Cherry Audio’s latest soft synth faithfully recreates the Gleeman Pentaphonic, a vintage synth that was known not only for its sound but also for its distinctive looks. With fewer than 70 units produced, the instrument is one of the rarest synths ever made, making the new software version a compelling opportunity for producers and enthusiasts alike. 

The original Pentaphonic synthesizer was designed in 1981 by brothers Bob and Al Gleeman, and was engineered to be able to stay in tune under stage lighting as well as being priced to compete with the analogue polysynths of the time. Its five voices and DCOs were controlled by Intel microprocessors, while Curtis CEM 3320 voltage-controlled four-pole filters contributed to its rich and powerful sound. It also gained plenty of attention for its looks, with later models employing a clear casing and offering the option of internal lighting!

Cherry Audio's Pentaphonic faithfully reproduces the distinctive hybrid architecture of the original instrument and introduces a whole host of new capabilities. Polyphony now ranges from monophonic up to 16 voices, with added unison, pulse width modulation, a noise generator, oscillator sync, and an additional LFO — both LFOs feature the eight original waveforms. The update also introduces a two-pole filter mode, keyboard tracking, a limiter and enhanced performance expression via velocity, channel and polyphonic aftertouch.

The plug-in also features a sync’able arpeggiator and a 16x4 polyphonic step sequencer with some flexible humanisation options, while modulation and sound design are taken care of by a Parameter Animator function and a set of 22 built-in effects.

Pentaphonic is supported on PCs running Windows 7 or later, and Macs running macOS 10.13 and above. VST, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available, along with a standalone application.

Pentaphonic is available now, priced at $59.

Cherry Audio have also released the Translucent Preset Pack for Pentaphonic ($9.99), an add-on which includes 100 presets that explore “tranquil and hypnotic soundscapes” and draw on Pentaphonic's modulation, performance, sequencing and effects capabilities. 

cherryaudio.com/products/pentaphonic-synthesizer