French synth maker Aodyo Instruments has launched a Kickstarter project to fund production of the Anyma Omega Polyphonic Physical Modeling Synthesizer.
Anyma Omega is a powerful hybrid polyphonic and multitimbral synthesizer, featuring a physical modeling synthesis engine designed to create new sounds inspired by the real world, where objects collide, vibrate, and resonate.
Anyma Omega comes in two versions, desktop and keyboard, both including a large display and many controls, with unique sensitive wooden surfaces to feed resonators and enhance expression. Featuring 16-notes polyphony, Anyma Omega can layer, split or even chain up to 4 different sound parts.
The semi-modular synth engine of Anyma Omega covers a wide range of synthesis techniques (physical modelling, but also virtual analog, wavetable, FM, etc.) with its large collection of oscillators, FX and modulators. Many of the available sound sources were inspired by Emilie Gillet‘s work on Mutable Instruments modules.
Anyma Omega offers – for each voice – 123 different module types, including 44 sources, 33 FX, and 46 modulators.
Features:
- Physical Modeling Synthesis – Anyma Omega blends the classic ingredients of electronic music with physical modelling technology, allowing it to simulate acoustic sound sources, such as strings or reeds, as well as resonating structures, like wood, glass, or metal.
- Polyphony – 16-notes polyphony with all the richness of Anyma’s synthesis engine.
- Multitimbrality – 4 sound parts splitted, layered or even chained.
- Expressive Performance – Proven Fatar velocity sensitive semi-weighted synth action keybed with aftertouch for musical and expressive playing. Numerous controls to enrich the performance and unique sensitive wooden surfaces (ribbon and touchpad) to feed resonators and enhance expression.
- Easy Editing – Easy access to 14 macro parameters controlling the main characteristics of patches. Tweak every parameter of every module with the large display and controls, unleashing the power of a semi-modular synth at your fingertips. Direct access to the various modules thanks to the interactive synthesis path diagram.
- Smart Randomization – Create aleatory consistent patches, by pushing a single button, based on smart random algorithms.
- Polymorph – Beyond polyphony, the exclusive PolyMorph feature can provide extra width, density and depth to the sound: fine-blend panspread, unison, expression and morphing for every single note.
- Tuning and Microtuning – With Anyma Omega you can use any scale or tuning to make your sound travel all around the world and the eras. You can also load Scala (.scl) or Anamark (.tun) files in Anyma Omega by converting them to MIDI Tuning standard (MTS) format. In addition to importing and exporting tunings, there are several options that can be used to define and edit tunings directly on the instrument: reference tone adjustment, 12-tone octave scale, tuning table for each note and n-EDO scales.
- Connectivity – With a lot of input and output ports, Anyma Omega easily connects to all the machines, synths and controllers. It is compatible with any standard MIDI controller.
- Free Editor/Librarian – Free multi-platform editor/librarian inherited from and compatible with Anyma Phi’s sound bank. Organize, archive and share your Anyma patches and performances.
Specifications:
- Hybrid 16 notes polyphonic synthesizer
- 4 parts multitimbral
- Flexible audio routing between parts and external audio I/O
- Dual stereo audio output: 4x 1/4” mono line jack outputs
- Dual stereo audio input: 4x 1/4” mono line jack inputs
- Dual stereo headphones output: 2x 1/4” stereo headphones jack output (front and rear sockets)
- MIDI inputs and outputs via USB and DIN ports (USB device for computer/DAW connexion, USB host for external USB-
- MIDI controller, legacy MIDI DIN In/Out/Thru)
- Memory: 1000 individual user patches, 200 performances, 16 user microtonal scales
- ARP and sequencer: Arpeggiator or simple 16 steps sequencer on each part (with or without key transpose)
- Powerful digital semi-modular synthesizer engine:
- 3 oscillator slots
- 5 FX slots (including filters, resonators, …) + 1 reverb
- 2 audio buses for mixing and FX assignation
- 16 modulator slots, including DAHDSR envelope generators, LFOs, curves, sequencers, interpolators, slew limiters, physical modelled modulators, etc.
- 32 mapping slots (virtual patch cords), each allowing to control any synth parameter (including another mapping) using a modulator or a controller input, with scaling, curves and a sidechain input.
- Built-in 100-250V AC power supply
Pricing and Availability
Production of the Anyma Omega is being funded via a Kickstarter project and it is available to project backers starting at about $870 USD. Regular pricing for the Desktop version is 1200€, and for the Keyboard Version, 1650€.
Aodyo Instruments is aiming to ship the synths in June 2023.
Note: Kickstarter products can involve risk, which is documented at the project site.
Who wants to tell them their name doesn’t work well in the English-speaking market?
Anyma Omega?
Alpha Juno?
I’ll take that sort of name over the Casio CDP-S160BK or the Behringer TD-3-SR any day.
Also, you might want to check out the names of Noise Engineering’s modules. They’re all in Latin!
Not everything has to work well in English. It’s a French instrument, so the name could be much worse if they wanted.
You can tell them, if you so wish. They’ve been fairly responsive, today. Don’t think it’ll make much of a difference.
And, by the way, the names don’t work better in French, IMHO.
Whoosh! I don’t think a single one of them got your joke
Anyma
Enema
Nice synth! Be sure to send one of these to Jean Michel Jarre
YUM!!!!! this and an H90 Santa!!
Sorry, John. You will have to wait until next (2023) Christmas, at least 🙁
it’s on my calendar!
Yes, that desktop is going to be added to the playground at some point. Instead of variations/flavors of the same old thing, this device would actually add a whole new dimension of sound to my small collection of synths. But yeah, I’m not in a hurry… I’ll keep on digging deeper into the gear I already own, for as long as the inflation/recession lasts.
I am sorry but after watching the demo video I cannot think of anything else than Ross playing a synth on “Friends”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLa8Br569gA
“I dream of instruments obedient to my thought and which with their contribution of a whole new world of unsuspected sounds, will lend themselves to the exigencies of my inner rhythm.”
Always thought PM was the more natural evolution for digital synthesis to take. FM always sounded crude/silly to me, so I still find the FM resurgence baffling (with the exception of glassy pads, which FM’s actually pretty decent at).
FM, silly? Go to YT and look up Catalogue of Materials. Metal, Wood, Air by Element433. Thats how silly it can get.
Thanks for the rec! Just listened. To me it still just sounds like “poor man’s physical modeling,” like it’s trying to sound like a thing but failing at it. Everyone’s tastes are different though
WOW! Sounds and also looks great!
Finally a company that understood that the sound engine is as important as the interface.
The anima phi with proper controls and polyphony – rly a huge step forward!
I purchased the phi they made. Horrible looking thing and clunky UI. Sold it and never looked back
I’m with Joseph. I enjoy using DEXED up to a point, but once I took up Chromaphone, most of my FM-type needs came to hand more easily. This comes across as a real bleeding-edge instrument, very much like a hardware Chromaphone. $870 seems like a rational starting point and perhaps even a bargain for all it will handle. It’d be great to see it take off like the Hydrasynth did. After all, look, ribbon controller, mmmm …
According to the Kickstart page, the lowest pledge price that will yield you the keyboard version is 1320 Euros, and according to them, may get to you next October. Also, the retail of the keyboard version is estimated to be 1620 Euros. The lowest pledge point for the desktop is 740 Euros, with an anticipated delivery next June. The retail estimate is 1200 Euros for the desktop.
“Where it all started…With her kind permission, many of the available sound sources were inspired by Emilie Gillet’s fantastic work on Mutable Instruments modules. Huge thanks!” huh, so it is basically Plaits/Braids in a box. very cool. now I don’t have to build one – except only 4 octaves. I wonder if they’ll support user code modifications… Polyphonic Plaits sounds beautiful on Prologue, adding resonators and easy modulations sources really brings out the shine.
Personally, I don’t think that their Kickstarter goal is anywhere near high enough to adequately fund even the rudiments of this project, given their anticipated delivery dates and lack of details on a development plan. So, I don’t have much confidence that this thing will ever come to fruition. I will definitely purchase the desktop if it arrives sometime next year, because this is the first synth that I’ve seen lately that I think I might want. I did, however, go to the pledge page and entered all my info for the SEA level, but I chickened out when it came time to check the statement of understanding for Kickstart pledges. I did eventually pledge $50, though. I hope that they eventually bring these synths out and that they are the success I imagine they will be if they ever get built.
the Korg Z1 used physical modeling, and it came out in the 90s
i had one, it was awesome
this looks good and its priced “aggressively”…. but im not building a studio right now so i will wait and see
The Physical Modelling revival has been a long time coming. Maybe we finally reached the point where it gains traction in the market.
There’s a bit of PM here and there. Some really neat pieces of software (including GeoShred, from the team behind Yamaha’s 1990s PM synths, Respiro from the dev behind the VL-Wizard, the whole AAS catalogue, the SWAM instruments from Audio Modeling…). Code from Émilie Gillet has been influential in some circles. There’s at least been strong interest from diverse parties.
The Anyma ? might mark a turning point. And, yes, I tend to trust Aodyo to deliver on their promise.
Been following them since they released the Sylphyo and been in touch with some members of the team. While nobody’s perfect and all sorts of things could happen, their track record is quite solid in terms of carrying out this type of project. The Anyma engine was already part of the Sylphyo before the Anyma ?. And while the product might afford further tweaking, it’s not a wild bet.
(I did pledge for the desktop as SEA. I might back out, depending on several factors.)
Having said this, I’m somewhat disappointed that they went the Anyma route instead of releasing a more expressive instrument… which might have meant an update to the Sylphyo. I know windcontrollers are a niche within a niche. And, granted, the KS campaign unlocked the MPE support stretch goal so the A? will at least respond to per-note expression (they might go all the way to PolyAT on the Fatar keybed). Plus, the strip will allow for some expressiveness on the device itself…
It’s just that… We’re due for a breakthrough in human-instrument interaction, especially in PM synths. A big reason to have such a synth in hardware is to have direct access to the “instrumentalness” being modeled, even if it’s hypothetical instruments.
Anyhoo… It’s a relevant campaign which might have an impact outside of #FrenchTech.
I like the sound of their previous instrument. Never bought it because i could not imagine the sounds in my own music some how. Nice they continue to make instruments.
This one looks very ugly to me like a Ableton push. A lot of encoders combined with a large LCD not a very good interface at all bit overwhelming, less is more in this case.
Very nice they included a ribbon on the desktop, found it a bit stupid it was left out on the hydra desktop.
agreed. the visual ugliness is keeping me away; I’ll wait for the price to come down on a monochrome version. lol. tbh though, after reviewing the module list, it’s seems to be mostly Braids models with a few additions from (keeping with the Mutable IP) probably Elements and Rings. nice, but hardly new ground. I prefer Plaits over Braids, as Plaits models have 3-4 degrees of freedom, while Braids only had 2. This makes a huge difference in modulation results. a lot of folks like Braids better, but Plaits is the real beauty to me. back to building my own… yay!
Your initial sentiment is something I…….I hear a lot on dates. 🙁
I’m color blind. dealing with color coded functionality incredibly irritating.
Admin: Personal attack deleted (name calling).
Keep comments on topic and constructive.
The project is fully funded, after a day. Looks like a lot of people are interested in a keyboard that does something different.
I won’t touch a kickstarter project even if I had a firestick.
Lesson learned from my experience with Mod Dwarf as these companies have no obligation to deliver even if project is funded and we are still in a supply crisis worldwide.
Huh. Tempting, but still waiting on another, similarly-priced physical modeling synth from a French company that was kickstarted three years ago I pre-ordered. They swear, it’s just around the corner!
Osmose?
I backed the Osmose and am really hot to get my hands on it. I checked it out at Synthplex and it is the best keyboard I’ve ever played.
The Omega, though, looks like a lot more fun for sound design. The Osmose seems like you have to have a computer hooked up to it to do any deep sound design.
1200 Euros translates to $1242.63 US, as of today. That would make the keyboard $1677, +/-. That’s eyebrow-raising for what it will do. Those prices seem very appealing alongside the growing number of $4-5K synths. I think of $2K as a sweet spot because I once got a used Korg 01W for a mere $1300, in a case, no less. I’d have to legally MARRY an OB-X8, but I can have a smoking 10-year fling with a $2K synth and like it. 😛
Yes. That sounds correct. My answer to your initial post was aimed at comparing the acquisition price of something you pay for when the unrealistic undervalued goal was met on Kickstarter (which was about an hour after I posted the comment) and a non-guaranteed wait time of at least seven months. Contrasted with waiting to see if the thing ever gets done and comes in at the anticipated sales price. I agree, entirely, that at those anticipated sales prices, it will definitely be on my, for sure, shopping list next year. My concern was only in the Kickstarter-induced risk in ever seeing the thing for those Kickstarter pledge prices up front.
let’s not get complacent about those 4-5K prices – the parts shortage will hopefully end sometime before average worldwide temperatures reach the spontaneous combustion stage due to climate change.
$1600 is about right for a 4 octave VST in a box with colorful candy like buttons to keep the kids happy. *this is no C-15*
Will this support MPE? They mention compatibility with standard midi controllers but don’t mention MPE. I’d be ver interested in a desktop HW synth that would pair well with a roli seaboard rise2.
mpe has been added in the stretch funding.