For over two decades, one of the best kept secrets in the music world has been the almost-unobtainable sound of Seer Systems Reality, a softsynth that incorporates Virtual Analog Waveforms, Sample Playback, Audio Filtering, Frequency Modulation, and Physical Modeling into one package. Once requiring specialized hardware and software to run, Reality was out of reach for most of us, who were unable to obtain or configure period-correct hardware.
Over time, computers have changed along with software synthesizers, having morphed into modern machines with modern sounds. This is great for making modern music sound more modern, but it’s not so great for making retro music sound more retro.
Zyn-Fusion Software Synth – Credit to Tempo Flugas at Wikimedia Commons
Recent developments in pop music reveal something even more surprising. At the Grammys this year, the song, Good Luck, Babe! by Chappell Roan won best song, so I decided to listen to the track. I was shocked to find how much this song sounded like 20th century music to me, but wow! What a feeling!
I don’t know what Chappell’s sound engineers did to get that sound, but I know exactly what sounds I would not have used. That’s for sure. I would have stayed well away from anything too new sounding if I was aiming for that sound. Maybe you agree or maybe you don’t, but clearly, there is something interesting going on right now at this moment in history.
We have gone full circle enough for retro to eclipse modern and modern is just old now. As time slips into the future, what becomes increasingly clear is that something ever more critical has been missing from my softsynth library and yours. It’s the elusive Reality softsynth.
Hitting the fast forward button on life, it’s 2025, and we are finally able to bring back that awesome softsynth we all know and love. No lie, Reality has been reworked to run on the hardware we have sitting right in front of us, not some expensive rack or vintage gear. No, it’s not April 1st, and I’m not joking. In fact, it was a major effort to get this done!
This is the exact same piece of software with all the same features and presets from the late 1990s. It captures the vibe from that era. It’s like having a vintage piece of gear in your studio that weighs nothing. The only thing separating you from it now, is your closed laptop lid and the necessity of free time to explore.
If you haven’t tried Reality before, you’re in for a surprise. How is it that a synth this good sat locked away in a vault for so long? Who cares? It’s here today and it works. Truth is, I could never be more excited to share it with you than right now!
If you would like to participate in the private beta, then head over to the Purchasing page.