What do you think about Logic's built-in ES2 synth?

[Cinebient]

My 3rd favorite Ligic synth and the maybe the fattest unison from any synth.
With some FX on top it sounds as good as any modern synth. It has quite snappy envelopes.
The filters are a bit meh indeed, especially at high resonance.
The cyber cut strings are one of my favorite. Its so simple but spot on for me.
Then if you go trough some of the Logic layered instrument patches you hear how good it can sound with the right FX on top. No need of fancy third party tools.
I like it much more as the Retro synth in Logic.
But Sculpture and Alchemy are still the best and most unique Logic has to offer.

[Passing Bye]

Or maybe the OP uses it extensively and is curious what others think?

Than why he didn't expand on it first, which would be normal thing to do if he wanted to discuss it further, I asked him immediately for his opinion, so where's he in his own thread?

[andypryce]

Despite it's age, it sounds great. Just needs a sane GUI like most Logic Plugins.

[izonin]

Despite it's age, it sounds great. Just needs a sane GUI like most Logic Plugins.

Yeah, the original GUI was created by the German manufacturer back in 2002, and is very ... cyber.

[Calenberger]

Despite it's age, it sounds great. Just needs a sane GUI like most Logic Plugins.

most = 20%

[onerob]

The Randomize button can be useful for creating SFX weirdness.

Also, this is a good quality preset pack for free: https://www.audiobombs.com/items/738/logic-es2-presets

[Ploki]

needs a refresh, but it can sound pretty good.

[numbetical]

The sound is great, and the modulation options are extensive.

Another bonus about it is that there are some (not many) good instructional videos online for the ES2.

Before ES2, I would mess around with Logic’s retro synth to get an idea for the basic parameters of subtractive synths like ES2.

[hikkichan]

It's decent, but I've moved on to Ableton where the have a better selection of synth imo.

[sin night]

I used Logic 9 Express for a certain period and at the time ES-2 was one of the standout for me...
I don’t use it anymore because I switched back to Cubase (I could run Mainstage, but it’s not worth the complication), but it was a good tool to get the job done...
Probably more recent VA synths have a “better” (more “analog”) sound than ES-2, but I think that’s not a good reason to dismiss it... I think it has a lot of cool features (for example, if I remember correctly, you can decide to reset the oscillator phase on retrig... you won’t find this on every synth) and, anyway, it’s just another flavour of tone nowadays...

[v1o]

Fun fact: according to Amazona magazine, the ES2 cost 279 Euros when it came out in 2002 (as a single plugin, not as part of Logic)

Yes it was. Many of the devices in Logic were full blown commercial products that you purchased separately. Stuff like Alchemy and Sculpture. Logic even had its own plugin format which probably eventually led to AU. It also very begrudgingly implemented VST support at one point until they got bought by Apple.

[v1o]

Despite it's age, it sounds great. Just needs a sane GUI like most Logic Plugins.

Yeah it sounds like a digital synth from the early 2000's.

[Ploki]

Yeah it sounds like a digital synth from the early 2000's.

yeah.
i mean, i like logic's plugs, but since i have the whole u-he shabang (sans filterscape) i really don't use them... at all. Alchemy sometimes.