Cherry Audio recently unveiled their brand new Dreamsynth, which is a tribute to the hybrid analog/digital synths that cropped up during the mid to late 1980s. Packed into its elegant vintage-style synth interface are flexible dual-wave morphing oscillators, stereo filters, fully polyphonic strings, and studio-quality effects.

According to Cherry Audio, Dreamsynth draws its inspiration from the likes of the Ensoniq ESQ-1, the Kawai "K" series, and the Sequential Prophet VS. These were all instruments that bridged the gap during a time in the eighties when music production transitioned from analog to digital. However, their combination of digital and analog sounds gave these instruments their unique sonic fingerprints.

The goal of Dreamsynth was to incorporate the distinctive qualities of the instruments it drew inspiration from with the best features of modern software instruments. The result is a uniquely 21st-century hybrid with plenty of features. These include three dual-waveform oscillators that amount to six simultaneous virtual analog or PCM sample-based oscillators with up to sixteen voices of polyphony. Dreamsynth also has authentically modeled virtual analog waveforms, along with 430 looping, one-shot, and single-cycle PCM waveforms. In addition, its 16-voice string synthesizer is fully polyphonic and can be layered and split across the keyboard independent of the primary synth.

Other highlights include OB-style 12 dB/octave multimode stereo filters, extensive and accessible modulation capabilities as well as three tempo-syncable LFOs. In addition, Dreamsynth supports MPE, user-adjustable oversampling control, and includes over 1100 presets created by sound design veterans. The list includes the likes of James Terris, Julian Pollack, Katherine Fountain, Julie Kathryn, and Venus Theory. It runs on macOS and Windows and offers optimal performance with ultra-low CPU load thanks to its highly optimized coding.

Dreamsynth can be bought from the official Cherry Audio website at an MSRP of $59,00 that has been discounted to $39 for a limited time. It is avaialble in AU, VST, VST3, AAX and standalone formats. Those interested in trying out the software first can make use of the free 30-day demo of Dreamsynth. It features everything available in the full software but will play white noise periodically. For more information or to listen to the sounds of Dreamsynth, visit the Cherry Audio website.