NUSofting has introduced Modelonia 2, a major update to their physical modeling synthesizer for Mac & Windows.
Modelonia is a physical-modeling synthesizer that uses a hybrid of two distinct model ‘types’- a plucked-string model, and a blown-bore (ie trumpet-type) model. Each model may be used simultaneously, and the signal path allows cross-modulation between the two models for more interesting and complex tones.
According to the company, “Modelonia is not simply an emulation of acoustic instruments, nor is it your standard VSTi synth. Advanced physical modeling technology has been used to enable ‘live’ and expressive new sounds and harmonic textures.”
Modelonia is available for US $69. Upgrade pricing is $20 for Modelonia 1.7 users. Audio demos are to come – but a demo version is available.
No demos, no videos? Is it just a pretty picture?
“NEW 2.0 ! Discover what’s new by reading the manual.”
Come on guys, you can do better!
I’m not even sure about the “pretty picture”…
Honestly I don’t get it, these guys have put a ton of effort into building a beautiful and interesting synth, but they haven’t put any effort whatsoever into marketing it… not even a demo MP3 on their web-site!
Well, this developer is just one person. On one hand, it might have been a poor choice to unveil without demos done– but timing is everything.
That said, this is a synth with lots of unusual and beautiful character. I’m a huge fan of physical modeling synthesis, and I immediately downloaded the demo and installed it. I just started going through the presets. Everything I heard was new and interesting. Some of the presets are quite musical, but I’d say if there was a weakness, it is just that the preset naming system is a little cryptic for the noob, and there aren’t enough “organic” and “musical” presets– as compared to things by AAS or in Sculpture. Still, I like it very much. Probably will buy, but need to spend a little more time with it.
Go get the demo.
After playing around with the presets for a bit, I’m finding this synth to be a bit too aggressive and edgy for my liking. There are lots of examples of wild and distorted kinds of sounds, and mostly very other-worldy kinds of things. Perhaps it could be wrangled into playing more expressive and natural tones, but I didn’t hear many of those in the demo.
The interface seems pretty straight-forward. I did see a velocity knob on a couple of parameters, but it wasn’t in the mod matrix that I could see. The interface is much more relatable than the one for sculpture, and it might do more kinds of things. But it didn’t really draw me in. I don’t have the patience or time to try to make presets that are more what I’m looking for, and I didn’t find them in the presets that were in this beast. I think for people who are looking for very gritty and unusual sounds, this might be something worth looking at.
That said, I REALLY do want to encourage the development of physical modeling synths and this one is pretty decent and not so expensive. I wish I got a better first impression.