Usynth 2080

Name: Usynth 2080
Price: 9 USD
Author: UJAM

by UJAM · Synth · Synthwave synth

Not rated yet

A synthwave synth with an 80s aesthetic and modern sound quality.

Five pre-mapped knobs, a sequencer with two layers per note and a 90-preset Finisher are included; it lists at $49 and was $8.82 on sale.

Best for: Keys & Synths. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Pop.

Keywords: arpeggiator, sequencer, retro, 80s, basses, leads, macro controls, pads, FM, modulation matrix, modern, multisampled, sample-based, subtractive, thick, virtual analog, wavetable.

What it does

2080 is UJAM's "Future Retro Waves" Usynth, aimed at synthwave and retro-80s sounds. The developer's intent is that you can get there without knowing synthesis or sound design: pick a preset and shape it with a few macro knobs.

Five knobs: two "hardware" and three "software" knobs, each mapped to several engine destinations per preset.
Two layers per note: two individual layers per voice for thicker sounds.
Engine: Plugin Boutique lists virtual analog, wavetable, FM and multisample synthesis, with multi-mode filters, 5-stage envelopes, LFOs and a 12-way modulation matrix.
Sequencer: fully customizable, for arps and synthwave sequences.
Finisher: 90 custom presets in three categories: Single, Dual and Quad.
Presets: Plugin Boutique lists 100 synth presets, 30 sequencer presets and 100 global presets.

A free trial is available.

Source: UJAM product page

When to use it

2080 is a quick, cheap source of synthwave arps, leads, basses and pads when you would rather pick and tweak than program. Compared with Serum 2 or Vital it gives you only five macro knobs, so it is faster but far less flexible. It is brighter and more synthwave-focused than STRANGER, which leans dark and cinematic. For an authentic vintage polysynth character, Arturia's CS-80 V or u-he Diva go much deeper.

Best for: synthwave and retrowave arps, leads, basses and pads, sketched quickly.
Genres: synthwave, retro pop and electronic.
Look elsewhere if: you want to program patches in depth or need a big preset library; Vital, Serum 2 or Diva give far more control.

What producers say

Users like it for quick retro inspiration, with reservations about its depth.

Plugin Boutique users rate it 4.5 out of 5 from 713 ratings, praising how easy it is for quick ideas and its retro synthwave tones.
Musicngear users rate it 4.5 out of 5 from 2 reviews; one called it "easy" and said it "fits well in any situation".
Criticisms: Plugin Boutique users point to a limited number of presets, restrictive controls and sound quality they find only average.

Where to buy

Best Service: $9
AudioDeluxe: $9 (regular $49)
Plugin Boutique: $9 (regular $49)
UJAM: $49
PluginFox: $49

Tutorials and reviews

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