Cherry Audio GX-80 $59
Cherry Audio’s latest behemoth-of-a-synth is a plugin for a utopian future, exclusively from the vintage past…
According to the fine folk at Cherry Audio, one of the most requested instruments for re-styling in software is the ’70s iconoclastic synth from Yamaha, that continues to be the stuff of legends.
Replicating the machines
Upon opening the GX-80 for the first time, it’s an impressive beast; there’s an undeniably busy panel of faders and buttons, albeit in a virtual form, which adopt the identifiable persona of the Yamaha CS-80. It’s all there, right down to the ribbon controller, which resides just above the keyboard. Play a note and apply a pitch bend, and you will see a virtual outline of your finger traverse along the ribbon. That’s such a nice touch! There’s quite a bit to get your head around with the GX-80, but with the provision of 1,000 presets, inspiration is quickly around the corner, and with a control panel this elaborate, it would be daft not to get your virtual hands dirty and explore.