Pro-A5 Synth + AUv3

I have to admit that I didn’t like it at first - same old boring patches drenched in chorus, delay and reverb. But thankfully I dug deeper and what’s under the hood is truly special. The first thing is that the patches don’t fall apart when you remove the fx - they still sound full of character. This synth captures the spirit of working in the analog domain and sounds like an actual instrument full of surprises and quirks and possibilities. Does it sound exactly like a prophet 5? I don’t really care as long as it sounds alive and this synth definitely delivers when you dive deep. Some of the banks further down on the list really start to show what’s possible. And finally the added design touches really make it shine — poly unison, retro and modern filters, high pass filter, arp (but please add swing), additional LFOs and mod matrix, vintage knob, saturation, overdrive and recently micro tuning!!

This is a recreation of the classic Sequential Circuits’ Prophet 5, but the AudioKit team has breathed so much love into this app that, in many ways, it far exceeds the original while still preserving the essential character. Normally, when exploring a new app, I’ll start making patches, seeing how far I can push the synth engine. I usually make 10. With the A5, I made 20 in one sitting, and each was something I immediately wanted to use. The modulation capabilities are vast. In addition to 3 LFOs, OSC 2 can be used as a 4th LFO, or as an Audio Frequency modulation source for FM, opening a whole new set of sounds. As with many AudioKit apps, the UI is easy to navigate, and packed with an abundance of features. Need an arpeggiator? Done. A sequencer? It’s there. Need to play a Gamelan scale? A whole microtonal scale system is built in. The audio effects are simple, but sound amazing. AudioKit continues to update capabilities, improve performance, and fix bugs quickly when they show up. Also, buying their apps supports their important mission of providing free professional tools to anyone who wants to learn synthesis, or make music. Thanks, Matthew!

I have too many iOS synths, because I keep hoping one will be on the level of something like U-He Diva, this comes close and seems well coded and designed. The presets are nice, the tone is rich and the built in sequencer is making it extra deep. Randomize preset button is a nice touch. If you’re trying to decide between many classic style synths, I recommend this A5, Poison 202, and the Moog v Model D. and your basically all set.