Central Processing Unit CPU Micron is a new Roland MC-202 Synthesizer emulation plugin for macOS, Linux, and Windows.
In the previous article about the Born Second BS-203, I reported on three new Roland MC-202 Synthesizer emulations in one month, including two released in a single day.
The third comes from the new plugin company Central Processing Unit and is called CPU Micron.
Central Processing Unit CPU Micron
CPU Micron is a new authentic emulation of the Roland MC-202 from 1983 for macOS, Linux and Windows.
According to Central Processing Unit, CPU Micron is a schematic-accurate emulation where every value in its DSP is derived from the original circuit diagram and the real component values.
Like the original hardware, it features a single CEM3340-based oscillator with square and saw waveforms, plus a sub-oscillator that can go down 2 octaves. You can mix them in a source mixer.
Next to it is an IR3109-modeled low-pass filter with the original controls: cutoff, resonance, envelope to filter, LFO to filter, and keyboard tracking.
Then you have a single synceable LFO with rate and delay functions, plus a single ADSR envelope routable to the filter and VCA. Yes, there is also an onboard VCA with the classic envelope or gate behavior option.
Central Processing Unit says that they have cross-checked these against the manufacturer’s own service-manual calibration steps and a working hardware unit.
A major difference between this model and the Audio Damage AD-202 and the Born Second BS-203 is the built-in sequencer. This is also a software replica of the original design. The dev says that it has two channels
Unlike the hardware, you can use the second channel to write MIDI notes back to the DAW. CPU Micron also features a preset browser that comes with various sounds.
First Impression
That brings us to three MC-202 emulations in August. Hardware owners will have to determine which is the best. One thing seems certain: the CPU Micron appears to be the most authentic in terms of features, as it also includes the sequencer.
CPU Micron is available now for £39,99. It runs as a standalone and VST3 and AU plugin on macOS, Linux and Windows.
More information here: CPU Records
It would be interesting to know who is developing the plug-ins? Are they collaborating with a Developer or do they develop them in house?
This is developed in house by the label (CPU Records) owner.
I wish CPU Records website had a link to the manual (if there is one). I would like to see how they implemented the sequencer in the plug-in. Their website is very basic.
Interesting to see so many emulations of the MC-202. The synth voice was essentially the SH-101 but without a noise generator. I owned one back when they were new and liked the sequencer, so this particular plug-in has some appeal to me. The MC-202 was considered a flop when the hardware was released. It had a short production run and not many were made. A protocol called MIDI was introduced at approximately the same time and CV/Gate sequencers were swept to the side. I doubt many folks back then envisioned CV/Gate would make a grand comeback decades later when Eurorack became popular.