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CronoX

Sample Synth Plugin by LinPlug
MyKVRFAVORITE50WANT0
Newer Version:
CrX4
CronoX has been replaced by: CrX4
CronoX
CronoX by LinPlug is a Virtual Instrument Audio Plugin for macOS and Windows. It functions as a VST Plugin and an Audio Units Plugin.
Product
Version
3.6.1
Product
Version
3.6.5
Instrument
Formats
Sample Formats
Loads and/or Saves
AIFF, WAV
Copy Protection
Serial Number
My KVR - Groups, Versions, & More
76 KVR members have added CronoX to 8 My KVR groups 85 times.
Not In Your MY KVR Groups
(or group limitation prevents versioning)
+8 in private groups

KVR Rank

Overall: 1615   1279   1580

30-Day: 1588; 7-Day: 5488; Yesterday: 11694

Features:

  • Free Filter with new, continuously adjustable, modulatable filter-type.
  • Loop Sampler Generator with individually modulatable loop-points and start-point.
  • Versatile architecture with 4 generator modules that are mixed into two filters.
  • Easy-Edit panel allowing preset browsing and quick access to main parameters.
  • Powerful, editable arpeggiator with up to 32 steps.
  • Stereo and 5.1 support (2 generators, both filters and 3 of the effects units can be mixed in 5.1 format. Settings are stored as part of the preset).
  • Analogue-modeled Oscillator Generator for real-time analog-style synthesis.
  • Time-Sampler with independent real-time time-stretching and pitch-shifting.
  • Wavetable (Schrader) Generator that offers wavetable-like operation using any sample.
  • Capable of loading up to 64 samples per loop sampler.
  • Sampler Generators support audio formats incl. WAV and AIFF up to 24bit/96kHz.
  • 2 analog-style multimode stereo filters with modulatable cutoff frequency and resonance.
  • 7 ADSFR-type envelopes for controlling output amplitudes and cutoff frequencies, as well as two freely assignable Modulation Envelopes.
  • 4 independent LFOs with various waveforms and midi-sync capabilities.
  • LFO Waves have adjustable delay, attack and decay time and waveform-symmetry.
  • Modulation Matrix with 10 routings for connecting 30 sources and 56 destinations.
  • Fully recognizes Velocity, Aftertouch, Pitchbend, Modwheel and various other MIDI controllers, and includes a MIDI Learn function for easy controller assignment.
  • 6 simultaneously available effects units, including various Delays, Chorus, Phaser, Filter, Flanger, Gator, Stereo Enhancer, Parametric EQ and Crusher.
  • Mono/Polyphonic Portamento/Glide featuring "Fingered" mode and Auto-Bend Modes.
  • Full microtonal capabilities (TUN/Scala support).
  • 32-voice polyphony (CPU dependent).

Latest User Reviews

Average user rating of 4.29 from 7 reviews
CronoX

Reviewed By groovizm [all]
December 27th, 2010
Version reviewed: 3 on Mac

Cronox 3 is a nice hybrid sampler/synth and good value for money.

Cronox 3 has a nice looking user interface. Most nobs and buttons are fairly large wich makes them easy to grab and adjust with the mouse. I like the 2-dimensional userinterace elements where you can adjust two parameters at once by dragging horizontally or vertically. It's clearly laid out and easy to understand.

Sound-wise I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Cronox. I think some of the presets are really, really, stunning, but then, most I find useless, and I find it hard to get my own sounds to sound great (no, I don't have that problem with other synths!). The presets I really love are based on samples, so I'm afraid its really the quality of the samples and not that of the synth-engine I love.

Cronox has all the features of a subtractive-style synth. Add to that: multimode and variable state filters, 4 oscillators with various sample playback and manipulation modes, a powerfull programmable arpeggiator, a modulation matrix and 6 built in effects. It's actaully very powerfull!

The manual is small, but well written. You won't need it much, because this synth is very simple to use.

The preset management is clumsy (at least on OS X). The presets are in the system library folder and if you decide to place your own sounds in the user library folder (because otherwise they'll be replaced in case of an update)you'll have to manually navigate from one to the other.

I've had contact via mail with customer support at linplug in the past and it was allways good.

Cronox is good value for money. You get lots of features, but you'll have to decide for yourself if you like the sound of it. I find Cronox very stable on OS X.
Read Review
CronoX

Reviewed By trip [all]
December 4th, 2007
Version reviewed: 3.5 on Windows

Cronox has always been a good provider for my creative output. There are several reasons for this:

User Interface
I´am fan of this yellowish design since version 2. The recent UI is very precious with its golden finish. The whole layout is well designed for a good flowing work.

Sound
For me it sounds very pleasant and expensive. To keep the digital-analog-dispute alive, i would say it´s a excellent mix between both;-). Cronox can sound fat and cushy/airy, but not necessarily "brutal-analog" or thin. What i also find positive is
the quality of the effects-section, as it is usually the achilles heel of a synth. The only small downer is the discharge of the sound when switching presets, but peter had already promised to fix it.

Features
Cronox is a workhorse and i don´t miss a thing. I won´t list all the features here as you can read it above, but i want to name the most conspicuous in my eyes (loose order): precision-adjustment, free fx-chaining, filter saturation, great sampler possibilities, combining both osc and sampler modules, chord function, 5.1 mix, inbuilt appregiator and a good modulation matrix with exceptionally possibilities like vel/attack or lfo/ loopstart(-end). These i would say are not day to day features and upvalues Cronox a lot.

Documentation
I found it understandable and detailed enough, so even a less experienced person should understand it.

Presets
The big plus is the huge number of presets. The musical range is very good and the quality is as well, but for me the sampler is used too much (even i know the focus lies on sample-editing) so that not all of the synth-features are used and presented (which should be i.m.o.)

Customer Support
Really good. I exchanged a few mails with Peter and he is a kind and helpful person. Also the forum here at KVR is very active for quick support.

Value For Money
Highest score. When you compare it other with companies, it´s really inexpensive (not cheap;-)).

Stability
It never crashed and i never had a problem with it.

Conclusion: Cronox is a very versatile synth, due to the different sound synthesis. You can use it for all kind of sounds. Drum programming is maybe a little tricky, but therefore you can use the sampler. Some synthesis options are indeed not as sophisticated in comparison to "specialists" like fm-synths or pure sample-players, but i think this is not the aim here. All in all i´m a very satisfied owner of Cronox and recommend it to everyone.
Read Review
CronoX

Reviewed By BKK-OZ [all]
July 22nd, 2005
Version reviewed: 3 on Mac

What follows is about CronoX3.

I luv this sampler-synth. It is a mega machine that can/will/does make wonderful sounds. I don't like the yellow GUI much, but then, hey that's no reason to complain really, well maybe a little complaint...

In terms of depth, this little fella has it all, you have four 'Generators' (sound sources) that can be routed thru a fairly complex (and musically useful) set of effects. There is also a comprehensive filter set too, and these bring C3 to another level - nice, rich and warm sounds are easy to create (Think analogue, but with digital clarity.)

It has a good lot of options in terms of modulation. The arpeggiator is basic but useful, and you also get a great routing matrix that allows for a myriad of routing possibilities. There are the standard LFO's as well, and these coupled with the routing matrix, mean that CronoX3 can output a huge variety of evolving and ever-changing sounds with justa couple random mouse-clicks.

What sets CronoX3 apart from others in this category are:

-5.1 surround mixing of generators, filters, etc.
If you work in surround, CronoX3 allows you to do more with it in 5.1 than any other VI out there (inlcluding Absynth 3 and Mach5).

-it works!
So far for me, it has been more stable than any other plug I own, -no bugs, glitches or problems, just clean clear sound.

-sampler/synthing
(Because it can use samples for sound generation, it means you have a literally endless range of sound sources to work with.)

-price!
THIS SYNTH IS TOO CHEAP, if you have a compatible host, GET IT NOW. (Download the demo if you doubt me, I DARE YOU!)

-variety
It works as a bass synth, a lead synth, makes great pads and it will even make you a nice cuppa tea. (OK, not the last bit, but everything else).

What it doesn't do is real instrument impersonations. (Its sample engine is not a full-blown sampler like Kontakt, etc. it uses the samples as the basis for creating sounds, but I think you would be hard pressed to find any way of emulating a real-world instrument).

BTW, I don't have any personal stake in this instrument, justa fan/user.
Read Review
CronoX

Reviewed By mr.me [all]
March 9th, 2004
Version reviewed: 2.0.4 on Windows

What Robert said below is exactly what I thought at first, digital sounding (the filters are a bit too sharp). To me the presets weren't very useful either....to be honest.

Don't give up on it tho! You just have to remember that CronoX is a sampler and if it sounds digital, find some fat warm samples and load em up!
I like using all Cronos in a tune, it's got a sound of it's own...it's kinda like using FM synths, they can be hard to work with if you don't know what your after.

You can get good results with this, you just have to keep at it! When you get those impresssive results you want, you'll be patting yourself on the back for finding this kick ass sampler synth for such a great price!!

Hope this review was helpfull, I felt like I had to say something. CronoX was just sitting off to the side never getting used and I decided to give it another shot. It's great now that I've learned how to use it! :)

CPU is great too, I used CronoX 7 x with my AMD Atholon XP 2500 handling it with out a prob!
Read Review
CronoX

Reviewed By Rabid [all]
December 9th, 2003
Version reviewed: 2.04 on Windows

CronoX seems to be one of those synths that you either love or hate. For me, this purchase just never worked out. To begin with, when I tried the demo it refused to work on either of my systems. All I ever got from customer support was that the problem must be with my system because it worked fine for them. I suggested that it might just be a problem with the demo version but that went nowhere. It was not until after I purchased the Bundle and reported that the real full version worked fine but the demo still refused to work that they found a problem with the demo. This was a frustrating first contact with a normally good company. That along with lots of early denorm problems probably kept me from using this synth as much as I might have.

As for the sound, I can see where it might be useful, but I don’t really like it. The sound is very digital. This can be good in some respects, but it is a thin digital sound. Way too thin for the CPU resources it consumes. The patches I do like easily spikes my P4 into overload. It can be useful on percussion, but it is more like a timbale than a deep, oak tom-tom. The concept is very nice and you can do a lot with sounds you load, but the quality of the filters are not up to the level of the rest of the instrument. Of all the LinnPlug instruments I own, this is the least used and most troublesome. Every few months I pull it out and give it another try, then put it away and go back to using other instruments.

Robert
Read Review

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Comments & Discussion for LinPlug CronoX

Discussion
Discussion: Active
pcf
pcf
3 November 2020 at 9:46am

I never got to try this out, but is it still possible to install it on macOS Mojave?

Xenox.AFL
Xenox.AFL
3 November 2020 at 4:43pm

Good question, i have to look were i have my own CronoX/Sophistry version to try it out on my latest macbook...

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