I have always been a lover of hardware synthesis, as some of these machines just produce sounds that need no post-production whatsoever; just ready to hit the master. It must be said however, that buying and the process of carrying synths around, is both a costly and a weighty affair. As production is hardly imaginable without a computer, the idea of a softsynth isn't bad at all, especially if you carry your 'mobile' studio around the country from time to time. Moreover, it is really convenient to store all your presets in one place; your computer. Once you start up again, most settings are instantaneously as they were, something which is more often than not, impossible with hardware.

In this review, we had the honour to review Rob Papen's Blue synthesizer, which was released near the end of last year. Rob Papen is quite a vested name in the scene, as previous iterations of his Albino synthesizer surprised both friend and foe with the quality of the sound and the transparency of the interface. The new and third version of Albino, which was co-developed with linplug has just been released and is being tested by us as we speak. In the mean time we focus on the blue synthesizer, which is really one of a kind, if the claims on paper are correct.

To start off, the install process of this package was among the smoothest I have ever seen. Click download on Rob Papen's site, run the installer, start the host program and copy paste the license code in, and you are done. It took me four minutes, an all time record for a commercial VST-AU plug-in.

Considering the plug-in itself, there are quite some things to say. The first thing is the interface, which actually reminds me of the design of access-virus indigo, a heavyweight hardware synth, which costs about ten times as much as Rob's virtual synth. Think blue leds with a silvery metallic finish, and a deluge of knobs to twist. Not too detailed and graphical, as I dislike unnecessary interface ornaments, but beautiful and serious-looking. It is crystal clear, and uncluttered, whilst it retains some of the vibes you get when working on a really beautiful synth. Moreover, there is clarity, with the programs six (!) oscillators firmly at the top, two filters in the middle and a multi purpose control area below, which is a pleasant way to get an overview. It does require a lot of clicking though, but this seems to be the case with many softsynths, and is a logical consequence of the program's plethora of parameters. Actually, this keeps the plug-in window size small, which makes it easy to use on a laptop, or in any other occasion where there is no double screen available.

The six oscillator configuration is remarkable, as most synths out there have to deal with two or three of them. Although some might argue that three is more than enough, in theory six oscillators, in various configurations, imply an enormous expansion of the sonic possibilities of the virtual machine. A notion of caution is in place as well, as there are plenty of opportunities to create a sound which is a bit over the top, with too many elements cluttering the bigger picture.

That said, there is always an element of choice; you don't have to use them all, and an element of expertise: in the right hands, this might potentially lead to fatter sounding patches than ever heard before.

Another important element is the expansive choice in oscillators we get with the blue. Fm Synthesis, Phase Distortion Synthesis, Wave Shaping Synthesis and Subtractive synthesis are all on the menu. Combine this with the flexible oscillators, did we mention the 32-step arpeggiator, the two stereo filters, wave shaping and sequencing options and it becomes clear that the amount of possible (sonic) usages is endless. As mentioned, this is a bliss when you know what you are doing. If you don't or want to find out, I recommend starting out with a simpler synth to learn the basics, before attempting to tame this virtual beast.

The question that remains is, despite all this theoretical potential, what it actually sounds like in practice.
A cursory look at the presets reveals different banks of 'mixed' presets, dedicated synth and lead presets, various R&B, hip hop and effect tailored kits, three banks dedicated to drum and bass, and a couple of extra effects, arpeggiators or sequenced files. A complete selection, with redundancy, so you might actually encounter the same preset twice. A matter of choice, as it is hard to classify many presets into simply one category, on the other hand, it might have been more compact to make a choice for a less redundant approach.

Although browsing the presets is a bit of a pain as one has to hop often between the different screens, the reward comes, in generous amounts. The bass sounds have the feel of analogue, and the synths feel lush and well thought out. Sound quality is excellent, it really cuts through my mix. Although I still get the feeling that my hardware Virus Indigo2 synth has something to offer, this plug-in has really stepped on the gas to close the existent margin, if any, with the hardware market. This is the best sounding plug-in I have heard to date, at an astonishing price; unless you want to produce all your music live, with full control, the future of hardware synthesis is simply debatable.

Now it was about time to integrate the synth in my sequence set-ups. As expected, the system consumes quite a substantial amount of cpu power, especially if the chosen preset opens several oscillators at the same time. On my iMac G5, with 1,5 Gb of Ram, using Ableton as a host, I could use approximately six instances of the program at the same time, using not overly complex sequences. Especially external arpeggiators would 'kill' the cpu power, with cracks and hiccups as a result; but lets face it Blue isn't really a live tool anyway. Especially certain pads such as Fifth element are very cpu intensive, and needed to be rendered first before being useful in the mix.

Stability has been good generally, although I have experienced some issues after having the program open for a couple of hours; this may also be due to some stability issues in Ableton 5.2, which is not known as the most stable production environment ever.

All in all, I would recommend the Blue as a great sounding and very versatile plug-in. The design really offers a new milestone in terms of theoretical possibilities, as the combination of six oscillators and effects offer extreme sonic possibilities. As I will personally integrate the tool in my studio, I would recommend it to anyone else, especially for its versatility and powerful presets. Moreover, the ease of use, and integration render it relatively hassle free, and my ideal companion in Dutch trains full of commuters.