Cherry Audio Surrealistic MG-1 Plus is a free VST/AU/AAX plugin emulation of the Realistic Concertmate MG-1 analog Synthesizer from 1981.
In 2020 we can be lucky that synthesizers are affordable and more accessible than ever. In the past, there were also inexpensive instruments, just not in the same abundance as today. One of the best known in the field of cheap analog synths was the Realistic Concertmate MG-1. A full analog synth that Moog developed for Realistic (Radio Shack). A synth for the home with relatively basic features and with a solid, classic Moog sound.
Now you can get this entry-level Moog of the past as an emulation for your PC and Mac. And best of all: it’s free for a limited time.
Cherry Audio Surrealistic MG-1 Plus
Cherry Audio is dangerous for Arturia when it comes to emulations. If they continue at the pace, the young American company will have overtaken the V Collection by next year. The biggest difference, however: Cherry Audio has only emulated so far analog synths: DCO-106 the Juno-106, CA2600 the ARP-2600, and now the Realistic Concertmate MG-1 that was sold in Radio Shack stores in the ’80s.
The emulation has all the functions of the original. Two oscillators (sawtooth, square/pulse) + noise source, one 24dB filter, a contour (envelope) section, mixer, and ASR envelope. Like the original, you can play in mono perfect for fat analog basses/leads but also in polyphonic. The latter uses a unique divide-down square wave generator that is routed to the VCF and the VCA. Further, it has a bell-tone ring modulation, glide, auto-repeat note triggering, oscillator sync, and a number of other improvements. It ships with over 130 ready-to-use presets.
The demo shows the original in action. Not extraordinary, but pretty basic analog sound. However, one with its own character and charm.
Features
- Ultra-accurate analog modeling
- Dual oscillator monophonic plus polyphonic oscillator bank
- Super fat 24db “ladder” filter
- Over 130 presets
- “Bell tone” ring modulation
- Tempo syncable LFO
- Expanded octave ranges
- Multiple note priority modes including legato and retrigger
- All controls MIDI-assignable
- Full DAW automation of all controls
In this video, Mitchel from Cherry Audio guides you through their plugin emulation.
All in all, this is another no-brainer deal for Black Friday. After Vital yesterday, this is another must-have.
Surrealistic MG-1 Plus Synthesizer is available now as a free download for a limited time (regular $29). It runs in AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and standalone formats. During Black Friday, Cherry Audio also offers the Synth Stack bundle that features all the recent plugins including Voltage Modular 2, CA2600, DCO-106, and Surrealistic MG-1 Plus for just 78,99€
More information here: Cherry Audio
Regarding comparing Cherry Audio to Arturia. Yes, perhaps Cherry Audio are catching up to the amount of products that Arturia produce. But in my opinion that’s where the comparison ends. Arturia outshine cherry Audio with extra features, polyphony, and low CPU. On the other hand, one can’t complain the free to low price tag of Cherry Audio.