Play The Weeknd and James Blake producer Frank Dukes' synth collection in a new plugin

the prince frank dukes
(Image credit: Cradle)

Mega-producer Frank Dukes has created a new plugin that reproduces the sounds of his expansive collection of vintage synths, used in tracks from Drake, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, James Blake, and Frank Ocean.

Produced in partnership with new software company Cradle, The Prince is made up of 139 sounds recorded in Dukes' studio and taken from his impressive collection of instruments. The plugin comes equipped with 250 presets for music makers to get started with instantly, divided into Leads, Pads, Keys, Organs, Plucks and Brass. There's five effects to shape and manipulate the sounds, including reverb, delay, chorus, distortion and noise. Multiple sounds can be layered and blended with a crossfader, with a separate LFO, filter and amp envelope for each layer.

The release of the instrument has been accompanied by a three-part series of videos with Frank Dukes, which dives into his creative process and gives viewers an insight into the making of the plugin. "I made this synth for anybody who wants to approach making music" he says. "They don't necessarily need to have technical ability or an understanding of synthesis [...] I've been using The Prince on almost everything I've been doing lately."

The Prince is available now for $119. Visit Cradle's website to find out more or download a free trial. 

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Matt Mullen
Tech Editor

I'm the Tech Editor for MusicRadar, working across everything from artist interviews to product news to tech tutorials. I love electronic music and I'm endlessly fascinated by the tools we use to make it. When I'm not behind my laptop keyboard, you'll find me behind a MIDI keyboard, carefully crafting the beginnings of another project that I'll ultimately abandon to the creative graveyard that is my overstuffed hard drive.

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