Krakli RE-AXT Review!

Just sometimes there comes along a weird little synth/instrument that is very rare but has 1 or 2 real famous use cases. One of those is the RMI Harmonic Synthesizer which was used by a certain Jean Michel Jarre on his kitchen recorded masterpiece Oxygene. Most famously the lead sound in the chorus of Oxygene IV was the RMI through an Electroharmonix Electric Mistress Flanger pedal. So when I found out that there was a new(ish) free harmonic synth available, well I grabbed it. Here is my quick review of a synth that both delighted and frustrated me in equal measures, not because of the synth per se, but because well, harmonic synthesis is different!

The re-axt looks almost exactly like the RMI would if it was developed today. There are some differences from the original instrument like no arp and obviously some differences with the filter section, but all in all, it’s pretty simple – and my first real surprise is that the simplicity extends to the sound. So many plugins these days rely on fx that a “naked” synth can sound, well, basic. There is a delay included and it does add to the sound, but that is it really. You can save/recall patches which is decent, and the plugin comes in VST3, VST2 and AU formats on Windows/Mac and Linux which is awesome and I used the VST3 version in Ableton Live 12.1. To get that Jarre sound I passed it through various flangers including the excellent BL-20 from Arturia and I could get a decent sound easily enough. The cpu useage is really good and well for the price (FREE!) you really can’t complain! To see an example of an original RMI Harmonic Synthesizer check out the youtube video below

Krakli RE-AXT

9.2 out of 10

Great harmonic synthesizer plugin that can be made to sound like the RMI Harmonic if you want. Needs FX to shine in my opinion, but for the price and how it performs it is a great addition to your setup!

Stability

10 out of 10

No issues at all, just install and off you go!

Ease of Use

8.9 out of 10

Not many controls to be fair, they all do as expected. Tweak away – simples

Look & Feel

8 out of 10

Suitably retro look – not much to say although some newer paid plugins look way better

Price

10 out of 10

Well as it is free it has gotta be a 10 really. VST2/3 and AU covers the main bases too

Pros

Easy to use

Good price

Easy to tweak away and get results

Cons

There isn't a great deal here to change or tweak and it is a simple synth

The simplicity is both a blessing and a disguise. Many patches need fx of which there is only a limited delay included.

It isn't the best looking plugin in any way, shape or form

Buy this Product

Get from Krakli Website