Oblivion Sound Lab – Neon Circuits and Dark Vision Soundset for Diva from $15

>Oblivion Sound Lab are a software company run by Jonathan Nicol that make plugins and synth soundsets. On review here are two soundsets for u-he’s Diva synth. Diva is famed for its excellent, highly configurable, synth-emulating virtual circuits.

OSL have made full use of Diva’s features to produce Dark Vision (a homage to horror film scores of the late ’70s and early ’80s), and Neon Circuits (designed for anyone looking for overtly ’80s-flavoured sonics).

Dark Vision contains 128 presets, covering all possible duties, from bass and leads to bells, strings, sweeps and sound effects. Most patches respond to modulation or aftertouch, and are spot-on when it comes to conjuring up the dark, menacing and sometimes creepily beautiful synth-led sound of films from this era.

While there’s overlap in use, the 100 presets in Neon Circuits, as the name suggests, are more shiny and ’80s pop-focused. Once again they tick all the relevant sonic boxes, and are a joy to play – inspiring all manner of synthwave fun. The quality is uniformly high in both of these sets, and they won’t break the bank. If you own Diva, or are thinking of taking the plunge, both come highly recommended.

VERDICT 9.1