Amanda Ruzza’s musical approach led her to the Lexicon LXP Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle, used in an unconventional way – as a sonic enhancement to the sound of her 5-string and fretless electric basses.
“After installing the LXP reverb plug-in on my computer and quickly dabbling with it to get an idea of what it could do, I immediately used it on some of my previously recorded bass tracks to get some really unique sounds,” Ruzza explained.
“By exaggerating some of the levels of its virtual knobs to settings you might not normally use, I was able to create interesting synth-bass solo sounds.”
Born in São Paulo, Brazil to a Chilean mother who loved opera and an Italian father who loved rock and roll, Ruzza developed an eclectic musical ear at an early age.
By age 13, she was already gigging regularly in Brazil, and in 2003 began recording and touring with the all-female country band Mustang Sally. She currently performs with her group the Amanda Ruzza Quintet and other artists in the Tri-State New York metro area.
“Generally, bass players tend not to use reverb during live performances,” Ruzza noted.
“However, I believe that reverb can be a very effective creative tool in the studio, especially to give a bass solo a bigger sonic space in the mix or to enhance a melody played on a fretless bass and make it sound especially rich and beautiful. This plug-in has really sparked the creativity in my bass playing.”
In addition to adding the LXP reverb plug-in to the sound of her electric basses, Ruzza, like many other artists, engineers and producers, uses the plug-in to enhance the sound of other instruments and vocals.
“I use the Lexicon plug-in to completely change some of the synthesizer presets I use in Logic Studio (recording software). I feel like I’ve just added brand-new synthesizer and virtual instrument software to my digital audio workstation.”
“I can hear the fact that in creating this software, Lexicon made sure to keep the sound quality of its very well-respected hardware reverbs intact. Also, the LXP plug-in is so easy to use.”
The PC- and Macintosh-compatible Lexicon LXP Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle is designed to work with popular DAWs like Pro Tools and Logic, as well as with any other VST, Audio Unit or RTAS-compatible host.
It offers four of Lexicon’s most renowned algorithms – Chamber, Hall, Plate and Room – plus 220 crafted studio presets.
Its user interface provides easy access to key parameters, with a graphical real-time full-color display that illustrates the reverb tail, frequency content and impulse response.
Virtual input and output meters provide ready indication of audio levels, and presets can be stored in a DAW-independent format that can be transferred to a different DAW.
“The LXP plug-in sounds amazing, offers good value and is easy to use,” said Ruzza. “As a result, you don’t have to be an ‘A-list’ session musician or big-budget producer or engineer to have access to the same high-quality reverb sounds they use.”
