Cherry Audio Dreamsynth Sheds New Light on the Hybrid Synthesis Era

This truly wonderful instrument is a 2022 enhancement of the Vector Synthesis, etc. designs from the late ’80s

At long last we’re allowed to let the cat out of the bag. We’ve been playing with this fantastic synth under strict embargo for a few days now – and that’s almost literal, because it’s one of those instruments that you just can’t stop playing.

The Dreamsynth has a whole lot going on, but it’s really easy to tweak and program. At its heart are three oscillators, each of which can fade between two waveforms (there’s a long list of analog and digital ones). It also has an “analog” string synth that can operate independently or as a layer. And modern effects. And and and.

The sounds are fantastic. Watch for a full review here coming soon.

Oh, and it’s $39 – as in 40 minus one, no missing zeros.

Okay, there’s no reason to rewrite Cherry Audio’s release:

Cherry Audio is thrilled to announce the release of Dreamsynth, its first original virtual instrument after a blockbuster year of highly acclaimed adaptations of vintage classics. Dreamsynth is a tribute to the celebrated hybrid analog/digital synthesizers of the mid-to-late 1980s. With the magic of these sonic gems in mind, we set out to design a “What if…?”synthesizer incorporating the distinctive qualities of this remarkable era with the best features of modern software instruments to create a uniquely 21st-century hybrid.

Dreamsynth’s innovative design blends flexible dual-wave morphing oscillators, stereo filters, a fully polyphonic string synthesizer, extensive and easy-to-use modulation, and studio-quality effects, all in an elegant vintage-style synth interface. Dreamsynth also includes comprehensive support for MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE), allowing articulation of every note for greater expressiveness. And with over 1100 outstanding presets created by an impressive group of 11 sound design pros, users will find that immediate inspiration is only a click away.

Dreamsynth provides an impressive list of features appealing to any sound designer and musician:

• Three dual-waveform oscillators, amounting to six simultaneous virtual analog or PCM sample-based oscillators with up to 16 voices of polyphony
• Authentically modeled virtual analog waveforms, plus 430 looping, one-shot, and single-cycle PCM waveforms
• Fully polyphonic 16-voice string synthesizer which can be layered and split across the keyboard independent of the primary synth
• OB-style 12 dB/octave multimode stereo filters
• Extensive and accessible modulation capabilities, with 20 mod sources and over 40 destinations, including effects. Routings are immediately accessible through our innovative interface with individual pop-up menus and invertible knobs.
• Three tempo-syncable LFOs
• Arpeggiator with tempo sync, independently assignable to the synth and string sections
• Fully modulatable effects include multiple distortion and sample-crushing options, a 12-stage phaser, chorus, flanger, rotary speaker effects, delay, and reverb, including our new “Galactic” reverb algorithm
• Complete MIDI control and DAW automation for all controls
• Support for MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) — Pitch, Channel Pressure, and Timbre — making Dreamsynth capable of more organic and expressive performances when using MPE-compatible controllers
• Extensive online documentation covering every feature and providing practical tips and examples
• A massive library of over 1100 presets from a wildly talented and diverse group of professional sound designers including James Terris, Katharine Fountain aka FOUNTAINS, Julian Pollack (J3PO), Julie Kathryn (I AM SNOW ANGEL), Huston Singletary, Mark Wilcox, Dave Polich, Joseph Holiday, Agent Method, and Venus Theory

Dreamsynth is available in AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and standalone formats, for macOS and Windows. It includes native support for Apple’s M1 processor and is fully compatible with macOS 12 Monterey. A free 30-day demo is available.

Click here for the product page