List(!!!!) of synths with per-voice (polyphonic) distortion

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Hey guys,
I know people love lists around here, but this one might be important to me. All themes I found are kind of old

I'm not aware of many plugins which can do that, but I'm sure I'm missing some info, so please add ones you know.

Per my recent understanding, the polyphonic area ends after the filter section, so usually polyphonic inserts are placed somewhere next to it

upd:
  • u-he Repro-5 has great sounding PD/waveshaper effect; u-he Zebra 2 - in XMF filters
  • Dune 3 has insert effect next to the filter section; The Legend has filter drive and VCA drive (mild distortion)
  • Spire has "shaper" filter (with foldback or saturate, somewhat close to distortion)
  • Tone2 Icarus 2 has "Drive" knob at filter section and allows to choose distortion type;
    Tone2 Gladiator
  • Massive & Massive X & Absynth
  • Falcon
  • Rapid
  • Phaseplant
  • Viper - in filter section
  • Discovery & Discovery Pro
  • P900
  • RP Predator 2
  • Surge - with waveshaper
  • Serum - some warp modes add overtones
  • VPS Avenger - distortion in filter bus is poly
  • MSoundFactory - multiple per-voice FX, including distortion
  • Retrologue - distortion in filter section
  • Omnisphere can combine multiple parts with their separate FX chains

please share, care, update and correct!
Last edited by Dencheg on Tue Jan 23, 2024 7:36 am, edited 13 times in total.
Weapons of choice (subject to change):
Godin Redline, Kuassa, Fuse Audio, Audiority, Roland A-500pro, Dune, Dagger, TAL, Reaper for Rock & Synthwave pleasures; Viper and FL Studio for guilty EDM pleasures

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Massive and Massive X.

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Falcon, distortion and waveshaping can be applied per note on keygroup level. Phaseplant is another synth which can do this.

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Tip:
If you use MPE, you can have distortion per voice (and other effects per voice) on any instrument that uses copies of the instrument. For example Omnisphere has an easy function to copy the first part across to the other 7. All effects on the part will then be per voice if they are on separate midi channels and you use an MPE controller (or can draw in an MPE sequencer).

It's huge, but not often talked about, benefit of an MPE set up.

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Yeah Rapid has tube distortion as an oscillator effect. Also pretty sure MSoundFactory can do that.

Phase Plant has different types of distortion (stackable) in the generator section, but also you can activate per-voice polyphony of one or all effects sections.

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Echoes in the Attic wrote: Sat Sep 26, 2020 7:10 pm Tip:
If you use MPE, you can have distortion per voice (and other effects per voice) on any instrument that uses copies of the instrument. For example Omnisphere has an easy function to copy the first part across to the other 7. All effects on the part will then be per voice if they are on separate midi channels and you use an MPE controller (or can draw in an MPE sequencer).

It's huge, but not often talked about, benefit of an MPE set up.
That's pretty cool. Though I don't have an MPE controller (and don't plan yet on getting one).
Will it work with a good old MIDI keyboard?
Weapons of choice (subject to change):
Godin Redline, Kuassa, Fuse Audio, Audiority, Roland A-500pro, Dune, Dagger, TAL, Reaper for Rock & Synthwave pleasures; Viper and FL Studio for guilty EDM pleasures

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Dencheg wrote: Sat Sep 26, 2020 7:33 pm
Echoes in the Attic wrote: Sat Sep 26, 2020 7:10 pm Tip:
If you use MPE, you can have distortion per voice (and other effects per voice) on any instrument that uses copies of the instrument. For example Omnisphere has an easy function to copy the first part across to the other 7. All effects on the part will then be per voice if they are on separate midi channels and you use an MPE controller (or can draw in an MPE sequencer).

It's huge, but not often talked about, benefit of an MPE set up.
That's pretty cool. Though I don't have an MPE controller (and don't plan yet on getting one).
Will it work with a good old MIDI keyboard?
No, because a normal keyboard will only play on one channel, so you’ll play only that instance on that channel, so all voices will go through the effects of that instance. You could however theoretical play on one channel and then change the channel of the notes in a daw that lets you do that. Seems like it would be an annoying workflow though.

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Dencheg wrote: Sat Sep 26, 2020 7:33 pm That's pretty cool. Though I don't have an MPE controller (and don't plan yet on getting one).
Well if you're so keen on per-voice distortion/saturation or modulation in general, you should really consider buying an MPE controller :)

Other synths could be
- Cherry Voltage Modular
- Newfangled Generate (drive + waveshaping stuff)
- Madrona Aalto (waveshaping stuff)
- Plasmonic (future release)

MSoundFactory was already mentioned by gondii, you should add it to the list :party:
Last edited by Niowiad on Sat Sep 26, 2020 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Zebra
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What's the point of polyphonic distortion? When you play more than one note at a time anyway, can you tell which note is the distorted one? 8)

With LFO's polyphony makes sense, one can hear the different waves.

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Multiple reasons
When distortion is applied as a stereo effect(output buss) this means that your amp. envelope is shaped by the distortion , this is not the case with per voice distortion as this moslty happens before the amp envelope
It also makes sense if you know what you're doing and ofcourse it all depends if the dist/overdrive module has per voice parameters ( like in reaktor )
Tranzistow for example can do waveshaping per voice ( user drawable vurves ) .
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Soul calibrating ..frequencies

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Does it prevent the ugly mess distortion tends to cause when playing chords?

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You and your chords , is that the best you can come up with ?
If you layer out your voices acros the keyboard to make a drumkit ( like in falcon ) , then per voice comes in handyy .
Like I said , you have to know what your doing :tu:
Eyeball exchanging
Soul calibrating ..frequencies

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e-crooner wrote: Sat Sep 26, 2020 10:20 pm What's the point of polyphonic distortion? When you play more than one note at a time anyway, can you tell which note is the distorted one? 8)
Yes :?

Having multiple signals (like chord voices) summed and then distorted is completely different than having them individually distorted then summed.

With an MPE controller you can have a chord (like 1-3-5-7) and with per-voice saturation/distortion on "aftertouch" you can definitely tell which voice is getting more or less saturation, which is added harmonic content tied to the fundamental of each voice.

Same way with multiple guitar tracking, you (usually) don't sum them before going into the amp/distortion, but you distort them individually, then sum them together in the mixing stage.

More on the subject
https://www.tokyodawn.net/meaning-of-sy ... roduction/

e-crooner wrote: Sat Sep 26, 2020 10:38 pm Does it prevent the ugly mess distortion tends to cause when playing chords?
Well, with too much distortion you could mess up literally anything, but surely it's a completely different effect, and it sounds a lot less messy.
Assuming "less messy" is what's needed on the moment, which isn't necessarily the case.
Like distortion on an electric piano/organ, you wouldn't want it to be "per-voice" if you're after the iconic sound.
Last edited by Niowiad on Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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I remember Waves Element has polyphonic distortion and it has a pre/post filter switch.

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