KVR Audio

xx JPRacer xx · Post by **xx JPRacer xx** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 2:29 am

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.

Gucky · Post by **Gucky** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 7:00 am

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.

xamido · Post by **xamido** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 7:11 am

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.

JimmiG · Post by **JimmiG** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:56 am

xx JPRacer xx wrote: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 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.

GeorgeZ · Post by **GeorgeZ** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 9:47 am

Got a commercial bank on the way for this REAL soon

risome · Post by **risome** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:52 am

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:-)

S0lo · Post by **S0lo** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 3:41 pm

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!!

darsho · Post by **darsho** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:14 pm

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.

Igro · Post by **Igro** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 7:14 pm

Caine123 wrote:the other audio demo sounds unimpressive too in this generation, why bother with this if you can get massive. well im waiting for other new audio demos.

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

osiris · Post by **osiris** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 7:34 pm

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.

highkoo · Post by **highkoo** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:26 pm

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.

miedex wrote:If I saw this on the first of April I would consider myself April fooled. The intended demographic might be 15 year old's.

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.

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 9:22 pm

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!

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

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.

S0lo · Post by **S0lo** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:06 pm

zerocrossing wrote: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!

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.

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 11:15 pm

S0lo wrote:
zerocrossing wrote: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!
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.

S0lo · Post by **S0lo** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 11:43 pm

zerocrossing wrote:I'm going by their demo tracks, which sound terrible to me. You can't argue that point.

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.

Rob Papen Blade is now available