Rating: **** 4/5 Stars
If you have a liking for the unconventional in your virtual instruments, then Cinematique Instruments are probably already on your radar. Colors Vintage Synth certainly ticks that box via its unusual user interface. Sonically, it provides a source of pad, texture and ambience sounds most obviously aimed at media composers. For the purposes of this review, I had access to the version designed for use within Steinberg’s Halion Sonic player (which is a free plug‑in capable of running in any suitable DAW host), but there is also a Kontakt‑formatted version available if that happens to be your preference.
The underlying approach is familiar enough in that you can build your own unique pads/textures by layering up to four individual sounds. Three of these can be drawn from a collection of 30+ vintage synth sounds (the total library clocks in at just under 1GB) while the final layer offers a small number of ‘noise’ sounds (including a very interesting Theremin option). The specific sounds chosen have obviously been carefully selected with the pad/soundscape/texture target in mind but they are drawn from suitably vintage origins including the Jupiter‑4, Juno‑60, Prophet‑5 and Minimoog, among others. CI provide plenty of presets to get you started (and a Random button if you just want to roll the sonic dice) but you can easily configure your own ‘sonic colo(u)r’ combinations via pop‑up menus available for each slot within the Easel page.
The Easel page’s somewhat quirky control set is also where things get somewhat off the beaten track. As well as volume/pan and solo options, you can also adjust a simple arp, assign volume to the mod wheel, tweak the attack, change the tone via a simple EQ and apply a low‑cut filter. However, in terms of adding a sense of movement to the sounds, the LFO is perhaps the star of the show. The Master tab then adds some further options. These include a global decay control, ambience and chorus, but the drive and filter features are particularly impressive. Again, in most cases, mod‑wheel connectivity is available as well as further sub‑controls. Yes, the implementation is a little unusual, but it’s pretty easy to get your head around even for those who don’t consider themselves synth programmers.
...in terms of capturing that vintage synth vibe — warm, full, rich — Colors Vintage Synth absolutely hits the spot.
Colors Vintage Synth is very much designed with a specific musical function in mind — pads, textures and soundscapes — and the majority of the presets demonstrate that to good effect. They also show off the modulation options, so keep a finger on that mod wheel as you audition. It’s not all pads though, and a few presets make excellent use of the arpeggiator function for a little melodic flavouring. And while it is perhaps not the broadest of underlying sonic palettes, in terms of capturing that vintage synth vibe — warm, full, rich — Colors Vintage Synth absolutely hits the spot. A modestly priced means for anyone to place some authentic vintage synth sounds into their own musical projects.
£51
www.cinematique‑instruments.com
£51