CFA-Sound CableSphere

CableSphere is one of three commercial soundsets for u-he’s ACE, the virtual modular synthesizer plug-in for Windows and Mac.

It’s arrived: CableSphere, the third CFA soundset for U-He ACE.

This collection of carefully selected sounds includes smooth analog sounds, weird fx, groovy and straight sequences and, as a special: wavetable sounds! No, that’s absolutely right: due to it’s mapping generator ACE can use self-drawn wavetables, giving access to completely new sound facettes.

Whereas the first two ACE soundsets tend to focus on dance genres like trance and house, CableSphere is more geared towards ambient, minimal and EDM.

The 64 patches are categorized as follows:

  • 6 x Bass
  • 7 x FX
  • 17 x Pad
  • 18 x Sequence
  • 8 x Synth
  • 8 x Wavetable

Check the CableSphere audio demo below.

So what do I think?

Product: CableSphere by CFA-Sound
Format: h2p patches for u-he ACE
Price: 17.50 EUR excl. VAT (bundled with CableDance & CableForce for 40 EUR excl. VAT)

I really enjoyed Futured Episode 2 Expander for Native Instruments Massive, CFA-Sound’s previous ambient/soundtrack effort. Even though Massive and ACE are two different synths entirely, I was hoping for a similar experience with CableSphere.

Maybe I set myself up for it but when I first checked the CableSphere set I was really disappointed. Not that CableSphere sounded bad, it just didn’t blow me away like the FE2 set did at all.

Overall the sounds are really good, useable and unique, but there is not as much diversity of sounds as I would’ve liked. The pad section includes 17 patches that have quite a few similar sounds. Same goes for the sequences. Highlights for me are some of the plucky synth patches and the wavetable ones. The fx are also really well done.

The second time around I went in with realigned expectations and only then did I realize how unfair I had judged this set of sounds. That amazing fat sound of ACE that I liked so much when I first tried the synth is still there. With CableSphere Martin at CFA-Sound again shows he is a talented sound designer, well capable of delivering quality sounds for any synth.

In short CableSphere is a solid set, but make sure to listen to the audio demo to see if it has the type of sounds you are after. For a more complete array of sounds it might make sense to get the whole Cable series of soundsets instead. Also, don’t forget to get the free CableBass and CableDrum sets featuring 32 sounds each. Again quality sounds, very generous.

More information: CFA-Sound