Syntronik: Free or full?
Both the full version of Syntronik (8/10, 249, €360) and the free version are based on the same sampled set of 38 vintage instruments, split into 17 virtual units. The instruments themselves are identical across versions, and the suite of 38 effects hasn’t been cut down in the free version of Syntronik.
What you’re paying for with the full version, though, is the hugely beefed-up library of presets (2000 instead of 50). With each ‘synth’ in Syntronik actually being a sort of amalgam of a few – Jupiters -4, -6 and -8 go into the J-8, for example – you could argue that the extra presets give you truer access to the 38 original synths themselves, rather than the 17 compromises.
At 1.1GB, the free version of Syntronik is certainly slimmer and more easy-access, meaning that it actually has something going for it over the full-priced 62GB collection.
Also, depending on what you’re interested in, individual instrument upgrades can be bought by Syntronik Free users for upwards of €60, making a pick ’n’ mix strategy worth seriously considering if you’re on a budget.
A synth’s filter is a huge contributor to overall tone and character – and Syntronik’s (all versions, including the gratis edition) trumps other vintage ROMplers thanks to its DRIFT algorithm which, as we stated in our Syntronik review, “emulates the inherent irregularity of analogue oscillators by fluctuating the tuning, phase and ‘colour’ of the multisamples.”
But wait… there’s more! Syntronik is also available on iPhone and iPad. It’s free to install and use, and is expandable with the full sets of presets for individual instruments (£9.99 each) or the whole shebang for £46.99.