BlauKraut Engineering has announced the beta version of Charlatan 2.0, a brand new and completely overhauled iteration of one of the best virtual analogue synthesizers on today’s freeware market.
So, what exciting improvements does the new version of Charlatan bring to the table? First off, there’s the completely reworked and optimized sound engine which now uses 50% less CPU when compared to the previous versions of the plugin (in polyphonic mode). That’s a fantastic improvement for a virtual instrument which was already so well optimized and easy on the CPU resources.
Perhaps even more importantly, Charlatan now comes with a brand new and awesome sounding 7-note stereo unison mode. The unison mode is also highly optimized for low CPU use and it will work great even on less powerful systems. With this new playback mode, Charlatan can now be used to create a wide range of stereo pads, huge detuned bass sounds and modern unison leads.
Other improvements include the stereo noise generator (previous versions of Charlatan only had a mono noise source) and a couple of new waveforms in the LFO section. The developer has also included a set of additional factory presets to showcase the new features included in Charlatan 2.0 beta. Speaking of presets, Charlatan 2.0 should be compatible with v1.x presets, however the developer suggests the users to keep the previous version of the plugin installed because there will be some slight sonic differences when loading older presets. This couldn’t be avoided due to the changes in the new sound engine.
The GUI has also been changed (the awesome looking red panel is still the plugin’s signature look) and now features a thick gray/blue area at the top of the interface. Now, this might be just a wild guess, but it seems to me that we might be seeing a preset manager included in future versions of the plugin. I don’t know why, but this darker colored section looks to me like it could be reserved for that very purpose.
Please note that Charlatan 2.0 is still in beta stage and that some users might experience stability issues with this version of the plugin. The first bugfix update has already been released, fixing hanging notes and loading issues in certain hosts. There are several reports that Charlatan 2.0 doesn’t work well on AMD powered systems, but this is still just a speculation. Please leave a comment below if you have trouble loading Charlatan 2.0 in your DAW (also include your system specs) and I will forward that info to the developer.
With the amazing PG8X getting closer to its official 1.0 release and Charlatan 2.0 now in public beta, sticking to using just a single free virtual analogue synthesizer is now harder then ever. As I’ve mentioned many times before, my personal Top 3 of freeware subtractive synths is Charlatan, Tyrell N6 and PG8X and I couldn’t imagine my virtual studio without any of these three amazing instruments. If you want more options, fear not because you’ll find even more awesome freebie picks in our round-up of subtractive synthesizer VST plugins.
Download
Charlatan 2.0 is available for free download via BlauKraut Engineering (1.29 MB download size, ZIP archive, 32-bit & 64-bit VSTi plugin format for Windows, a Mac OS version is planned but still not very close to being released).
19 Comments
Pedro Rodrigues
onOh my O_o the new unison sounds so good! How can this still be free?
Thanks so much for the heads up, Tomislav!
Tomislav Zlatic
onIt keeps getting better and better!
Robin
onThis is great! Even more optimized than it already was and with stereo unison? That’s a big leap. Yet somehow it still remains very easy to use. It was already on my favorite list, but now it’s starting to make other synths irrelevant.
While testing I did notice rather large frequency fluctuations compared to the old version. Like there’s some kind of S&H frequency modulation in the background that can’t be turned off. Anyone else notice this too? I think the old version did the same, giving it that natural sound, but now it’s a little too much.
Tomislav Zlatic
onHi Robin, try switching the OSC mode to DCO (in the global section) to stabilize the pitch.
Robin
onI tried that, but without success. Tested it in Renoise and Reaper, x64 and x86 version on an intel machine, with the same result. Freq keeps modulating slightly (according to MTuner up to about 8%), with or without DCO. The old version has practically no measurable fluctuations.
It’s not too bad though. I’ve been using it in two tracks already and so far the results sound very good regardless …or, who knows, maybe even because.
Tomislav Zlatic
onThe developer has addressed this issue on KVR: http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6124588#p6124588
Andronoid
onCubase Elements 8 & Windows 8.1 x64 \i5 – works steadily
Tomislav Zlatic
onAwesome!
cync
onI am so happy with this news! I really love Charlatan and I find myself always reaching for this synth when I need to create some good solid sounds quick.. So definitely getting my hands on this as soon as I get home..
Tomislav Zlatic
onHave fun testing it. The new version is really cool!
Vitali
onTomislav, Tyrell N6 isn’t CPU friendly, but the rest is ok.
Tomislav Zlatic
onHi Vitali, I never said it was. It’s an awesome virtual instrument otherwise and I use it as the central part of my live setup in MuLab.
Peter
onsadly Crash (i use cantabile)
Jb
onThis is my all time favourite free synth so simple to program! Im still holding my breathe for the mac os version:)
Bryan Lake
onI was never completely sold on the original, but I’m a fan now! The new version is great! Already using it on a new track :)
Drew Lake
onLove the new version. The unison on this is truly awesome!
Jerry
onThis appears to be out of beta now.
Atme
onThis is an awesome update of an awesome sounding synth freebie! I really wish more synths were made by BlauKraut Engineering, a bigger brother of Charlatan with more features and parameters would be truly amazing! Fingers crossed! =)
Bill
onHere in 2023 on Windows 10, Can’t get any of the knobs to move below half way. Responds to mouse by jumping above half way (12 o’clock) and then will not rotate below.