« Still Unsurpassed »

Even though this synth is over 20 years old, I haven't found any hardware or software synths that can duplicate its quality of sound. From breath-takingly accurate reproductions of wind instruments to hair-raising creepy sci-fi sound effects, it can do it all. It's my #1 synth.
I use a wind synth controller with it, which is a great way to control the multitude of available parameters in a musical way. Being a wind player, the monophonic technology is not an issue. This machine is all about melody and foreground soloing.
Programming it is tough. Though there are sound shaping elements that work on similar principles to subtractive synths, the main sound engine is based on creating a model of an instrument, not on oscillators and filters. It's a steep learning curve, but you can learn a lot by taking existing patches and modifying them.
If you're a VL-1 user, I host pages of VL software resources on my site. As of June 2017, there is a new VL1/VL1-m/VL7 librarian available that runs on modern Windows or Mac hardware. A new patch editor is also under development. Read more at my site.