Tone2 releases Icarus - 3D Wavetable Synthesizer

Tone2 has released Icarus for Windows and Mac OS X.

Icarus uses '3D wavetable synthesis'. '3D wavetable synth' extends wavetable synthesis, which is capable of cross-blending waveforms, with an additional dimension for morphing. Wavetables can be manipulated with 54 different morph modes in real-time. As a result Icarus can create sounds with lots of dynamic expression and movement.

The audio engine is designed to offer a wide sonic range and be versatile in an effort to reproduce important synthesizer sounds. It can do: classic synthesis methods, 3D wavetables, morphing, resynthesis, vocoder, 53 effects, 3x10 stereo oscillators, hypersaw, supersaw, unison, additive synthesis, dual stereo filters with 62 filter types...

Vocoder and speech synthesis:

Icarus is able to 'sing'. The included vocal patches are real speech synthesis. As a result these vocal chants are never out-of-tune. They are correctly time-stretched for the 'right groove' and synchronize to the song's BPM rate automatically. The built-in vocoder module allows the creation of custom phrases with a mouse-click.

Resynthesis:

The resynthesis function in Icarus allows it, to rebuild nearly any sound with a mouse-click. The new algorithm gives better results and is easier to use than traditional methods.

Interface:

A customizable interface allows the user to pick the favorite colors. With several instances of Icarus loaded at the same time, it's possible to show single instances with different color schemes. This helps to keep the orientation within complex projects with many tracks.

Wavetable editor:

The wavetable editor includes advanced tools to tweak and create wavetables, like an additive spectrum editor or the possibility to paint waveforms with the mouse.

Effects:

Icarus comes with a flexible, modular effects section. 53 different effects can be combined to build new effects. It's possible to store the new creations or to import them to other patches.

Modulation

Icarus allows to connect dozens of modulation sources to all important sound parameters. Almost any parameter can be modulated well into audio-rate speed.

Features & technical details:

• 3D wavetable synthesizer: Wavetables can be morphed in several dimensions.
• Powerful and flexible sound engine with true stereo architecture.
• High-end sound quality with low CPU requirement.
• Easy to use interface with direct visual feedback.
• Huge sonic range.
• Many exclusive sounds, which are not possible with other synthesizers.
• Suitable for modern, as well as all other music styles.
• Over 1000 sounds by professional designers.
• Patch browser and flexible preset management.
• New resynthesis method, which is easy to use and gives good results.
• Modular effect section with 53 effects.
• High quality vocoder with 1024 bands.
• 3 oscillator blocks, each offering up to 10 stereo oscillators, which can play hypersaws, unison, stacks or chords.
• Wavetables can be morphed with 54 different modes (FM, PWM, formant, phase distort, sync, ...).
• All morph modes can be combined with any kind of wavetable or hypersaw.
• Wavetable editor with many features.
• A wavetable generator can create completely new wavetables.
• Waveforms can be painted using the mouse.
• Additive spectrum editor.
• Import and export of wavetables/waveforms from other synthesizers.
• Dual multi-mode filter section with 62 filter types and 8 distortion types.
• Arpeggiator with advanced features like chords, glides, swing & shuffle.
• Fast and punchy envelopes.
• LFOs with audio-rate modulation speed and BPM sync.
• Flexible mod matrix.
• Midi learn support.
• Dynamic microtuning to enhance chords.
• Customizable user interface with 40 colors schemes.
• Expandability.

Price: €149 / $199.

Supported platforms: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher, Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10
Supported plugin formats: 32-bit VSTi, 64-bit VSTi, 32-bit AU, 64-bit AU, Standalone PC.