Modular Synthesizer For iPad, iPhone (Sneak Preview)

modular-synthesizer-ipad

Pulse Code Inc, developer of Rhythm Studio, has announced Modular – a new software modular synthesizer for iOS.

Here’s what they have to say about Modular:

Modular looks, acts, and sounds like a hardware modular synthesizer to give you features that musicians want such as pulse width modulation, oscillator sync, 4 pole ladder filters, and 1v/oct filter tracking.

Traditional modular systems are expensive and out of reach for the average artist. Modular is here to bridge that gap and allow everyone the opportunity to use these powerful synthesizers.

Here’s a video sneak preview:

Features:

  • ‘Analog sound’
  • Bandlimited oscillators
  • Oversampled filters
  • Beautiful graphics
  • Dynamic workspace
  • Intuitive navigation
  • 10 octave keyboard
  • Arpeggiator
  • Extensive in-app help
  • Audiobus support
  • Soundcloud export
  • CoreMIDI support
  • Record live performance
  • Email recordings
  • Import / export patches via iTunes file sharing
  • Background Audio

Modules:

  • MASTER – The master module is the main connection point between the keyboard and modules as well as the final output and modules.
  • VCO-01 – The VCO-01 is a band limited voltage controlled oscillator with triangle, square, and sawtooth waveforms.
  • VCO-11 – The VCO-11 is an advanced band limited voltage controlled oscillator with sine, triangle, pulse, and sawtooth waveforms.
  • NG-17 – The NG-17 is a noise generator that outputs both white and pink noise.
  • VCF-01 – The VCF-01 is a 2 pole resonating low pass filter with frequency modulation.
  • VCF-11 – The VCF-11 is an advanced 2 pole resonating filter with individual low, band, and high pass outputs. The frequency can be modulated as well as scaled per keyboard tracking.
  • VCF-12 – The VCF-12 is an advanced 4 pole resonating ladder filter with low pass output. This filter has a smooth characteristic and steep cutoff slope. The frequency can be modulated as well as scaled per keyboard tracking. The VCF-12 can self oscillate at high resonance settings.
  • VCA-01 – The VCA-01 module is an amplifier with an initial level knob and CV control of the level.
  • MIX-02 – The MIX-02 combines 3 signals together and sends the result to a single output.
  • SPLIT-03 – The SPLIT-03 takes an incoming signal and splits it into 3 separate outputs.
  • INV-04 – The INV-04 is a utility module that takes an incoming signal and inverts the output.
  • VCA-11 – The VCA-11 is an improved amplifier module compared to the VCA-01 with soft clipping.
  • XFADE-12 – The XFADE-12 cross fades two signals and outputs the result.
  • LFO-01 – The LFO-01 is a low frequency oscillator which can be used as a control voltage source to modulate parameters on other modules.
  • LFO-11 – The LFO-11 is an advanced low frequency oscillator which can be used as a control voltage source to modulate parameters on other modules.
  • EG-01 – The EG-01 is a standard attack, decay, sustain, decay envelope generator.
  • EG-02 – The EG-02 is a standard decay envelope generator.
  • EG-11 – The EG-11 is a standard attack, decay, sustain, release envelope generator.
  • SLEW-13 – The SLEW-13 is a slew generator which smoothes out the transitions of an incoming signal.
  • DELAY-01 – The DELAY-01 is a standard delay effect unit.
  • DELAY-11 – The DELAY-11 is an advanced delay effect unit.
  • DIST-13 – The DIST-13 is a distortion effect module.
  • BOOL-01 – The BOOL-01 applies boolean math functions to two signals and outputs a 1 or 0 result.
  • RING-02 – The RING-02 is a ring modulator which multiplies two signals together and sends the result to the output.
  • SH-03 – The SH-03 is a standard sample and hold module.

Modular will be a free app, with additional modules available as in-app purchases. The release date has not been announced.

In the meantime, check out the preview video and let us know what you think of it!

via PulseCodeInc, palmsounds

61 thoughts on “Modular Synthesizer For iPad, iPhone (Sneak Preview)”

  1. Just saw this on PS; it looks really nice.
    I’m sure many iOS-ers have been waiting for something like this, although there are other apps that adopt some modular like building of instruments, this seems to be out and out tasty-o-tastic modular heaven.

    1. It’ll be the first thing that shows up if anybody searches in the app store for ‘modular synth’, though, which may help them out.

    1. Not really. It’s like naming your discount tire business, “Discount Tires”. If you called it “Monsta Rubberspin Coolamundo” nobody would shop there because they wouldn’t know what they hell you were selling.

      1. yeah, discount tires ftw. But this is an individual item.This wont be the only modular synth around . What if you are shopping for a guitar, or a piano.. if we lived in your world that wouldn’t that be interesting .

  6. This looks fantastic and coming from a lover of modular who sadly no longer has any modular kit :-/ the Q is will it work on an IPad 1 ? :-/

    Keep up the good work 🙂

  8. Yeay! I see you can select your own configuration of modules! This may be just what I need, expecting that IDOW documentary to arrive any day now which I ordered way back when I was building up a… real modular which I’ve since sold off…

  11. I would love something like this as a controller for my korg r3 to control the virtual patch bay… It would be great to have access to send cc’s etc.

    1. Don’t all iOS apps work on an iPad 2? I thought backwards-compatibility is an issue because of iOS 6 only being available for the iPad 2 or newer.

  17. I was just thinking last night: What has Pulse Code been up to? Rhythm Studio used to be noted for big, frequent updates. Now, we know… and this looks to be quite impressive! Day 1 sale to me… I got a lot of bang-for-the-buck from Rhythm Studio.

  18. Sigh. I wish they would ditch the virtual-patch-cables thing. Someone should do a VCS matrix-style interface for the patching. Much more iPad, and would be fun.

  19. I can’t really tell by the video, but let’s hope that the various modules will not be in-app purchase.
    I bet it will be:(
    I like apps that just have all features and updates included in original price.
    I can justify only sounds library and such, because you can be interested or not in sounds and genres, but a modular synth like this one, looks like the perfect opportunity for a company to hook you up in virtual modules never ending GAS.
    This look fantastic, and sounds good too!! I want it for 20$ and that should be it!

      1. That could be a strategic blunder. iOS users are notoriously hostile to IAP and casual users can’t ‘hear’ the benefits of extra modules without first buying them to try out.

        I DL’d the free version of Wave Generator and it was pointless, didn’t give me a chance to evaluate much apart from the UI. If Modular ‘free’ is similarly bereft of features, many users will not look any further.

        Pulse Code, you should rethink this, have a free and fully paid version, or in some way have the equivalent of a purchase with all present and future add-ons included in one upfront price.

        1. A lot of apps have ‘Pro’ in-app upgrades which unlock everything.

          I’ve got no problem with that as long as the free version doesn’t lock up features that are needed for basic testing – like MIDI or AudioBus.

          Save in-app upgrades for additional patches, advanced sound modules, additional effects and things like that!

  21. This style of early announcement to try and create a buzz is just a fantasy by pedestrian ‘marketing’ types. For most products and companies, it doesn’t work, people forget and so when you launch it for real you have to create the interest all over again. Tell me again, when/if this ever comes out.

    1. Generally disagree. I like to be forewarned , if interested it will allow me to budget for this and may postpone/negate wasting money on other apps I might have bought not knowing this was coming.

      It also allows the developers to get feedback from potential customers which can influence features of the first release . Most of my comments on the forums are primarily directed at the developers of the apps and I’m pleased how responsive many of them are and how some of my input has contributed to the development of various apps .

      Regarding this app ; it all depends on the total price of this system .I have no experience of modular ,so might be persuaded to see what all the fuss is about if it’s cheap enough not to be an app regret if I abandon such fiddly complexities after an initial trial.

    2. It’s currently pending review at Apple. So it’s all in Apples hands, probably next week some time. So I wouldn’t call this an early announcement…

      (Source: Pulse Code inc)

        1. Lots of modules comes for free. Each new module will be 1 dollaros, or only 5 bucks for the whole package AND all future modules that’ll be added. That’s how I read it over at discchord.com at least.

          Btw, seems they’re doing some last min polishing according to the article at discchord, but at their YouTube they say it’s been submitted. So I dunno. Either way, it’s not far of

          1. a dollar per module …. muhahaha, nice joke pulsecode

            make it 25 bucks including all modules and bring me new modules via update, and iam in

  23. This is exciting. Coming from the makers of Rhythm Studio, this already exceeded my high expectations for a synth from this company. I think the modular approach is great, as far as I know this way of customizing a synth on iOS is one of the first. I do think there could be a way to let people hear the in app purchase options in some sort of a preview. I think Alchemy handles this well, another option could be to allow a custom 10 second sample to be be played through the effect to give people a chance to hear what they’re buying. Other than that, maybe some more YouTube videos specializing on individual in app purchases. If enough resources are out there, I think the business model could work. I think JamUp does a great job with this, people understand that they will be purchasing quality content from a proven developer. At either rate very excited that this developer gets Audiobus and core midi into version 1. Sounds great so far!

  24. Its a very nice app and its gracious of them to make it freeware, with added modules being their revenue source. The demo sounds a bit too clean, so some added range of sounds would be welcome. I’d like to hear more of its voice. I think the basic design is solid for a mini-modular, so rather than going gaga for something larger too soon, I’d call this a great starter synth worth some investment. It could be a good secret-weapon partner for your more conventional tools.

    I’d also encourage you to think seriously about WHY you want a modular. I’ve tried it and its a huge time sink, unless you know what you’re after. You can have many cool accidents, but unless you are going for a serious classical project, a modular is essentially for sound design, wild colors and emulating early T-Dream. There’s no real “wrong” with a modular, but also no defined RIGHT, which can be a pitfall. So remember that with a few exceptions, its a SOLO voice aimed at a total effect, not a fancy organ. Never send a trumpet in to do a flute’s job.

    BTW, this thing has no onboard effects. What’s the CPU load like if you have to piggyback a multi-effects unit on the output? That’s a serious must-have for analog in particular.

  25. I think its worth mentioning that Audulus already has most of these features, in a more advanced format — with a better data-flow layout that doesn’t try to mimic hardware. You also get more out of the box without buying IAP upgrades, and portability to Mac with a plugin version

  26. I was only looking in the app store a couple of weeks again regards MODULAR synth and found nothing so this is nice to see 🙂 I’ve had walls of modular in the past and sadly had to sell and now find I just can’t afford to replace some of it so having it as an app for people like my self who can’t shell out a lot of money is a welcome site…. If it is to work on an iPad one I’d be more than happy to buy another IPad one on the second hand market for around 100 uk pounds just so I could Dedicate one iPad to modular…

    1. yeah but the GUI and handling of audulus sucks, and anything that shows propellerhead that its about time they release reason is good sign

  28. “I was only looking in the app store a couple of weeks again regards MODULAR synth and found nothing ”

    you looked bad then.

    it’s 4 or 5 modulars and one semi modular

  29. “I was only looking in the app store a couple of weeks again regards MODULAR synth and found nothing ”

    you missed Pocket Modular, Jasuto, Audulus and Midiphon (or midiphone?)
    + semi-modular tc-11

    this is the truth.

  30. Hmm, I think you mean Circuit Synth, which I am being informed is only available at the Latvian App Store. Of the other apps mentioned, they do have a ui style rather different than modular. Totally up to personal preference I guess, but to be honest I like the “mimicked hardware” aspect to this app. I see no problem with it if it works.

  31. 2 Christan

    Yep, sorry! And now i understand what you mean. “a ui style rather different than modular”
    That’s the point. Sorry!

    And i guess i’ll buy modules in this new modular to support overall modular development on ios

  32. if it offers in app purchase without letting me buy the complete pack with future modules, iam out

    f**k in app purchases, i wont even try the free version then

    otherwise iam in, but i will not spend a single dime if its not for the whole package AND future modules, dont care about the price though

  33. I saw elsewhere that the free version will “come with a good supply of standard modules”. So that means IAP. I am tired of this model. If you have to spend 30 or 40 bucks to get full function, then it ain’t free.

    Just charge the full price and see what the market will allow. Calling a hobbled version free is phony. Why not do what they do with Windows 8 apps and allow a fully functional trial version that shuts down after two weeks?

    Then you could make an informed choice.

  34. Well from what I’m hearing it will be $5 for the whole thing including future updates, so I wouldn’t get your panties all twisted yet.

  35. I like this app. I have been using analog synth only for 30 plus years and think this is the better modular synth on IOS yet. I find myself using it – mostly to try our ideaws before doing thme in real hardware….sounds pretty good, its not buzzy or overly aggressive, which I like. smooth quality sound.

    some bugs, but for $5 – its great, can’t buy a patch cable for that price 🙂 .

    stay calm and patch on,
    Jeff

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