Usynth STRANGER

Name: Usynth STRANGER
Price: 19 USD
Author: UJAM

by UJAM · Synth · Retro sci-fi synth

Not rated yet

A synth for dark, mystical, retro sci-fi soundscapes, combining virtual analog, wavetable, FM and multi-sampler engines.

It includes 50 presets by Sunglasses Kid, delay, reverb and Finisher effects; it lists at $49 and was $19.11 on sale.

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

Keywords: retro, futuristic, dark, arpeggiator, basses, pads, sequencer, simple, 80s, FM, multisampled, sample-based, virtual analog, wavetable, film & game audio, cinematic, beginner-friendly, brass, creative, leads, minimal controls, preset-driven, single knob, sound design, strings, subtractive, warm.

What it does

STRANGER is a UJAM Usynth built around "dark mystical soundscapes": warm, saturated 80s-style synth tones with a retro sci-fi feel. Like the other Usynths, it is preset-driven, with a few broad controls in place of a full synth editor, so you can shape a sound without programming it.

Engine: combines virtual analog, wavetable, FM and multi-sampler synthesis, with dozens of filter modes, envelopes, LFOs and modulation matrices working under the hood.
Sound categories: Arps, Atmos, Basses, Brass, Keys, Leads, Pads, Picked, Poly, Sequences and Strings.
Presets: sound design by Alessandro Cardinale, plus 50 exclusive presets by Sunglasses Kid.
Sequencer: a built-in sequencer for arps and moving patterns, such as the Thick Dual Arpeggio preset.
Effects: built-in Delay and Ambience (reverb) units.
Finisher: UJAM's creative effects chain, run from a single Effect knob that drives the whole chain at once.
Browser: a simple preset browser aimed at users who don't program synths.

There is a 7-day unlimited trial.

Source: UJAM product page

When to use it

STRANGER is the faster pick when you want ready-made 80s sci-fi synth sounds for a cue or a track, not a synth to program. Compared with Serum 2 or Vital it gives up almost all deep editing, but you get usable dark pads, arps and basses in a few clicks. Against Omnisphere 3 it is far narrower and much cheaper, focused on one retro aesthetic. Among UJAM's own Usynths it is darker and more cinematic than the brighter, synthwave-focused 2080.

Best for: dark retro pads, arps, sequences and basses for film, game and synthwave work.
Genres: cinematic, synthwave, ambient and electronic.
Look elsewhere if: you want to build patches in depth; Vital (free) or Serum 2 give far more control, and Arturia's CS-80 V gives a more authentic vintage polysynth.
Tip: the Finisher's single Effect knob drives the whole effects chain at once, which Bedroom Producers Blog found a quick way to experiment without getting into the weeds.

What producers say

Buyers like it as an affordable, easy source of 80s tones; the main complaints are limited editing and CPU use.

Plugin Boutique users rate it 4.6 out of 5 from 615 ratings, praising the value, the simple interface and the presets for atmospheric, synthwave and scoring work.
Bedroom Producers Blog called it "a good buy" for throwback 80s sounds on a budget and liked that the interface avoids endless knob-tweaking.
Criticisms: Plugin Boutique users mention limited sound-design flexibility, high CPU use and occasional stability issues.

Where to buy

AudioDeluxe: $19 (regular $49)
Plugin Boutique: $19 (regular $49)
Best Service: $46.07
UJAM: $49
PluginFox: $49

Tutorials and reviews

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