It always seems to be the case that for chiptune sounds, freeware's where it's at. Oli Larkin's SE64 is no exception to this phenomena. Loading up this synth will take you straight back to the days when the SID chip was all you needed baby. And that's exactly what SE64 sounds like, the SID, the real deal, only easier to control then ever.
What really pushes SE64 over the normal SID-esque synths are it's little features, which all add up to a superior synergy. Aside from your normal filters (i.e. bandpass, amp, pitch) you've got truly useful ones like pulsewidth, bit crushing, and even an EG filter. To add much more spice, a fully featured arpeggiator is included as well, which will allow to make those Ron Hubbard textured pads that truly scream C64!
All of this power luckily comes wrapped up in a very tidy and minimalistic GUI that trades pretty pixels for simplistic logical layout. You will immediately understand the flow thanks to this, I'm sure, and thusly, you'll be programming away in no time.
Oli Larkin certainly outdid himself with this amazing little synth, and for free, it's a crime if you -don't- download it. A must have, if you have any fondness for retrobit sounds whatsoever.Read Review