XILS-Lab deserves its reputation as one of the best software synth makers in the industry. They remain a favorite of TabMuse, as evidenced by our previous reviews of XILS 4, PolyM, KaoX, and XILS 505. The XILS team’s analog synth plugin, PolyKB III, provides another winner, with a top-shelf emulation of the legendary RSF PolyKobol […]
Review: AAS has a Modular Synth Winner With Multiphonics CV-1
August 20, 2021 by
The software realm boasts multiple modular synth apps and plugins for both the iOS and desktop platforms. We previously covered miRack and Audulus on iOS; I experimented with other plugins for the desktop as well. The Moog Modular (Arturia version) and Model 15 definitely stand out on PC and mobile respectively. When I heard Applied […]
Review: Summon That Vintage Synth Sound With Rob Papen BIT
October 21, 2019 by
Rob Papen boasts one of the top lines of synth plugins in the music production world. We regularly use Predator 2 on our own projects. It provides an excellent, state of the art sound while also being easy to use. Recently, Rob’s team released BIT, a soft synth focused on those classic vintage sounds of […]
Review: String Studio VS-3 is a Powerful Physical Modeling Synth
March 6, 2019 by
Applied Acoustics Systems continues to be one of the leading lights when it comes to physical modeled synthesizer and effects plugins. We previously covered their Objeq Delay and Objeq effects: the former for the desktop and the latter on the iOS platform. They are both able to transform basic sounds into something otherworldly, as evidenced […]
Review: XILS 4 Brings Tim Blake’s Crystal Machine Synth to Your Desktop
January 24, 2019 by
The folks at XILS-lab continue to amaze with realistic synth plugins emulating classics from those halcyon days of analog yore. We previously reviewed their PolyM, a great take on the Polymoog. This time out, our eyes and ears are trained on XILS-4, inspired by the setup of Tim Blake, legendary synth-master of those psychedelic spacerock […]
Review: PolyM offers a Great Polymoog Emulation
August 24, 2017 by
The Polymoog remains one of the most underrated Moog synthesizers. Gary Numan used it to great effect in the late 70s, but its complex design led to a poor reliability factor, with Dave Smith’s Prophet 5 ultimately winning the polyphonic analog race. XILS-Labs’ recently released emulation – the PolyM – brings the olde beast back […]
Review: Predator 2 continues the Rob Papen Synth Tradition
July 10, 2017 by
Rob Papen Predator has been a leading software synthesizer for years, known for its excellent virtual analog sound and an intuitive user interface. Needless to say, the recent release of its successor was highly anticipated throughout the synth plugin world. Predator 2 does not disappoint, with a host of new features to go along with […]
Review: BT Phobos weaves a Deep Tapestry of Sound
June 8, 2017 by
Spawned from the mind of the electronic musician, BT, and brought into reality by the folks at Spitfire Audio, BT Phobos is a software synth offering an innovative take on sound design. A “Polyconvolution” synthesizer, BT Phobos offers a sonic depth especially useful for cinematic applications. Its unique architecture rewards an empirical approach towards patch […]
