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GForce OB-EZ packs 8 voices of fat Oberheim goodness into a simple plugin instrument.

GForce OB-E has received praise for being a spot-on software emulation of the Oberheim 8 Voice, but its multi-module architecture might feel a little daunting to those who just want great sounds, fast. And so now GForce has released OB-EZ, a stripped-back version of the plugin that promises to combine carefully-selected presets with a streamlined control set.

It was created for producers who want to inject that thick, organic and majestic sound in their tracks quickly with a new streamlined workflow.

The 260+ patches that come with OB-EZ are designed to have just as much fatness and punch as those that are supplied with the OB-E. The difference is that they’re more easily tweakable.

Thanks to their unique octaphonic architecture, not many synths sound as fat as these in the software domain.

The idea here is to give you just the ‘essential’ parameters – cutoff, resonance, envelopes, tuning, portamento, delay and reverb, for example. Everything you need and nothing you don’t, basically. A Vintage knob enables you to dial in unpredictable analogue imperfections, there are panning modes for wide soundscapes, and vibrato for some characteristic wobble.

The presets cover everything from classic polysynth sounds to “mega octaphonic pads”, unison basses and recreations of tones you’ve heard on hit records. The UI is resizable, and MIDI mapping is supported.

OB-EZ is available now for the introductory price of £24.99, rising to £49.99 in due course (existing OB-E owners should note that they get it for free, and the ability to import OB-EZ presets into OB-E is on the way). It runs on PC and Mac as standalone application and in VST/AU/AAX plugin formats. Find out more on the GForce Software website.

Infrasonic Audio let us know that a limited run of Warp Core – a stereo/dual-output complex oscillator for Eurorack – is now available.

Features:

• Unlike traditional oscillators, Warp Core is not designed to produce perfect geometric wave shapes (triangle, saw, square, etc), but instead uses phase distortion to produce variably complex waveforms, with rich harmonic content from a pure sine wave lookup table.
• The phase distortion engine features 8 different continuously variable algorithms assignable to two slots routed in series, for a total of 64 possible combinations. Because these algorithms are almost all nonlinear, in most cases different timbres will be produced when swapping the order of the selected algorithms.
• Warp Core also features phase modulation pre- or post- phase distortion via an internal sine modulation oscillator with a configurable frequency ratio relative to the main oscillator. For even more phase modulation possibilities, there is also an audio-rate external PM input.
• Two configurable “thickness” parameters serve to reinforce the fundamental and/or sub-octave of the oscillator output and provide slight detuning on the 90° output for thicker stereo or unison sounds.
• Warp Core’s calibrated tuning controls enable quickly and easily tuning the oscillator to arbitrary frequencies or perfectly tuned (A=440Hz 12-TET) semitones in multiple octaves, as well as locking the tuning knob to preserve perfect tuning for a live performance.
• For even more utility, the WC:EX Expander gives you the option to convert Warp Core from a free-running oscillator to a dedicated PD/PM monophonic synth voice, with an envelope generator, internal VCA, and smart CV normalizations to shape your sound – all in just 4hp.

Warp Core is available now, priced at $375. The WC:EX Expander is $80.

For a limited time, you can get 25% off WC:EX Expander if you buy both Warp Core and the Expander together.

Pigtronix let us know that they’ve introduced the Philosopher’s Tone 2, a compressor/sustainer with footswitchable Grit that they say “elevates the groundbreaking optical compression of the original Philosopher’s Tone to a new plane of tonal enlightenment”

It features a refined implementation of the overdrive circuit first heard in the limited-edition Gold version of this compressor pedal. The unique germanium distortion found in the Philosopher’s Tone 2 is designed to deliver smooth top end and rich midrange response, tailored to match the characteristics of the optical sustainer driving it.

In addition to Volume and Sustain controls, the Philosopher’s Tone 2 features a parallel clean Blend knob that lets you mix your instrument’s original tone with the compressor/sustainer effect when the Grit circuit is bypassed.

When the Grit circuit is engaged, the Blend knob is automatically bypassed, imparting a “colorful distortion” to your sound in both Germanium and Silicon modes. This nonlinear diode-clipping can range from subtle overdrive to overflowing distortion, all without unwanted feedback.

A Treble control located just before the master Volume provides 6db of cut or boost at 2kHz for fine-tuning the frequency response of the effect.

The Philosopher’s Tone 2 features true-bypass switching and internal 18V power rails for maximum clean headroom that is ideal for use with hot pickups, active bass, synthesizers and other line-level sources.

Controls:

• Volume: Sets the overall output volume.
• Treble: Boosts or cuts treble at 2kHz.
• Sustain: Sets the amount of sustain.
• Blend: Mixes your compressed effect with your clean signal. Note: This control is only active when the Grit footswitch is turned OFF.
• Grit: Controls the gain of the overdrive stage. Note: This control is only active when the Grit footswitch is turned ON.

The Philosopher’s Tone 2 is available now for $199.