The One - Finally a circuit modelled Pro One VST plugin! From NERVE

The One is a solid emulation of the classic Sequential Circuits Pro-One synth from 1981. At $49, it's one of the cheapest options out there if you want that vintage analog sound without dropping thousands on the actual hardware. It's the kind of plugin that doesn't try to do too much—it just focuses on getting the Pro-One right, and that's refreshing in a market where everyone's adding features and trying to reinvent the wheel.

The plugin models the Pro-One's circuit pretty closely. You get two oscillators with pulse width modulation and hard sync, which lets you create some interesting tonal variations by syncing one oscillator to the other. The 24dB low-pass filter can self-oscillate, so you can push the resonance and actually get it to sing on its own if you want, which is a fun trick for creating sweeps and screaming lead sounds. There are two ADSR envelopes that give you plenty of control over how your sounds evolve over time, and a basic modulation matrix so you can route things around—the filter envelope can modulate the cutoff, the LFO can hit the oscillators or the filter, that kind of thing. There's also a 40-step sequencer and arpeggiator built in, which is handy if you want to sequence patches without bouncing to your DAW's piano roll. It's not a replacement for a full step sequencer, but it's useful for sketching ideas or adding some rhythmic motion to a sound. The effects are pretty minimal—some tube and tape saturation, reverb, and that's about it. Nothing fancy, but they work.

Sound-wise, it's warm and fat, which is what you'd expect from a Pro-One emulation. The filter has that characteristic resonance and the overall tone is definitely in the vintage monosynth territory. It doesn't sound thin or cheap, which is impressive at this price. There's a smoothness to the oscillators and a thickness to the filter that makes even simple patches sound good. If you're coming from digital synths or something more modern, you'll notice the difference pretty immediately—it's got character and a bit of grit that adds personality to whatever you're making.

The interface is straightforward. Everything's laid out like the original hardware, so there's no hunting through menus. That's nice if you like tweaking knobs and actually seeing what you're doing. You can dial in changes in real time without getting bogged down in submenus or cryptic parameter names. Compared to similar plugins that cost double or triple, this one's a bargain. If you just need a decent mono synth for leads and basses, it does the job well. The workflow is fast and intuitive, which matters a lot when you're trying to be creative rather than fighting the interface.

The main downside is you only get 20 presets out of the box. That's not a ton, but honestly the Pro-One was always more of a "turn knobs and experiment" kind of synth anyway. If you're the type who wants hundreds of presets to scroll through and just pick one that sounds cool, this might feel limited. But if you actually enjoy sound design and tweaking parameters, the preset library doesn't really matter—you'll probably end up making your own sounds anyway. There's something satisfying about starting from scratch and building a sound from the ground up, and this plugin encourages that approach.

Also, since it's monophonic, it won't do pads or chords unless you layer tracks or use a polyphonic plugin alongside it. That's a fundamental limitation of the design, but it's not really a flaw—it's just what the original hardware was. If you need something that plays multiple notes at once, you'd be looking at a different class of synth entirely. But for bass lines, leads, and melodic sounds, mono is actually preferred by a lot of producers because it forces you to focus on the quality of a single voice rather than stacking up layers.

The One is worth checking out if you're into classic synthesis or just need a cheap, no-frills mono source. It's not fancy or innovative, but it sounds good and doesn't pretend to be something it's not. The sound design possibilities are decent, the sequencer is functional, and the price makes it an easy impulse buy if you're curious. For under $50, it's hard to complain. Whether you're a beginner learning how monosynths work or a seasoned producer looking for a reliable workhorse mono voice, this does the job. You won't get cutting-edge features or a library of presets to inspire you, but you will get a solid, honest emulation of a classic synth that sounds genuinely good.

Get it here: https://nerve-audio.com/
Free demo and only 49 Euros