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Product	Predator
Developer	Rob Papen
Primary Type	Synth (Hybrid)
Price (MSRP)	€149 / $179

Plug-in Formats

Instrument(s)
Effect(s)

Operating System Availability

Operating System	Latest Version	Download	Is it Available?
	1.5.8	Demo / Trial
	1.5.8	Demo / Trial

Miscellaneous Information

Copy Protection	Soft-eLicenser
Banks & Patches	Download Banks
Average User Rating

Fully Compatible

Predator includes powerful features such as Preset Morphing, Intelligent Preset Variation, MIDI and Synth Controllable FX, Unison Detune, Chord Memory and a versatile Arpeggiator. Preset banks include: Hip Hop (NY, Club, DirtySouth and Gfunk), Jump, hardcore, breakbeat, various trance styles, DnB banks and more...

It also includes PredatorFX, allowing you to use the filters, modulations, effects and vocoder as an FX plug-in within your music host.

Features:

Oscillators section:
- 3 Oscillators with 128 waves included Analogue, Additive and Spectral type of waveforms plus pink & white noise generators.
- Oscillator waveform Symmetry control for each oscillator.
- Free running option for each oscillator and Oscillator Syncing of oscillator 2 or 3 to oscillator 1.
- Extended semitone range going from -48 semitones up to +48 semitones.
- Separate octave control and fine-tuning.
- Keyboard tracking on/off for each oscillator.
- Each Oscillator offers Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) using an independent LFO for each oscillator with individual speed and amount controls.
- FM and Ring modulation modes for Oscillator 2 and 3.
- Each oscillator has a PWM square wave Sub-oscillator.
- Spread function for detuned multiple oscillator sound within one Oscillator.
- Volume control for each oscillator and output on/off for Oscillator 1 and 2.
Overall Pitch modulation section:
- Tempo sync-able global Pitch LFO. You can set the amount and also which wave is used for this LFO.
- Pitch bend with separate settings for up and down pitch-bends.
Filter section:
- Main filter is an analogue modelled stereo Multimode Filter, offering 6dB LowPass and HighPass, 12dB, 18dB and 24dB LowPass and HighPass, 12dB and 24dB BandPass, 12dB and 24dB Notch and Comb Filter.
- Pre-filtering distortion with smooth or edgy mode option.
- Easy Filter control by pre-defined Cutoff Frequency modulation controllers: Envelope, Velocity, Key-tracking, LFO and Modulation Wheel.
- Build in Filter Envelope with Attack, Decay, Sustain, Fade and Release.
- Build in Filter LFO with various waveforms, modulation amount control and tempo sync option with speed settings between 16/1 and 1/32t.
- LFO Poly, free or mono mode options.
Filter2 section
- Additional Filter with cutoff control offering 6dB, 12dB and 24dB LowPass or HighPass setting.
Amp section:
- Build in Amp/Volume Envelope with Attack, Decay, Sustain, Fade and Release.
- Volume control.
- Velocity> Volume amount.
- Panning control.
Free modulation section:
Free Envelopes
- 2 Envelopes with Attack, Decay Sustain, Fade and Release.
- Option to control the Envelopes times using "velocity" or "key played".
- Modulation Amount Envelope 1&2 and amount control for Envelope 1.
- 44 modulation destinations.
Free LFOs
- 2 LFO's with various waveforms.
- Tempo sync option with speed settings between 16/1 and 1/32t.
- Poly, free or mono mode options.
- Modulation Amount LFO 1&2 and amount control for LFO 1.
- 44 modulation destinations.
Free Modulation Matrix
- 4 free modulation routings.
- 28 modulation sources.
- 44 modulation destinations.
- Secondary modulation source & control.
Play modes section:
- Poly / Mono / Mono2 / Legato / Arp / Unison2 / Unison4 / Unsion6 synthesizer play modes.
- Portamento featuring constant rate/constant time or held(legato) constant rate/constant time.
- Unison detune amount, if Predator is in Unison2, Unison4 or Unsion6 mode.
- 8 note Chord memory, saved within the preset.
- Demo C3 button to preview sounds.
Arpeggiator section:
- 16 step arpeggiator, which can be used as a step sequencer or as modulation source.
- Arpeggiator patterns can be 1-16 steps long.
- Speed setting of 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, 3/2, 2, 3 and 4x BPM.
- Up, down, up/down, down/up, random, ordered, reverse ordered, ordered up/down, ordered down/up, chord and modulation mode.
- 1-4 octaves settings.
- Overall step length.
- Swing amount.
- Slide amount for sliding steps.
- Velocity control knob which mixes between keyboard (MIDI) velocity input and the steps velocity settings.
- Each step has on/off, Tie, Slide, Tune, Velocity and Free row.
- Tie modes normal or special which allows Slide, Tune, Velocity and Free settings inside a step if that step is set to Tie.
- Arpeggiator Latch which can be controlled by the MIDI sustain pedal.
- You can load, save, copy, paste and reset arpeggiator patterns, so you can reuse them in different presets.
Advance section:
- Adjustable Analogness setting to simulate the instability of vintage analogue synthesizers.
- Global Tuning.
- Attack Shape. This changes the curvature of Predator's envelopes attack stage. From exponential to linear to logarithmic.
- Decay/Release Shape. This Changes the curvature of Predator's envelopes decay and release stages. From exponential to linear to logarithmic.
- Velocity Shape. Changes Predator's velocity curvature. From exponential to linear to logarithmic.
- Over-sampling mode: Sets the over-sampling from 1x / 2x / 4x / 8x / 16x.
- Over-sampling filter on/off: optional post-over-sampling lowpass filter.
- Audio input selector >FX or >Filter (PredatorFX only).
- Audio input gain control (PredatorFX only).
- Synth Amp Hold on/off. Turn off the PredatorFX's Amp envelope and so the sound plays without changing volume. (PredatorFX only).
- All advance settings are saved within each individual preset.
- External controller hardware (fader-box or synth) settings can be saved and restored.
Overall:
- 16-voice polyphony.
- Parameter read-out field at lower right corner.
- Help function for most controls.
FX section:
- HQ effects blocks in serial mode.
- Available effects: Mono Delay, Stereo Delay, Comb, Reverb, Chorus, Chorus/Delay, Flanger, Phaser, Wah/Delay, Distortion, Low Fi, Amp Simulator with 5 models, Waveshaper, Stereo Widener, Autopan, Gator, Vocoder, FX multi-filter, 5 Band Equalizer, Compressor and Ensemble.
- Midi tempo based settings in most effects.
- 2 FX modulation sources for connecting MIDI or synth controls to FX parameters.
Preset section:
- Uses sound banks composed of 128 presets.
- Preset handling with copy, paste, clear and compare function.
- All settings included the Advance panel settings are stored inside each preset.
- Presets are stored in clear categories.
- Four 'Preset variation' buttons with amount control of the variation.
- Preset morphing with amount control to morph between two presets within the selected bank.

All KVR Audio news items relating to Predator.

Voltage Disciple releases "Vol 1" for Predator	30th June 2010
Muse Research announces 3 New RECEPTOR Bundles in partnership with Vir2 Instruments, GForce Software and Rob Papen	24th May 2010
Pro-Sounds releases Tau Trance for Predator	20th April 2010
Rob Papen updates Predator for Mac to v1.5.8	16th March 2010
Rob Papen updates Predator for Windows to v1.5.8	12th March 2010
Rob Papen updates Predator to v1.5.7	18th February 2010
Sonic Elements releases Pandora for Predator	3rd February 2010
Dance Midi Samples releases MRFX RAW: Rob Papen Predator Soundset	21st January 2010
TeamDNR releases Xenos Dubstep/D+B Volume 2 for Rob Papen's Predator	16th November 2009
Rob Papen updates RG (1.1.2), SubBoomBass (1.0.3), Predator (1.5.6) and RP-Verb (1.0.2)	14th October 2009
Time+Space announces the Rob Papen Power Tools Collection	9th July 2009
Rob Papen updates Predator to v1.5.5	9th July 2009
Time+Space announces Special Offers for July	2nd July 2009
Rob Papen updates Blue to v1.8.1, Predator to v1.5.1 and RG to v1.0.1.	2nd October 2008
Rob Papen updates Predator to v1.5 and Blue to v1.8	19th August 2008
Rob Papen's Predator and BLUE for Receptor updated	28th July 2008
Time+Space launches competition to win Rob Papen's RG (+Albino, Blue and Predator too)	4th April 2008
Time+Space announces Special Offers for April	2nd April 2008
Rob Papen announces Predator v1.5	12th March 2008
Rob Papen Albino 3, BLUE and Predator all now available for Receptor	27th July 2007
Rob Papen updates Predator to v1.1	2nd July 2007
Rob Papen releases Predator	12th March 2007
Rob Papen announces Predator	18th January 2007

User Reviews by KVR Members for Predator.

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By emotica
On 8th May 2010
Version: 1.5.8

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emotica

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Sound

Features

Docs

Presets

Support

VFM

Stability

I was looking for a good go-to-synthesizer for all my needs in the studio and I ended up with buying Predator.

Interface:
The best one out there in my opinion. Everything, beside 2 sub-pages (arpeggiator and advanced settings), can be accessed at one single page interface. The overall layout is clean and simple. Since I had already some experience with different synthesizers I think even beginners will quickly get into the handling.

Sound:
Very good sound thats all I can say. Even with just one oscillator turned on you get nice results immediately. The best thing about Predator is the width of possibilities when creating sounds. Most of the va-synths I know just have the standard waveforms like saw, square, triangle and sine. Predator offers you a range of 128 different waveforms, including spectral waveforms and loads of different vox waveforms. This makes him outstanding for me, as someone who likes to create his own sounds. Also having a sub-oscillator for each oscillator is a unique feature.

Features:
It comes with a PredatorFX version of it. This way you can use all the build-in effects also as an insert in your DAW. All of them are good and the reverb is one of the best build-in reverbs I know.

Another top feature for me are the variation options. You got 4 different variation modes, randomizing different parameters of a sound by an amount you can select. The results of those variations are always useful, and you dont turn up with useless sounds, where the volumne is set to 0 or other, weird "randomizer issues" you sometimes get with other tools.

Morphing completes the package, where you can select 2 sounds and morph between them by a certain amount, bringing up also nice and new results.

Presets:
I think they are around 2.000 presets for every style you can imagine and all of them are very useful and inspiring. After browsing trough them, I instantly recognized some sounds I know from some productions I really like.

Documentation:
A decent pdf-manual. If you click on the "?" on the Predator GUI, a help file gonna open up, which even gets you a better overview.

Customer Support:
Rob Papen got his own forum here at KVR and I see him posting here daily, helping out people having problems or bugs.

Value For Money:
For what you get, the price is unbeatable. A workhorse for all your subtractive (and beyond) synthesis needs, with new sounds in no time, more presets than I ever saw in any other synth and some great build-in effects.

Stability:
Not one single crash here in the time I've been using it so far.

All I can say, after owning it for 3 weeks now is that I already have nearly 2 banks full of custom made sounds by myself. I never was getting into any synth as quick and easy as into Predator. It can sound very soft, warm, fat, harsh, whatever you want it to sound like. With all those features on top, I never had one single moment playing around with it, not having a smile on my face.

Last edited by emotica on 8th May 2010

By ozmoz2008
On 18th June 2009
Version: 1.5

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ozmoz2008

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First, this VST synth has an excellent sound quality and a very nice playability. The presets are well done and there are plenty of them.

I have work with many different VST, and often when looking for that special bass sound or nice lead type sound, predator did the job. I do a lot of soundtracks and sound quality is a very important factor for me, but also the "organic" feel of a sound, a sound that is not too static or muddy. Predator is everything but this.

The user interface is pretty straight forward and really easy to program. There is some nice effects in it and some great morphing possibilities, also very fast and easy to adjust in real-time.

The documentation is complete...no need to go further much into details, IMO.

Customer support is great; very fast response both on their site and on KVR. They really rocks on that side!

Predator is worth every penny, after all it's really not expensive considering what it does and all the presets that are included. It is also very stable, it has never crash and never got some holding blank GUIs like some other VSTs.

One of my favorite so far....Good job Rob and everyone else that worked on it!
Should be in top 10 for sure!

By Xenos
On 10th June 2009
Version: 1.5

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Xenos

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I was fortunate to get an assignment from Rob Papen to create a new soundbank for his Predator synthesizer, of which I was given a copy to work with. Honestly, I way underestimated this synth! Do not be fooled by Predator's comparatively low cost in comparison to Rob Panpen's other synths. This puppy has TONS of neat tricks and secrets hiding under the hood which are not readily apparent until you sit down and spend some quality time with it.

User Interface:

Very convenient layout. Everything is neatly orgainized into sections, which makes learning all the functions much more intuitive. Predator is actually quite a complex beast compressed into a relatively small space and there are quite a lot of options within the modulation and LFO sections. Clicking on a slot in the free modulation area will bring up a large menu, both for modulation sources and modulation desinations. I like this a lot better than having everything all on the screen at once.

Sound:

This is where Predator shines. You can create sounds that sit very well in the back of a mix and also sounds that slice through it like a hot knife through butter. The sound quality is most certainly professional and I have no complaints here. Predator has it's own unigue quality and a very modern sound. It does not pretend to be an emulation of an analog synth or a Virus, but what it does do, it does very, very well. I would recommend Predator as a great go-to synth in your arsenal. This isn't just a Trance synth, guys :). I got some nasty growling, metallic, Robert Natus-esque leads out of this synth that I wasn't quite able to do on other synths. This puppy can also do trippy, evolving soundscape pads with complex programming. Drum & Bass and Dubstep guys would love Predator as well. You really gotta check out the effects section. Rob Papen's synths have by far the best effects sections I have ever heard in a software synth. Dubstep style modulated delay speeds with an LFO modulated filter routed AFTER the delay in the chain... oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about :).

Features:

Like I said earlier, do not be fooled by Predator's relatively simple appearance and comparatively low cost. For starters, there are a very large number of oscillator waveshapes. You are not limited to just sine, saw, square and noise. There are all manner of esoteric digital waveforms for imitating such classics as the Ensoniq ESQ-1, Korg DW synths and other digital hybrids from the 1980s.
There is also FM capability, which adds a bit of extra edge to your sounds without outright emulating a DX7. This is great for gutteral, ripping high-passed leads and deep, digital sub basses.
The modulation section is the core of Predator's magic and the place where you will find all its hidden secrets. You have 2 slots for modulating effects parameters. Just about any source you can think of can be used for this. You also have 2 dedicated LFO slots. Then, you have an 8 slot free modulation section. With your sources you have all of what you would expect, but the magic lies in some of Predator's more esoteric options. "Offset" is a great and useful example. By routing this to an LFO, you are now able to do audio-rate modulation (very fast LFOs). You can modulate one LFO's speed via another LFO, the modwheel, aftertouch, or even one of the 2 free envelopes.
The Chord Play feature is a must-have for House and Techno folks. Simply play any chord, hit "learn" and that chord will be memorized and saved as part of your new preset.
The effects section is absolutely stunning. Not only are the effects themselves of high quality, but there are A LOT of them! Chorus, Flanger, Bitcrusher, Distortion, Comb Filter, Reverb, Multimode Filter, etc, etc. Each of these effects have a very large selection of parameters -- and each parameter can be modulated! Reverb size via an LFO? Yes. Delay speed via an envelope? You bet. Flanger speed via modwheel? Count on it :).

Presets:

This is the area where I think Predator could improve. The factory presets are quite good, yes, but there are many things Predator can do which are not shown in the factory sounds (audio rate modulations via "offset" parameter, very complex atmospheres, use of white/pink noise as a modulation source, heavily modulated effects, etc).

Value for Money:

Excellent :). For $150 USD, it's a great buy. Great sound, loaded with features and very stable. This would be one of my "deserted island" synths lol.

By Feng
On 12th May 2007
Version: 1.2

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Feng

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USER INTERFACE: Clear, no need to use the manual. Everything you need is at your fingertips. Only downside is that the black background can lead to eye fatigue after a long time of programming.
SOUND: This synth has an incredible sound. It's convincing in all the categories. From lush pads to aggressive leads, from deep basses to brass sound, it covers all the musical genres with an extremely high quality sound. You can get anything from this beast.
FEATURES: This beast focuses on sound and simplicity, so it has not the incredible features of some of its colleagues. In any case it's a complete subtractive synth. Three oscillators with many waveforms to choose from, each with its suboscillator. Sync, Ring Modulation and FM are implemented. Extremely flexible modulation is possible. Good quality FX are implemented. An extremely useful feature is the possibility of an intelligent morphing function that is able to linearly morph between two patches. Then it has a really good arpeggiator.
DOCUMENTATION: Really good, even if I didn't have to read it to use the synth.
PRESETS: They are made by Rob Papen, need I say more?
CUSTOMER SUPPORT: GREAT! Rob answers to support requests in his KVR forum, and goes there to answer very often.
VALUE FOR MONEY: for 149 euros you get a highest quality synth with an ever growing collection of Rob's presets. You can really take advantage of this synth in any modern style of music.
STABILITY: It never gave me problems, till now. The first version had some glitches problems, but they seem gone, with version 1.2.
CPU USAGE: while not as low as RPCX declare, is reasonably low, and is extremely low if you turn down oversampling and FX, but then also the sound quality goes down!In any case I am able to open many instances of Predator with my Athlon FX 4800.

OTHER COMMENTS:

It's a great synth! It's extremely easy to program, even for a novice. The morphing feature is not an innovation. Other synths had this feature implemented. But what's great about it is the smartness in the way it does morphing. You can take any two patches, and the morphed one is always interesting and good and (what's more important) usable.

Last edited by Feng on 21st May 2007

Latest 4 reviews from a total of 4

Reviews, articles, interviews, etc. for Predator.

Rob Papen Predator
By Francis Preve | July 2007 | Audition

When it comes to soft synth designers, Rob Papen is among the best. His first creation, custom-built by Lin Plug and called Albino (reviewed Aug. ’03) quickly developed a cult following among DAW users. More recently, Blue (reviewed Dec. ’05) turned DX7-style, six-operator FM synthesis on its ear by including extensive modulation abilities, awesome filters, and the ability to configure its operators in a wide variety of not-so-FM ways. [READ MORE...]

Related plug-ins: Predator

Quick Jump:

Products by Rob Papen

Albino


Product:	Albino
Developer:	Rob Papen
Type:	Synth (Hybrid)
Price:	€199 / $239
OS:
Formats:

Key features: Sound Presets consist of 4 separate Layers for rich, complex sound synthesis. 32 note polyphonic (CPU dependent). Unlimited sound programs, Sound Browser. +2100 Rob Papen presets and more. 4 oscillators per Layer, 4 types. Oscillator modules include Analog-type, Digital-type, Noise-type and Audio Input-type. FM modulation and AM modulation. Oscillator Sync in Analog Oscillator 2 and 4. Stereo Filters, 4 types. Filter modules include Silk-type, Cream-type, Scream-type and Comb-type. 3 multimode filters (Silk, Cream and Scream), each with a different basic design thus producing di... [more]

BLUE


Product:	BLUE
Developer:	Rob Papen
Type:	Synth (Hybrid)
Price:	€199
OS:
Formats:

Features: Six Oscillators modules which include Analogue, Additive and Spectral type waveforms. Osc. A and B offer PWM modulation and symmetry control. Oscillators can be combined in several ways using 32 different modulation routings in the Algorithm screen. Oscillators can have FM modulation or Ring modulation and can be oscillator hard synced. Each oscillator can be output to the filters, the effects or output as dry. Dedicated screens available in the LCD screen section for Algorithm selection, Phase distortion / Wave shaping settings and Oscillator Envelopes.Two analogue modelled stereo M... [more]

Predator


Product:	Predator
Developer:	Rob Papen
Type:	Synth (Hybrid)
Price:	€149 / $179
OS:
Formats:

Predator includes powerful features such as Preset Morphing, Intelligent Preset Variation, MIDI and Synth Controllable FX, Unison Detune, Chord Memory and a versatile Arpeggiator. Preset banks include: Hip Hop (NY, Club, DirtySouth and Gfunk), Jump, hardcore, breakbeat, various trance styles, DnB banks and more... It also includes PredatorFX, allowing you to use the filters, modulations, effects and vocoder as an FX plug-in within your music host.Features: Oscillators section: 3 Oscillators with 128 waves included Analogue, Additive and Spectral type of waveforms plus pink & white noise ... [more]

Punch


Product:	Punch
Developer:	Rob Papen
Type:	TBA
Price:	TBA
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TBA... [more]

Punch


Product:	Punch
Developer:	Rob Papen
Type:	TBA
Price:	TBA
OS:
Formats:

What is Punch? Let's just say this: Like SubBoomBass - which already appears on countless hit tracks - it will definitely move your speaker cones.... [more]


Product:	RG
Developer:	Rob Papen
Type:	Guitar
Price:	€99 / $119 / £89
OS:
Formats:

RG is an innovative software instrument that allows the user to create not just classic rhythm guitar grooves, but also exciting new grooves and sounds which a real guitar could never produce. RG uses a keyboard layout of "major-" and "minor" chords to play the grooves, each with two sequence pattern (A or B) options. Just hit a single note in the major or minor keyboard range and the groove plays. The sound sets are clean sampled guitars, which gives you great freedom and flexibility when using the synthesizer features and effects of RG. Guitar types included are the class... [more]

RP-Delay


Product:	RP-Delay
Developer:	Rob Papen
Type:	Delay / Echo
Price:	TBA
OS:
Formats:

RP-Delay will first be released as part of RP-Verb. RP-Delay will also be released as a separate plug-in at a later date.... [more]

RP-Verb


Product:	RP-Verb
Developer:	Rob Papen
Type:	Reverb
Price:	€149 / $179
OS:
Formats:

RP-Verb is an algorithmic, musical, reverb that aims to bring dimension and fullness to your mixes. It has a straightforward, intuitive interface that puts all the most essential parameters right at your fingertips and offers presets that range from intimate venues to abstract, surreal spaces. Main section: Dry / wet control with FX bypass button. HQ Mode on/off. ECS (external controller setup). ? brings up the 'Quick Manual'. Preset section: Uses sound banks composed of 128 presets. Preset handling with copy, paste, clear and compare function. 'Quick Browser', 'Recently Browsed' and 'Favor... [more]

SubBoomBass


Product:	SubBoomBass
Developer:	Rob Papen
Type:	Synth (Hybrid)
Price:	$119 / €99 / £89
OS:
Formats:

SubBoomBass is a dedicated bass synth with presets designed by Rob Papen (and other guest artists) that will supply you with "huge cone-rattling sounds". Based on the Predator engine, SubBoomBass has been carefully crafted to provide you with the tools to create fresh new bass lines for any musical style. Rob Papen displays his innovative style by combining the 'phat' sounding synth engine with tuned drum percussion samples and rare samples. It is great for Hip Hop and RnB but can also be used for Dubstep, Drum and Bass, Garage, Grime and much more. Other features include a groove sequenc... [more]

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