impOSCar2

I have to say this is one of the best sounding synths I've ever owned, hardware or software. I can't claim to be a big fan of retro-synths re-carved in soft form when there's so much new ground that could be covered instead (as seen with ground-breaking products such as Reaktor and Cameleon), but once I played it it was simply a case of having to have it!. I've no idea what the original sounded like so can't fairly compare how it rates as an emulation, but I do like the look of it and its just the right size; not too big it engulfs the screen and beyond like some other products, not too small that you can't see what you're doing. The only thing I thought was slightly dumb was hiding the chorus and delay behind the logo panel - although I do understand that the reason is aesthetic, to retain the original look of the rubber beast.

The features have been well documented in other reviews, but I'll list a few that really grabbed me:

Filter overdrive - this is just a glorious imitation of analogue distortion that makes the basses quake like an ice age yellowstone park. I ran some harsh leads through my Mackie's and it almost ripped out my eardrums. I can't recall having owned any other synth that has such a blistering feature.

User waves - Create your own waves using a simple form of additive synthesis and use them as oscillators. The end result is as clangy as your old DX synth and really brings a nice digital edge to more percussive or bell-like presets. Actually, Gmedia have provided some really well thought out waves already but the option to create your own is very seductive.

Velocity response - I think this must make the instrument far more playable than the original and has been quite well thought out, although there's no aftertouch which is a bit of a shame. For Electric Piano chords and funk clavinets it works really well and allows for some real digging-in playing.

Arpeggiator, delay, repeated triggering - The arpeggiator is a Roland-style design that does the usual up, down, up-down and random patterns. Nothing unusual, but linked with the delay and repeated note triggering some really funky little patterns can be assembled. They can be synced internally or to the host sequencer's tempo and the delay has a neat little method of handling the length of the delay called "units" which makes using this feature a doddle.

There are plenty of other features to keep the programmer busy such as the flexible portamento (or "glide" as its called here) options, the midi learn and the lovely, rich chorus so its a pretty flexible little synth.

The onboard presets are really good and I bought a load more on Ebay the other day that really show off just how flexible this synth is. A brilliant synth!.Read Review