Plugin Boutique has introduced Carbon Electra – a 4-Oscillator subtractive synthesizer featuring informative displays, editable step sequencer, vocal filter, integrated distortion and analog control.
Here’s their official intro trailer for Carbon Electra:
Features:
- Powerful synth engine that is easy to learn and use with no hidden menus.’
- 4 analog-style sync-able oscillators with adjustable pulse width, frequency modulation and multiple wave types including pitch-able noise.
- Informative physics based graphic displays with comprehensive info pane.
- 6 filter types including powerful vocal filter with filter drive and saturation.
- Simple, incredibly usable and useful FX section, like having a bunch of great guitar pedals.
- Editable step sequencer that can be assigned to pitch, volume or cut off independently or simultaneously with various wave types and edit mode allowing node creation and line curves.
- Over 600 factory presets covering sequences, chords, motions, bass, leads, keys, pads and effects.
- Ability to run the amp section “too hot” into the built in optional limiter at the main output, creating a modern hyper-compressed sound.
- Super flexible unison control ranging from subtle warmth to massive super saw or super square sound.
- Multiple stereo width parameters allowing high precision control of the stereo field.
Carbon Electra is available now, for Mac & Windows, for US $99.
Seems a little feature lite for the price. Needs more Osc wavs, Osc level unison, more FM options and filter types to compete with the other danve synths out there.
That’s what I thought too. However when playing around with it, Carbon Electra appears to be much more flexible than I expected (I’m reviewing it for a magazine). No mod matrix but a lot of fixed mod routes, the step envelop adds versatility and the FM function adds instant tasty wild colors (not like a DX synth). Also the double sync option (1-2 and 3-4) has potential. Just play around with the demo and you’ll be surprised about all the functions you’ll discover on the go 🙂 That’s what happend to me anyway.
Terrible name for an instrument:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen_Electra
Sounds like they couldn’t decide whether to call it Carbon or Electra and ended combining them to make it sound like a certain TV ‘personality’..
I’ve been using it and I’m really growing to like it. Just seems so huge and so easy to make those big EDM sounds with. Having said that I am still trying to get my head around drawing waveshapes in the step envelopes.
From ProducerSpot’s review:
“The filter is a 12 dB state variable resonant filter, which can be set to LP, BP, HP, Notch and vocal. It is in fact a very nice sounding filter, but, unfortunately I can hear some stepping in the upper range when doing slow sweeps. I mean, nothing too terrible, just a bit of stepping.”
One of the tutes is by Davide Carbone who says he’s the lead designer, I guess Carbone, Carbon Electra. Makes sense, Sounds really nice in that tutorial, will give it a go
Tone2 cloner?
The low-pass is 24db, from what I hear when trying this the “stepping” seems to be due to having sat and drive enabled and res full-on. This same effect occurs in analog filters. Self-oscillates at 80% on the res dial and above this adds lots of harmonic/saturation. Sounds way smoother if you dial back the res (75%?) and set the osc[s] -12db with amplitude +12db to compensate.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention if you lower the level as I explained and turn on the sat switch it actually makes it even smoother!