RAW-2 is a 16-voice hybrid synthesizer developed by Rob Papen, specifically designed around heavily distorted, edgy, and aggressive electronic sounds. It is particularly suited to Hardcore, Hardstyle, Techno, Drum & Bass, EDM, and other productions that require powerful distorted leads, basses, synths, and experimental textures. The instrument was developed with creative input from producers DJ Promo and DJ Free-K, and builds on the original RAW synthesizer with additional sound-shaping, modulation, sequencing, and performance features.

At the center of RAW-2 are two phase-distortion oscillators, each equipped with an X/Y control system that can be recorded and synchronized to tempo. Users can also draw custom waveforms for use as LFO shapes, allowing the creation of complex rhythmic and wobbling movements. The synthesizer includes an analog-modeled filter section with 37 filter modes, including comb filtering, ring modulation, and amplitude modulation, along with a dedicated high-pass filter. Its 16-way modulation matrix provides extensive routing using two envelopes and two LFOs, while the 32-step arpeggiator/sequencer offers per-step tuning, modulation rows, and ratcheting. RAW-2 also features a Ribbon Controller with tempo-based and quantized spring-back modes for dynamic performance control.

The plugin places particular emphasis on distortion and sound manipulation. Each voice has dedicated pre- and post-distortion EQ, while its distortion section includes Waveshaper, Distortion, and LoFi Distortion processing. Additional effects include Chorus, Phaser, Ensemble, Flanger, Stereo Delay, Reverb, Gater, and additional distortion processing. RAW-2 includes more than 3,000 presets organized through its preset browser and bank-management system, including sounds created with contributions from various established electronic music producers. It supports VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats, with current compatibility listed for 64-bit Windows 7 or later and macOS 10.15 or later, including Apple Silicon compatibility.

#FlStudio #Ableton #Logic #Cubase #ProTools #RobPapen #RAW2 #RAW2Synth #Synthesizer #PhaseDistortion #Distortion #Hardstyle #Hardcore #Techno #EDM #DrumAndBass #SoundDesign #BassSynth #Arpeggiator #VST3 #AU #AAX