Phonec

I bought Phonec because I like the vintage sound of old electronics that is used in the music of Boards of Canada. There is many patches that comes with the synth that are spot on that kind of washed out, detuned "VHS" lofi sound that I love so much! It's also quite easy to come up with your own patches, there is a lot under the hood but it's easy to use because everything is logically laidout and you understand the signal flow right away. The special features are the melt and drift parameters that emulate the sound of VHS. The emulation is as close as you'd expect from a software, and it's quite fun to load a patche and play with the melt function hearing how it morph the sound into a more organic tone.

There is a lot of filters available and the routing options are simple but efficient. I'm not a synthesizer expert when it comes to programming patches, but with Phonec I feel I could make some worthwhile preset banks without it taking too much time. Some of the tones can be hear piercing, so it's important to put a limiter to prevent hear damage as with all instruments). The way the synth is programmed, you really feel that it's open to experimentations, as the parameters covers a wide range of tones.

Even if the price is a bit high for what it is, I feel that it's a must for anyone seeking that particular vintage tone. In a effect chain with tape delays and stereo flangers it sounds terrific!!!