Roland’s announcement of their SE-02 analog synthesizer caused a buzz throughout the music tech industry. Developed in partnership with the respected synth house, Studio Electronics, the SE-02 is the first release of the Roland Boutique Designer Series, expected to be a more upscale line compared to the original Boutique Series, home to miniaturized, virtual analog versions of the venerable Jupiter-8, TR-909, TB-303 and more.
Zoom in for larger Roland SE-02 knobs! Photo copyright Roland.
While some aficionados are looking forward to its release, other synth grognards complained about the unit’s small size highlighted by the tiny knobs, making it difficult to control in a live or studio situation. The synth architecture is also quite reminiscent of the legendary Minimoog, which made many wonder if the $499 SE-02 would kill the market for Behringer’s soon-come Minimoog clone, which we previously mentioned in passing.
Behringer soon fired off its own counterstrike, by announcing its clone, known as the Behringer D, would be priced at $299 when it hits the market in September, $100 less than previously announced. It looks like we have a Minimoog Clone Price War on our hands!
For its own part, Moog also announced it was discontinuing the reissue of the Minimoog Model D after a year on the market. 45 years after its release, the Minimoog dominates the synth news again!
Unfiltered Audio knows Delay is the Antidote for Anger
Plugin developer, Unfiltered Audio, recently introduced two delay products to the music technology marketplace. Instant Delay is available exclusively through the Plugin Alliance in most standard plugin formats at a price of $49. The delay offers a host of unique features, including a tempo-synced stereo delay where you can offset one channel to the other, or a Jitter knob to introduce a measure of randomness to your sound. Cool stuff!
The other product from Unfiltered Audio is an update to their popular Sandman delay, known as Sandman Pro. This one is also available in the standard plugin formats from the Plugin Alliance for $99, while existing Sandman users can update for $49. Known as the Swiss Army Knife of Delays, Sandman Pro features delay times up to 16 minutes (!!), and a wide range of modes, including multi-tap, reverse, tape, pitch shifting, glitch shifting, and more. A Swiss Army Knife, indeed!
Plugin Alliance enters Partnership with Roli
Roli continues to garner praise for its innovative line of keyboard (and other types of) controllers – I’d love one someday. Recently the company entered into a partnership with the ubiquitous Plugin Alliance, providing purchasers of the unique Roli Blocks, a free copy of the previously mentioned Instant Delay along with a voucher to purchase Sandman Pro for $29. This deal is available until November 25 of this year. Boom!
Softube brings back the Vintage Reel-to-Reel Era
Softube, whose Console 1 Mk II was discussed in our last news digest, recently announced, Tape, a new plugin focused on putting the warm sound of reel-to-reel tape recording into your modern DAW. Tape is available in your favorite plugin format for the price of $99. I was too late in getting this news out in time for their $79 introductory deal. Sorry!
Tape simulates three different tape recorder styles, so experimentation is in order to find something suitable for your production. You are also able to control the plugin’s tape speed and crosstalk amount, adding a bit of vintage color to your mix. Its low CPU footprint means you can add Tape to each channel in your mix with nary a hiccup. Softube looks like they have another winner on their hands!
[…] The small footprint of the Boutique line, in addition to the virtual analog ACB circuitry with the noted exception of the SE-02, seems to bother some Internet denizens. Imagine […]