SynthVR Reviews

Each time I dive into SynthVR to experiment or improve a patch, I know I'd be lost in time headbanging on my own silly tunes, in a neon arena, modules and racks floating around me. Whether you know your way around audio synthesis or you don't, expect countless hours of fun, learning, experiments. And the VR aspect adds a lot to the experience ; if like me you can't compose with a mouse (sorry VCV Rack) this will be your new home. Welcome. Note for WMR users: Even though the game does not officialy support Windows Mixed Reality, I had no bindings issues in the game so far. (HP Reverb G2) (Don't forget to join the community Discord if you want to share your patches, ask questions, etc)

I really don't like that I've had to turn this into a negative review, as it is a fairly solid experience, but the developer seems to have taken the money from launch and ran when it's still in need of quality-of-life updates and has huge potential for additional modules. If you're really into modular synthesis then it might still be worth picking up, but it's hard to endorse this approach to development.

Simply amazing. You can get lost in this one indefinitely. If you love, or are even just curious about a starting with modular synths this simply a must have and the absolute coolest thing available in VR.

Software like this perfectly exemplifies why VR is such a gamechanger and a huge leap forward in technology. SynthVR let's you assemble, wire, and play your own modular synthesizers from the ground up. This is great because to do this in real life you either need to spend thousand$ or borrow one from someone who owns one and good luck with that. I am a total n00b with modular synthesizers but I'm already starting to learn the basics and it's extremely fun. The possibilities are almost endless. There are limitations in terms of the types of modules there are but you can wire them together in a seemingly infinite manner. It's almost overwhelming just how many options there are. You can start from scratch or load other peoples' presets by typing in their code. You can also load a random patch which is a fun feature. When you first launch SynthVR it shows you a somewhat basic synth/pad/drum combo to play with. How the thing is wired is mind boggling in itself. I've barelly scratched the surface with this and I can't wait to keep tinkering and learning more. This is a must-have for anyone who loves synthesizers! Below is a video of me playing with a synth/drum combo in 3/4. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2764201970

GOOD: Everything functions as it should Patch share/random is neat Dev seems open to module submission from others Recording stereo audio with 3D positioning PROCEDURAL GRIPES Spawning modules should automatically be gripped for placement, not hovering over menu No option for free locomotion with joystick...can pan left and right but no forwards/backwards. Not a fan of teleportation. I get free loco makes many people sick. At least give us the option. No facilities for module default module settings? Having to turn off every channel on a mixer after spawn is tedious. No copy/paste module states? WISHLIST: NEEDS TURING MACHINE MODULE or other repeatable random like Marbles, generally more probability driven stuff like a Bernoulli Gate Velocity module - bipolar mode? Built in VCA on Wave modules CV controlled background graphic elements OVERALL: Launch selection of modules is quite limited. May not appeal to eurorack powerusers. I may just be spoiled by VCVrack Is it worth $20 and I'm just being a picky asshole? Yes. For now. Will this have to keep up with Synthspace? Yes. Look at the feature set they have planned. To be totally honest, the only reason I grabbed this is because they're still not in public release.

It pains me to leave a negative review because the basis is very much there and works just fine and as intended. This software shows how modular in VR is so, so much nicer than in 2D like in VCV rack. But the basis is also all there is here. There is a massive lack of modules and the modules that are there are not versatile enough to accomodate for that. It's entirely missing any module with randomness in its output, which is essential for modular setups. There is one type of reverb and one type of delay. The sequencers are lacking in CV inputs for things like range and other modules have similar problems of not having enough CV inputs. It's just not worth it's money until this gets more modules. I can't emphasize how much of a shame this is because it has huge potential. But right now the better choice is to get VCV rack for free and do without VR, because this got me less than 5 hours of playtime before I reluctantly decided to go back to 2D.

Great potencial. But it looks like no further development. No updates since launch.... disappointing

Fed up with killing zombies? I know I am! I was just chatting with the Guy that developed DMT (the app that is!). [BTW DMT is simply the best Music visualiser in VR - go check it out. You won't be disappointed!]] Anyway, we were talking synths, and lo and behold, this pops up on Steam. So - impulse buy from someone with an interest but no knowledge at all. I figured the learning curve would be just too Steep (man, look at all those nobs and wires!)... Impulse buy. You can see from my 'playtime' that this is nothing more than a first impression. But I already know that this is going to be something I sink some serious time into. What I *can* tell you is that this is *very* well made. Everything works just as expected, and it is truly immersive. I feel like I have dropped my life savings on a real Synth. At the moment I am at the stage of twiddling nobs and just playing with raw sound. But, I do not think I have had this this much fun in VR, period. Next stage, stop playing around and learn this thing. Happily, the dev has a really good introduction to this (thanks to the guy who messaged me back and put me onto this). https://youtu.be/C0OCDRbIUks Do I recommend this to a casual like me, someone who want to expand their horizons in VR? Hell yeah!

[h2] Bleep Bloop VR [/h2] This is an incredible synth setup experience that is well worth the 25 dollars it asks for. Playing around on the Index, the controls are simple and intuitive if you have [i]ever[/i] touched a VR game. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to mess around with the beeps and the boops in virtual space. I would by no means consider this at all a replacement or competitor to professional software that currently exist (I don't think that was the intention either. That is not to say you can't get some Slamming beats and sound out of this! [h3] The Positives [/h3] [list] [*] Extremely intuitive and tight controls [*] The modules, racks and cables all look amazing. [*] The [b]Polywave[/b] module contains more then just sine, square, saw, tooth and can lead to some abosulely incredible sounds. A perfect generator to have a start with. [*] You can share and visit other peoples synths for inspiration (rather simple system but it works) [*] You can have as little or as much as you like to play with. [*] Recording options are versatile and well thought of. [/list] [h3] The Negatives [/h3] I'll explain more of the negatives, to be more declarative on my criticisms [list] [*] [b]I wish I had more cable colors[/b]. I get that with the current system adding more colors would be a nuisance but I still find myself thinking about it [*] [b]The Environment isn't bad, but I also don't think its great, and I wish I could customize it further.[/b] The modules and wires look great but I find the environment bland. The hook up to modify the environment based on your sounds also doesn't appeal to me cause it just makes me think more about how I don't like the environment. This might be a personal thing. [*] [b]I want more then 5 save slots (with naming).[/b] I'm already on Save Slot 3 and I'm 6 hours in. I don't want to be limited in doing more because I simply don't have the save spaces. [/list] [h3] Overview [/h3] I love whats in here already, and I hope (and would easily pay) for additional modules and items to make this an even more incredible experience and tool.

SynthVR is the most consistent musical-fun-time I've had in a long while and I can't stop thinking about it. If you've ever looked at modular synthesizers and thought "hey, that looks pretty cool!" but not enough to drop thousands of dollars on it, then this will absolutely fill that hole for you. As the VR world has started to grow, tools and experiences like this are what I'm most excited about, not just games. I can't wait to see how SynthVR grows in the future.