For anyone new to modular synthesis Tal-Mod makes it much easier to get to grips with than most. A myriad of routing posibilities , patching cables etc is much more simply laid out here , which can to say the least become extremely complex . Not he best looking GUI but does have custom color skins available, orange is pretty cool. Great sounding synth and well worth getting into!
TAL-Mod is a virtual analog synthesizer with an exceptional sound and almost unlimited modulation possiblities. Its special oscillator model is able to create a wide range of sounds, from classic mono to rich stereo leads, effects and pads.
Routings can be done with virtual patch cables. Just connect a modulation output with a modulation target. After that it's possible to adjust the intensity of the modulation. You don't need to be a modular expert. The plug-in is suitable for beginners and experts!
Features
3 oscillators with optional saw, pulse, triangle and sine waveforms.
1 additional noise oscillator with adjustable color.
2 high quality analog sounding resonance filters with different modes (LP, HP, Notch, All Pass, BP).
Different filter routing possiblities (parallel and serial). With the possiblity to choose the oscillator sources.
Full stereo signal path.
FM / RingMode support.
2 oscillators support hard sync for saw, pulse, triangle waveforms.
Create stereo sounds and rich harmonics with additional oscillators (up to 7 sound generators per oscillator for osc I and osc II).
2 lfo's with different waveforms, sync, trigger, unipolar modes and the possibility to modulate the rate.
3 adsr's.
Modulation envelope with spline or optional step mode. Trigger and host sync mode.
Almost unlimited modulation possibilities with patch cable routing.
Optional sequencer or arpeggiator.
Basic effects: high pass filter, chorus, eq, reverb and delay.
Mono and polyphonic mode.
Microtuning support.
Resizable UI.
You choose your favorite UI colors.
And a lot more...
An amazing synth with absolutely amazing sounds. If your looking for some unique and out of this world sounds........look no further!
Aalto is a semi-modular software synthesizer with an innovative, patchable UI, distinctive sounds, and a charming personality
Aalto's sound engine lets you create sounds that have been difficult or impossible to make with softsynths before now. The heart of Aalto is a Buchla-inspired complex oscillator, with FM, timbre and waveshape controls that enable a wide range of expressive sounds. These sounds are uniquely malleable and alive, in part because they are made with dynamic calculation, not static wavetables.
Aalto is designed as much for sequencing patterns as for playing individual notes. Each voice has a separate, built-in sequencer with a patchable, independently controllable rate and offset that make it easy to achieve evolving, chaotic textures.
Each voice also includes a lowpass gate module with a vactrol emulation in the control path. The vactrol equation slows down the response to incoming control signals through a complex nonlinear filter. You can turn the vactrol response down to instantaneous, or up to a pronounced ring.
Following the lowpass gate is a patchable waveguide / delay module with a waveshaper and a peaking EQ built into the feedback loop. Because it has such short and controllable delay times, unlike a typical analog delay, it can be used as an additional oscillator or waveguide.
Aalto's filter is a state-variable topology with mixable simultaneous outputs, tuned to have a similar range to an Oberheim SEM filter. (Though I couldn't resist turning up the resonance just a little more.)
Subjectively speaking, Aalto can make a wide range of sounds, from lush to edgy, including some very complicated ones, without sounding too thick in a mix. Aalto's sounds are not hyped or confined, they are wide-range, open and natural. We hope our approach will appeal to experienced sound designers who have their own favorite EQs and limiters. And for those just getting into synthesis, Aalto is an accurate and honest tool for learning. We have tried to make Aalto a deep instrument that will reward lasting engagement.
Aalto's manual (included) has over 50 pages full of Aalto lore, tips and tricks, and a complete introduction to patching synthesis!
Probably my go to synth for almost everything. Exceptional sound quality, layout and routing. Zebra can be simple or extremely deep , with endless possibilities. One of my favourite features are the 4 customizable x y pads and the comb filters.
Some synthesizers are household names (relatively speaking). You'll find them piled high on retailers' shelves, and their developers spend loads of cash on marketing.
Others, however, have a much lower profile and have to be actively sought out. Initially favoured only by those in the know, their popularity gradually widens via word of mouth. You won't find these products in your local music store – they exist slightly beneath the radar.
Zebra is a perfect case in point. Urs Heckmann (the main man at u-he) began by developing products for discerning Mac users, but such was the buzz surrounding the first version of Zebra that a PC version was all but inevitable.
Overview
And now it's here: Zebra 2 is cross-platform and supports the AU and VST formats. Furthermore, MacIntel owners will be glad to know that it's a Universal Binary, too.
For those who missed it first time around, Zebra is a 'wireless' modular synthesizer that combines a variety of synthesis techniques under one roof.
Though it's primarily fueled by subtractive analogue synthesis features, intrepid explorers will also discover FM and additive elements hiding beneath the user interface.
Its flexibility means that it's capable of producing richer, more complex sounds than you'll get from a standard subtractive analogue emulation.
Installation is as easy as it gets – it's simply a matter of copying the plug-in files into the appropriate folders on your hard drive.
It sould be noted that the main Zebra synth is but one of three plug-ins that comprise the package, the other two being the nifty Zebralette and the ZRev reverb plug-in (see the Bringing up baby boxout for more).
These might be free bonuses, but they're still of the quality we've come to expect from u-he. When you open Zebra 2 for the first time, you have to enter your name and a series of numbers.
That's all there is to the copy protection, but don't even think about using an unauthorised copy: u-he have devised something rather special for the bootleggers – if you install a dodgy copy of Zebra 2, the software's interface will eventually start to melt away in front of you!
Tecnically speaking, Zebra 2 is semi-modular. Although the included modules can be installed and patched as you like, there is a limit to how many of each you can use.
However, when you consider that you can load up to four oscillators and four FM oscillators, four of each style of envelope generator and four LFOs, there's plenty of sonic power on offer. The oscillators offer full waveshaping and up to 16 user-definable waves.
Additionally, there's a Spectral Editor that throws additive synthesis (with an unlimited number of waveforms) into the works. Once you've shaped your waves to taste, you can drop in up to four different filters with which to chip away at them.
There are 19 filter types to be had, and all of the usual suspects are included. In fact, there are nine different low-pass filters, not to mention comb filtering, ring modulation and more. We should also mention that Zebra 2 sports no less than 28 modulation sources.
These include the LFOs, obviously, but more importantly, multistage envelope generators that can be synced to the host sequencer's tempo. If you feel more inclined to use traditional ADSR-style envelopes, there's a quartet of those too.
Other key features include flexible effects processors and a modulation matrix. Predictably, one of the Play Modes is an arpeggiator, and there are also legato, polyphonic and step sequencer modes.
Sounds
We simply don't have the space to describe all of Zebra 2's many magnificent tools, but we have to give a special mention to the supplied preset patches.
There are hundreds of them in the package and most of them are a cut above what we're used to finding in a factory bank.
Some of the patches are of the 'song on a key' variety, while others are more utilitarian. Most importantly, a significant number of them inspired lengthy jam sessions during the review process.
In fait, we were having so much fun that we almost missed our print deadline! Put bluntly, Zebra 2 kicks some serious stripey ass – we were hard-pressed to find anything wrong with the thing at all.
The sound is superb – it easily matches (and usually exceeds) almost any other synth you could name. Whether you're looking for punchy, analogue basses or swirling, evolving pads, this is a powerful yet intuitive solution that's as simple or as complex as you want it to be.
Our only minor grumble concerns the lack of a dedicated manual; we like u-he's ever-expanding instructional blog, but it isn't much good for people who keep their DAWs offline.
This slight reservation aside, Zebra 2 is a masterpiece, and at just under two hundred bucks, it's thoroughly deserving of full marks. Review from Musicradar
