Quantum Leap RA from EastWest adds rare and unique instruments from Africa, Europe, India, the Americas, Australia, the Far East, the Middle East, and Turkish Empires to a composer’s arsenal of sounds. The dedicated Opus playback engine allows access to each instrument’s expressive nuances including portamento, repetition, legato and improved microtuning, making it possible to create realistic performances.

Another aspect of this virtual instrument is the recorded ethnic ensembles. This was done with African drums, bagpipes, gamelan, and a Middle Eastern string section. The sound of these ensembles cannot be realistically simulated by layering solo instruments.

RA was captured with a phase-accurate 8-microphone setup that gives a complete 3-dimensional image of the instrument. This type of clear and broad sound takes to artificial or sampled reverb extremely well. Microphones used in the recording process were Neumann U67 (U47s as alternates), Neumann M50, AKG C12, and Schoeps. The software is compatible with Mac and Windows. It runs as standalone software or operates in AU, VST, or AAX formats.