PECS

Name: PECS
Author: Full Bucket Music

by Full Bucket Music · Synth · KORG PE-2000 string machine emulation

Not rated yet

PECS is a free emulation of the KORG PE-2000 Poly-Ensemble S string machine from 1976, with a recreation of its eight presets.

It adds tweakable parameters, MIDI Learn and a resizable UI, and is free.

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

Keywords: strings, hardware emulation, free, 70s, ensemble, vintage, pads, brass, harsh, organ, resizable UI, analog, retro, basses, CPU-light, sound design, subtractive, warm.

What it does

PECS is Full Bucket Music's free simulation of the KORG PE-2000 Poly-Ensemble S, a 1976 preset string and ensemble keyboard. It keeps the original's preset character but, unlike the hardware, lets you change what's under the hood.

Presets: a "humble recreation" of the eight original presets: Pipe Organ, Chorus, Brass and Strings, each in two variations.
Front-panel controls: Phase Shifter, Volume, Bass and Treble boost, Attack and Sustain, Pitch and tuning, as on the hardware panel.
Tweak Mode: adjusts the instrument parameters behind each preset, which the original never allowed.
Sound: a slightly harsher, retro ensemble tone that works for stabs and percussive parts as well as pads.
Interface: a vintage-styled, resizable UI.
Control: MIDI Learn, so every parameter can be driven by MIDI CC.
Performance: written in native C++ for low CPU use.

The current version is 1.0.4 (8 May 2025). It is a free download; the developer accepts donations. English and French manuals are available.

Source: Full Bucket Music product page

When to use it

PECS is the pick when you want the specific sound of a 70s preset string machine in a track, quickly and for free. Compared with CS-80 V, which can make lush vintage strings as part of a deep polysynth, PECS is far simpler: eight presets, a few panel knobs and Tweak Mode. Omnisphere 3 covers string machines among thousands of sounds, but costs far more and takes more browsing to find one. Next to Arturia's Solina V, it is a different machine with a rougher, more cutting tone that suits stabs as well as pads. Its limit is scope: it does one sound family and does not try to be a general synth.

Best for: vintage string machine pads, organ and brass layers, and harsh ensemble stabs.
Genres: post-punk, new wave, synth-pop, disco, ambient and retro electronic.
Look elsewhere if: you need many sound types or deep sound design; CS-80 V or Omnisphere 3 suit that better.
Tip: open Tweak Mode to move past the fixed presets when a stock sound is close but not quite right.

What producers say

A small but warm reception: reviewers value it as a faithful, free PE-2000 with more control than the original.

Bedroom Producers Blog said it stays faithful to the hardware, noted PE-2000 emulations are rare, and liked Tweak Mode as an answer to the original's main complaint, that you "had to love the sound as it is".
KVR users rate it 5 out of 5 from 2 reviews; one called it "an absolute gem", another used it for an early-80s Joy Division and New Order sound.
Criticisms: none in these sources beyond its narrow, single-purpose scope.

Where to buy

Full Bucket Music: Free

Tutorials and reviews

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