Albino 3 returns.....

[Teksonik]

like Richard from Synapse, insist on basing their designs to fit into Reason Rack extensions.

For the record, only Obsession and The Legend were designed around the Rack Extention limitations.

But both Obsession and The Legend look just fine and function very well. Are they perfect? No, of course not, nothing is perfect but overcoming imperfections is just part of life.

DUNE 3 as you noted was not designed around around RE limitations and future products will most likely not have this limitation either as I think Rack Extensions hold little appeal for third party developers these days based on what I've read from developers.

Look, I get what you're saying about Rob's GUIs. I'm not a fan of them either but as you also noted he's aware of it and they are not likely to change at least any time in the near future. Complaining about them here will accomplish nothing.

So our options are learn to live with them or just don't use the synths. I have chosen the former over the latter. I can use any of the RP plugins without issue even if I find them visually unappealing or find them to have some imperfections.

I can work with a great sounding synth with a bad GUI but a bad sounding synth with a great GUI would be useless here so it's just a matter of priorities.

[kv331]

As for "Serum 2/Zebra 3/Synthmaster 3", when they stop being vaporware we'll discuss them too...and their upgrade prices.

Synthmaster 3 is finally becoming a reality in a couple of months, the latest developments are posted in the following thread:

viewtopic.php?p=8753073&hilit=synthmaster#p8753073

Upgrade price: Free for Everything Bundle users, $29 for Synthmaster 2 users.

[hurricaneaudiolab]

Synthmaster 3 is finally becoming a reality…

Looking forward to it.

[egbert101]

I'm supposedly getting Albino 3 and Synthmaster 3 for free.

[MrJubbly]

That's is how I feel with Vanguard as well, and now look at the price of that so I am glad I jumped on it.

About that. How does Vanguard 2 hold up to its predecessor? (and is it also backwardly-compatible in practice?)

I mean, it stands to reason that it would be more powerful. But, does it also successfully recapture the same 'feeling' while using the new plugin, that the original had, back in the day? (Note, I don't own a v1 licence, but I do remember quite enjoying playing with it several decades ago and so could be interested in buying v2).

I ask, because I note that the default GUI appears to have aesthetically changed quite a lot from the original (although, the new GUI does look quite nice). Does v2 also have a 'Classic' skin available?

I don't believe there is a 'trial' available on the ReFX website (although, I could be wrong?) And I'm not sure whether, without that, I'd be blindly willing to pay the ~£150 asking price. Although, I'd still likely pick it up, if ReFX ran a decent Black Friday sale...

Any fans of the original Vanguard plugin, care to share their opinions on its successor? (good, bad or indifferent?)

Out of the three discontinued "retro" synths I'm interested in buying, two seem to have been resurrected pretty recently, in Vanguard 2 and now Albino 3. I wonder if Z3ta+ could ever be revived in a similar manner?

[MrJubbly]

I'm supposedly getting Albino 3 and Synthmaster 3 for free.

Is your dad, Santa Claus?

[chk071]

Out of the three discontinued "retro" synths I'm interested in buying, two seem to have been resurrected pretty recently, in Vanguard 2 and now Albino 3. I wonder if Z3ta+ could ever be revived in a similar manner?

Just use it? Works fine (I have it installed here on Windows 11), unless you're on Mac M1.

[Synthman2000]

I respect everyone's opinions here, ok truth is they may not be the most beautiful of all synths agreed. Though I personally love how Sub Boom bass looks yet I don't own that one. I like how Blue and Albino looks, Predator 2 I still use improved by Predator 3 for sure.

With GUI we have 3 elements, graphic design, layout and parameters, the parameters and number of them relate to layout to some degree.

If any of my current synths changed graphics and layout it would be really unhelpful. It would slow me down a lot.

When I use a synth, I use it for the sound it generates, warm, clean, analogue, fm, additive, cut through, pads etc. As such I accept all my synths as they are as part of the actual enjoyment of using them, their differences and idiosyncrasies are part of their charm and character. And in part what helps to bring out something different that may not easily appear from any other synth.

Yes another synth may be able to make sound A that I made in synth B but would I have ever made it in the first place in synth C ?

Almost certainly not.

It is very easy to focus negatively on anything in life, we all do that.

I have nothing to do with RP in any way at all I am just a customer but I agree with whatever someone above quoted that RP said. I suspect the expression was a little lacking in smoothness just cause English being a second language.

Consider expressing your thoughts about synths in Dutch.

[chk071]

TBH, I'm much more interested in what's to come in the Motorola DSP536xx emulator than reviving old VSTi's. It already offers two pearls (Virus C and microQ), and, the list of what will still come, or what could still come (Waldorf Q, microWave, Novation Supernova etc.), is very impressive.

IMO, these synths all sound better than those older VSTi's, but, that's subjective, of course.

[Synthman2000]

That's is how I feel with Vanguard as well, and now look at the price of that so I am glad I jumped on it.

About that. How does Vanguard 2 hold up to its predecessor? (and is it also backwardly-compatible in practice?)

I mean, it stands to reason that it would be more powerful. But, does it also successfully recapture the same 'feeling' while using the new plugin, that the original had, back in the day? (Note, I don't own a v1 licence, but I do remember quite enjoying playing with it several decades ago and so could be interested in buying v2).

I ask, because I note that the default GUI appears to have aesthetically changed quite a lot from the original (although, the new GUI does look quite nice). Does v2 also have a 'Classic' skin available?

I don't believe there is a 'trial' available on the ReFX website (although, I could be wrong?) And I'm not sure whether, without that, I'd be blindly willing to pay the ~£150 asking price. Although, I'd still likely pick it up, if ReFX ran a decent Black Friday sale...

Any fans of the original Vanguard plugin, care to share their opinions on its successor? (good, bad or indifferent?)

Out of the three discontinued "retro" synths I'm interested in buying, two seem to have been resurrected pretty recently, in Vanguard 2 and now Albino 3. I wonder if Z3ta+ could ever be revived in a similar manner?

As I gather the only thing that has changed is reverb, they said old one was thin and added oscillator waves. Unfortunately I never really knew about it when it was first released so cannot give a comparison. As I understand people who used it before said it is basically the same. Yes the layout is a little different but it is not a hugely complex synth so it seems quite easy to see where things have moved. There is no mod matrix just fixed modulation paths of envelopes and LFO's of core parameters.

I never used the old one so it does not cause me any trouble.

The layout is the same just the styling slightly different. Yes there is the classic grey/silver theme which I use cause it sounds warmer

Z3TA+ is still operable, it is not very stable for me though. I do use it from time to time but it crashes my DAW randomly so for this specific synth I do often bounce it if I come up with something nice.

[dune_rave]

Abetter name would be: Albino Forever....

[Synthman2000]

There is a very simple reason to all this... the draw of nostalgia on the strings of the heart can never be underestimated. I listen to some sounds on some synths and then you just want that sound, you want to have that sound and control it within your own compositions. That's what creatives do.

[MrJubbly]

Out of the three discontinued "retro" synths I'm interested in buying, two seem to have been resurrected pretty recently, in Vanguard 2 and now Albino 3. I wonder if Z3ta+ could ever be revived in a similar manner?

Just use it? Works fine (I have it installed here on Windows 11), unless you're on Mac M1.

Unfortunately, I don't own a licence for Z3TA+

And since Cakewalk bought the rights to the plugin from its original developer and then subsequently went out of business, it appears, I'm out of luck. Unless somehow, the code could be sold to someone willing to revive it again.

I enquired about the possibility of purchasing a licence from a reseller. But apparently, as it is discontinued, there's no legitimate way of doing that. So nobody can purchase a new licence and existing licences are not eligible for transfer to a new owner.

[chk071]

I always hoped for a Z3TA 3, with improved synth engine. But, I guess this will never happen.

z3ta+ and Z3TA 2 are fine, but, I use other synths for their superior sound. Never really liked the sound of the filters in z3ta+ either. The resonance can be very harsh, and ear piercing on higher levels.

It's one of those older digital filters, where the resonance simply "explodes" at some point.

[MrJubbly]

As I gather the only thing that has changed is reverb, they said old one was thin and added oscillator waves. Unfortunately I never really knew about it when it was first released so cannot give a comparison. As I understand people who used it before said it is basically the same. Yes the layout is a little different but it is not a hugely complex synth so it seems quite easy to see where things have moved. There is no mod matrix just fixed modulation paths of envelopes and LFO's of core parameters.

I never used the old one so it does not cause me any trouble.

The layout is the same just the styling slightly different. Yes there is the classic grey/silver theme which I use cause it sounds warmer

Z3TA+ is still operable, it is not very stable for me though. I do use it from time to time but it crashes my DAW randomly so for this specific synth I do often bounce it if I come up with something nice.

I probably will end up buying both Albino 3 Legend (when released) and Vanguard 2 (if there's a sale, or at least a 'trial' made available).

Like you said, "nostalgia" does play an important role for many.