Buying Choices Affilliate Links help support the site

Xen-Arts has released IVOR2, which they say is a significant evolution and refinement of the original Ivor microtonal virtual analog synthesizer design. They tell us that introduced in this iteration are a new set of standard features that will be implemented in future updates to the other Xen-Arts instruments, as well as some new ones that are unique to this instrument and its particular type of oscillators, described below in the designer's own words...



MOD-GEN

A MOD-GEN is essentially a generalized hybrid Modulation Source Generator, which includes an envelope generator that can be switched between an ADSR or a Graphic Envelope Generator, and an LFO that can be switched to run at audio-rate: the ARO. The IVOR2 VSTi features eight total MOD-GEN of this type, which are used for modulating the Phase or Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) of each oscillator waveform, the range of Phase & PWM, Crossfade Modulation (XFM), Filters, VCA and Pitch.

A powerful synthesis feature of the IVOR2 VSTi, is that when the MOD-GEN LFOs are switched to the ARO mode, they are capable of generating additional sideband spectra in the signal, resulting in complex, expressive and evolving timbres. Additionally, the frequency ratios of each ARO may be configured by loading a Partials File (TXT), which enables basic tuning and timbre correlations of the generated sideband spectra, especially where sine-waves are being used as the modulating waveform.



Oscillator A & B Pitch Modulation Polarity

All pitch-modulation sources may be configured so that the pitch of each oscillator can be modulated in a common direction and polarity, or the signals inverted for modulation in opposite directions, as well as switched to a static setting without modulation when, for example, using the MIDI Pitch Wheel Controller. When the modulation control signals are inverted, the phase of the modulation sources routed to each oscillator's pitch is effectively at 180°.



Each of the below pitch modulation sources may be configured to modulate the pitch of the two oscillators in either a common direction and polarity (0° phase), or otherwise, in opposite (phase inverted 180°) directions:

Pitch Bend Controller

Mod-Wheel Vibrato

Pitch Mod-Gen

Harmonic Mod-Gen



Crossfade Modulation (XFM)

Crossfade Modulation itself is a common feature of contemporary synthesizers, however, this instrument enables a unique variant of the technique: partials-file controlled audio-rate modulation between two oscillator sources using a dedicated MOD-GEN, which is capable of generating intonation-related sideband spectra, thereby creating interesting sonic relationships between the microtuning and timbre of the instrument, and especially in the most simple XFM case scenario of using sinewaves with different pitch transposition offsets.



Phase & Pulse-Width Modulation with MOD-GEN

Unique to IVOR2 are the new and extremely versatile Phase & PWM Sliders and MOD-GEN routing options that replace the single control in the original version. Each oscillator has a pair of these range sliders, which can be set to fixed values, and MOD-GEN source routing selectors that can optionally override the sliders and their targets modulated with dedicated MOD-GEN.



In more typical synthesizer Phase and PWM modulation scenarios, the range of the modulation is set to fixed values. With IVOR2 the range can be fixed, or alternatively modulated by a MOD-GEN to create a huge variety of real-time timbral variations, sweeping notching effects, as well as FM timbres when running the LFO in a partials-file controlled audio-rate modulation (ARO) mode.



With these new phase and pulse-width modulation features, the IVOR2 VSTi opens myriad new and exciting realms of microtonal and xenharmonic sound-design possibility.



Pricing and Availability:

Free



More information:











More From: XEN-ARTS

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.