I am going to do this review because I have not heard any user reviews except for positive comments about it. The only Critic review of it is from Amazona.de, which gives it a 5/6. Here we go!

Price: A

Compared to the Prophet 08 and Elektron Analog Keys, this thing has an amazing amount of features for literally nine hundred and ninety-nine USD (not including tax and shipping)! I am happy that one guy has managed to cram more than the best of analog (at least DCO type) synths in one lightweight box.

Interface: A+

Although it’s not knob per function, it is one of the most creative interfaces I have ever seen on any synthesizer! Not only you have knobs, but the silver knobs can be pressed like buttons. What other freakin’ synth has knobs like the Parva?

The OLEDs look cool too btw.

Build Quality: B+

It’s sturdy yet lightweight. The knobs, despite being a bit wobbly, are fantastic too. However, the ports on the back of the synth look like they were just screwed on. Just sayin’…

Firmware: C

I know Brad’s still working on the firmware. It is much more stable than it used to be, but the Parva is still not perfect. In fact, no synth is perfect.

Presets: C-

I don’t really like the majority of the presets because not only they sound “weak”, but they don’t really show the capabilities of the synth. The only one I like is called “I’llBeBack” because it’s this stormy sound that becomes a simple pulse wave piano at higher octaves.

Sound Quality: B

I’m kind of embarrassed that some of my iPad apps such as Cassini sound better than the Parva in some ways, but the Parva still sounds organic and decent. The pulse wave sounds great and bold, but the sawtooth and triangle wave sound a bit weak compared to other saw and triangle waves I have heard. The saw and triangle waves still suffer from timbre and/or volume issues despite that recent firmware updates have fixed most of the issues. Maybe I’m not programming it right.

Character/Personality: A-

I warn you that the Parva is not for people who want Moog, Prophet, and Oberheim-style sounds. Get a Prophet 08 for that. The Parva sounds like an Oberheim SEM or a Minilogue on steroids. Although the oscillators are DCOs, the waves can still detune without any adjustments to fine-tuning. Because of this, it often sounds organic and kind of edgy, yet, it is still not as"cheerful" as the Korg Minilogue. Even with the Clean Oscillator Mode off, it still sounds clean to some extent. The filter definitely adjusts the character, but I do not recommend using the self-oscillating filter for melodic sounds. The frequency of the filter often changes since it is a VCF. I hope there will be individual fine-tuning of the filters. The Parva excels at strings, brasses, some kinds of pads, bells, sound effects, experimental sounds, percussion, and pianos. Most of the leads and basses I create sound a bit weak unless filter FM is used.

Modulation: A+

Four LFOs, four loopable envelopes, filter FM, velocity, breath control, a 16 slot modulation matrix, and POLYPHONIC FREAKING AFTERTOUCH all for $999?! I still haven’t even used its full potential yet.

Performance and MIDI: A

I have sequenced the Parva with its multi-timbral features on Renoise, and it was successful. I have also played the Parva on an Ensoniq ESQ-1 and an iPad, and they work pretty well with it.

Overall: A-

Nice synth, but I learned from my experience that I don’t care if it’s analog or digital. It just needs to sound good and have a personality that I like. In fact, I really want to build my own synth someday. I really want to know how Brad made his.