Is Universal Audio’s Anthem more than just virtual analogue novelty?$199 perpetual license
Free for UAD Spark subscribers
uaudio.com
Anthem is a powerful addition to Universal Audio’s vast, growing range of soft synths. In keeping with UA’s reputation in analogue modelling, Anthem stays on brand, with a classic sound palette and design aesthetics.

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Looking back at some of the legendary monosynths of the 1970s and early 1980s, Anthem encapsulates the feel of classic subtractive synth architecture. Although its interface isn’t based solely around one particular synth, you can easily approach Anthem the same way you would an ARP Odyssey, a Moog Prodigy, or a Sequential Circuits Pro One. However, the paraphonic and unison modes coupled with intuitive sequencer and effects sections allow Anthem to overlap slightly into Korg MS-20 territory. But is its virtual analogue prowess alone enough to justify its price?

The Anthem approach
I find Anthem’s interface delightfully simple at first, with a two-oscillator (and single sub-oscillator) sound engine, a resonant low-pass filter section (with secondary high-pass filter), independent filter and amp envelopes, and a basic LFO. Upon closer inspection, though, each section has a few deeper controls that unlock more expression, character, and tonal range.
As an instrument, Anthem provides an impressive level of creative immediacy. If you’re an accomplished keyboardist, you’ll love how realistically analogue Anthem feels to play, with natural-sounding glide and detune. Also, with an easily-accessible MIDI learn function, you can take control of any parameter with ease to help your sounds come alive, but be sure to check the default MIDI CC assignments, as this may save you time.
Alternatively, if you prefer taking a more rhythmic approach using the step sequencer, you’ll be amazed at the range of sounds that is possible with such a limited set of controls. The sequencer section functions in a similar way to a user-programmable arpeggiator, and is MIDI triggered, which lets you quickly transpose basslines into longer progressions with the Retrigger mode activated.
The global sequencer controls allow you to change the feel completely by adjusting the grid divisions, swing, note length, and playing direction of the pattern. Also, a key feature lets you link or unlink the gate, pitch, and velocity sequencer lanes so you can create patterns that are independent in length for interesting polyrhythmic results. However, possibly the most exciting part of the sequencer is the legato slide function that lets you create acid basslines just like the TB-303 or SH-101.
Image: Press
Deeper features and effects in UAD’s Anthem
Once I’ve familiarised myself with the basics, I start to notice that Universal Audio has cleverly worked in more advanced features to give Anthem an edge over the stock analogue synth plugins in your DAW. If you look at the oscillator and filter sections, there are a few dual-purpose controls with an outer and inner pot. The first one that really catches my interest in the sound creation process is the versatility of the waveform controls on each of the two oscillators.
Anthem’s waveform shapes are variable, so you can choose familiar triangle, saw, and pulse waves or a range of intermediary shapes. Then, using the outer ring control and the selector switch below, you can modulate each waveform with either the LFO or the filter envelope. This allows you to animate in your two main sound generators, for subtle or more vibrant, rhythmic results.
The Warp control directly below has the same interface, but here you are either syncing the second oscillator to a hidden, third oscillator by varying degrees, or adding ring modulation. Both warp modes have expansive tonal range, immediately giving your sounds a 1970s sci-fi edge.
The effects section is simple, but it’s been designed to streamline rather than waylay the creative process. Here, you can stack a mono or stereo chorus with a choice of four different modulation effects, as well as spatial effects including classic tape echo, spring, and hall reverbs. As you flip between effects, you’ll notice that your settings are stored, which is a useful touch. Another particularly interesting addition is the LFO Tilt control. This lets you vary the LFO shape, which is especially effective when being automated.

Is UAD Anthem your next go-to soft synth?
Anthem sounds phenomenal and authentic. Its fantastic presets, different voice modes and well-modelled filter let you take a sound from irresistibly smooth and pleasant to raspy and rambunctious in seconds. However, despite the filter’s Drive and Growl controls, I feel that Anthem is missing a distortion processor of sorts, which is well within the UA wheelhouse.
As a perpetual license holder, or UAD Spark subscriber, you can run Anthem as a UADx plugin, but the Native version barely moved the needle on my M2 MacBook Air, so using Apollo DSP isn’t essential. Although Anthem is among the best synth plugins I’ve used for beginners, its $199 price tag, makes it inaccessible for the average user.
Alternatively, if you’re looking at Anthem as an experienced producer, you probably already own either Arturia Pigments or u-He’s Diva, both of which offer far more advanced synthesis capabilities in the same price range. In today’s market, realistic analogue-modelling synth plugins aren’t hard to find. In fact, there are some stellar stock options in the form of Ableton’s Analog, Logic Pro’s Retro Synth, Reason’s Polytone, and Bitwig’s Polymer.
This makes Anthem something of a novelty, and I feel that rather than looking only at the architecture of legendary analogue synths, the developers could have expanded Anthem’s capabilities further with features found in classic virtual analogue synths like the Nord Lead 3, Roland JP-8000, and Access Virus.
I’m hoping that future updates will bring increased sound-shaping options, especially in the modulation department, where Anthem is rather limited.

Key features

Native UADx plugin, VST3, AU, and AAX
Analogue sound and feel
Paraphonic and unison voice modes
Vintage effects
Multi-lane sequencer

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