Rob Papen, the author of the already known virtual synth Albino, creates BLUE, a new highly versatile virtual synthesizer in VST and RTAS format capable of reproducing any type of synthetic sound possible, from the old Moog style to the most modern additive, subtractive, Phase Distortion, Frequency Modulation and Waveshaping.
Its strong point: ease of use.
Overview:
Rob Papen, Dutch, born in 1964, passionate about synthesizers since the age of fifteen and recently entered the world of DSP programming for digital audio workstations, has already become famous in the VST environment thanks to another creation still distributed today also in Italy by Midiware, the virtual synth Albino. This year Rob offers us another amazing synth with really surprising sonic possibilities, graphically simple and effective, very easy to program and with a very powerful sound; even the name is nice: BLUE. (Fig 1) In "synthesis", it is a clever mixing of different techniques, among which we find the possibility of additive thanks to its 6 oscillators rich in different waveforms, subtractive thanks to the two multi-mode filters, frequency modulation and phase distortion (remember the Casio CZ-1?). At this point it is imperative to give a warning: BLUE could induce strong addiction, do not fidget during use and program in moderate doses! Technically speaking: In the upper part of the interface, the section dedicated to the six oscillators (Fig 2), of which the first two also offer control over Pulse Width Modulation and Symmetry around zero-crossing. Oscillators two to six can be modulated in frequency having one of the other oscillators as modulating (but does the DX7 have something to do with it? Maybe!), While all the oscillators can be "deformed", through the shape control, by a free-hand graphic waveshaper or phase distortion.
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Finally, on each oscillator there is the possibility to choose the basic waveform among the many proposals, the pitch, the response to the midi velocity, the destination and the key-tracking. Immediately below the oscillator section there are the two multimode filters, at 6, 12, or 24 dB on octave, low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, notch, vocal formant, ring mode or comb. The latter two, quite unique and rare to find on similar synths, are respectively a ring modulation filter and a comb-filter, like those used in physical modeling synthesis techniques. The two filters can be connected in series or in parallel and offer pre-filtering distortion. The bottom of the interface (Fig 3) has a large blue display that graphically shows all the parameters related to programming, including the algorithms for connecting the six oscillators for frequency modulation (yes, the DX7 has something to do with it!), the waveshapers settings and phase distortion, AHDSFR (Attack, Hold, Decay, Sustain, Fade, Release) envelopes, multi-point envelopes, LFOs, modulation matrix, step sequencer, global sequencer, effects and general settings. In addition there is a page called “easy” which allows simple and quick variations on the timbre without the need to go into details. Each of the elements of the synth is not only studied in detail, but is as complete as possible and easy to understand even for those who are not familiar with such complete and complex synths. A clear example is given by the graphic envelopes that allow you to create response curves simply by moving and modeling the points and segments with the mouse. The sound: In principle, the overall sound of BLUE is nice "big" and clean at the same time, and it proves that it does not want to be the usual simulation of an analog synthesizer of the past, but it has a real personality of its own, a digital sound as well as very musical and present; the oscillators have no aliasing effect and the filters do not create unwanted distortions, all the internal processing is 32-bit with switchable oversampling up to 4x in real time. There are quite a few presets, ranging from deep bass to leads for techno, motion pads with absurd sequences, sweet and melodic sounds, heavy and deafening sounds, in short, it would be enough to stop and listen only to the presets to understand how many things you can do with this fabulous synth. But the best thing about BLUE is precisely its ability that I would define "hands on control", as it is structured so well that it really makes you want to tinker! While I am writing this article, to get the right inspiration, I am listening in headphones to the album "The dark side of the moon" by the legendary Pink Floyd, now I have arrived at "Any color you like" (now I like blue!) But a little while ago I got distracted for a moment by "On the run", do you remember? Who knows how many of us synthesizer freaks have tried in every way to recreate that furious sequence that Waters and Gilmour recorded in 1973 with an EMS Synthi AKS…
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So let's get to work, let's find out what BLUE is made of! Hands on control: Before starting to create my preset I search and immediately find the “Clear” command which completely initializes the current preset allowing me to start programming completely from scratch. At this point I think for a moment what I need to recreate the On the run sequence: then I put a square waveform on oscillator one and a pink noise on oscillator two, a 24dB low-pass on oscillator one and a slight reverb on the two, an eight-step sequence for the square and a modulation to give the rhythm to the pink (floyd) noise. Well, at this point I just have to find the right notes for the sequence and, listening to the original at low speed in Audacity, I go back to these notes: MI-SOL-SI-LA-RE-DO-RE-MI che vado then to program in the BLUE sequencer and that with the pitch values translates into 0, 3, 7, 5, 10, 8, 10, 12. (Fig 4).
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Next I program the step sequence for oscillator two making the first and last accent sound slightly louder. (Fig 5) Now I set the envelopes, very short both for both oscillators, especially for the pink noise, and for the filter decay. (Fig 6) There are only a couple of things to do: I adjust the reverb that affects the percussive sound a bit, and set the play mode on seq on the global page. Since by default everything is already synchronized to host tempo, all I have to do is put the tempo at 166 BPM in my EnergyXT and click the play button.
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Now, for even more fun, I assign the Freq, Q and Env controls of filter one respectively to the LPF, Resonance and HPF knobs on my Yamaha CS2x that I am using as a master, thanks to the Latch to midi function that appears by right clicking on BLUE graphic knobs. (Fig 7) Quiet please, register! I hit the sustain pedal, hit the E of the second octave and start fiddling with the potentiometers. At this point I don't want to make a comparison on the sound, that was a Synthi AKS recorded on a tape One-inch Ampex, this is a VST plug-in, the comparison doesn't hold up. Rather I want to point out how easily and in how little time I was able to recreate this short but mythical sequence that with many other synths I have tried and tried, in the past, without ever obtaining an equally decent result. And since the musician is mainly intent on making music rather than wasting time programming his synths, I believe that the ease of use of an instrument is a fundamental aspect, and BLUE caught us fully on this.
Conclusions:
The installation does not present any particular difficulty, the weight on the CPU is well proportioned to its characteristics, it fully supports host automation, synchronization with host tempo, full MIDI control and has excellent presets management. BLUE seems to be a great choice for those looking for a plug-in that is not sampling based, that is easy to use and that is able to recreate any type of synth from simple subtractive to more complex synthesis models. If we considered only a quarter of its possibilities, namely only two oscillators, a single filter, a single LFO and two ADSRs, I would already recommend it as a possible clone of VA hardware synths such as the Waldorf Q, Nord Lead or Yamaha. AN1x, given the digital but warm sound that these machines have in common. Considering, instead, that it goes far beyond the simple concept of the synth in subtractivity, I would say that it is worth testing it personally and considering it as a future candidate for your software purchases. Finally, on Rob Papen's official forum hosted by the site www.kvraudio.com the author intervenes personally and gladly accepts requests, comments and reports from users. Any future updates are distributed completely free.
