NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS FOR TASSMAN VERSION 2.0

Tassman is, presently, a stand-alone program...although Scott Monteith, "Head Answer Geek" at A.A.S., informed me that with the release of version 2.0, it will become a VST Instrument as well. Plus, it will include "...a ton of new and improved modules...", will be able to import or record 8- or 16-bit, mono or stereo .wav files for export, will sport an adjustable buffer size (1 - 232 ms.) for latency customization and will have even tighter integration between the Builder and the Player. Version 2.0 will be a free upgrade to registered users. Currently, Tassman does accept input from external MIDI controllers.

Tassman installed on my system, via CD-ROM, without any problem. However, when I went to use it the first time, it didn't respond properly. When I emailed tech support and explained the problem, their response was almost immediate and I was directed to download an updated driver from their website at "www.applied-acoustics.com". When I installed this driver, all my problems disappeared and Tassman performed flawlessly thereafter. I must say that some of the other software developers could probably learn something from A.A.S. when it comes to customer support: theirs was excellent...and fast!

The included print manual is fairly extensive (135 pages) but very easy to understand. Before I began playing with Tassman, I skimmed the entire manual in less than an hour and was ready to begin. If you already have a background in the 'Mysteries Of Analog Synthesis', of course, you'll have an immediate edge on the learning curve. However, even if you're a beginner, only used to punching pre-sets on a hardware synth, not only will you find the manual easy to get through but you'll also learn a great deal about the whole process of creating synthesized sounds from the included tutorials...which are both in the manual and on the CD-ROM, along with examples of each. Read the book: everything you could possibly need to know about using Tassman is there!

Tassman consists of two distinct programs: Tassman Builder and Tassman Player. Builder is where, as the name implies, you construct your synth(s) from a series of 100 supplied modules, including tone generators, resonators, filters, envelopes, FX, mixers, sequencers, virtual keyboards and more. When you open the builder, the Graphical User Interface greets you with a window that looks like a brushed aluminum surface (very 'industrial'!). This window is divided into 4 sections. The largest main section is where you'll actually add modules and 'wire' them all together. To the left of this is a series of buttons for the aforementioned families of modules. Click one of these and below the buttons, icons for each of the included modules in that family appears. Point at any of these icons with your mouse and its name will appear next to it in a little yellow box. Above the main section is a very useful feature: click on any of the module icons and a brief but fairly complete and detailed description of that module appears. Better still, this description also includes suggestions about how to use the selected module in the sound-chain you're creating. This is quite helpful and will save you from having to keep referring back to the manual. After you click on whatever module icon you want to try, click on the main section and a copy of that icon appears there. Then, you can drag these icons wherever you want them and wire them together by clicking on the virtual 'output' jack of one module (A little *-inch 'male' jack appears!) and then clicking on the 'input' jack of another. Do so and a virtual wire appears linking the modules together. Want to change the wiring set-up? Just click on a wire and when it turns from black to red, hit your "Delete" key. Do the same thing to remove a module: click on it and hit "Delete". Nothing could be easier! What's very cool is that you can have multiple wires leading from just one 'output' to 'inputs' of different modules simultaneously...which would be really obnoxious if not impossible to do with hardware!

After you have constructed your 'Frankenstein's Monster', open Tassman Player...which is where the real fun begins! Now, all those little icons you used in your construction appear as full-tilt modules...complete with virtual controls: sliders, pan-pots, switches, etc. This is where you will build your sequences (if any!) and adjust all parameters necessary to shape...or mangle...the created sound. The basic window for this GUI looks like a very realistic sheet of blistered metal painted olive-gray. All modules are projected onto this surface in the order you constructed them . Depending on how complex (or insane!) your construction is, you can have up to 8 rows of modules and you can assign any of them to a given row from within the builder to help keep things under visual control. A nice touch is the ability to turn on and off as many of these rows as needed so you can concentrate on a module without getting distracted or confused by everything else. There is even an included player that allows you to import and process pre-recorded .wav files so you're not limited to using a MIDI controller for your sound creations. Finally, there's an included recorder that will save the whole mess as a .wav file you can export to any audio recording program.

Since I was already working on a Neo-Psychedelic instrumental, "Skeleton Dance" for an upcoming webcast I've been asked to guest on, I decided to give Tassman a real-time field test. First, I constructed what I thought would be a serious sound-shredder in the Builder section. Then, I opened the Tassman Player from within Builder and imported the vocal track I had recorded in VST/32. I looped the entire track, hit the 'Play' button and began tweaking the various parameters of the modules I was using. What's really cool is that I could jump back-and-forth between the Builder and Player and add or delete modules and connect them up in whatever twisted way I wanted on-the-fly so I was able to work quickly and concentrate on the creative aspects of this rather than wasting time saving-closing-opening-saving-closing-opening the Builder and Player each time I decided to change something major. Finally, I ended up with a processed vocal track worthy of an industrial-strength meat-grinder, recorded the result and took this track back into VST/32 for final mixing. Nothing could have been easier or quicker...and everything worked! Constructing and processing sequenced tracks was just as fast and simple. In fact, both GUIs and the included on-screen explanations of each module made Tassman a lot more than just 'user-friendly'. It's downright 'idiot-friendly'!

Between all the included modules, excellent print manual, great tutorials, on-screen help, very clear graphical representations of all modules plus a generous library of set-ups and songs from a gang of lunatics, Tassman offers endless creative possibilities at a very reasonable price for beginner and pro, alike...and Version 2.0 promises to be even better!

Do yourself a favor and check this one out!

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