Xpand!2

Name: Xpand!2
Price: 99 USD
Author: AIR Music Technology

by AIR Music Technology · Sampler · Multitimbral workstation

Not rated yet

Xpand!2 is a four-part multitimbral workstation with thousands of ready-to-play patches across 29 categories.

It has two effects processors with 50 effects and an arpeggiator, and costs $99.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Drums, Bass, Acoustic Instruments. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: arpeggiator, AAX, brass, organ, pads, FM, polyphonic, sample-based, wavetable, airy, circuit-modelled, component-modelled, CPU-light, preset-driven, simple.

What it does

Xpand!2 is AIR's ROMpler-style workstation: a large library of ready-to-play sounds built from samples, wavetables and FM, layered in four parts. It started as an instrument bundled with Pro Tools and is also sold on its own.

Four parts: each patch layers or splits up to four sounds, and every part has its own MIDI channel, note range, mix, arpeggiator, modulation and effects settings.
Sound engines: sample playback, wavetables and FM synthesis, so the library mixes acoustic instruments with synth tones.
Voices: up to 64 voices per polyphonic part; mono parts offer First, Last, Highest or Lowest note priority.
Smart Knobs: six context-sensitive knobs that change function with the selected part or effect; Easy mode lets them control all four parts at once.
Arpeggiator: an independent arpeggiator per part, synced or free-running, with dotted and triplet rates and a latch mode.
Effects: two effects slots with 50 effects, including reverbs and delays such as Chaos Delay; FX1 can feed FX2 for serial processing.
Presets: over 2,000 patches in 29 categories; version 2 added new sounds.

The current version is 2.4.0, and it is included with Avid Pro Tools.

Source: AIR Music Technology product page

When to use it

Xpand!2 is lighter and older than Kontakt 8 and HALion 7, which are deep sampling platforms with large third-party libraries, and SampleTank 4, the closest workstation-style rival with more modern content. Unlike them, it can't load your own samples or third-party libraries, and editing goes little beyond the Smart Knobs. What it does well is speed. It loads fast, uses little CPU, and covers pads, organs, brass, synths and drums well enough for sketching and many finished mixes. For Pro Tools users it is already included, so it is worth learning before buying a bigger workstation.

Best for: quick sketching and layered splits with pads, organs, brass, synths and general workstation sounds.
Genres: any; it is a general-purpose sound source, strongest in pop, hip-hop, electronic and demos.
Look elsewhere if: you need realistic pianos or orchestral sounds, your own samples, or deep editing; Kontakt 8 or SampleTank 4 go much further.
Tip: set each part's note range to build keyboard splits, such as bass on the left hand and a pad layer on the right.

What producers say

Widely seen as a strong value, praised for speed and low CPU use; the main complaints are its age, small interface and limited editing.

KVR users rate it 4.1 out of 5 from 8 reviews, singling out organs, brass, pads and synths; several bought it on sale for very little.
Harmony Central recommended it, praising a "fast, intuitive user interface" and the four-part design, and said "at this price, it's a no-brainer purchase".
Criticisms: a non-resizable interface that looks tiny on high-resolution screens, weak acoustic pianos and orchestral sounds, only two effects slots, and no support for third-party content.

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

Similar plugins

SampleTank 4 by IK Multimedia · Sample workstation · $140.17
HALion Sonic 7 Collection by Steinberg · Workstation instrument · $249.99
TRITON by KORG · Workstation synth emulation · $249
TRINITY by KORG · Workstation synth emulation · $199
Zampler // RX by Plugin Boutique · Sample workstation / rompler · Free
NEXUS 5 by reFX · Preset-based synth workstation · $179
Collective 2 by Tracktion · Sample-based synth (ROMpler) · $49
Heat Up 3 by Initial Audio · Rompler instrument · $9.99
M1 by KORG · Digital workstation emulation · $99.99
TG100 by Martinic · General MIDI tone generator · Free

All samplers & workstations