Rob Papen Predator-RE review

A synth plug-in worth hunting down

  • €99
  • $119
The Predator-RE runs off exactly the same engine as its bigger brother

MusicRadar Verdict

The best synth in Reason. Make it yours.

Pros

  • +

    Excellent set of features and effects. Sounds brilliant.

Cons

  • -

    Still missing a few of the features found on the original.

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Predator-RE packs almost all of Rob Papen's acclaimed Predator synth plug-in into a Reason Rack Extension, complete with CV and Gate inputs, arpeggiator outputs and around 4000 presets.

Despite a few missing features (vocoder samples, preset morphing, a couple of effects and a few modulation slots), the sound is identical to that of its big brother, running, as it does, off the exact same engine.

"Predator-RE's architecture is straightforward but comprehensive"

A three-oscillator synth, each oscillator offering 128 waveforms (all your analogue favourites alongside a ton of spectrals, additives, 'vocals' and more), Predator-RE's architecture is straightforward but comprehensive.

You've got PWM, FM, phase modulation and ring modulation, a square-wave sub per oscillator, two filters with 27 types (one with a dedicated LFO), five modulation assignments, two LFOs, two envelopes, a shedload of effects, and a deep arpeggiator.

Predator is thought by many to be Papen's best synth, so it comes as no surprise that the RE version is the best synth in Reason - yup, even better than Thor in terms of raw sonics.

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