Pitch and Harmolator both have dedicated LFOs, and there are two free LFOs to work with as well. There are six different waveforms to choose from, and tempo sync is an option. Here come the mods. Typically for a Rob Papen synth, Blade comes with an arpeggiator that can act as a mod source.
The incredible Rob Papen has upgraded his Blade soft synth to version 2.0. The first incarnation of Blade allowed users to control the waveform harmonics using its recordable XY PAD, which was a very different approach to additive synthesis. Papen called this approach HARMOLATOR and it was the first Rob Papen soft synth to include this feature, facilitating flexible sound editing, recording, and tempo-based playback.
The 16-voice software synthesizer, Blade2 expands on that original concept, while adding some enhancements. Blade2 features an all-new, Graphical User Interface to make the synth easier to use and showcase its unique parameters, including a new Oscillator section based around a virtual analog oscillator with selectable Sine, Saw, Square or Triangle waveform, plus a UNISON mode, which plays up to four unison voices for each note played, alongside an added Noise section with 96 partials. The Harmolator’s global controls: Base, Range, Symmetry, Timbre, Timbre Type (16 types), Timbre Waves, Even/Odd, Ripple, Ripple Width, Harmonic, Harmonic Volume, and Harmonic Shift are used to alter the general additive spectrum, rather than using sine waves of different frequencies to create more complex waves.
The XY pad now includes far more features and freedom with which to control the Harmolator, including an ability to control all other Blade2 parameters. Added alongside the Harmolator mode is an Additive mode, enabling mixing or morphing between four additive waveforms using the XY pad. Pushing the boundaries of sound sculpting still further, users of course can also create and edit their own additive waveforms by altering the partial volumes, phase, and tuning, or even change the waveform per partial.
The Jedi Power of Papen’s synths is his underrated Arpeggiators. They are super-musical and can take your productions to an entirely new level.
The pre-filter Distortion Section with 20 different distortion types found in the original are of course included, but the Filter Section has been boosted to include 36 different filter types alongside more visual enhancements, such as a graphical envelope.
The Jedi Power of Papen’s synths is his underrated Arpeggiators. They are super-musical and can take your productions to an entirely new level. For Blade2, an updated ARP page add a number of enhancements, such as controlling the X and Y position of the XY pad inside each step, while Ratcheting per step is also possible in various modes. The Harmmod page returns, allowing a direct modulation connection to the Harmolator, letting users to delve deeply into extra envelopes, LFOs, a Modulation Matrix, and an Advanced mode. New to Blade2 is its WAV page, enabling users to translate an audio sample into a static user wave, which can be used in the Harmolator or Additive Sections (when added to the Additive Section, users are able to edit this user wave yet again). The Play Mode page, Poly, Mono, Legato, and Arp modes, are accessible, plus Chord and Strum Speed. To cap it off, Blade2 contains three onboard effects units, FX1, FX2, and FX3, each offering a choice of 30 effects.
Blade2 is available as a 64-bit AAX-, AU-, and VST-compatible virtual instrument plug-in for Mac (OS X 10.9 – macOS 10.15) and as a 32- and 64-bit VST-compatible virtual instrument plug-in for PC (Windows 7/8/10) — with 64-bit AAX compatibility available for PT 12 or higher (PC).
Rob Papen’s Blade2 is available now for €99 / $99.
Blade2 is included in the latest version of the eXplorer 6 bundle and SoundDesign-X bundle. Owners of the original Blade can crossgrade to Blade2 for €39 / $39.
Blade update adds oscillators, enhanced modulation and more Software instrument guru Rob Papen has unveiled a sequel to his well-received 2012 release, Blade. Blade 2 builds on the original's additive synth engine, with an all-new GUI that offers more intuitive control over its 96 partials, 16 timbre types, and many modulation options.
One of the headline improvements over Blade is an enhanced X/Y pad, which can now be assigned to modulate any of Blade 2's parameters. Extra subtractive-style oscillators have also been added, including four classic wave shapes (sine, saw, triangle and square), and a four-voice Unison mode. The all-important filter hasn't been left out either, and now boasts no fewer than 36 filter types and a graphically editable envelope. Further enhancements have been made to the arpeggiator, which can sequence notes or X/Y pad positioning, and now also features a ratchet function.
One intriguing extra comes in the form of the new WAV page. Here, you can upload an audio file of your own, whereupon Blade 2 will analyse it and turn it into a static user waveform.
Blade 2 incorporates three separate effects engines, and all of those effects' parameters can be manipulated in real time via MIDI, or addressed in the modulation matrix.
In short, then, Blade 2 is a complex instrument, about which there's far more to say than we have space for here. If you want to explore it further, you can watch Rob Papen's introductory video below, or click this link to download a free 30-day demo.
Rob Papen Bundle Torrent
Rob Papen's Blade 2 is available to buy now from Time + Space, and costs €99.