How do they sound? In one word, amazing! It should be noted that 100% replication of an analogue synth through Being cloud based also gives the ability to push-out updatesĪnd new additions to the plugin range, at no extra cost to the user. Roland have also added some new excellent newįeatures to the instruments not found on the originals. Split into several categories such as Essentials, Flavr and AIRA. In Roland Cloud they are referred to as the Legendary series. What is Roland Cloud exactly? In short, a range of instrument plugins designed to look and sound exactly the Unfortunately, most of these classic units were discontinued in the 80s and 90s, and now fetch astronimical prices. Many of dance music’s early hits were produced using these classic machines. Roland Cloudįor most electronic producers and knowledgeable dance music fans, names such as TR-808, SH-101 and Juno-106 are
In addition, there is an update to Analog Lab, which offers a great value way of accessing the patch library of the entire collection for a fraction of the price.
The Jupiter being one of the most iconic of all legendary synths that, up until now, Arturia have struggled to totally nail. These new additions to the collection open up the sonic spectrum to incorporate a vocoder, another Roland classic, a filth-machine in the form of Oberheim’s OB-Xa, crunchy sampled weirdness and a much improved update to the Jupiter 8. In the 8th instalment in the heralded V Collection Arturia have improved the accuracy of synth engines throughout, while adding new legends to the offering: There are more legendary synths to choose from than you could shake a stick at, even if you had a stick-sjhaking machine and an endless supply of miltary-grade twigs. So if you’re in love with the sounds of classic synths, pianos and organs from yesteryear, such as the Minimoog, SEM Oberheim, Roland Juno-106, Buchla Easel, ARP 2600 or just about any legendary synth you can mention, Arturia V Collection could be everything you need. Looking back to move forwards is sometimes a shrewd move, particularly in music. Think of it like adding a polyphonic sequencer to each oscillator, with each step being a remapped modulation source attached to any synth parameter of your choice. It’s wonderful for adding textures to tracks, and can also produce intricate and idiosyncratic leads, basses, pads and much more. Combining wavetable synthesis with spectral modulation of every conceivable parameter, it’s visually arresting, and capable of intense, evolving digital synthesis.
Alongside impressive modulation developments within Ableton Live 11, and the above-mentioned Equator, Vital Audio must be reckoned with. Modulation could be the name of the game for 2021’s synth winners. Apply modulation to aftertouch or an MPE keyboard and a world of intesnse expression awaits, transforming the routine into the radical! Vital Audio Suddenly simple synth sounds start to evolve and augment in weird and wonderful ways.
So while you have 3 oscillators, a multitude of FX, LFOs, waveshapes and all manner of envelopes, plus sampler instruments galore, Equator comes to life when you start patching modulation sources. It’s clearly designed for use with ROLI hardware, but is nevertheless a breathtaking synth in isolation. Not only creating a range of MPE-enabled expressive controllers such as Seaboard, they have also crafted a stunning polyphonic VST Instrument to boot. The pioneering developers behind ROLI have been busy. We dig deep to find the best VST instruments for 2021. While totally awesome, it can make it hard to choose the right ones. There is now an extraordinary wealth of incredible plugin instruments available to the everyday music producer. While 2020 may go down as the worst year since wartime, one upside is the blooming music production eco-system.
Thanks to increasing demand and technological advances, today’s market is flooded with the kinds of plugin instruments, FX units and time-saving software that would have been seen as impossibly advanced just a few years ago.