UADx Opal Morphing Synthesizer

[Sinisterbr]

imho if someone already owns some synths from uhe, gforce, ni and arturia , these uad goodies are not so appealing, even for a price ~50.

For the normal price (199$) I'd agree with you, but for 50$? That's a monumental steal, this is a top notch sound quality synth.
Hell, for 100$ (and despite some flaws) it's still a serious contender IMO.

Regular price should be no more than $129 or so. $99 is a good price. $50 is a great price for Opal.

But, as was said, it's not super-unique. Just high quality, like several others. I spent time comparing Opal vs Hive2 and Twin3. It hangs in there on the same level of sound quality, but didn't quite sway me for $50. If people don't already have something similar of quality, they should jump right on the $50 deal for Opal.

IMO it's better than both Hive and Twin 3 sound wise. But that's me.

Yep. It’s just as good. All are different. For a few minutes I thought it was better sounding. And then I dig back into the other synths along side it and… nope. It’s not better. Brighter and louder by default, though.

Louder? What is it supposed to mean?
Just turn it down then

[zerocrossing]

imho if someone already owns some synths from uhe, gforce, ni and arturia , these uad goodies are not so appealing, even for a price ~50.

For the normal price (199$) I'd agree with you, but for 50$? That's a monumental steal, this is a top notch sound quality synth.
Hell, for 100$ (and despite some flaws) it's still a serious contender IMO.

Regular price should be no more than $129 or so. $99 is a good price. $50 is a great price for Opal.

But, as was said, it's not super-unique. Just high quality, like several others. I spent time comparing Opal vs Hive2 and Twin3. It hangs in there on the same level of sound quality, but didn't quite sway me for $50. If people don't already have something similar of quality, they should jump right on the $50 deal for Opal.

IMO it's better than both Hive and Twin 3 sound wise. But that's me.

Yep. It’s just as good. All are different. For a few minutes I thought it was better sounding. And then I dig back into the other synths along side it and… nope. It’s not better. Brighter and louder by default, though.

Louder? What is it supposed to mean?
Just turn it down then

“Better.” Such a human concept.

When I test any instrument, hardware or software, I make sure I level match. Opal sounds great. As for it not being unique, there’s not really many synths out there with pole morphing filters. The only ones I”m aware of are my Modal 002, (which has digital waveforms, but not scanning wavetables) Synthmaster’s VA filter (which doesn’t sound nearly as nice as Opal’s) and Fabfilter Twin 3, which is pole morphing to a totally different degree, but sadly no wavetables.

If you’ve not played with pole morphing, you should. It’s a really unique way to “open” up a filter. Awesome for pads and all sorts of sounds.

[dune_rave]

ok, i agree these are nice synths. and the ~50 price is a good option for such synth, or some bundle price...

[idoru97214]

After playing with this for a couple of days I definitely have buyer's remorse. Even at $50. Gorgeous filters, yes. Really nice sound. Completely un-inspired sound banks. PIA to program. All IMO, of course. It is so boring. So boring. But sounds amazing for how boring it is... weird.

[Uncle E]

Thanks. I guess I should play with the demo some more, especially since we only ever get one chance to demo it. btw, if you think this is boring, wait till you try PolyMAX.

[fmr]

I've seen several mentions to a $ 50,00 price. Where is it? I just visited the page, and the launch price is € 108,00.

[zvenx]

Don't know about the EU, but in the US it is on sale for $99 and there is a $50 coupon you can use to get the price down to $49 (I of course took advantage of that).
rsp

[fmr]

Don't know about the EU, but in the US it is on sale for $99 and there is a $50 coupon you can use to get the price down to $49 (I of course took advantage of that).
rsp

And where can I get that coupon?

[zvenx]

Once you add it to your cart it should be there displayed in your cart waiting for you to add it manually.. "MARCHTOP50" (without the quotation marks of course)

rsp

[billcarroll]

Opal? I definitely would NOT hit it. Just look at those sharp knees. She is way below my standard.

Seriously though, To my ears Opal is pretty inspiring. We're making music here and not just staring at plugin doctor graphs, right? I'm happy I grabbed it. I immediately found myself inspired working on a track, and here's a short bit out of that first sound design session.

https://soundcloud.com/billcarroll/find-my-way-home-1

A few minutes starting from the default patch the first time I opened Opal, then a layer with a built-in preset. A few more minutes at the keyboard and a little processing. Maybe 15-20 minutes to get inspired and get this down. Is using a UAD Neve Preamp, UAD Thermionic Culture Vulture, and some ValhallaShimmer cheating?

[fmr]

And here's another company who ignores the right procedures regarding VAT.

[zerocrossing]

After playing with this for a couple of days I definitely have buyer's remorse. Even at $50. Gorgeous filters, yes. Really nice sound. Completely un-inspired sound banks. PIA to program. All IMO, of course. It is so boring. So boring. But sounds amazing for how boring it is... weird.

Yesterday I went out for Japanese. One dish was just raw tuna encrusted with sesame seeds in a yuzu and soy sauce marinade. Out of all the things we ate, it was the hands down favorite of both me and my wife. Sure, the Godzilla rolls were good too, but sometimes something simple that’s super high quality just hits the spot. Not everything needs to have every option possible. Go make something in VCV Rack Pro if you want everything possible.

[Uncle E]

Bay Area don't know sushi

[idoru97214]

After playing with this for a couple of days I definitely have buyer's remorse. Even at $50. Gorgeous filters, yes. Really nice sound. Completely un-inspired sound banks. PIA to program. All IMO, of course. It is so boring. So boring. But sounds amazing for how boring it is... weird.

Yesterday I went out for Japanese. One dish was just raw tuna encrusted with sesame seeds in a yuzu and soy sauce marinade. Out of all the things we ate, it was the hands down favorite of both me and my wife. Sure, the Godzilla rolls were good too, but sometimes something simple that’s super high quality just hits the spot. Not everything needs to have every option possible. Go make something in VCV Rack Pro if you want everything possible.

I just don't like it. Not saying you can't. I appreciate the life coaching. Rethinking everything now.

[Sinisterbr]

It's just that the factory presets are indeed uninspiring. I took some time to revamp the best ones, and now I have a little set of gorgeous sounds. Not ideal, ofc, they should have given more attention to the presets, but for 50$ I definitely won't complain