You can selectively route input and output for oscillators, the impulse, Filter, and noise modules.
Its input and output parameters seem inspired by electric guitar – the Input parameter simulates plucking a string at different positions between bridge and neck, and the manual equates the output parameter with switching pickups.īoth of these can be modulated in a number of ways. Just below the oscillators, things get more complex and interesting with the Resonator module. Changing the above parameters animate the waveform’s display, giving you visual as well as audible feedback. In many cases a double-click on the parameter lets you enter a value directly. Here I’m adjusting the Fold parameter, and my edit is reflected in the shape of the waveform. You can choose between coarse and fine adjustments based on which side of the parameter field you choose. It’s worth mentioning that Plasmonic offers a unique system for changing values: clicking and dragging horizontally in a parameter’s rectangle can change values in high-resolution, or coarsely, depending on which side of the rectangle you choose. Fold adds buzzy, nasal characteristics similar to oscillator sync, but without the need for a second oscillator. You can alter an oscillator’s Shape, Symmetry, and Fold. Oscillators provide digitally-generated wavetables. Still, there’s much more to Plasmonic’s capabilities we’ve hardly entered the wormhole. These short transients superimpose very natural-sounding acoustic characteristics on the oscillators. You can choose from a menu of samples, which serve as impulse responses (there is no provision for importing user samples). In addition to filters, the oscillators and the filters can be shaped through resonators, providing a convolution/physical-modeling approach to sound shaping. You’ll find the usual subtractive synthesis mechanisms of oscillators, filters, envelope generators, and the like, but you don’t have to dig much deeper before you realize that this is the very surface of Plasmonic’s sound-shaping tools. Under the hood, the synthesis engines drive Plasmonic’s library of wavetables derived from various synthesis techniques: FM, Additive, and the like.Ī pull-down menu reveals Plasmonic’s list of available wavetables.
What you will find are swirling, evolving sounds with pointillistic, floating harmonics and rhythmic undercurrents – almost all of which are gracefully modulated – especially if you are using an MPE-ready controller.
It’s no coincidence that Plasmonic is the brainchild of Absynth’s creator, Brian Clevinger.Īs with Absynth, samples are only the starting point you’re not likely to find faithful renditions of pianos, brass, or any of the typical fare of sample libraries. Absynth continues to be an in-demand synthesizer for sound designers, film scoring, and just about anything that calls for evocative or unusual sounds. The resulting timbres range from dense, distorted tones to gauzy, animated washes and bizarre, metallic sweeps, all steeped in a ton of motion. The art and science of sampling has evolved well beyond realistic snapshots of sound into the creation of impressionistic sonic paintings that evolve and change in ways that literal interpretations of sampled instruments never could.Ī superb example of sampling veering off-course into other dimensions is Native Instruments’ Absynth, which brought a wealth of creatively edited samples into a deep matrix of modulation, intriguing rabbit holes of DSP, and a flexible, semi-modular environment. Rhizomatic Plasmonic is a hybrid synthesizer combining subtractive wavetable synthesis with waveguide-based physical modeling.ĭigital Modeling has become fairly common in synthesis these days, but as with sampling, it has expanded well beyond replicating physical instruments. What would it sound like if you created a synth that combines sampling, physical modeling, and subtractive synthesis? Marty Cutler finds out.