Oddity2

i've waited till now to do a review because i wanted to see if i could create some presets for it first. i managed to create two new banks of sounds (which are available here at KvR) which i rarely do as most complex software synths don't seem that logical to me. This comes on CD-ROM held in a hardcover manual in a nice box with four Oddity banks of 64 presets, plus an Odyssey bank and a fifth Oddity bank is available via their website when you register (and this bank has some of the best sounds). Enter your serial number and away you go. No asking for the original CD every few days-type nonsense here.

i never owned a real Odyssey, but i've played with them and know my Odyssey sounds from Gary Numan (Music for Chameleons) to Herbie Hancock (Chameleon). This synth is very good and surprisingly flexible. The modulation routings can create some whacked-out sounds and are quite unusual in their execution. Some say they don't like the Oddity's sound, but i think this is because they probably don't like the Odyssey sound. With this you get a raw synth sound with no multi-effects to add gloss. You really need to add effects to this like they did to synths on the olden (golden?) days to recreate those classic sounds (get creative!).

My only real criticisms are: the opening patches in the preset banks could have been a bit more inspiring (particularly the first patch, 80s Bass, is a little, well, dull), the portamento isn't quite right yet and the lack of a PPC-style vibrato is a bit of a shame, but these are minor gripes and GMedia are very responsive to suggestions so these may yet be sorted. The only other VSTi i've bought is M-Tron and impOSCar so GMedia must be doing something right! (for me anyway).

Customer support from these chaps is very good. The manual also includes short tutorials explaining some of the more arcane functions like the odd S&H Mixer, which is a nice touch, especially if you're new to analogue synthesis and/or Odysseys.