Musikmesse 2014: Rob Papen set to release Blue II 'cross-fusion' plugin synth

Blue II sports six oscillators (A to F).
Blue II sports six oscillators (A to F).

MUSIKMESSE 2014: Today is most definitely a Blue Monday, for Rob Papen is set to release Blue II, the follow-up to his 2005 Blue 'cross-fusion' plugin synth.

Featuring elements of FM, subtractive, phase distortion and waveshaping synthesis, Blue II offers six oscillators that can be connected together in a variety of ways, a pair of analogue-style modelled stereo filters, processing and modulation options, a sequencer and an arpeggiator.

With a new range of waveforms, Blue II is said to be designed for creating "fresh-sounding" synth patches, and now features the XY pad from Papen's Blade instrument. This can be used for the likes of time-based sound movements and vector pad-style sounds.

Other features include four FX processors, an Easy Edit page for speedy tweaking, and a Bank Manager for quickly navigating presets and sound banks.

Available for Mac and PC in 32/64-bit VST, AU and AAX formats, we're assuming you'll be able to purchase Blue II from the Rob Papen website, though there's no 'buy now' option at the time of writing.

UPDATE: Blue II is now available to buy from the Rob Papen website priced at $179/€149.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.