Developer John Niclasen let us know that G2500 – a virtual ARP 2500 modular synth – is now available for Linux, along with updates for the Mac & Windows versions.
Features:
- Ten different virtual modules also found in the original:
- 1002 Power Control
- 1004-T Oscillator
- 1005 Modulator Amplifier
- 1006 Filter Amplifier
- 1016 Dual Noise / Random
- 1027 Ten-Position Sequencer
- 1033 Dual Envelope Generator
- 1036 Sample & Hold / Random Voltage
- 1047 Multimode Filter / Resonator
- 1050 Sequential Mixer
- A new 1102 I/O Control virtual module not found in the original
- A virtual version of the 3001 Keyboard also found in the original
- Play notes using 16 keys on the computer keyboard and selecting octave with two additional keys
- Audio input from any system sound input device selected in the Preferences
- Audio output to any system sound output device selected in the Preferences
- MIDI input from any MIDI input device connected to the computer and selected in the Preferences
- Recognizes MIDI All Notes Off, Note Off, Note On, and Control Changes
- Save pieces of audio directly to disk in WAV format by the push of a button
- Setup is fully user configurable, in order to choose which and how many of each module to use
- Choose between two skins, Vintage and Black
- Option to display tooltips for many controls
- Use patch cables for even more connections than possible using the upper and lower matrix
- Load requester to load new patches from disk
- Save requester to save your own patches
- Patches are stored as text-files in directories on disk, to be easily manageable with operating system tools
- Zoomable user interface to easily go between a full overview and a detailed view of modules and controls
- Choose between windowed or fullscreen mode
- Studio quality 24bit/96kHz audio in and out (*)
- Audio is easily sent to e.g. a software DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) using software such as “Soundflower for Mac”
- The G2500 is easily controlled from e.g. a software DAW using the IAC Driver found in the MacOS “Audio MIDI Setup”
- Five banks to store patches in memory, which is a benefit when creating new patches
- Choose between Even Temperament and Bach-Lehman Temperament
- Toggle bandlimiting on and off to stay below the Nyquist frequency (half the sample rate of 96kHz)
- An optional post-filter for more smooth acoustic transients
Video demos:
Pricing and Availability
G2500 is available now for 100 Euro.
If you’ve used G2500, leave a comment and share your thoughts on it!
Too expensive for not being a VST.
yah + this is a repost
So right
But why is it not a VST plugin ?
I won’t lessen to it, as I won’t install another computer in my studio just to run it, and nor deal with timing issues.
Transform it into VST, and you’ll sell thousands.
BTW, I don’t work for VST business, I’m a studio owner, composer-arranger and music producer and I use hardware and VSTi synthesisers everyday.
When it will be VST compatible I’ll buy it… 🙂
still this sounds amazing been playing around with he demo, but yes vst version would be an instant buy
Standalone only and hardly useable on a standard screen.
Does not make sense to bring big hardware panels 1:1 to a computer (was a problem already with Arturias Moog Modular)
Needs to be a vst. Difficult to understand the reasoning of not doing this, in this day and age.
I created G2500, because I wanted and needed it myself. People, I showed it too, suggested, I made it public, so I did.
What did Synthtopia write at the end of this news?
“If you’ve used G2500, leave a comment and share your thoughts on it!”
Let’s see, how many of the people commenting here did actually try G2500?
I count one, and that person wrote “this sounds amazing”.
I second that.
The rest are just whining and/or sounds like they are salespersons from a DAW company.
G2500 sounds absolutely amazing. I am still amazed at the sounds coming out of this beast, and I programmed it. Alan R. Pearlman did some clever engineering back in the 60’ies.
Synthtopia, you need better moderation!
def gonna generate lots of sales with that hostile attitude
But what do we know? We’re obviously agents of big Vst.
yeah man, this thing “sounds absolutely amazing. I am still amazed” at the cleverness and ingenuity, we can’t let the public in on this gem. . . us sales-folk gotta sabotage before he eats our lunch. . .
Actually, I did try it. Sounds pretty good. Unfortunately, I have any number of synths that perform just as well and sound just as good that integrate easily into my chosen composition and recording environment. I’ll use those every time, not because I dislike your synth, (I don’t), but because of that ease of integration.I know you don’t wanna hear that, but if you’re putting this synth out and charging money for it, this is an observation you will encounter frequently. So either accept that or do what’s necessary to sell that product and have it compete against the rest of the competition. What you got here was marketing feedback. Lots of business’ pay good money for that. Make it a vst and I’m sure it will do well. Good luck.
“Sounds pretty good”
Good to hear! I personally find, it is more than “pretty good”, but that might just be opinion and bias.
“I have any number of synths that perform just as well and sound just as good that integrate easily into my chosen composition and recording environment. I’ll use those every time, not because I dislike your synth, (I don’t), but because of that ease of integration.”
Then what are you writing about? It seems to me, that you are very well covered and don’t need yet another of the same thing, you claim, you’ve got. Please use your current equipment and setup to produce something more interesting that 99% of what has come out of the DAWs for the last couple of decades.
“I know you don’t wanna hear that”
I know, you are wrong in that statement. If you are fine with your equipment and produce good and interesting music, then I am absolutely fine with that … and please let me hear it.
“Make it a vst and I’m sure it will do well.”
Are you sure, you don’t have economic interesting in VST? You sounds like a salesperson to me.
what you need here, creator, is someone (else) handling your communication/outreach. This did not go well.
‘Synthtopia, you need better moderation!”
John – we will delete comments that are personal attacks, but encourage open discussion about products and services that we cover.
“VST version would be an instant buy” and similar comments are valid and valuable feedback. It’s an important feature for many synthesists and a valid concern/request for readers to have.
If your plans are solely for standalone operation, that’s your choice to make – but it’s also reasonable to understand that it excludes many possible users.
“If your plans are solely for standalone operation, that’s your choice to make – but it’s also reasonable to understand that it excludes many possible users.”
As G2500 is now, it is a stand-alone software instrument, that you can record into any DAW through a software device, just as musicians record e.g. guitars or any other hardware instrument into a DAW using hardware devices.
I find from the emails, I receive, that quite a lot of users prefer a stand-alone instrument, so they don’t have to start a huge piece of software like a DAW to just play and explore the instrument. I feel the same myself, therefore my focus on creating a stand-alone version. In addition, the type of instrument, G2500 is, which is more like an emulation of the real hardware ARP 2500 synthesizer, it doesn’t really benefit from being a plugin. It would be a reduced version with probably fewer modules and a different GUI, if it should become a plugin also at some point.
The G2500 can be started from any standard computer with one of the three big operating systems, Mac OS X, Linux, or Windows. You don’t need any other software to start using the G2500 instrument. This is a huge benefit, as I see it.
This also means, it will probably not run on your smartphone. It will not run on your iPad, game console or old Amiga computer.
And it will not run inside a browser with HTML or any other SGML based user interface, and I can guarantee you, it never will.
I hope this helps clarifying, and I know, many users already use the G2500 synth with great pleasure.
Those who choose not to use instruments like this emulation of a classic, I very much hope, you will enjoy whatever you use and hopefully create great and interesting music and sounds with your equipment and software.
it took me less than a minute to set this up with ableton using loop midi, and virtual audio cable on the pc, much like rack, the fact that its standalone is only a mild inconvienince. The synth has been developed and continues to improve as i just downloaded 1.6. The sound design possiblities are awsome, and the sound is like i said before amazing. Developers who put the time into these unique soft synths need to be supported and should be able to defend themselves and their projects. (even though a vst would be cool)
Admin: Personal attack deleted (name calling).
Keep comments on topic and constructive or they will be deleted.
@ masproduct, could you please email me: contact at niclasen dot name
I am interested in knowing more about audio and MIDI interprogram communication, you use.
Thanks!
i can, cant figure out your email, would be glad to help
Hi Samuel,
contact info here, where you also find the email:
http://niclasen.name/G2500/contact.html
Thanks!
Videos
======
I can see from the G2500 YouTube channel, that the “Module 1004-T in G2500” video receive a lot of viewers in recent days. I figure, viewers are coming from here, as this is the video linked to in this news.
Those, who might be interested in the rest of the presentation videos for the different modules found in G2500, can continue with the next video from this link to the list of videos at YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1xglUe6umg&index=3&list=PLxLJ3bRh17X7IWWzekodv4URScjxbXxGU&t=0s
As YouTube re-encode uploaded videos, the sound in those videos are of less quality than what comes directly from the G2500 synth. Therefore we have made the original videos with 24bit/96kHz studio quality audio directly from G2500 available for download at this page: http://niclasen.name/G2500/videos.html
The look, feel and most importantly the sound of this instrument are excellent. I’ve never touched a real 2500, but I can see John has put in a lot of time into researching and programming in order to recreate the experience accurately. The ability to select/duplicate modules in the rack is a great feature. Really nice work!
Is there a module for the 1023 Dual Oscillator or can you recreate the same thing using multiple 1004 T-oscillators? I’m very interested in trying this for my vocoder
Hi
I tried the demo version for Mac and found it seriously buggy. Big shame as I would love to have this if it was fully stable! As stated in above posts there are workarounds to get MIDI into G2500 and get the sound into the DAW so that’s not that big of a deal for me – although VST version I’m sure would be a great success, enabling easy automation of parameters etc. Really hoped this would work?! & Confused as above posts seemed to to confirm that it works fine?! Anyway Good Luck, Bless………..
Hi again,
After sleeping -the next day it occurred to me that the G2500 is maybe not fully compatible with macOS Mojave which is what am running?! This could be the reason that the G2500 software was running buggy, so forgive me please for my misunderstanding if this is the case, I’m sorry for not checking compatibility before posting……..
I played with it. It sounds great.. I did play with a real ARP 2500 back in the 70’s. Those cherry switch matrixes were a bit noisy. This virtual instrument sounds better than I remember the real hardware. Yet, it also sounds like a 2500. If they make it a Audio Unit, VST.. I would but it.
Watching the 50 years of ARP symposium and the guys explain that they would seriously compromise the sound of the standalone by making it fit the constraints of Audiounits and VST plug in standards. I’d rather have something that is brilliant than the cheap polyester version.