Vacuum

The early synthesizers have helped shape the soundtracks of the 1970s and 1980s. But even with the advent of digital music, people have not forgotten the classic analog sounds. This is mostly due to the fact that it’s hard not to like those sounds, no matter if you’re a nostalgic or you hear them for the first time. For this reason, classic hardware synths are quite expensive and sought after, while many producers try to integrate their signature sounds into their compositions.

Fortunately, in the digital world, many virtual synths can help you produce music using classic sounds. Today we’re going to take a look at one called Vacuum.

Created by AIR Music Technology, Vacuum is a virtual representation of a vacuum tube synthesizer (hence its name). It’s a monophonic instrument, and while some may find this a limitation, it actually provides a bit of historical accuracy for those looking to create authentic analog music.

Vacuum employs subtractive synthesis, meaning that you shouldn’t have any problems using its two filters and two envelopes. The arpeggiator is also a surprisingly simple section with only a few parameters that will help you add notes to your music in no time.

One feature worth mentioning is the Age module, where you can set the “age” of the two oscillators by adjusting the Drift and Dust knobs. While this is basically a noise function with a different name, it’s certainly a nice touch that contributes to the “real feel” of the virtual analog instrument.

Vacuum comes with plenty of presets organized into five categories: Leads, Bass, Arpeggios, Percussive, and FX. They showcase the instrument's capabilities and are a good place for you to start your work. Vacuum is a synth that I can easily recommend to anyone striving to make music with analog sounds.