Last Updated on August 19, 2022 by IDS Team
What is the Bleass Alpha and why its praises have been sung so widely this year? This honest review of the Bleass Alpha will guide you through its features. In addition, it will break down what sets it apart from other synths on the market. In keeping with our guide to synthesis for guitarists, the Bleass Alpha is one of the most guitarist-friendly synths available. This is partly due to the way its MPE technology can imitate playing styles found on the guitar. Read on to find out more about the Bleass Alpha.
MPE: The Secret to the Usability of the Bleass Alpha
One of the most significant features of the Bleass Alpha is its MPE technology. MPE technology has been around since 2018 and stands for MIDI Polyphonic Expression. MPE has been one of the most important advances in synthesis since the 1970s and 1980s. It especially stands out as a development because it allows for more nuance and accuracy in producing sound. This allows synths to mimic the varied, microtonal qualities of common practices on guitar such as string bends. These are also found in vocal work, such as slurs and slides..
MPE is one of the main things which make the Bleass Alpha an exceptionally guitarist-friendly synth. Guitarists new to synthesis can often find the natural fluidity of their instrument and playing style translates badly to synthesis. In general, synthesis tends to promote a more linear way of working based on sonic building blocks. On the one hand, a good musician can avoid this by learning the ins and outs of it. Nevertheless, MPE allows for a musician to control very subjective qualities of sound such as timbre. This extends as well to concepts such as the darkness, lightness, or richness of a note. As these are difficult to pin down, MPE opens up a new world of music more quickly than otherwise possible. It’s this which really allows the Bleass Alpha to stand out as one of the best synths for guitarists on the market.
What Additional Features Make the Bleass Alpha one of the Best Synths for Guitarists?
Other features also make this a perfect synth for guitarists. These are based on how it mimics many phenomena which happen when playing the guitar. An individual instrument like a guitar is subject to lots of individuality and randomness. Designers at Bleass have done thei best to mimic this using the Bleass Alpha via its dice presets generator. This works well with helping a guitarist new to synthesis think outside the box. When playing, guitarists can get stuck in patterns of playing which may have been confined by scales and arpeggios. However, Bleass has also taken this into account. For those used to the fluid and interconnected world of scale patterns, the left-to-right signal flow is a lifesaver. This shows every part of the signal chain onscreen.
Although a guitarist will still have to learn technical skills, this is one of the best synths for guitarists as it allows them to adapt easily. However, this is not just helpful for guitarists but anyone else new to synthesis. Breaking down signal flow, helps musicians develop a sense of how the changes they make affect the entire sound. This allows sound designers to see the structure of the sound that is created. In addition, it breaks down how each and every part interconnects.
Bleass Alpha Specifications
- 3 oscillators, 2 stereo and 1 mono
- Cross & ring modulation between oscillators, Phase control on stereo oscillators for wide stereo, Hard sync, ADSR, single noise source
- 2 variable state filters with drive settings
- 4 Filters shapes: Low Pass / High Pass / Band Pass / Notch
- Filter Envelope
- 2 LFOs per voice with multiple waveforms & multiple modulation targets
- Envelope ADSR with assignable modulation targetsOverdrive
- Bitcrusher, Tremolo, Delay with filter and ping-pong effect
- Reverb with length, filter and color control
- Advanced presets management: import / export multiple presets, assign category, rename, edit. Presets are compatible with the iOS version.
- Presets Generator (dice)
Pricing and Availability of the Bleass Alpha
The Bleass Alpha is available from the Bleass website. For such a great all-rounder synth, it doesn’t break the bank. At 69 USD, it is a great low to mid-range virtual polyphonic analogue synthesizer. On top of this, it combines great workflow and an interactive interface with real thought about what musicians need. However, if necessary you can buy it as part of the Bleass Alpha bundle which goes for 99 USD. This bundle contains all the presets, whereas the synth by itself only has the first of them unlockable. However, you can also purchase the others in addition. What’s so great is actual musicians have designed all of these presets, too. In keeping with the guitar-friendly theme of the Bleass Alpha, they haven’t restricted this just to sound designers and producers.
You can check the price and buy the Bleass Alpha + some cool presets over at our friends at Pluginboutique by clicking here. You will be helping this website a lot buy buying it using this link.
What Makes the Bleass Alpha Stand Out as One of the Best Synths for Guitarists?
Bleass Alpha made some headlines when it was subject to a price drop earlier this year. While its price may now be back to normal, it still hosts a variety of other exciting new features. In fact, the team at Bleass have really been working on things this year. Beyond the typical bug fixes, there is a fantastic new presets pack from Sound Test Room’s Doug Woods. What the makers do really well is to think about its presets from the point of view of artists. This maximises variety and usability. These new presets are no different. With both the Alpha and its sister synth the Omega, Bleass keeps innovating. Therefore it’s really worthwhile to buy in general – these synths are ones which are often subject to fantastic updates.
Playing guitar often gives a much more hands-on playing style and interconnected understanding of the signal chain. Guitarists enter an entirely new world when they approach synthesis. However, with the Bleass Alpha, you can transferr many of your existing playing habits. This synth has an intuitive workflow and easy ways of breaking down sound. Ultimately this allows control over those things which make or break good guitar playing such as timbre.
Final Thoughts
On the surface, the designers have kept this synth basically but extremely well thought through. It has all the features needed for awesome-sounding analogue synthesis, without so many special additions. This stops it from becoming confusing and ensures it just does what it does best. However, when you look at it more closely, this means the Bleass Alpha excels as one of the best synths for guitarists. Nevertheless, it is enough of a good all-rounder synth that even experienced synth aficionados can also benefit from it. Although it is not as flashy as some other products on the market, the Bleass Alpha has everything you need.
You can check the price and buy the Bleass Alpha + some cool presets over at our friends at Pluginboutique by clicking here. You will be helping this website a lot buy buying it using this link.
