AudioThing's Materia rebuilds samples from 96 partials and stores the model in the project

AudioThing released Materia on 12 October, an additive re-synthesizer. Load a sample and it analyses the sound into harmonic partials, each with its own frequency, amplitude, phase and envelope, then plays the result polyphonically across the keyboard.

Last week COLAPSO took its partials from atomic spectra. Materia takes them from whatever you load, which makes it the more practical of the two and the one that depends entirely on what you feed it.

Every partial is editable

There are 96 partials. Each can have its frequency ratio, amplitude and phase changed, and each has its own 128-point envelope with editable duration and sustain loop points. Sync Partial Edits applies the same timing to all of them when you want a change across the board.

Advanced Analysis gives the partials independent envelopes and sustain loops instead of a shared shape. Add Empty Partials makes silent partials available, so you can draw in components the original sound never had.

The sample is not needed afterwards

The analysed model is stored with the plug-in state. A project or preset reopens without the original sample file, which removes the usual failure of a sampler session moved to another machine with a missing file.

Around the engine

A filter with low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, notch and formant modes, and four effects: an algorithmic resonator that models materials such as pipes, plates, glass, wood, gongs, membranes and springs, a tap echo, a multi-stage phaser and a waveshaper. Two envelopes and two LFOs with drawable shapes handle modulation, and the preset browser has a randomiser.

Price and formats

$39, shown against a regular $69 with no end date. VST2, VST3, AU, AAX and CLAP on macOS 10.13 to 26 (Universal 2), VST2, VST3, AAX and CLAP on Windows 7 to 11, and VST2, VST3 and CLAP on Ubuntu 20.04 or newer, all 64-bit. One licence covers three computers, with no iLok, through an account or an offline licence file. The demo goes silent for three seconds every 45 seconds and cannot save.

Producer’s note

Feed it pitched, sustained material with a clear fundamental. Breath, bow noise and sharp attacks do not survive being turned into a set of partials, so a breathy flute comes back cleaner than it went in. If you need the original attack, layer the first few milliseconds of the sample back in on a separate track.