AudioKit developer Matthew Fecher knows a thing or two about creating interesting iOS instruments.
From capturing the nostalgic feel of the 16-bit era of video games with Saga Synth and SNESynth, to meticulously re-creating one of AudioKit’s very first iOS Apps, over the last few years Matthew has carved a name for himself as one of the most prolific music production app developers out there.
With Nerd Synth, AudioKit have created their first ‘proper’ synth, with their previous releases technically being ROMplers. Nerd Synth is heavily ‘inspired’ by the legendary Nord Lead A1 hardware synthesizer, but stops short of being a full on emulation. That’s something that AudioKit are keen to point out, stating; “BTW, this is not a hardware clone, it’s a completely new synth”.
You can get a feel for how Nerd Lead works and hear some sound demos by watching the excellent video from Moby Pixel below:
Fully Featured
If you’re familiar with any of AudioKit’s recent synth releases (VHS Synth, Saga Synth, King of FM, King of Digital) you’ll feel right at home here.
Having said that, Nerd Synth is without question AudioKit’s biggest App release yet.
Nerd Synth’s UI is split over six tabs, where you’ll find effects, multiple oscillators, LFO controls, X/Y pads and a robust sequencer.
Other features include:
- 64-voice, Retro VA-Synth
- Advanced Synth Engine (including PWM and 40+ waveform shapes).
- FX: Glorious Reverb, Analog Tape Delay, Distortion, Flanger, Chorus, Crush, and more.
- 3 LFOs, over 70+ possible destinations, almost everything can be modulated! LFOs can even modify other LFOs
- Dual Assignable Touch Pads!
- Classic Arpeggiator! Hardware-style Arp, with extra features
- Vintage-style Step Sequencer that can be routed to specific oscillators
- ADSR for Amp & Filter Envelope!
- Standalone app & iOS AUv3 Plugin
- On board “Record” button – Easily record your melodies, and crazy sound fx, then export. No other apps needed.
- Works with a MIDI Keyboard
- “SUPER FM” wild pitch drop controls! Modeled after digital VA-Synths, complete with vintage digital aliasing for old-school vibe!
- Crazy aggressive RING MODULATOR distortion – It’s like robots talking, or fighting. You decide.
Plenty of Presets
In what’s become something of a tradition, Matthew Fecher has once again reached out to all manner of iOS musicians, creators and YouTubers to come up with some presets for Nerd Synth. The 400+ patches are nothing short of phenomenal and include sounds crafted by Analog Matthew, Electronisounds (Dean Daughters), DMT Cymatics, Moby Pixel, Red Sky Lullaby, Sound of Izrael, and more.
“The 400+ patches are nothing short of phenomenal“
If you fancy coming up with your own sounds, Nerd Synth’s interface, while a tad busy is dead easy to get to grips with. AudioKit are really good at balancing accessibility and ease of use, while giving advanced users the tools to really dig into the sound design process.
You can use Nerd Synth in standalone mode or hook it up to your DAW of choice as an AUV3 plugin. In GarageBand that means navigating to the ‘External’ section of the instrument selection screen and choosing Audio Unit Extensions.
This is another fantastic release from AudioKit. It is an astoundingly great sounding and intuitive synth app that will keep you busy for hours. iOS music production app newcomers will love the hundreds of included presets and easy to navigate UI, while more seasoned synth tweakers will enjoy the wealth of in depth control and editing options.
For the insanely low intro price of $5 this is an absolute no-brainer.
Nerd Synth is available on the iOS App Store for iPad and iPhone here. It’s currently at an intro price of $4.99/£4.49. DISCLAIMER: I beta tested and reviewed a pre-release version of Nerd Synth. I bought the full App on release day with my own money.
