Developers Gábor Gyutai and Balázs Gyutai let us know about their new polyphonic modular sound design tool for Windows, Alpha Forever.
Alpha Forever is a node-based modular sound design tool that allows you to graphically create custom instruments and effects.
The teaser video, embedded above, gives a preview of what it can do. All sounds were created in the new app. The sound design breakdown video, embedded below, shows how the sound design and effects were all done in Alpha Forever, running in Ableton Live:
A total of 42 instances were used in the teaser soundtrack arrangement.
Features:
- Up to 32 voices of polyphony
- Over 80 presets (synths, sound FX, delay effects, modulations, dynamics, tools)
- Every signal is calculated at audio rate, so you can connect anything with anything
- No limitation on the amount of nodes used in a patch
- More than 80 nodes available already (math tools, MIDI inputs, LFOs, band-limited oscillators, envelopes, delays etc.)
- Designed for fast node editing, several nodes have their own interfaces
- MIDI and parameter automation
- Scalable plug-in window
- Intuitive, zoomable, fast, vector graphics interface
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Undo
- Copy / Paste patches into text editors / online text fields
- Constantly developed
- No in app purchases, no subscription plans
Pricing and Availability
The developers plan on releasing Alpha Forever in October 2018. Details on pricing are still to be announced. See the AF Modular site for details.
This looks cool, but more importantly the demo sounds fantastic.
Any plans for a Mac version?
Benn Jordan (“Benn and Gear” on YouTube) did a great demo of this a few months ago. If you’re not subscribed to Benn’s channel, please do yourselves a favor and check it out. It’s an amazing source of music tech info!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIrFQnsTIl0&t=901s
Looks and sounds absolutely awesome !
Just curious. What desk is that in the photo. Anyone know?
Hi Armando! Unfortunately the photo is a 3D render. The desk is not a real thing.
Could also be Zaors KlaviDesk. Just saying 🙂
What base-level of CPU power will this need ?
Dear Mike!
The software is optimized as much as possible without compromises in sound quality. It runs well on nowadays average computers. The music of the demo video was produced on a 4 years old laptop, and it has 42 instances working in real time with several polyphonic instruments, and sound processors like reverbs and dynamic effects as you can see in the sound design breakdown video.
Quad core or dual core? My quad core that’s 6 years old sometimes does better than my 4 year old dual core.
Very interesting. Reminds me a bit of Audulus. Paste patches in online text editors, fantastic! Mac version? I hope so.
Dear Peter!
The Mac version is planned in the future, but we are focusing currently on the Windows release.
hello, very excited about this. Seems like it will work as CV source for hardware modular, when using DC-coupled interface. But how much inputs and outputs the plugin would allow?
Dear Fedor!
Each AFModular Plug-in has 8 audio ins and 8 audio outs, and inside the software every signal runs on audio rate (even adsr’s and LFO’s). However we did not test this functionality yet.
Awesome – doing it right, from the very beginning! Looking forward to the demo!