Obsession - An Oberheim-Inspired Synth

US Synapse Audio releases emulation of a vintage polyphonic synth for Mac and Windows 22/06/20

Synapse Audio tells us that Obsession brings the power of a great polyphonic vintage synthesizer to your fingertips. They say that it combines the astute modeling of voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), voltage-controlled filter (VCF) and voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) with a comprehensive individual voice control that has never been done before in this detail. This is what they have to say about it...

Obsession is a powerful vintage synthesizer emulation. It starts out with the classic synth design comprised of two oscillators, a switchable two/four pole low-pass filter, two ADSR envelope generators and two LFOs, all meticulously modeled from the hardware.

A comprehensive modulation matrix, two Step controls for powerful rhythmic sequences, and a high-quality effect chain greatly enhance the versatility of the instrument. Two parts with Single/Dual/Split modes offer plenty of extra room for experienced sound designers. Modern features like support for multidimensional polyphonic expression (MPE) as well as Native Kontrol Standard (NKS) complete this mighty plug-in.

Obsession features an easy-to-use, scalable interface (Retina-ready) with direct access
to all important parameters.

The individual voice control is perhaps the most important feature of Obsession: Each voice board can differ noticeably from the others in many ways, creating that organic, lively sound that vintage-analog poly synths are famous for.

For instance, turning the Cutoff Frequency trimpot to the left means that the Cutoff Frequency of that particular voice is going to be lower than average, whereas turning it to the right means it is higher than average. Likewise, turning the Amp Release trimpot to the left is going to shorten the release time somewhat for that particular voice, whereas turning the trimpot to the right will result in a longer release time. Even extra parameters like oscillator and filter scaling, found on the voice boards of the real hardware, are present in Obsession.

The back panel of Obsession gives access to the high-quality effects section, the modulation matrix, as well as the LFO Steps control.

The high-quality reverb coded by Mirko Ruta with the added Shimmer effect lifts pads, leads and athmospheric to a new dimension. A stereo delay as well as a Chorus/Ensemble effect can be applied to enhance the output yet further. Temperature-dependent fluctuations can be simulated by the novel "Organic" knob, lifting the expressiveness and sound quality to a new level.

In order to greatly enhance the modulation capabilities of Obsession, the powerful LFO Steps control allows to create rhythmic, tempo-synced modulation of almost every sound parameter. Free-hand drawing can be employed as well to create arbitrary LFO shapes.

Features:

Very deep, realistic emulation of an analog polyphonic synth

Two part engine with 8 or 16 voice boards

Precise control of many sound parameters per voice board

Single, Dual and Split modes

Stepped LFO modes with freehand drawing

High-quality effect block with Delay, Reverb and Chorus

Full version comes with 420 patches

Available as VST, AAX, Audio Unit

Supports Native Instruments' NKS format