|
 |
   |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Virtual Synth review
The Germans are definitely on a roll..... This software recreation of the legendary Prophet 5 synth from Sequential Circuits is truly a must-have plug-in. Using the latest modeling techniques, Native Instruments have come up with the most accurate recreation of any synth that we have ever heard. Once again, the detail of their modeling is what makes the difference between it and all the wannabe virtual synths out there. The interface is very easy to use, and is a breeze to program if you've ever had a Pro-One, Prophet 5 or 10. HOW DOES IT SOUND? Ironically, very American....very San Jose...just like the original. It's super fat and creamy, and the filter responds exactly like the original, with the resonance cutting the low end and boosting the top in a way that was unique to the Prophet stuff. For those in the know about the old synths, I'd say the Pro-52's filter is more like the Curtis chip's sound than the SSM chip's (Prophet 5's were originally released as different revisions, that had different hardware filter components). The resonance is really good. It is remarkably warm sounding synth, considering that it is completely digitally generated. It can also get very aggressive with the sync and powerful Poly Mod capabilities. It is actually BETTER for bass sounds than the original...snappier and punchier....more like the sequential Pro-One synth (my first synth, BTW). In our opinion, this plug-in beats a lot of the hardware virtual analog synths, like the Nord Lead, at many types of sounds...it's just a lot beefier sounding. Equally great for Techno, Pop, R&B, Ambient...pretty much any style of music that uses synths. The modeling is so complete that all the original patches are not only included, but the Pro-52 can even receive the sys-ex data from a real Prophet 5! (Sorry cassette interface is not supported :-) CPU POWER It's fairly hungry on the cpu power side, but not bad. I wouldn't recommend multitimbral use on less than 300mhz computer.  BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! What's makes this truly great is all the new things that have been added to the original Prophet's design. For starters, you have up to 32 voices (cpu dependant) and unlimited patch saving. It can be multitimbral by opening up multiple instances of itself. The Filter also has a fully adjustable amount of Keyboard tracking (the original just had an on/off switch). The Pro-52 is an updated version of the Native Instruments Pro-5 software synth, and what has been added takes it to a whole other level. The big sound difference between the two is the delay section. Ho hum....just a delay? Wrong! This is one of the most beautiful and rich sounding multitap/modulation delays I've ever heard, and it makes a huge difference in the overall sound. You see, back in the old days.....nearly everyone who had a Prophet 5 also used a Boss CE-2 chorus pedal and some kind of analog delay pedal or Space Echo with it. The Prophet 5 doesn't really start sounding like a Peter Gabriel/Larry Fast track until you put some analog chorus on it! The delay improves Pad and Lead sounds enormously. Another great function they've added is the Analog knob, which let's you set the amount of analog drift of all the oscillators. This really makes it sound much more analog and gives the synth a lot more possibilities. Also, you now have an External Input function, so that you can use the Pro-52's filter and delay sections as a regular VST audio plug-in! This makes the plug-in worth the price of admission just for the delay and filter alone. Last but not least, they've added a Program name display so that you can see the names of your patches...yeah! If you only buy one virtual synth plug-in, it should be this one. And at this price....it's a no brainer. It will change your mind about software synths forever. For more info go to Native Instruments. Hey.. have you heard about 
|
 |