RAW-2

Name: RAW-2
Price: 93.13 USD
Author: Rob Papen

by Rob Papen · Synth · Distortion-focused synth

Not rated yet

RAW-2 is a synth focused on distorted sounds, built with hardcore and hardstyle producers in mind, with phase-distortion oscillators on XY fields.

It has per-voice EQ, waveshaper, distortion and lo-fi, a 32-step arpeggiator/sequencer and five effects, for $99.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Bass, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Metal.

Keywords: lo-fi, sequencer, arpeggiator, basses, leads, gritty, live performance, sound design.

What it does

RAW-2 is Rob Papen's synth for distorted sounds, the successor to the original RAW from about ten years earlier. The idea is "edgier" sounds from an easy layout, aimed at hardcore and hardstyle but usable in other styles.

Oscillators: two oscillators, each with an X/Y field that uses phase distortion to bend the waveform.
Custom waveforms: draw your own waveforms and use them as LFO shapes, for wobble-style movement.
Filters: the Rob Papen filter collection for shaping the tone.
Per-voice processing: EQ, waveshaper, distortion and lo-fi modules work on each voice, so the grit is part of the synthesis rather than added on the master.
Ribbon Controller: a ribbon for real-time changes, with tempo-based spring-back.
Sequencer: a 32-step arpeggiator/sequencer.
Effects: chorus, phaser, flanger, stereo delay and a high-quality reverb.
Presets: a bank with sounds from hard-dance and bass producers such as Promo, Ophidian, Mad Dog, DJ Thera and Noisia.

A demo is available.

Source: Rob Papen product page

When to use it

RAW-2 is the pick when distortion is the sound itself: waveshaping, distortion and lo-fi run per voice, and the presets come from hardstyle and hardcore producers. Compared with Serum 2, it has a smaller two-oscillator engine with no wavetable editor or sample engines, but it gets to a screeching lead with less effect chaining. Next to Massive X it is narrower in scope and cheaper. Unlike Vital it is not free, and unlike Sylenth1, which is known for clean, polished leads, it is built for dirt.

Best for: distorted leads, screeches, hard basses and wobbles.
Genres: hardstyle, hardcore, rawstyle, dubstep and other heavy electronic music.
Look elsewhere if: you want clean, polished sounds (Sylenth1) or deep wavetable and sample editing (Serum 2 or Vital).

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

Similar plugins

Quad by Rob Papen · Four-oscillator phase distortion synth · $49
Bazille by u-he · Modular FM/PD synth · $129
Gladiator 4 by Tone2 · Harmonic Content Morphing synth · $169
Surge XT by Surge Synth Team · Open-source hybrid synth · Free
Cursus Vereor by Noise Engineering · Wavefolding synth with lowpass gate · $49
Zebra 3 by u-he · Modular hybrid synth · $245
Twin 3 by FabFilter · Subtractive synth · $129

All synths