RA virtual instrument by EastWest Sounds plugin interface

RA: World Instrument Virtual Instrument by EastWest Sounds

Rated 4.1/5 on Plugin Boutique (7 ratings)

RA is a virtual instrument from EastWest Sounds that provides composers with rare and culturally significant instruments from Africa, Europe, India, the Americas, Australia, the Far East and the Middle East.

VST2AUAAXWindowsmacOS

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01Overview

RA is a sample-based virtual instrument from EastWest Sounds, built around rare and culturally significant instruments from across the world. The collection covers regions including Africa, Europe, India, the Americas, Australia, the Far East and the Middle East and Turkish Empires. The developer says every instrument and ensemble was sampled extensively to preserve its true character and expression. RA is available in VST2, AU and AAX formats for macOS and Windows.

Best for

World music scoring
Cultural film soundtracks
Ethnic percussion and melodies
Expressive solo lines
Textural orchestral color

Developer: EastWest Sounds
Category: Virtual Instruments
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Rare instruments from Africa, Europe, India, the Americas and more
Intelligent performance section with portamento, repetition and legato
Improved articulation window and controls
State-of-the-art convolution reverb with pre-delay
Improved micro-tuning
High-resolution audio engine for improved sound quality
Hi-fidelity one pole filter for natural cross-fades
Stereo image editing through channel sourcing
Round robin reset

03In depth

World Instrument Sounds and Articulations

RA focuses on instruments that are rare outside their home traditions, giving composers access to timbres that are hard to source elsewhere. EastWest Sounds says the articulations are wide-ranging, from controlled to expressive, and that the instruments were sampled extensively to keep the character of each one intact.

The performance section adds portamento, repetition and legato controls, while the improved articulation window gives direct access to the articulation settings. The developer also notes improved micro-tuning, which matters for instruments with non-equal temperament.

Processing, Sound Quality and Mixing Control

RA includes a convolution reverb with pre-delay for building space around the instruments. A one pole filter is described as hi-fidelity and designed for natural cross-fades between samples.

Stereo image editing is possible through channel sourcing, so you can shape the width and placement of sounds within a mix. The high-resolution audio engine is presented as an upgrade in sound quality over earlier versions. Round robin reset is also included for controlling sample variation.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	EastWest Sounds
Type	Plugin
Category	Virtual Instruments
Formats	VST2, AU, AAX
Operating systems	Windows, macOS

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What formats does RA support?

RA is available in VST2, AU and AAX formats.

What operating systems does RA run on?

RA runs on macOS and Windows. Windows requires ASIO sound drivers.

What do I need to use RA?

On macOS, RA requires Mac OS X 10.7 or later, 8 GB of memory, 14 GB of disk space and an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1GHz processor or higher. PowerPC is not supported. On Windows 7, it requires 8 GB of memory, 14 GB of disk space, an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Dual Core 2.1GHz processor or higher, and ASIO sound drivers.

What instruments are in RA?

RA provides rare and culturally significant instruments from Africa, Europe, India, the Americas, Australia, the Far East, and the Middle East and Turkish Empires.