweak multiple parameters behind the scenes. The labels on the smaller Synthesizer controls change based upon the starting preset and are design to provide the most obvious sound‑design options for that preset. The same macro control approach applies in the Finisher section, so you can pick a preset starting point for the style of processing you want and then tweak from there. Overall, the UI is a breeze to use but still offers enough control to let you dial sounds in.
While the control set is streamlined, the sounds are not — GLAM is certainly capable of packing a sonic punch. The presets are divided into various categories including basses, pads, leads, stabs, melodies, arpeggios and ear candy. Many of these make use of the Sequencer section and this offers various modes of operation with presets for arpeggios, chords, sequences and motifs. There are options to adjust these presets, and these include keyswitchable pattern styles mapped from C1 to B1. Perhaps the only limitation here is that you can’t edit the patterns or (as far as I could see) export the MIDI produced by a pattern for subsequent editing within your DAW.
For producers who just want a palette of top‑notch, easily tweaked, synth sounds but without having to finish their PhD in synthesis, GLAM may well appeal.
Conclusion
That comment aside, for producers who just want a palette of top‑notch, easily tweaked, synth sounds but without having to finish their PhD in synthesis, GLAM may well appeal. And if that might be you, then you can try GLAM or any of the other Usynth titles for yourself via UJAM’s free 30‑day trial.
Summary
With UJAM’s streamlined design ethos underpinning the Usynth front‑end, GLAM provides a great collection of synth sounds for electronic pop, for producers who would rather avoid complex synth engines.