Totally inspiring, utterly absorbing, ridiculously versatile and sounding phenomenal, VPS Avenger is quite unlike any other synth out there.

It’s as solid and flexible a multistage envelope as we’ve seen in any synth – great stuff. Any number of breakpoints can be clicked in, and the lines between them curved by dragging.Īdjustable grid resolution and snap-to-grid make detailed editing easy, and further niceties include separate start and loop points, delay and fade-in. Providing the means with which to design intricate rhythmic modulation shapes and sequences, we suspect the two host-syncable MSEGs will prove far more useful than the Drum Sequencer for most Icarus users. It’s just a shame you can’t change track rates and lengths independently of each other to create polyrhythmic percussion lines. Given its ‘secondary’ status, the Drum Sequencer is appropriately simple but effective. There’s no denying xthe punch and spectral range, nor them staggering versatility of its architecture The global sequencer rate and length are adjustable, and the bipolar Swing/Shuffle parameter brings the groove. Per-step Velocity sliders govern volume, while pitch can be tweaked directly and modulated by velocity DSR envelope sliders shape the dynamics of each sample and an effects send routes individual tracks to one of the three FX modules. One-shot samples (around 250 are included) and/or loops (automatically synced to tempo) are loaded into five tracks and sequenced in the usual X0X-style way. The most attention-grabbing new feature of Icarus 2, then, is the Drum Sequencer, with which rhythm tracks can be triggered alongside your synth lines. (Image credit: Future) Performance and verdict Vanguard is considered to be an impressive and straightforward synth amongst many producers.With an onboard Drum Sequencer, you can build drum and percussion tracks into your patches, while the Glitch Sequencer is a fine addition for mad rhythmic processing. Vanguard is used by many electronic dance music producers, despite not remaining as prevalent as reFX's Nexus 2 ROM plugin. The software can still be downloaded from the Refx website for existing licensed users and can still be played through any daw that supports 32-bit or 64-bit plugins, namely FL Studio. Some Vanguard sound packs were designed by Manuel Schleis. A majority of the audio engine and 128 factory sounds were programmed by Markus Krause from Tone2 Audio software.

Vanguard worked with any VST-capable host and featured the Trancegate and Arpeggiator tools. Most functions could be automated, such as cutoff frequencies, resonance, ADSR, and LFO. Released in 2004, Vanguard was a virtual analog synthesizer with three oscillators, 32 waveforms, up to 10-times unison, a filter with several frequency responses, delay, and reverb effects, and stereo pattern controlled noise gate and arpeggiator.

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