Acustica Audio Squid-3: “Built to Make Raw Synthesis Sound Like a Mastered Record”
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Acustica Audio Squid-3 promises to “sound finished, even before the FX.” Is this modeling and convolution-powered soft synth just what your productions need?
Acustica Audio Squid-3
Acustica Audio is really cranking out the synths. Since it debuted its first instrument, Thing-8, at the end of 2024, the company best known for its effects and mixing plugins has gone on to release a Prophet-5 emulation as well as an original, Alice-9. Now it’s back with another, one that looks set to get its tentacles wrapped around your DAW.
Squid-3 makes use of the company’s proprietary MUST (Modular Unified Synthesis Technology) engine that combines modeling with convolution. The company is promising audio quality that sounds finished, “even before the FX,” and raw synthesis that sounds like a mastered record.
Go Berserk
Squid-3 is not based on any existing instruments, but it does have a traditional subtractive analog synthesis architecture, with two oscillators plus sub, a filter, envelopes and LFOs, plus effects.
As you might expect from Acustica, Squid-3 does offer some unique extras. There’s the Superstereo function, which not only widens but adds analog drift for a vintage vibe. The Berserkr parameter offers an EQ to “continuously tilt from vintage roll-off to full modern clarity,” while Up-Rate Wave Morphing (UPRM) promises true audio-rate oversampled waveform morphing with consistent detail and stability under fast, complex modulation.
It’s also got a number of different saturation circuits inside, including pre-filter feedback called Return, post-filter drive and a saturation module in the effects section, which also includes shimmer, reverbs, chorus, delays, distortion, OTT, and EQ.
Although Squid-3 may look like a vintage synth, it offers modern playability, with full MPE support with pitch, pressure, and timbre control.
Two GUIs
Acustica Audio tends to favor 3D-style skeumorphic graphical user interfaces. Not everyone appreciates the hardware look, though, so the company is providing two different versions of Squid-3 with the same download. The Standard model gives you a gear-inspired interface with depth and lighting, plus multiple pages for in-depth sound design. The Flat version, on the other hand, keeps everything streamlined for maximum graphic efficiency and restricts everything to a single page.
Pricing and Availability
Squid-3 is available now from Acustica Audio at an introductory price of €139. The price will go up to €199 after January 14, 2025. Note that the product is currently in a beta preview stage, hence the lower price.
The new plugin is available in VST3, AAX, and AU formats for MacOS and Windows.
More Information
- Acustica Audio Squid-3 product page
- All about Acustica Audio
- All about synthesizers
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