Naada Erhu for GeoShred Studio

TWO STRINGS, A CAPTIVE BOW, AND A NASAL CRY THAT CUTS TO THE BONE

Expressive sound design, driven by how you play. The erhu's plaintive, voice-like tone comes to GeoShred Studio as a polyphonic physical model. Two strings, a bow trapped between them, and a python-skin resonator produce one of the most emotionally direct sounds in world music. Naada Erhu puts that expressive intensity under continuous pressure and gesture control on GeoShred's pitch surface.

Works with MPE controllers, wind and breath controllers, and GeoShred Control, a free iPhone and iPad companion app that delivers a multi-touch expressive surface for live performance.

Naada Erhu reproduces the erhu's distinctive push-pull bowing mechanic and nasal, weeping tone inside GeoShred Studio. On the multi-row continuous pitch surface, every gesture maps to the instrument's expressive behavior: pressure drives bow intensity, lateral movement controls vibrato and pitch bend, and the AccelMatrix Naada engine renders each voice as a real-time physical simulation. The instrument is polyphonic, so you can layer multiple erhu voices into ensemble textures, harmonize melodic lines, or sustain chords. GeoShred's built-in FX rack adds EchoMT, Reverb, and AmpCab to the output signal.

What's Inside Naada Erhu:

• GeoShred's continuous pitch surface with smooth glide, vibrato control, and pitch bend across the erhu's expressive range.
• Polyphonic performance: harmonize lines, sustain chords, or build multi-voice erhu ensemble textures.
• Erhu-specific model parameters for bow dynamics, vibrato character, and tonal resonance.
• Integrated FX rack including EchoMT, Reverb, and AmpCab in the signal chain.
• Compatible with MPE controllers, wind and breath controllers, and the GeoShred Control companion app.
• AccelMatrix Naada physical modeling engine driving the acoustic simulation in real time.

The Bow Between the Strings

What makes the erhu structurally unique among bowed instruments is that the bow hair passes between its two strings, not across the outside. The player pushes toward one string and pulls toward the other, never lifting the bow free. Combined with a small resonating chamber covered in python skin, this produces a nasal, intensely vocal timbre with a weeping quality that has made the erhu one of the most emotionally recognizable instruments in Chinese music. The model captures this confined resonance and the continuous vibrato produced by the player's rocking left hand.

GeoShred Studio and GeoShred Control

GeoShred Studio works as a VST3, AU, or AUv3 plugin within DAWs including Logic Pro, Cubase, and Reaper, and runs independently as a standalone application. The isomorphic playing surface is laid out in perfect fourths, with continuous pressure and gesture response built into every point on the grid. Pitch bends, vibrato, and dynamic shaping happen as natural extensions of how you touch the surface.

GeoShred Control turns an iPhone or iPad into a wireless-free multi-touch controller that connects to GeoShred Studio over USB. MPE hardware and wind or breath controllers plug in directly for additional expressive input.

GeoShred Studio Required. Running Naada Erhu requires GeoShred Studio ($50), a separate required purchase.

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