Last week, Full Bucket Music launched the 2.0.0 release of the free Ragnarök analog synth emulation, which simulates a custom-made analog synth from 1980.
This is a major update for the synth, which is available for macOS (VST2, VST3, CLAP, AU, AAX) and Windows (VST2, VST3, CLAP, AAX).
Ragnarök certainly wins the most formats for a plugin award this month, but what exactly does this unique instrument offer?
The synth is a collaboration between Hans Peter (aka CrimsonWarlock or TechnoGremlin) and Björn (aka Full Bucket).
Ragnarök is a really interesting project. It’s an emulation of a unique hardware synth that Peter built back in 1980.
The original plugin release was a copy of the original synth, except that it added polyphony and presets.
The new 2.0.0 drop adds several new features, such as velocity control (including control of the attack times), a chorus section, hard sync, and sawtooth oscillators.
The special feature of Ragnarök is the oscillator setup, which has four detuned oscillators with divide-down circuitry over four octaves.
This means the synth can run four partially detuned oscillators and four octave-tuned oscillators simultaneously, offering the equivalent of 16 oscillators on one voice.
The oscillators offer sawtooth, square, and pulse waves simultaneously, giving you another avenue for customization.
There is also an additional array of square wave oscillators that are tuned to an interval.
Let’s have a gander at the overall specs. The synth has a 64-voice polyphony, including portamento, white noise generator, multi-pole zero-delay feedback filter and two envelopes (ADSR and AR) with exponential slopes.
Other features include a low-frequency oscillator, overdrive, chorus, seven-band graphic EQ, repeat/pseudo arpeggiator, and the ability to control all parameters with MIDI controllers.
To top it all off, they’ve also included a resizable interface. What more can you ask for, folks?
READ MORE: Full Bucket Music releases FREE Broken Mini synthesizer plugin
I bet by now you’re probably wondering what Ragnarök sounds like.
Well, ponder no longer as Peter completed an original entire track with Ragnarök, “Midsummernight Love Affair”, which is available on Soundcloud via a link on the product page.
From the first note of the demo, you’ll be able to tell the synth was made in 1980.
It definitely has a phat, distinctive sound that to my ears brings to mind early industrial music and retro film and game soundtracks.
Full Bucket Music provides individual download links to Zip files in all the different formats for both operating systems on the product page.
This is the perfect way of doing it in my book, so big props to the devs.
Full Bucket Music offers Ragnarök 100% free of charge, but if you’d like to send a few doubloons their way, there is a donation link on the product page.
Download: Ragnarök (FREE)
More:
17 Comments
Numanoid
onCool!
As I remember it was I that suggested to them to use Ö rather than O in the name :-)
Björn
onI’d fully support all the “Ö”s (I have one – albeit a small one – in my name!) if it weren’t for the terrible things that could happen if “Ö”s were free to roam the Internetz. There is a reason why there is a ö in XML/HTML. :-D
Björn
onYou see? It made an “ö” aout of my &aml;ouml;
Björn
onNever mind, this will never work! :-D
mrg
onwörk
Tomislav Zlatic
onAwesome! :)
alex
onGreat! Thx!
mrg
onThe simple addition of saws is enough to warrant a v2. And it comes with even more… MOAR!! Wuverly.
Mauricio de Souza Amaro
onI love analog synthesizers, I had a Korg Polysix, and I learned how to use all those controls on the panel, and how to create sounds from scratch, including a Scotch Pipe, which I love.
With the knowledge I acquired, I wrote an article in a Brazilian magazine, Música & Tecnologia, which had nothing to do with the British magazine Music Technology, just a coincidence, they didn’t know the British one, I questioned that.
The article was developed in 5 chapters, making it easy for anyone who wanted to learn something about Synthesis.
aaron aardvark
onI have read some bad things about Fire Shield Secure Search. Research this before you proceed.
andy
onthat is completely irrelevant
aaron aardvark
onUsing google, I went directly to Full Bucket Music and downloaded Ragnarok for free without having to download Fire Shield Secure Search.
Exink
onFull Bucket Music has also updated the WhispAir synthesizer, which after playing with it for a few minutes I find can produce some interesting sounds, if you want to check it out. Additionally, there is a pack of 114 presets that you can download and of course all of this can also be obtained for free.
Sean
onThe resizable interface is great but it reverts back to it regular/small size if you click away from it. Am I the only one experiencing this?
mrg
onWindows, Reaper, Clap? Had that with BrokenMini. Well had, still have. Sometimes. Right-click, “Save as default size” sort of fixed that. Not sure… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Numanoid
onUnder the option for Windows Size in the menu, there is an option “save window size”
You need to select that option if you want the windows size to be the same the next time you open the plug.
Sauce
onYo i had to jump back on site to comment, this is Abseloutely the most lit analog emulation synth u can get for free, without cracking diva.
Shoutout to the developer, this synth ill make sure to download when i get a new mac too. Its that good.
Reminds me of the quality of dune and diva, FOR FREE!!!
LIT!