Vanguard2 by Refx out 25th of November!

[Synthman2000]

Ok just had ten mins on it.. it's nice, the filter is nice, maybe a tad sylenth1-ey it has some cool sweet spots that I did not hear elsewhere yet in the lows of the filter with res up. It is a VA with some WT's I just don't have time to bounce upload etc. I have someone coming over soon. I know this will work for me but I am going retro for a bit so that is pretty obvious it will for that purpose. It is not Serum.

The FAT VCS is the fast way to trance heaven, especially if Supersaw flavours is your thing, you get there fast. I can see why it was so useful as a lead creation tool.

Envelopes a bit loose as far as I first make out, you won't get Serum style tight I suspect.

The reverb is strong, overbearingly so for myself, thick and buzzy and yes I know I can filter the lows out there.. I would be dialing it back from the presets. The colour of the verb means there is a "sound alike" for every preset so the thin verb would be very useful. I would maybe switch that off in favour of control as it strands currently. (as I do with almost all synths anyway)

Delay sounds very nice, many synths can mess that up for some reason.. again I go external almost always for synth fx personally.

That is all I can report on. Of course other synths do the job, but isn't this about finding out about what a synth excels at ....that is it for me and the making of tracks highlighting the places where a synth excels sonically. Nothing is dropped on a plate (pardon the reverb pun) for you, you have to make your own way with a synth. No synth is going be in a good, crafted track without at the very least being tweaked, even if you stay with presets alone.

Just fast, brief first impressions. I like it, but look at my forum name I would do... and I have not had "synth buzz" for over a year as nothing has really interested me so....

You will enjoy the demo if/when, or buy of course, each to their own decision based on what we have right now.

[cryophonik]

I could be wrong…. I think Vanguard is a sound thing, not a features thing.

Bingo!

I think I speak on behalf on many/most v1 owners when I say that we’d be disappointed if reFX made v2 into another modern “me-too” VA. Love it or hate it, Vanguard is its own thing and I’m glad reFX kept the legacy alive. Now, just give us that original reverb back as an option, please!

[Caine123]

did no one yet test Vanguard 2 with old projects?

[BenfordLaw]

I think the new GUI is terrible, talk about washed out, and GREY. I suppose Greybleton Live users will love it.

[syntonica]

Vanguard wasn't just one of the first soft synths that appeared from the primordial ooze, it was truly the best sounding. You could get stuff like the built-in synths in Logic, but I think V beats them hands down for ease-of-use and sound.

Vanguard also has THREE oscillators! Everyone else barely had two to rub together before freezing the track. With the built-in gator and reverb (as cheap as it was), V had a huge sonic palette. The layout is simple and clear, was auite legible on that 800x600 screen you were stuck on, and while it sported that alien goo green that was all the rage back then, it didn't look like a Geocities web site designer had made it.

Basically, it had everything going for it. These days, I think it can still stand up against the Spires and Sylenths who are also getting long in the tooth themselves. It doesn't just do supersaws drenched in bad reverb.

That said, either you like what it can do and buy it, or not and not.

[chk071]

Vanguard also has THREE oscillators! Everyone else barely had two to rub together before freezing the track. With the built-in gator and reverb (as cheap as it was), V had a huge sonic palette. The layout is simple and clear, was auite legible on that 800x600 screen you were stuck on, and while it sported that alien goo green that was all the rage back then, it didn't look like a Geocities web site designer had made it.

Hey, I remember Geocities. I had 15 MB of webspace there.

[Teksonik]

Here's another color edit using the Classic skin with a cleaned up background. I don't see any way to access the factory default skin. This is one I could use for hours with no eye strain:

Classic Orange 3.zip

[FigBug]

Here's another color edit using the Classic skin with a cleaned up background. I don't see any way to access the factory default skin. This is one I could use for hours with no eye strain:

The default skin is built in, and then anything in your skin file is applied no top. So if you just want to modify default skin, start with an empty skin file and then just apply the few colour changes you want.

[wangeroge]

Mike fixed the bug with the half loading presets!

[wangeroge]

Somebody needs to update this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_(synthesizer)

[JamminFool]

just found a graphics refresh bug when you switch skins while in the preset browser. looks simple to fix.

[FigBug]

just found a graphics refresh bug when you switch skins while in the preset browser. looks simple to fix.

You mean the focus frame draws through the skin browser?

[JamminFool]

a frame from the browser is drawn on top of the skin switch window. try it.

it happens in both VST2 and VST3 in Windows 11, Live 11.

[Teksonik]

Here's another color edit using the Classic skin with a cleaned up background. I don't see any way to access the factory default skin. This is one I could use for hours with no eye strain:

The default skin is built in, and then anything in your skin file is applied no top. So if you just want to modify default skin, start with an empty skin file and then just apply the few colour changes you want.

Ok thanks, it seems like I will need a copy of the default's .json file? Looks like I need the values used for the knobs otherwise it uses the classic knob values, if I use a copy of the classic .json file.

I get this: default background, classic knobs:

Vanguard Mashup 01.png

I assume the dials are defined by the following entires in the .json file.

// Dials
"dials": {

"ring": "rgba(black, 0.3)",

"outline": "#000",
"top": "#fff",
"bottom": "#555",
"value": "transparent",

"bevel": {

"highlight": "#0009",
"shadow": "#0008"
},

"line": "#3b3c3e"

Anyway not a big deal, I just like tinkering with skin edits while I watch the football games.

[Teksonik]

a frame from the browser is drawn on top of the skin switch window. try it.

it happens in both VST2 and VST3 in Windows 11, Live 11.

I can't reproduce that here although I am on Win 10. I doubt that would make a difference to Win 11 in this case but you never know.

I don't own Ableton Live but I tested on two different systems (both Win 10) and in three different DAWs.

Do you have a screenshot? Maybe I'm not looking in the right place.