Plugin Boutique has published a new Top 5 Friday video with a round-up of some of the best futuristic virtual synthesizer plugins of 2019.
5. Aparillo (Sugar Bytes)
This plugin synth brings its digital stylings to more than one platform, being available both as a traditional plugin and on iOS.
Aparillo gets its tones from FM synthesis, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it, with abstract symbols used to represent controls.
The thing that really blasts Aparillo off into space, though, is the Orbiter panel. This is a visual modulation editor that arranges those symbols around a centre, where they can move around through editable paths to change the sound.
Elsewhere, Aparillo’s effects section includes a Spatializer, a multi-mode filter, polyphonic auto-panning, delay and reverb,
4. Quanta (Audio Damage)
This stereo granular synthesizer gives up to 100 grains per synth voice, and allows randomisation and modulation of the granular sampling parameters.
Drop a sample into either one of Quanta’s oscillators, and go to work on the rate, pitch, direction, shape, length, panning, source and level, to truly whip any sample combination into a unique new texture. Quanta’s ‘sidecar oscillator’ is also on hand for thickening the sound and combining with your samples.
The forward-looking Quanta is also equipped with MIDI Polyphonic Expression, Tuning options, dual-mode filters, and infinite-waveshape modulators to mess with any aspect of the sound.
3. Cypher 2 (FXpansion)
The recently updated version of FXpansion’s original Cypher synth, Cypher 2 is all about expression, with its MIDI Polyphonic Expression support that works with keyboards that perform per-note modulation.
Cypher 2 has complex oscillators with FM, filter-waveshapers, a choice of 30 effects, FXpansion’s Transmod modulation system, a scalable interface, and preset morphing. You can morph between waveforms, too, and also turn them immediately into LFOs of the same shape.
2. Zone (Audiaire)
With this synth, you get 151 wavetables, 22 effects, and a 32-step sequencer… but the most interesting thing about Zone is that it features a sequencer for every parameter on the whole synth – whether you’re controlling oscillator properties, effects parameters, or global controls.
Each sequencer can be run at a different speed, you get as many of them as you want to add, and you can also choose from 100 preset step setups.
With all this, Zone is a unique, animated synth that can get you to the same sonic place in a different way, or get you to entirely new audio environments.
1. VPS Avenger (Vengeance-Sound)
If there’s one synth that truly pushed things into the future, it’s Avenger – this monster is a completely huge synth that takes it to the max in every way.
You get eight oscillator sources in Avenger, and you get to choose what each slot is stocked with. Yes, choices include analogue-style synth waveforms, but also custom oscillator shapes, wavetables, draw-your-own, resampling, samples and multisamples, feedback synthesis, FM synthesis, granular, and – get this – even an entire drum machine.
Avenger’s effects section is also pretty massive. You get four racks, plus a send and a master rack, with eight effects each, and you get to fill those with a choice of 30 types. Each oscillator can move through the different effects in a different way, so you could choose not to send your drums through the flanger, but still through the rest of the loaded effects.
This synth is huge, and will probably be massive for years to come as well. With the ability to create an entire track in Avenger, if you wanted to, this is a synth for the ages.
Check out these and many other popular virtual synthesizers at Plugin Boutique.
