UJAM Usynth Core

Full Description

All-purpose studio essentials

The desert island synthesizer, Usynth Core encompasses the building blocks of synthesizer sounds. Anything from classic, archetypal sounds of '80s classic tracks such as Sweet Dreams, Jump and The Final Countdown and contemporary cinematic scoring tones are possible. A lesson in synth 101, Usynth Core is the new standard of synthesizer. Developed by UJAM co-founder and synthesizer legend Peter Gorges, Usynth Core is his collection of must-have textures and tones that covers the full gambit of what's possible with synths. No corner of the possibilities of synthesizers has gone unexplored with Core, anything from authentic and vintage clean basses, classic '80s hooks and stabs, polysynth sequences, juicy mono leads, liquid acid bass, icy bells and much more is within your reach.

The new synthesizer

Priding themselves on making things simple and effective, Usynth is not a traditional synthesizer. Unapologetically simple and covering an absurdly large range of sounds whilst remaining intuitive and user-friendly, Usynth doesn't require any background knowledge or skills to sound the way you want. No more endlessly tweaking parameters that make negligible effects on your sound or scrolling through endless presets to find the right starting point before adjusting everything to taste. Designed to help you achieve production-ready sounds instantly, you'll be able to harness your creative spark, finishing projects faster than ever before without compromising on sound quality.

In other lines of technology, complex processes are distilled down into manageable formats that everyone can follow. Think filters on an image editing app for example. Making it accessible for everyone to have great sound, you don't need to know the ins and outs of filters, oscillators, and other building blocks that make up a synthesizer, just simply need an ear for what you want.

Under the hood of UJAM Usynth is a very complex synthesizer with each instance comprised of two individual layers per voice. Everything from FM synthesis, subtractive synthesis, wavetable synthesis, LA hybrid synthesis and even sample-based synthesis are all working their magic without you ever needing to know how to use them. Distilled down into digestible chunks with musically descriptive terms, UJAM Usynth is the musician's synthesizer, designed to create music.

Powerful synth design made easy

Comprised of three independent sections, each with a stripped-back range of controls, UJAM Usynth Core is extremely flexible without the baggage of complicated traditional synthesizer layouts or controls. The Synthesizer section is your tone generation, controlling the sound of your Usynth. Within this section, 100 presets are included and labelled with descriptive musical terms to identify quickly the sounds needed for your tacks. When selected, only a few parameters are presented to fit the sound to your mix.

The fast/slow knob replaces typical parameters such as envelopes, reducing a four-stage (or more for modern synthesizers) process to one single dial. Turn towards the fast side, and you will achieve an aggressive sound with plenty of attack, or twist towards slow for a more 'pad-like' sound. The second dial, dark/bright alters the overall sonic quality of your sound, replacing several parameters from traditional synthesizer design into one dial. Depending on the preset you have selected, this knob controls a myriad of functions, from filter cut-off, wavetable position, FM amount, resonance, EQ, oscillator mix and much more. Ideal for producers and musicians, the combination of these two well-labelled knobs allows you to quickly get the sound you need for your production without painstakingly tweaking knobs.

Should you want more control over your sound and want to dive deeper, three unique parameters are placed directly below the Synthesizer section. These parameters change depending on the preset you have selected and have been expertly tuned to give you the most interesting ways to manipulate your sound based on the preset selected.

Usynth Core includes an arpeggiator with everything you'd expect from a fully-fledged arpeggiator. Note length, swing, octaves and pattern length are included however following the ethos of Usynth, it's much more performance friendly than others. Using the trigger notes included on the mapped keyboard, you gain access to DJ-like tools including loop and mute functions, letting you get hands-on with your performance for a more expressive and 'live' feel. In addition to being an arpeggiator, the Sequencer section also contains 50 pre-built sequences that can be synced to your host project to experiment with classic grooves in your productions.

As is customary with UJAM products, Usynth includes a Finisher FX section. Expertly tuned to the sounds built into Core, the Finisher FX includes 90 unique presets spanning everything from phasers, overdrives, compressors and much more. A simple wet/dry control is presented, allowing you to blend in the effect level you need in your track, eliminating the need for complicated, non-musical parameters that frequently destroy the sound of your effects. Ranging from the subtle to extreme, the Finisher FX enables you to transform any sound to fit your mix, or to make it stand out head and shoulders above anything else, the choice is yours.

Now that you've perfected your sound in a matter of minutes, you might want to add some movement to your tone to give your productions more life and energy. Instead of offering complicated modulation matrixes, UJAM Usynth uses a simple 'Surprise' function. For each of the three main sections, this can be activated or disabled to only change what you want. From big to small, the surprises can quickly add the randomisation you needed to get the sound you are after. If you've taken it too far, an undo is included to revert to your original sound without ever worrying that you've ruined your patch.

Frustration-free design

A staple of modern and vintage music production, the synthesizer is a unique instrument. Traditional layouts pose complicated terminology and unfriendly workflow that can hinder your ability to realise your artistic vision. These barriers can so often stop musicians in their tracks, wasting precious time in the studio and taking away the creative spark by bringing you out of your creative flow. In typical UJAM fashion, Usynth has been redesigned to allow musicians of any skill level to get professional, mix-ready results regardless of your ability, without needing a background in working with traditional synthesizers. No unnecessary complexity, deep menu diving or prior knowledge is required, simply load it up and find a sound you love and perform with ease.

With a philosophy of trying to achieve perfection by stripping back all the unnecessary parts, UJAM Usynth is comprised of three main sections with global tweaking parameters. Each section features a bank of custom-tuned presets with a small number of tweakable parameters to quickly get up and running with a sound to keep you in the zone, zooming out to the big picture instead of getting caught up in the minutia of tedious sound design. Perfect for experienced producers and beginners alike, Usynth lets you supercharge your workflow without compromising on excellent sound to get your tracks finished faster than ever before.

The plug-in experts

Trusted by some of the world's biggest brands across a wide range of industries including BMW, Warner Bros, Sony, Universal, Ubisoft and many more, you're in the hands of professionals when choosing a UJAM product. Following a mission statement to make music more accessible, offering industry-leading sounds in a simple to use format, UJAM plug-ins are on hand to help you create music faster, better and easier. Originally starting with the landmark Virtual Guitarist release back in 2002, UJAM's vision was realised following years of development in all areas of music production products that you know today. Built for musicians by musicians, UJAM has products for all abilities, from bedroom producers to Hollywood composers. Each plug-in delivers authenticity, sound quality and ease of use to ensure that every time you open it, you will be inspired to create.

Features

• Synths made simple
• The core building blocks of synthesis captured in one streamlined plug-in
• Cover everything from archetypal and historic sounds to modern and scoring-friendly tones
• Comprised into three sections, Sequencer, Synthesizer and Finisher
• Each section can be switched on or off depending on your requirements
• Onboard host syncable sequencer can act as both an arpeggiator or as a phrase player
• 25 onboard fully-customisable sequences are divided into three categories, phrases, melodies and arpeggios
• Four discrete parameters per preset let you alter the response and feel of the sequencer
• Interactive keyboard has two different modes depending on the status of the sequencer. Five octaves will display when the sequencer is off and when enabled it will highlight octave control
• Streamlined Synthesizer section lets you customise your tone without the complicated processors or parameters of traditional synths
• 100 preset Synthesizer sounds to choose from to explore the wide sound design capabilities onboard
• Control the overall harmonic content and tone of your sound with the Dark/Bright dial
• Each Synthesizer preset offers three independent parameter knobs to change a unique part of the sound
• Powerful, custom-tuned Finisher FX section with 90 presets to scour
• Crafted from a multi-effect signal path with four parameter knobs, you can customise your sound even further
• Generate random variations of your preset using the Surprise function, altering it in either a big or small way with a switch for each section to enable or disable your variations
• Global delay and reverb can be dialled in with flexible control to suit any mix or style to add depth, movement or rhythmic complexities
• All-new browser section allows for a frustration-free preset browsing experience with the ability to save your presets in a user-defined location
• Comes with 100 global presets, categorised into simple musical terms to ensure you always have fresh and new inspiration for your productions

Specifications

System requirements

• Operating system:
  • Mac: macOS X 10.14 or later - 64-bit
  • Windows: Windows 10 or later - 64-bit
• Format:
  • Mac: VST 2, AU 2, AAX
  • Windows: VST 2, AAX
• RAM: 8GB
• Disk space: 5.99GB
• Display: 1280 x 768px

General

• Installation: UJAM App required
• Authorisation: Internet connection required for authorisation
• Product code: USYNTH-CORE