AV-Ylänne has announced the release of a free preset pack for the Zyklop virtual synthesizer by Dawesome.
C-Cassette Synths explores what happens when simple synthesizer oscillator sounds are recorded onto an old C-cassette tape and then brought back into the digital environment. To exaggerate the sonic character of cassette tape, the original oscillator tones were recorded two octaves higher than their intended pitch.
The recordings were captured at 192kHz and then slowed down to quarter speed, lowering the pitch by two octaves. This process enhances the natural imperfections of cassette tape, producing warm, drifting and organic synth tones with a distinct lo-fi and ’80s character.
Four oscillator types were recorded in both mono and stereo: sine, square, saw and wavetable. Each oscillator was recorded at two different octaves. These recordings were then imported into the Zyklop VST and transposed to correct pitch.
After exploring the results, the presets were organized into five categories: bass, keys, lead, pad and pulse. A subtle amount of effects such as OTT, reverb and chorus were used to refine the presets while preserving the character of the original cassette recordings. The goal was to enhance the sound, not transform it.
C-Cassette Synths is available as a free download.
