Cherry Audio, Eventide, Output: 3 Plugin Deals for Synth Lovers, Mix Engineers, and Sound Designers
A Rare '82 Polysynth, a Next-Level EQ, and Granular Mayhem on Sale This Week
Cherry Audio, Eventide, Output: 3 Plugin Deals for Synth Lovers, Mix Engineers, and Sound Designers · Source: GEARNEWS
Cherry Audio kicks off this week’s deals with a faithful emulation of the Rhodes Chroma, one of the most complex and rarest polyphonic analog synths ever built, from 1982. Next up is the Eventide SplitEQ, a parametric EQ that processes transients and tonal content separately, something conventional EQs simply can’t do. Rounding things out is Output Portal, a granular effects plugin that turns any input signal into something you didn’t expect. Three very different products that together cover sound design, mixing, and creative transformation from start to finish.
Software Deals of the Week
Cherry Audio Rhodes Chroma – Now 43% Off
Cherry Audio has built a solid reputation making detailed, affordable emulations of classic analog synths, and the Rhodes Chroma might be their most ambitious project yet. It’s a faithful virtual-analog recreation of the polyphonic analog synthesizer from 1982, a notoriously complex instrument that was ahead of its time and is genuinely hard to find in the wild today. Through June 1st, Cherry Audio Rhodes Chroma is available at Thomann for €39.
The original Rhodes Chroma was among the first polyphonic synths with full MIDI control, and its architecture was unusually flexible for its era: 16 voices, two oscillators per voice, individual filters, VCAs, LFOs, and two envelope generators each, adding up to 32 envelopes total. Cherry Audio nails all of it, including the 16 individually configured signal paths that range from straightforward VCO-VCF-VCA setups to complex configurations with oscillator sync, filter FM, ring modulation, and variable or serial filter routing. SysEx import lets you pull patches from MIDI-retrofitted hardware originals, which is a nice nod to the real thing.
In practice, the Cherry Audio Rhodes Chroma delivers way more than its price suggests. The 700 presets, including 250 original factory patches from the hardware, cover everything from warm pads and complex basses to lively leads and unusual textures. A built-in Chroma Expander module adds a second Cherry Audio Chroma instance running in layer or split mode. The onboard effects section with distortion, phaser, flanger/chorus, delay, reverb, master EQ, and limiter means you can have a session-ready sound without touching another plugin. Nice one Cherry Audio!
Through June 1, 2026, you can grab the Cherry Audio Rhodes Chroma here at Thomann* for €39.00 instead of €69.00with 43% off.
Eventide SplitEQ – Now 47% Off
Eventide has been pushing the boundaries of audio processing since the early ’70s, and the SplitEQ is a good reminder that they still do things their own way instead of retreading familiar ground. The whole concept is built around Eventide’s Structural Split technology, which separates an audio signal into its transient and tonal components before any EQ is applied. From there, you treat both independently, which opens up processing options that are simply off the table with a conventional equalizer. Through June 24th, the Eventide SplitEQ is available at Thomann for €69.
Eight parametric bands cover a full selection of filter types including peak, notch, bandpass, high-shelf, low-shelf, tilt-shelf, high-pass, and low-pass, all with variable slope from 6 to 96 dB per octave. Transients and tonal content each get their own real-time spectrum display so you always know exactly what you’re touching. L/R and M/S stereo modes are on board, and you can pan transients and tonal components independently in the stereo field. A/B comparison, undo/redo, full scalability, and zoom round out an interface that’s surprisingly easy to navigate once the concept clicks.
In a real mixing session, the Eventide SplitEQ earns its place most clearly where a regular EQ runs out of road. Got a drum loop where the snare is too loud but you don’t want to touch the tonal character of the kit? Split it. Acoustic guitar that needs more clarity without sounding thin? Work the attack without affecting the sustain. Backing vocals that need width without losing their center? Spread the tonal content and leave the transients alone. The 150+ factory presets are a solid starting point, but the real payoff comes from digging into the concept manually. If you already know Eventide’s Physion plugin, you’ll feel right at home.
Through June 24, 2026, you can grab the Eventide SplitEQ here at Thomann* for €69.00 instead of €129.00 with 47% off.
Output Portal – Now 46% Off
Output makes plugins that don’t worry too much about fitting into traditional categories, and Portal is a good example of that attitude. It’s a granular effects plugin that uses real-time granular synthesis to turn any input signal into something unpredictable, in a good way. The entry point is an XY pad that handles the most important parameters intuitively, while an Advanced mode gives you full access to everything under the hood. Through June 11th, Output Portal is available at Thomann for €74.50.
Output Portal chops your input into tiny grains and reassembles them on the fly. Grain size, position, density, pitch, and timing are all controllable, and a grain delay with tempo sync makes it easy to lock the effect rhythmically to your DAW project. Pitch modulation is scale-aware, which keeps things musical rather than random and lets the plugin work on melodic material without turning everything into chaos. Seven built-in effects including a master compressor and filter handle the output signal, and two LFOs with custom-drawn curves can be dragged and dropped onto any parameter.
In actual use, Output Portal does its best work on pads, atmospheres, and drums that need more movement or a sense of texture that wasn’t there before. A snare that frays at the edges. A pad that slowly transforms into something unrecognizable. A transition that builds through granular bloom. It works subtly at low settings and gets seriously weird when you push it, and the CPU load stays manageable for how much it’s doing. If you like chasing happy accidents and building ideas from unexpected starting points, Portal is a reliable place to start.
Through June 11, 2026, you can grab Output Portal here at Thomann* for €74.50 instead of €139.00 with 46% off.
*Note: This article about the software deals from Cherry Audio, Eventide, Output contains affiliate links that help us keep Gearnews running. The price for you always stays the same! If you buy something through these links, we receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!
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