Besides a host of creative effect plugins, Safari Audio also offers some fun-character virtual instruments designed for instant inspiration. Aphelion’s Orbit shares his thoughts on the latest addition: Super Chunk.
So Much Fun In A Tiny Package
Super Chunk is one of those plugins that doesn’t ask you to think too hard—it just dares you to grab a knob and see how much low-end your monitors can take. Safari Audio built this thing to be fun, fast, and a little unhinged, and honestly, they nailed it. The whole vibe is “’70s analog monster, but make it stupidly easy,” and that’s exactly what it feels like when you fire it up.
First Impressions
If I didn’t know any better I would think this is one of those developer synths from the KVR developer challenges. Which isn’t a bad thing because I got a lot of mileage out of Easy-muug XT, Easy Jupit8R, Amphetamine, and Casiopeia. Aesthetically, Super Chuck doesn’t say play me, but that’s ok because most of Safari Audio’s products and names never take themselves too seriously. That’s part of the rub with their products.
The idea here is just jump right in and start turning knobs and see what happens. And when that happens, this little synth rocks. There is no deep menu diving, it simply invites you to be adventurous and creative with limited and powerful controls. As a bonus, you even learn something more about synthesizers.
Engine Roar
The triple-oscillator engine is the heart of the chaos:
- Bite for the upper-harmonic snarl
- Sub for the floor-shaking weight
- Chunk for that thick, woody mid glue that makes everything feel alive
Stack them, detune them, abuse them—Super Chunk just keeps giving you that “oh damn” bass energy.
Then there’s the modern sauce: a Drive that goes from warm to “call the neighbors and apologize,” a Ring Mod that can get metallic and weird in the best way, and built-in vibrato, glide, and spring reverb for an instant vibe. It’s all the stuff you’d normally have to patch together, but here it’s just… there.
The sleeper feature is the “Geeky Glasses” modulation system. It sounds cute, but it’s actually powerful—set a target, let the ADSR push things around, and suddenly you’ve got movement that feels way more complex than the effort you put in. It’s modulation without the homework.
The Driving Force — Smooth Ladder, Dirty Attitude
Super Chunk uses a ladder-style filter, which gives it that classic analog smoothness. But the real fun is the dedicated Drive stage built into the filter section — it’s not just a gain boost, it’s a saturating circuit that can go from warm to “I’m sorry, neighbors.”
This is where the synth stops pretending to be vintage and starts acting like a modern problem.
Ring Mod, Vibrato, Glide, Spring Reverb — The Sauce Bar
Safari threw in a handful of effects that normally require extra plugins:
- Ring Mod with independent pitch + amount (great for metallic chaos)
- Vibrato with rate + depth for analog drift
- Spring Reverb for instant retro space
- Glide & Legato for expressive mono lines
It’s basically a built-in vibe machine.
Sound Quality
And the best part? Super Chunk isn’t polite. It’s not trying to be your clean, well-behaved synth. It wants to go low, go loud, and make you grin like an idiot while you shake the room. Safari even says that outright, and they’re not lying.
But it’s not Moog?
That’s the point of this product. It’s not a Moog emulation though it has Moog-like tones and characteristics. If a closer 1 to 1 sound characteristic is the approach you’re looking for there are other choices out there.
Pros
- Sound quality.
- Ease of use.
- Experimental fun.
- Presets.
Cons
- High CPU – You may need to bounce to audio track if using multiple instances.
Alternatives
- Miniverse synthesizer by Cherry Audio.
- Moog Minimoog by Universal Audio.
- LittleOne by Xhun Audio.
Final Thoughts
If you want a bass synth that feels immediate, heavy, and just a little wild, Super Chunk is exactly that. It’s the kind of instrument you open “just to test something” and then lose an hour because you found the sound. It’s a mind blowing must take sound trip.
Super Chunk for Windows and Mac (VST3, AU and AAX) is available at an introductory price of $39.99 USD until May 21st, 2026. It is available to purchase at Safari Audio and from distributors such as Plugin Boutique.
