>Free software
Get to know this month’s impossibly good value freebie, a software take on the classic ’80s OSCar synth, from the unstoppable GForce
As giveaways go, this has to be up there with our very best. GForce impOSCar2 normally retails for £99.99 and with this month’s mag, and for a limited time only, is available absolutely free..
GForce Software should need no intro; for years it’s delivered excellent hardware synth recreations based on its own classic synth collection. Examples include Oddity3 (ARP Odyssey), Minimonsta2 (Moog Minimoog Model D), M-Tron Pro IV (Mellotron) and its officially endorsed and truly fantastic Oberheim O-BE. impOSCar2 (VST, AU, standalone) recreates the Oxford Synth Company OSCar synth from the early 1980s, delivering an incredibly accurate take on this bona fide synth lover’s classic. This includes its excellent oscillator section (with user definable additive waves), and you’ll even find recreations of the original presets. However, in typical software style, impOSCar2 then transforms this monophonic/ duophonic design into a modern polyphonic beast. The extra features then take the synth on its own journey, which you’ll find suitably documented by over 1000 presets. So, whether you’re after blistering leads, thumping basses, texture-laden pads, edgy arps or crazy effects, this synth has it all, while still retaining the visual and sonic mojo of the original hardware.
In this tutorial we’ll explain how to claim your free copy and get up and running. As mentioned, GForce produces some of the best hardware synth recreations available, so if you like impOSCar2, we’ve no doubt you’ll love some of its other releases. Why not head over to www. gforcesoftware.com to check them out?
1. Installation
1 Visit this month’s downloads page at www.bit.ly/cm328downloads. With the current issue to hand, answer the quiz questions and then follow the instructions to grab your impOSCar2 activation code. Head to www.gforcesoftware.com/account to login or create an account.
2 On the instruments page (www.gforcesoftware.com/ my-instruments/) register your code, then download the correct installer from the instrument page. Run the installer, choosing the required formats if available (VST, AU or standalone). When you launch impOSCar2 enter your personal code from the instrument page.
2. Familiarisation
1 impOSCar2’s hardware-inspired interface can be a bit daunting to synth newcomers, so the first thing to do is give you a brief rundown of its core features and where to find them. Then on the next page we can look at some specifics.
2 Sound generation is on the left, where you’ll find two oscillator selectors (Wave) and associated pitch and glide options, plus ring modulation and noise generator (pink/white). Bottom left is the editor the two user
