I do not have an extensive synth background. I needed something I could use right away, and be able to cover a lot of ground quickly and easily. I think Alpha offers this and more.
The GUI is easy to understand, and is well-designed. The controls all work very well - no glitches that I've found. The preset browser makes it easy to find what you're looking for and quickly audition the included or added-on presets.
I give the sound a 9 only because I thought it could use more "power" at times. This is likely the result of my inexperience. Most of the time the sound is great, and I can get a wide variety of sounds out of this synth.
At first glance, it may seem lacking in features, based on screen shots of other monster synths. What's there, though, allows for a lot of flexibility. After getting familiar with it, there was more to it than I originally thought.
The PDF documentation is clear and thorough, and all controls are explained. The glossary of synth terms is helpful for beginners.
One of the big benefits, especially for me, was the included 750+ presets, so I can immediately hear the breadth of sound possibilities and see how they are constructed. With this many presets, there are bound to be many I will never use, but there are very many I found useful without needing any tweaks, too.
I haven't needed much support, since this is an easy to use product, and it's never misbehaved for me. Any questions I've had, though, have been answered quickly, by Linplug staff, in the Linplug forum here at KVR. Also, the purchasing/download process was quick and trouble-free.
The value for money is easily a 10. For $59, I think I've gotten more than my money's worth. And it's gotten me interested in Linplug's other products.
Alpha has been perfectly stable, as I've already mentioned. I've used both the VST and AU formats within Peak Pro 5, Tracktion 2, Digital Performer 4.6, and a few other hosts with no crashes or glitches.
I guess it's obvious enough by now that I'm happy with Alpha. It's an affordable, workhorse gem of a synth.
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