Cherry Audio | March 31 - A True Synth Gem Returns

[teilo]

GEM S3

I would love to get my hands on one of those. The S3 was an unsung hero. Polyphonic aftertouch. GEM had some very unique synthesis tech, which was used in electronic digital organs manufactured by Galanti. They had sound generators that were very unique, and combined multiple functions into a single chip. Sort of a cross between a DCO and a DAC, had some wavetable-like features, and could achieve extremely high polyphony. This made them ideal for early digital pipe organs.

[TheMaestro]

Well, they know how to make a buzz.

[BONES]

All I know is that I like Cherry's things more than Arturia & Korg, so far. Way way more.

Your ears must be painted on, althugh I'd agree that Arturia's emulations aren't exactly the gold standard. But Korg's are on a different level altogether, their ARP Odyssey and ARP 2600, in particular, are right up there with the very best sounding synths money can buy.

Some of Cherry's stuff is good but the quality is very inconsistent and the GUIs aren't great. You can't argue about the value, though, the good ones are an absolute bargain. But of the four different SEM emulations I have, I'd rate Cherry's as the least inspiring. OTOH, I love Atomika and use it all the time.

full bucket obviously worships Korg synths, yet he's a home enthusiast. he can't be compared to the pros. he himself admitted he's no match to them.

I don't see that as relevant, some of his synths just sound good. His Mono?Fury, for example, sounds nothing like the way I remember the Mono/Poly I bought in 1982 and it doesn't sound anything like Korg's own Mono/Poly emulation but I use it a lot more because it sounds great and is easy to work with.

in my eyes, it doesn't even matter as long as he's helped a ton of musicians with free tools

They're not free, they are donationware and if you use them but haven't given him anything for them, you're a parasite.

Anyway, maybe it's an Ensoniq ESQ? Although that's probably not strictly DCOs. Who knows, it could be anything.

[Uncle E]

Anyway, maybe it's an Ensoniq ESQ?

That’s basically what Dreamsynth is:

[TheMaestro]

Anyway, maybe it's an Ensoniq ESQ?

That’s basically what Dreamsynth is:

Bought that baby on day 1.

[twal]

All I know is that I like Cherry's things more than Arturia & Korg, so far. Way way more.

Your ears must be painted on, althugh I'd agree that Arturia's emulations aren't exactly the gold standard. But Korg's are on a different level altogether, their ARP Odyssey and ARP 2600, in particular, are right up there with the very best sounding synths money can buy.

Some of Cherry's stuff is good but the quality is very inconsistent and the GUIs aren't great...

Crumar Spirit is like nothing else and sounds absolutely fantastic. We also know how great Pro Soloist is. GX-80 is a beast. Trident sounds pretty amazing. I also think Octave Cat has a very beautiful sound. Dreamsynth is great too, but the GUI I absolutely love. Then again, I love Dune's too and you along with others don't favor it.

[BONES]

GX80 can't hold a candle to Softube's Model 77 but the thing with the CS-80 is that it's actually a very basic synth, it was its playability that made it popular. I found Cherry's Trident and Quadra terribly underwhelming but maybe the originals were, too? THeir 2600 isn't in the same league as Korg's, either.

The GUI on Dreamsynth put me off instantly, I didn't even bother downloading it (although I think the demo video probably also had something to do with it). It's the workflow in DUNE I dislike, not the UI itself. If they took the layers out of DUNE I'd use it a lot more.

[DCrown]

Cherry my fav softsynth dev, I am curious, sounds like a rompler.
I hope not another Roland emu again and and again...
My guess is Motif

[Teksonik]

Anyway, maybe it's an Ensoniq ESQ?

That’s basically what Dreamsynth is:

That's like saying a Roland Juno is basically an Oberheim OBX.

If they took the layers out of DUNE I'd use it a lot more.

Not to state the painfully obvious but you can only use one layer in DUNE 3 if that's all you need.

[Examigan]

After watching that video and the sounds again from CA, now I’m doubting it’s that Gem synth I guessed earlier. I will go with my other guess of the JX-8p.

The only thing is it’s not really a hybrid.

[AcidJunkie1974]

A JX-8P emulation would be a great addition to their lineup, its sound is so characteristic of that era. You are right about the hybrid part though, it's pure DCO. Maybe they are referring to the PG-800 programmer integration as a kind of hybrid concept? My wild guess would be something like an Ensoniq ESQ-1, that would fit the hybrid description perfectly. Either way, looking forward to what they've cooked up.

[Teksonik]

After watching that video and the sounds again from CA, now I’m doubting it’s that Gem synth I guessed earlier. I will go with my other guess of the JX-8p.
The only thing is it’s not really a hybrid.

I hope you're right about it not being that Gem synth but the teaser video does say "A True Synth Gem Returns".

I hope you're wrong about it being a JX-8p but time will tell. We are definitely in the "speculation and anticipation" phase of this round of Cherry Audio hype......

[BONES]

Not to state the painfully obvious but you can only use one layer in DUNE 3 if that's all you need.

Yeah but you still have to deal with them when working with factory patches, which is a right royal PITA, especially when half the time you can turn all but one layer off and not really notice any difference. It's just that little bit of extra f**king about that makes it easier to use something else.

[Examigan]

It almost looks like a Halloween type of thing going on with the all the red in the video. I know cherrys are red, but maybe it’s something else as a hint?

[Cuauhtli]

According to a post by CA in the YouTube video thread it won't be a Korg or Roland.