“An almost overwhelming synth in terms of its scope”: Tone2 Icarus 3 review

Tone2 Icarus 3: What is it?

Tone2 has been plugging away at the synth market for many years, and has scored some great reviews with synths like the Electra workstation, the unique ‘HCM-synthesis’ Gladiator and Nemesis ‘NeoFM’ digital synth among many others. 

Yet these synths are not as high profile as perhaps they deserve to be, but all that could change with the latest update to Tone2’s flagship wavetable synth, Icarus. 

Tone2 Icarus 3: Performance and verdict

Icarus is a three-oscillator wavetable synth at its core, but it’s been branching out well beyond that over previous iterations, and the latest (version 3) promises to be the most dramatic update to the synth yet. And that means ‘big’, as version 2 didn’t exactly hold back. That added a glitch sequencer, drum machine and MSEGs to bolster the synth’s modulation capabilities, but version 3 adds a lot more; so much in fact that it’s hard to pin down exactly how to describe the synth. Perhaps Tone2’s coverall definition of ‘workstation’ is one we should stick to for now. 

We’ll throw some stats at you, and you’ll quickly see what we mean. There are a crazy 62 different synthesis modes (essentially the way the three ‘true stereo’ oscillators are configured). Highlights include waveshape, FM, AM, noise, formant, sample and phase distortion. However, each of the three oscillator blocks can have up to 16 detuned oscillators which partner with 36 different supersaw modes to give this arguably more stacked power than you’ll find elsewhere – see below for more on this. 

And there’s a lot more: 57 different effects, 65 filter types, a 100-pattern drum sequencer, a wavetable editor and vocoder, all on top of that glitch sequencer, and the two MSEGs from v2. Oh, and a couple of thousand presets with a decent patch browser to help you focus in on what you want.

Pretty much all of the above and a lot more have been enhanced for v3, especially the preset count, with a complete overhaul and 230 additions. There are 13 new supersaw modes and new synthesis types include granular, FM and additive. The filter types now encompass a couple of new analogue-modelled low-pass filter types, including one based on a Korg MS-20. There are new modulation sources (like Random+ and Flipflop+) and destinations (Mseg1 and 2 Speed), enhancing what was already a fantastic drag and drop or matrix-style modulation system. 

We could just carry on listing additions as there are so many, but the other main highlights include a 26-position adjustable UI (with 30 new skins), with options to lose and keep the keyboard and parameter-editor. There are also enhancements to the sound (64-bit), arpeggiator, microtuning, effects (lots more distortions) and finally CPU-performance – this is one of the least CPU intensive but heavyweight synths out there. 

Megasaw-rous

Icarus 3 has always delivered that famous trance supersaw sound which, to the uninitiated, is a huge stack of sounds played on top of one another with slight detuning to create the massive wall of trance sound. However, version 3 now comes with a large number of extra ‘saws’. You get 10 Hypersaw modes, 12  Megasaws, and 14 Supersaw modes in total. 

The Supersaw options includes a mono 7-voice stacked one from the classic Roland JP-8000, the synth that arguably kicked off the whole supersaw thing; you also get newer stereo options. The Hypersaw options are more like the classic Access Virus saws, so you have the best of the ’90s and ’00s right there. The third Megasaw options are said to be like the Novation Supernova supersaws, which is the third classic hardware supersaw synth, so you basically have everything you need to emulate those legends, plus a whole set of newer updates on those stacked sounds. Trance-tastic. 

Fly my beauty

As you can see, the number of upgrades is seriously large and helps make Icarus 3 an almost overwhelming synth in terms of its scope. It’s capable of a huge number of dance sounds – and indeed entire pieces thanks to its drum sequencer – and the overall sonic message is big.

But it’s not just dance; the variety of sounds that Icarus is capable of is massive. So labelling it just as a dance synth is doing it a disservice. The fact is that Icarus is one of the most powerful softsynths out there, with features that demand to be explored and a UI that doesn’t get in the way of you doing just that. It’s a rare combination of both complexity and simplicity, then, and it’s perhaps the fact that Icarus does so much that more haven’t welcomed it into their workflows. So if you need sonic power that isn’t just coming from the same old Serum and Massive engines, this could well be the one to unleash. 

MusicRadar verdict: Icarus is up there in the same league as some of the biggest names in the softsynth game, and delivers all the power with no nonsense or unnecessary complexity.

Tone2 Icarus 3: Hands-on demos

Tone2 Audiosoftware

Tone2 Icarus3 synthesizer - YouTube

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MYR

SoundForMore Tutorials

🔥🔥Tone2 Icarus 3 VST for PC, MAC (Most Powerful wavetable + Synth) - Tutorial 1: Getting Started - YouTube

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Tone2 Icarus 3: Specifications

• macOS 10.12 and later including macOS Sequoia. Intel CPU or M1 or M2 or M3 (native support for enhanced performance). Plugin formats: VSTi, Audio Unit (AUi), VST3, Standalone, Universal Binary.
• Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 / Linux with WINE. Plugin formats: 64-bit VSTi, VST3, Standalone.
• CONTACT: Tone2