Synclavier V brings back the trailblazing late-Seventies-vintage Synclavier® synthesizer to the present day-desktop as an authentic-sounding software simulation. Its original creators made musical history with a unique approach to additive and FM (Frequency Modulation) synthesis alongside radical resynthesis developments. It could cleverly convert sampled sound into acoustically-identifiable additive synthesis subcomponents — Partial Timbres in ‘Synclavier-speak’. Chaining those Partial Timbres together as so-called Timbre Frames formed complex new sounds. Michael Jackson’s chart-topping single ‘Beat It’ from 1982‘s Thriller, the biggest-selling album of all time, opens with a thrilling-sounding Synclavier® synthesized gong that still serves as a fine example of this innovative instrument, for instance. It is included as one of 50 original Synclavier® presets in Synclavier V.

But bleeding-edge breakthroughs at that time, of course, came at a cost. Synclavier® systems stretched bank balances anywhere from $30K USD all the way up to $400K USD! Little wonder, then, that the Synclavier® was always a plaything of the rich and famous. Think recording and performing artist ‘A-listers’ like Sting and Stevie Wonder. Various visionary record producers such as Trevor Horn and Daniel Miller (on seminal Depeche Mode recordings). Foremost film composers like Howard Shore. To name but a chosen few. Fortunately for the rest of us that’s now no longer the case, thanks to Arturia’s pragmatic pricing of the still-cutting-edge Synclavier V.

Naturally, Native Instruments’ new NKS® (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD) — allowing advanced integration with third party software instruments — is in its DNA. DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) with automation support for considerable creative control on Mac OS X and Windows as a plug-in in all major formats is available, as is a standalone version.

Created by Synclavier® software developer Cameron Jones, the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) engine of Synclavier V authentically reproduces the sound of the original 8-bit FM voice cards… right down to the noise floor! Fortunately, anyone seeking state-of-the-art as well as ‘old skool’ sound can control bit depth from between 4-bit to 24-bit resolution. Also Arturia has expanded some of this innovative instrument’s features and added some truly 21st Century-centric ones not available on the original Synclavier®. All are accessible via the resizable (Retina/4K-compatible) GUI (Graphical User Interface) that’s as easy on the eye as it is to use.

The original Synclavier® featured four Partial Timbres, whereas Synclavier V’s 12-PARTIAL implementation takes things to a whole new level. The creative sound design possibilities of having 12 different continuously-varying waveforms sounding at the same time are (almost) infinite! Inserting some stereo placement into the musical mix makes for some stupendous soundscapes. Several high-quality effects — Analog Delay, Chorus, Delay, Flanger, and (convolution) Reverb — are also available in Synclavier V.

Amazingly Arturia has succeeded in implementing all this while maintaining 100% compatibility with the original Synclavier® sound library, thanks to collaborating closely with Cameron Jones. Simply said, Synclavier V takes everything the trailblazing Synclavier® could do as the most powerful additive and FM synthesizer ever created and makes it more powerful. Power up and power your music onwards and upwards with Synclavier V!