Vacuum Pro

Name: Vacuum Pro
Price: 99 USD
Author: AIR Music Technology

by AIR Music Technology · Synth · Polyphonic tube-modelled analog synth

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Vacuum Pro is a polyphonic analog-style synth with vacuum tube circuit modelling, four oscillators and two layerable parts.

It has 350+ patches and costs $99.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Bass, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Pop, Ambient & Cinematic.

Keywords: polyphonic, tube, randomize, analog, warm, fat, preset-driven, subtractive, CPU-light, macro controls, pads, tempo-synced, 70s, 80s, airy, arpeggiator, basses, brass, cinematic, circuit-modelled, creative, crunchy, leads, metallic, sound design, vintage.

What it does

Vacuum Pro is a polyphonic subtractive synth that models vacuum tube circuits throughout its signal path. AIR's stated aim is to recreate sought-after analog sounds of the '70s and '80s, with a warm, slightly crunchy character.

Two parts: two separate synth parts that can be stacked, split or layered, each loaded independently, for multitimbral patches.
Oscillators: two wide-range tube oscillators per part (four in total), with sync, detune, octave and level controls, plus a Quad Detune option per oscillator.
Filters: two tube filters per part, a traditional low-pass plus a selectable high-pass or band-pass, with a ring modulator for harder, metallic tones.
Modulation: four envelope generators, a tempo-synced LFO, matrix-assignable modulation and MIDI-mappable parameters.
Tube character: six virtual tube circuits along the path, a drive circuit, and Age controls that add drift and dust.
Macros and randomizer: eight Smart Knobs (such as Punch, Emphasis and Complexity) for broad edits, and Smart Sound Randomization for one or both parts, with parameter locking.
Effects and extras: arpeggiator synced to the host, chorus/phaser, delay and a doubling effect, plus an Economy mode to cut CPU load.
Presets: 350+ patches, credited to sound designers including Richard Devine and Mark Ovenden.

The current version is 1.1.1 (2024); the product page doesn't mention a trial.

Source: AIR Music Technology product page

When to use it

Vacuum Pro sits between Diva, the reference for detailed analog modelling, and Sylenth1, a lean, clean virtual analog: it is less exact than Diva, but has more grit and colour than Sylenth1, thanks to its tube stages and drive. The two-part layout makes thick layered pads and split patches easy, and the macros and randomizer help when you want variations fast rather than deep programming. It is also light on CPU and cheap, which makes it an easy second analog-style synth next to a big hybrid like Serum 2 or Pigments 7.

Best for: warm polyphonic pads, brass, fat basses and vintage leads.
Genres: synthwave, electronic, pop, hip-hop and cinematic.
Look elsewhere if: you want the most accurate vintage circuit models (Diva) or modern wavetable sound design (Serum 2).
Tip: lock the sections you like (oscillators, filters and so on) and randomize the rest to make quick variations of a patch for a track.

What producers say

Users rate its sound highly; the reservations are mostly about the interface and how much of the character comes from saturation.

KVR users rate it 4.6 out of 5 from 8 reviews, praising a warm, fat sound, inspiring presets and low CPU use; one called the sound "staggeringly good".
Attack Magazine (2013) liked the two-layer design, the six saturation stages and the randomizer, but found the raw oscillators and filters "stale" without saturation and the Quad Detune hard to use.
Criticisms: KVR users noted a non-resizable interface and phase issues on some presets; disabling the chorus/phaser and narrowing the stereo width helps.

Where to buy

Best Service: $99
AIR Music Technology: $99 (list price from KVR Audio; airmusictech.com shows prices only in its shop)
PluginFox: $99
AudioDeluxe: $99
Plugin Boutique: $99

Tutorials and reviews

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