Product Reviews by KVR Members

According to Wikipedia, Neon was literally the very first VST synthesizer, not the first software synthesizer but the first one made using the Steinberg VST standard. I don't know how well it compared to the competition in '98 or '99 but the synth is now freeware as part of the Steinberg Classics Pack Vol. 2.

Sound-wise, it's a thick and bland sound, not necessarily bad-- in fact, I'm sure you could imagine places to use it but with such a wide variety of free synths out there, why would you? The timbral variety offered by the Neon is paltry, mostly due to a filter that doesn't filter very much and a hard-to-hear LFO.

PROS:

• Historical curiosity.
• Capable of a count-them-on-one-hand number of appealing sounds.
• Unbelievably low CPU usage. On my laptop which is from 2008, it used 0.1% of my CPU.

CONS:

• Badly implemented skeuomorphic knobs require you to point your mouse in the actual direction you want to turn your knob.
• Filter and LFO are both difficult to hear.
• Extremely low timbral variety.

If you're actively looking for an uninspiring synth, you've found one. Otherwise, the value of this VST is extremely limited.

PROS:

• Incredibly direct, non skeuomorphic interface.
• Low system requirements.
• Output sound is useable, not mind-blowing but perfectly acceptable-sounding.

CONS:

• Just not as good-sounding as other freeware reverb plugins. When you could use the likes of EpicVerb or Ambience, it's kind of like "Why use anything else?" It's a shame though because this probably has my favorite UI of any reverb plugin I've used. I wish Ambience looked more like this.

There are several freeware automatic pitch-correction plugins and I've tried them all. By far, the one with the most arrestingly good effect is KeroVee's. It's the best-sounding and its GUI is arguably the best-looking. It makes lovely R&B warbles, strong pop-vocals, the characteristic T-Payne effect, absolutely all of that good stuff one would want from an automatic pitch-correction plugin. I whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone looking to manipulate or correct vocals.

(For bonus fun, try sending all your reverb to a track with this on it. It results in something that sounds like a glitchy string section.).