The problem with this logic is that there have been so many synths created in the past 5 years that aren't worth $200. Not even close to it.

You really can't name any new synths in that price range which compare favorably, or even equally; with Serum 2, Omnisphere 3, Nexus 5, UVI Falcon 4. I haven't even checked the demo of this thing, because between those four synths and my hardware synths, i am covered for nearly any sounds I could make to put into a track.

It's arrival is a little late in the game, for me; but that doesn't mean there aren't people who do not have all those options already. Many of the people here are looking at things through the same prism. Many people complain about all sorts of things, but the underlying problem they have is with the price. Or paying for something at all. They cook up all kinds of justifications for why something should be free. Status signalling BS, "please add full functionality or it's a waste of my time to crack the demo", on and on it goes. To re-use a Jaycen Joshua metaphor he deployed in the recent MWTM video about making stuff be at -7lufs but sound like -14llufs via good mixing; like someone who gets pulled over driving their Mercedes at 120mph and says 120? Felt more like 50. What they never will say is " I was going 120 because I wanted to go fast, but I didn't see you". It's always some other kind of excuse. Meanwhile, 2 oil changes on their car costs $200 these days.

 

Thanks for the perspective. We've had a great response, and have certainly found a niche of people who dig the concept and are prepared to buy it. Building out a massive library of patches is the next task for sure.

You can't save patches in the trial version, that's basically the only limitation.

The UltraWave is not a sampler... during timestretch, it will play back a mix of the cycles to the left and right of the playhead in the wavetable timeline. They are at full quality, there's nothing to improve so no need for any quality modes.

 

Rent to own just splits the full price up over 25 months, and then you own it outright.
There are no subscriptions, and there will never be any upgrade fees as we have decided on lifetime free updates.

As far as the $5.99 goes, I don't think we have done anything special in this regard. Serum is $249 and Pigments is $199. You're allowed to think it's dumb, of course!

By the way, its USD not euro so it's cheaper in Euro, currently €125.70

 

Thanks @Nigel Stanford for the excellent support.
I think they've thought everything through very well, and I wish you much success with your Ultra Synth.

Perhaps they'll have the time and inclination to incorporate Karplus – Strong string synthesis sometime.

Karplus–Strong string synthesis is a method of physical modelling synthesis that loops a short waveform through a filtered delay line to simulate the sound of a hammered or plucked string or some types of percussion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karplus–Strong_string_synthesis
www.math.drexel.edu/~dp399/musicmath/Karplus-Strong.html

 

Last edited: Jan 31, 2026 at 10:10 AM

Great reading the dialog between you and @PulseWave regarding sales. Im in the process of developing a series of plugins. My partner wants to price in the $75 range, but im looking at $25-40 range, for the exact reasons you state. Once the framework is built out, I have virtually unlimited versions of this plugin, each one similar, but quite different from the next. I am hoping to reign people in to the ecosystem, and sell not just one plugin for $75, but 5, or 8, or 12 or whatever @ $25. Appreciate you guys sharing your insight!

 

Not mass, but quality. Quality over quantity.
Instead of the term ecosystem, I prefer to call it an engine.An ecosystem is what we find in nature.

If you want to stand out from the competition, create better, more thoughtfully designed plugins. Have them extensively tested by beta testers so you can give your customers a bug-free product instead of bothering them with constant updates. Conduct a survey to find out what people actually want. Keep in mind that when your product is released, it will be extensively tested, and bloggers will give it a rating, ranging from "Who needs this?" to "Useful and recommendable."

Why should I buy your product? What added value does it offer me?

Consider that we already have almost everything we need to make music, and we are currently in a global recession, meaning fewer products are being manufactured and purchased worldwide. Furthermore, people worldwide have less money in their pockets due to rising taxes, rents, food prices, and energy costs.

1 plugin at €25 = €25
10 plugins at €25 = €250
100 plugins at €25 = €2,500
1,000 plugins at €25 = €25,000

The question is, how many customers can you acquire?

 

Great insight, thank you! I am a bit of a perfectionist, so I will not release until they are fully tested, and to the highest standard. I plan to reach out on the forum in the coming months to get some testers.

Im not worried about what people want, as dumb as that sounds lol. I know what I want to and am able to make, and that theres no plugin that is even remotely close to it. So rather than doing market research, Im just building something that I know does not exist, that is really cool, and that people will want to use due to its uniqueness and wide range of sound possible. I guess I have done some sort of research, in talking to a few colleagues and friends who work in music, and so far have heard they would all be interested. However, once I have a couple plugins done, I will need to do some broader surveys, as the project can go a few different ways as the "engine" evolves, so it will make sense to see what people want once the initial product is in their hands.

I still have some way to go, Im in phase 2 of 5, but we'll see soon enough! Thanks again for your insight.

 

Thank you for your openness, it all sounds so positive and confident, no complaining but taking action.
I wish you lots of luck and strength.