Cherry Audio has released P-10, a virtual synthesizer plugin based on one of the most desirable flagship analog polysynths ever created. Released by SCI in 1980, the original instrument was essentially two of the revolutionary P5 programmable synths in one behemoth dual-manual case, plus a “poly sequencer” built into the bottom-manual end cheek. It could be configured to play as two independent five-voice synths, a single ten-voice synth, dual-patch layered, or alternating between layers with each keystroke. Cherry Audio’s P-10 exactingly reproduces all that is exceptional in this legendary classic, including the original P5 and P10 factory presets, while boosting its feature set for today’s music production and workflow, and celebrating 50 years of groundbreaking innovation from the company that changed the music industry forever.
P-10 is available at cherryaudio.com and authorized resellers for $59. For a limited time, producers can also take advantage of Cherry Audio’s Pick 3 option to get P-10 and two other award-winning Cherry Audio instruments for just $99. P-10 is also included in the recently updated Synth Stack 5, a bundle of all 29 of Cherry Audio’s virtual instruments released through 2024.
With P-10, Cherry Audio has made every effort to capture the sweet-yet-powerful sounds of the eighties from countless artists as varied as Hall & Oates, Vangelis, Japan, John Carpenter and Alan Howarth, Tears for Fears, Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Rick Wakeman, Duran Duran, Brad Fiedel, Geoff Downes, Talking Heads, Pink Floyd, The Cars, Kraftwerk, and more.
Every aspect of P-10 has been modeled with the utmost care, from the Curtis 3340 oscillators and 3320 filters to its unmistakable oscillator sync. Although maintaining “the sound” was at the forefront of our mission, we’ve added thoughtful updates to modernize the user experience, including an expanded 16-voice per layer polyphony, a four-track step sequencer, velocity, polyphonic aftertouch, and keyboard split. P-10’s extensive modulation includes Mono Mod with LFO/Noise source mix, the renowned and innovative Poly Mod, with individual voice modulation paths, an Aux Mod section that extends upon the original’s Pedal Mod capabilities, and a newly added Pressure Mod section with support for mono and polyphonic aftertouch.
We’ve also added a second panel with an arpeggiator and complete effects section for each layer, including a fully independent assignable independent LFO section and modulation of key effects parameters via aftertouch. P-10’s comprehensive MIDI mapping capabilities and over 500 professional presets — including the original P5 and P10 factory patches — make it a must-have virtual instrument that will thrill both vintage synth enthusiasts and today’s music producers.
P-10’s most notable features include:
Highly optimized, massive dual-layer voicing architecture with 16 polyphonic voices per layer.
Configurable as two independent synths, a single synth, dual-preset layered, or alternating between layers with each keystroke
Keyboard split or stacked layer modes allow two simultaneously playable layers, with separate per-layer controls for all parameters, including arpeggio and effects
Over 500 professionally designed presets, including the original P5 and P10 factory patches, accessible in a convenient preset browser
Exquisitely rendered and immersive UI with show/hide keyboard option
Extensive modulation through routing and support for mono and polyphonic aftertouch: Pressure Mod, Poly Mod, Mono Mod, and Aux Mod.
Per-layer drift control subtly varies oscillator and filter parameters for authentic analog character
Extensive layer utility functions for duplicating and exchanging synthesis and effects parameters between layers and presets
Step Sequencer consisting of four individual monophonic sequences: up to 128 steps, assignable to either layer, and stored individually with each preset
Arpeggiators with tempo sync, independently assignable to both layers
Two independent studio-quality effects chains with global or dual layer modes: distortion, 4/6/12-stage phaser, flanger/chorus, three types of delay with sync, and five types of reverb
Independent, per-layer FX-LFOs, FX Pressure-Mod, and FX Mono-Mod to modulate effects parameters
Directly import original P5 and P10 patch bank SysEx data via drag-and-drop
More extraordinary sounds are on tap exclusively from Cherry Audio with the Exponents for P-10 Preset Pack ($9.99, sold separately), featuring 100 more presets that further explore P-10 through layers and splits, sequences, arpeggios, effects, modulation, and aftertouch.
Cherry Audio’s P-10 synthesizer is available for macOS (10.13 and above) and Windows (7 or above) in AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and standalone formats. A free 30-day demo is available. Visit cherryaudio.com for additional product details, a deep-dive instructional video, system requirements, and an extensive collection of awe-inspiring sound demos.
Now, Native Instruments’ giant bundle of software synths, effects, expansions, and other sonic goodies has reached version 15, and it’s probably the biggest software collection ever seen. Of course, we have to take a closer look at all this glory.
It was at the end of September that the developers behind Native Instruments called a digital press conference. There, they showed off their latest product in the category “Biggest software package ever” to a gathered world press. For early and eager users, they also enticed us with a free package in the form of iZotope’s Neutron 4.
Some of the new stuff… So what do you find in the new package? Well, over 50 instruments, effects and expansions, and in this package they flag a little extra for those who are interested in creating film music, but of course there is plenty of useful stuff also for those who yearn to succeed in composing a real pop song for the international charts. The new Kontakt 8 is included in both Komplete 15 Standard, Ultimate, and the Collector’s Edition. In this industry standard among sampling-based instrument platforms, we now find, among other things, two completely new audio tools: Chords and Phrases Tools. Furthermore Leap is a tool for experimenting with creating loops, and Conflux is a new hybrid instrument with extra powerful wave-table functions. There you can, among other things, modulate organic and synth-based sounds in real time.
Kithara, on the other hand, is a collection of various guitars and other picked stringed instruments, which have then been transformed with various creative techniques and a powerful, warm sound design. Here we find classic nylon-string guitars, flamenco instruments, steel-string guitars, balalaika, cuatro and ronroco. All of them are masterfully sampled with extremely detailed accuracy, and just as much effort has been put into the possibilities of changing the sounds with the help of powerful sound design. In Kithara, raw, organic sounds are mixed with modern sound tools and the result can be anything from discreet delicate pickings to large sweeping sound textures.
Four versions Komplete 15 is now available in four different versions: Select, Standard,Ultimate and Collector’s Edition. The entry variant Select is also available in three different editions: Beats, Band and Electronic.
Beats is of course aimed at producers/music creators who want to create beats for hip-hop and R&B. Band focuses on sampled instruments for songwriting and jamming. Finally, Electronic is a powerful tool for electronic music creation.
Komplete 15 Standard includes the new Kontakt 8 along with more than 95 professional-grade instruments and effects, more than 40 expansions and over 50,000 different sounds. Here we also find Ozone 11 Standard, Massive X and many other powerful audio tools.
In Komplete 15 Ultimate we find over 150 different top-class instruments and effects, everything from ultra-modern synths to symphonic sample libraries, and in addition more than 70 different sound expansions. Alicia’s Electric Keys, Ashlight and Action Woodwinds are some of the new products in Ultimate.
Komplete 15 Collectorʼs Edition is the complete Komplete package with over 165 instruments and 120 top-class expansions. Here, the developer promises that the package offers “unparalleled resources for professional production, film music composing, performance and sound design. Fables,Valves Pro and the brand new Kithara are some of the additions to Native Instruments’ fullest collection to date. For those who have not tried Komplete before, there is also Komplete Start, a large collection of free plugin synths and effects.
Komplete 15 Standard is a really full-fledged software package, but the Collector’s Edition is the most complete.
Some more news We have already mentioned Alicia’s Electric Keys, Ashlight, Action Woodwinds, Fables, Valves Pro and Kithara. In any case, this is how the developers themselves describe their new items:
Kithara: a cinematic collection of guitars and plucked string instruments transformed with creative performance techniques and powerful sound design.
Fables: Weave stories together using sound from an immersive cinematic ensemble library for both performance and production.
Valves Pro: Soft and shifting sounds from trombone, flugelhorn, horn, tuba and euphonium, with an expanded library of articulations.
Vocal Colors: An expressive “vocal engine” that enhances the feeling of the human voice with inventive modulation features.
Schedule; Dark & Light: Dark and destructive pulses meet opulent, melodic patterns in this duo of melodic sequencer plugins.
Action Woodwinds: The true-to-life sound of a full orchestral woodwind ensemble with a wide range of phrasing and articulations.
Alicia’s Electric Keys: Discover Alicia Keys’ own CP-70 electric grand piano loaded with her own custom effects chains.
Acoustic Sunburst Deluxe: Percussion/pick drum accompaniment and plucked notes from a premium acoustic jumbo guitar, with over 250 patterns and an additional melody instrument.
Upright Bass: The deep, organic lower register of a fantastic double bass made in Mittenwald in the 1970s.
Session Percussionist: An intuitive drum and percussion library with over 2000 customizable patterns and an advanced step sequencer.
Play Series Instruments: From hip-hop and R&B to house and techno, Play Series instruments deliver outstanding sound quality with an easy-to-use interface.
Expansion Sound Packs: Created by top artists and sound designers, expansions are genre-focused sound packs loaded with synth presets, drum kits, one-shots, samples and loops.
The new Alicia Electric Keys, here here accompanied by Kontakt 8 and Chords Tool.
Well, how does it sound? How does the word overwhelming fit? Well, that is almost the feeling you get from listening through all the new and excellent-sounding items that Komplete 15 offers in its Collector’s Edition. If, like me, you already have the latest version of Logic Pro with all its instruments, effects and other sound goodies included, Komplete 15 undeniably feels like the perfect complement. With these two powerhouses, you should in principle be able to create any type of music you can imagine, everything from “serious” classical orchestral music via film scoring, pop, and R’n’B, to the very most modern of all synth-based music genres. And everything sounds close to otherworldly good, as you’ve learned it does when it comes from Native Instruments.
The new tools in Kontakt 8, which have also received a major facelift with both an improved browser and a scalable user interface, also include, as mentioned, some new audio tools. In Chords, you can create your own chord sequences or let the program come up with lots of interesting suggestions. The same applies to Phrases, although instead with lots of different melodic phrases of course. These two tools may feel a bit like an “auto-playing piano” to some degree, but there are probably many musicians who can benefit and get lots of help in their music creation, from Chords and Phrases. On the other hand, I found the loop tool Leap and the new hybrid instrument Conflux to be extremely powerful and exciting. I’m sure these two could influence many in a most creative way.
The new sight CONFLUX (not KomVux) is an extremely powerful piece with lots of modulation possibilities.
A large audio collection of sounds for film scoring Many of the novelties do perhaps fit best in the area where all film score composers currently reside; low-key, enveloping, esoteric and exciting sounds that set the imagination in real motion. This is, of course, a trend that repeats itself among many developers of sampling and sound packs today, I have noticed. Film music seems to be a new popular music genre; Maybe there is a John Williams, Ludwig Göransson or Hans Zimmer hiding in every home or project studio today? A lot of music in that genre can be created with all the new expansions for Kontakt 8, and if you also have access to one of the new keyboards in the Komplete Kontrol 3 Series, this has also been progressively upgraded since it was launched, to be able to control more functions directly from the keyboard. 30 new expansions ensure that a tester never gets tired of new exciting sounds.
Guitarist goodies For all the guitar players we have Guitar Rig 7 Pro, which is completely stuffed with amplifiers, effects pedals and other small and useful things for all us string benders. It has been given another substantial face-lift from previous versions. The improved searchability in the browser has made the search for exciting guitar sounds so much easier.
For the backing guitarist in mind, there is now also a new acoustic rhythm guitar of the very best brand: Session Guitarist – Acoustic Sunburst Deluxe. Strum on!
Here we have combined the new Session Guitarist – Acoustic Sunburst Deluxe with the Phrases Tool.
Summary An extremely good-sounding and slightly overwhelming music and sound package from Native Instruments has landed. Komplete 15 certainly lives up to its name. I have a hard time seeing how they could top this in Komplete 16 and beyond. With such a large amount of sound expansions and also lots of interesting software synths and sound effects,
Komplete 15 already feels complete. If all of this seems totally overwhelming, or if you feel uncertain about the need for any of the included parts, there is always the option of starting with the free Select version. This is available in three different editions: Beats, Band and Electronic. There you can first get a feel for it, and if you then get curious about what the larger packages had to offer, there is always the option of upgrading later on. Starting this way could be a very good option.
I also have to give a big shout out to the developers of this pack. There are lots of sound demoes of what you can find in the various Komplete packages on the Native Instruments website. Danke schön!
FACT & FIGURES INFORMATION Native Instruments, www.native-instruments.com/en PRICE 599 euros for Komplete 15 Standard, 199 euros for the update; 1,199 euros for Komplete 15 Ultimate, 399 euros for the update; and 1,799 euros for the Collector’s Edition, and 499 for the update, but keep an eye open for extra discounts during Black Friday / Cyber Week
Steinberg releases the latest version of Cubase, with innovative new features for music creation, beats and grooves, audio optimization, scoring, and effects that make composing, producing, and mixing more inspirational than ever.
HAMBURG, Germany — Steinberg has today announced the immediate availability of Cubase 14 with significant new features and enhancements that make the award-winning music production software truly designed to inspire.
Cubase 14 offers three different versions which give users a natural creative pathway — from those taking their first steps with the powerful yet intuitive tools of Cubase Elements through intermediate-level users with Cubase Artist all the way to the comprehensive, industry-standard features of Cubase Pro, which is used on countless well-known recordings by high-profile artists. Cubase provides everything musicians and producers need, for every genre of music, skill level and budget.
The new features in Cubase 14 put creativity first, enabling users to create music which is unique and innovative while making the writing, mixing, and production processes more inspiring and intuitive than ever before.
New features to power your creativity
Cubase 14 introduces six powerful, intuitive Modulators which allow users to modulate any parameter of a track or channel that contains an audio signal. With an LFO and Step Modulator among others, this is a major new feature that will help to push the creative envelope of many music productions.
A new addition to Cubase’s track types, the Drum Track is an all-in-one environment for the creation of complex drum patterns and offers comprehensive features that allow users to build custom drum kits. At its core are the new Drum Machine, a versatile hybrid of drum sampler and percussion synthesizer and the Pattern Editor for programming propulsive, dynamic beats, randomizing grooves, and exploring new rhythmic worlds with just a few clicks.
Refined audio mixing, editing and processing
The full MixConsole can now be opened in the Lower Zone of the Project window, allowing channels to be re-arranged via drag and drop for faster, more intuitive mixing.
The event volume curve editing in Cubase 14 has been enhanced so that users can optimize their audio with draw tools that are familiar from automation editing to edit fades and adjust static event volume offsets.
New effects in Cubase 14 include Shimmer, a reverb plug-in that lives up to its name. Then there is StudioDelay, a distinctive, easy-to-use delay with quick access to built-in effects like modulation, distortion, reverb, and pitch. Autofilter is a filter specially designed for modulating its cutoff frequency via the input track or sidechain signal. Cubase 14 introduces Underwater, a brand-new signal processor for building atmosphere and space for vocals or lead instruments with the well-known “party next door” effect. And to round out the new additions, a Volume effect allows control of volume independently of the MixConsole volume fader.
Notation is now even more elegant and powerful
Cubase 14 introduces a revamped Score Editor built on technology from Dorico, the cutting- edge music notation and composition application from Steinberg. The new Score Editor provides a powerful, notation-based MIDI editor which will allow users to quickly and easily examine and edit music as notation while producing great-looking parts for live recording projects.
More to discover
Customers will appreciate that Cubase 14 is a true evolution, with the many new features and enhancements to the already comprehensive feature set, making it the perfect solution for music-makers of all levels.
DAWproject file format support for seamless project transfer between DAWs.
The enhanced Range Selection tool provides many new functions and workflows.
The play probability of each individual note in the Key Editor can be set to add variation to projects.
The performance monitor shows exactly when and where projects are pushing the processor’s limits.
Backup files are now stored in a dedicated Auto Saves folder.
More colors are included with SuperVision to visualize meters based on frequency or intensity.
The Control Room has been given an aesthetic makeover.
SpectraLayers Go 11 adds new spectral audio editing tools for music, sound design, restoration, and repair.
Enhancements to immersive audio, including Dolby Atmos monitoring speaker layouts and support for up to fourth-order Ambisonics.
Further improvements to audio connections, project management and import/export, enhanced video engine performance, and much more.
Availability and pricing
Cubase Pro 14, Cubase Artist 14, and Cubase Elements 14 are available from resellers and through the Steinberg Online Shop. The suggested retail price for Cubase Pro 14 is 579 euros or 579.99 US dollars. The suggested retail price for Cubase Artist 14 is 329 euros or 329.99 US dollars. The suggested retail price for Cubase Elements 14 is 99.99 euros or 99.99 US dollars. Prices may vary according to region.
A range of downloadable updates and upgrades, crossgrades, and education versions are exclusively available through the Steinberg Online Shop.
Customers who have activated Cubase Pro 13, Cubase Artist 13, and Cubase Elements 13 or earlier versions from October 9, 2024, are eligible for a free, downloadable grace period update for their particular version of Cubase.
New features at a glance
Modulators for adding movement to your music [Pro]
Pattern Sequencer and Pattern Editor to radically enhance your rhythmic world [Pro・Artist]
Drum Track all-in-one environment for drum creation and sequencing [Pro・Artist]
Drum Machine for designing and sampling drum sounds [Pro・Artist]
Powerful event volume curve editing and streamlined workflows for better gain staging [Pro・Artist]
Shimmer effect for creating ethereal soundscapes [Pro・Artist]
Revamped Score Editor based on state-of-the-art Dorico technology [Pro・Artist・Elements]
Enhanced MixConsole for faster, more intuitive mixing [Pro・Artist・Elements]
Supremely versatile StudioDelay [Pro・Artist]
Underwater plug-in, simple but effective for vocals and lead instruments [Pro・Artist・Elements]
AutoFilter plug-in for enhanced filter movement [Pro・Artist]
A range of other tool and performance improvements [Pro・Artist・Elements]
Steinberg is known the world over for its music and audio software and hardware solutions. The company has been developing, manufacturing and selling innovative products for musicians and producers in the music, film, post-production and multimedia industries since 1984. Steinberg products are used by Grammy and Oscar award-winning composers, engineers and producers.
