NAMM 2020: Krotos ventures into synthesis with Concept

NAMM 2020: Krotos introduces its first software synth, Concept, a subtractive synth designed to get you making patches quickly and easily, plus offering options for deep modulation.

Usually known for its intuitive plug-ins for game audio and audio post-production, Krotos has expanded its consumer base with a subtractive synth. With drag-and-drop functionality and colour coding across parameters, Concept could prove useful for beginners to synthesis. The deep modulation and sidechaining options present in Concept, however, means that even the pros can get stuck in and achieve complex-sounding patches.

The synth allows you to modulate other modulators, plus use incoming signal from other instruments in your project to create sidechain effects. This means you could use sounds to turn static pads into a more rhythmic instrument, or duck the sound as a kick drum hits and more. When applying modulation to a parameter a colour is assigned to make it clear what’s happening across the synth.

Many music makers enjoy taking advantage of the vast presets that synth makers include in their machines, often tweaking patches to create something unique. Concept takes this idea a little further, sporting a Tweak It window, which acts similar to a randomiser, but with more user interaction. You can select which parameters you’d like to randomly tweak, and how much you want each parameter to be affected. This means you can scroll through presets and find a unique flavour without deep menu diving and manual tweaking. Concept’s preset library has its strong points too, with contributions from esteemed drum and bass producer Roni Size.

Krotos Concept is available now at an introductory price of $99, expected to move up to $129 thereafter. Find out more at krotosaudio.com

To see what else happened at NAMM, click here.