What I really like about it is it doesn't sound like all the other 1000+ VAs and it shouldn't be since it's and additive synth. It really got its own sound and I like it. It's versatile too, sweet pads, basses, soundscapes anf FXs. It's easy to create subtle or lots of movements. But if you want to create the mega-trance lead maybe you should look elsewhere tough.

I must be in the minority but I like the UI. Clearly it's not the best I've seen/use but I like it.

I really like the sound of it, really. To me it's like a mega-uber version of AD Phosphor. I think people that like the sound of Phosphor or additive synth in general (I'm not talking about additive re-synthesis like in Alchemy here) but want a much more wide sonic palette will really like Blade.

edit: I agree pretty much with all osiris said.

Today I played with the demo of Blade.
Blade has a very special sound for me. It remembers me on the Kawai K 5000.
I own all Rob Papen synths and I am very happy with it. But unfortunately Blade has not the sound that I want to use in my songs.
That does not mean that Blade is a bad synth.
But it seems to be be that I am not a fan of aditive synthesis.

I feel really stupid after i tried this synth. . I have no idea how to use it. Yes, i know there's a manual but with harmor at least i feel like i know what i'm doing without reading the manual. This one is just plain different from my usual experience.

I feel the same way.. too many VA's out there and too few developers that dare to try something different. I don't need 40 different, more or less successful attempts emulating a Minimoog...

Part of it is probably because most people know at least the basics of how to program a (virtual) analog synth, so it's a safe bet. The sound as well as the programming technique are familiar. Other synthesis technologies require completely different methods of programming which might scare away users. Either that or you have to implement a dumbed-down interface with too few parameters.

Going to play around with the demo version to see if it strikes the perfect balance between flexibility and ease of use.

Got a commercial bank on the way for this REAL soon

Blade is a harmonically rich sounding synth and we enjoyed doing presets for it .It does take a while to adjust to its sound controls but offers many new features and amazing modulation controls .I think it fits very nicely in the Papen stable
Cheers:-)

I bought this about 10 minutes after trying the demo. Truly new and creative sounds. I have no problem with GUI really.

What really strikes me though is the way this oscillator works. First off, the default patch is NOT a saw tooth!!. It's a pulse that looks like the 1/x function (if you remember your calculus). Second, Although it's additive, you don't actually edit the individual partials.

For starers, try turning the timbre knob to max then hop through those timbre types. I find that works as easy as a subtractive synth!!

I just demoed it.

It's not really my cup of tea soundwise, tbh, but that is not a quality issue just a matter of taste.

I like the esay mode with less controls.
In this mode I was also able to get along with the GUI, which in normal mode is terrible. I must put my face like 30 cm in front of the screen to be able to read the controls in normal mode. The color scheme isn't eye-fiendly to me.

I'll pass. Not looking for a softsynth atm and like I said not really my style soundwise, but surely a quality product.
Last edited by darsho on Thu Mar 29, 2012 11:58 am; edited 1 time in total

don't get your point. You can tweak the synth...

I did that sort of blue color on a synth and people HATED it. I don't think dev's realize: when doing your GUI's, do them on VGA connected monitors. My monitor's HD, no problem. The aforementioned synth, I'd done on a DVI hookup(like HDMI). It looked great!. But then I opened it on the VGA connected monitor and even though it's LCD the difference was stunning (and not in a good way)
That being said, I accidently downloaded the actual synth from my account, not realizing the demo was on the front page. I can tell you the demo is half the size of the actual synth, so we're probably only getting half the picture of what this synth can really do.

I have not tried it.
But the sound demos do not seem to match up to the specs, if you know what I mean. It reads like a monster.
The XY pad seems pretty cool, feature wise.

But,
What in the hell is the deal with the knife blades?
I mean that is just outrageous.
Its almost beyond funny and just shocking.


Funny you should say that!
To me this looks like the result of an attempt to advertise to fifteen year olds, failed miserably. The fifteen year olds are laughing harder than we are.

Everything about this synth reads "fail" to me. The name... RP, the chaps at NI are probably laughing at you. Blade? I cut your Blade with a Razor!

http://www.youtube.com/user/NativeInstruments/featured?ad=70 99629613&kw=vst&feature=pyv&v=gbuZVcw3ZiM

That, as they say, is how it's done. Don't want to run Reaktor?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af0_00HKA24&list=PL8298A40B57 C9E76F&index=1&feature=plpp_video

I don't know who they think will be impressed by this synth, but man it seems half baked. Maybe the demo is better than those example tracks, but I can't imagine why you wouldn't show off your instrument's best face. I know others will say, "Demo it and see!" but time is valuable and if they can't get it to sound good, I doubt I could do better.

No way it's that bad under the worst speculations, The demo has only 1 sound bank. The full version comes with 10 banks with one of them made by rob lee. I can hear allot of sounds that I never heard with Razor, although I like Razor.

The new thing that I don't think I saw before, is the ability to record the XY movement. This gives allot of movement to the sounds and is just what I want for evolving pads.

My only complain so far is that there are only 2 effects sections although there are 27 different effects types.

Well, that's your opinion... man. I'm not going by the actual demo, which is somehow crippled with a lack of presets? WTF? I'm going by their demo tracks, which sound terrible to me. You can't argue that point. I wouldn't bother wasting my time downloading and installing their demo based on their example tracks.

I have to agree here, I don't like the demos either.

I'm glad I bought it though, because the synth is some thing else.