TOMiC Drum Synth

TOMiC Drum Synth

Free, open-architecture drum synthesizer plugin built entirely in Rust. Precision DSP meets intuitive step sequencing.

Full Description

TOMiC is a professional-grade drum synthesizer plugin designed for producers who demand both sonic depth and programming flexibility. Built from the ground up in Rust for maximum real-time safety, it delivers eight fully independent synthesis engines — each capable of sculpting any percussive sound from tight kicks to evolving metallic textures — all within a clean, scalable interface.

Every channel combines an oscillator layer with a dedicated noise generator, running through a choice of twelve analogue-modelled filters and a comprehensive FX chain. The result is a synth that can convincingly cover kick, snare, hi-hat, clap, tom, and percussion duties in a single instance, while still leaving room for experimental sound design.

Synthesis Engine

• Oscillator: band-limited waveforms with poly-BLEP anti-aliasing, pitch envelope with concave/linear/convex shaping, hard sync, FM, cluster/detune, and PWM.
• Noise generator: White, Pink, Brown, Velvet, and Metallic modes; Metallic uses a feedback delay network for realistic cymbal and bell tones.
• Sample layer: per-channel sample playback with slice support, independent from synthesis layers.
• 12 analogue-modelled filter models: Clean SVF, Moog Ladder, 303 Diode, Korg35, OB-Xd, Comb, Vintage, Cutoff Warp, Resonance Warp, Formant, Sample & Hold.
• Two synthesis layers (A/B) with Morph crossfade and independent parameter sets.

Effects

• Reverb: custom 8-line Feedback Delay Network (FDN) with Hadamard mixing matrix, per-line stereo modulation, frequency-dependent damping — fully self-contained, no convolution required.
• Delay: 4-point Hermite interpolation, one-pole LP in feedback path, DC blocker, no pitch zippering.
• Distortion: 8 algorithms (ArcTan, Tape, Tube, Fuzz, Rectify, Half Rectify, Diode, Foldback) with 2× oversampling via polyphase IIR anti-aliasing.
• Bit Crusher: TPDF dither with dual Xorshift PRNG for true-colour quantisation noise; zero-order-hold sample rate reduction.
• Chorus, Phaser, Parametric EQ, Stereo Widener
• Master Compressor: full ADSR control with makeup gain.
• Master Limiter: configurable ceiling.

Modulation & Control

• 2× LFO per channel — syncable to host tempo, routable to 140+ destinations including filter cutoff, pitch, pan, reverb send, and per-step parameters.
• 2× Mod Envelope per channel — one-shot ADSR for transient shaping of any parameter.
• Per-step parameter automation lanes: pitch, volume, pan, probability, gate, micro-offset, ratchet, morph, mutation, and more.
• Song-level automation: tempo, swing, and per-pattern parameter snapshots.

Step Sequencer

• 13 patterns (A–L + Fill), up to 64 steps per channel, independent step length per channel.
• Per-step controls: trigger, accent, probability (0–100%), reverse, ratchet (1–4×), gate length, pitch offset, micro-offset (±100 ms nudge), slice index, morph.
• Trigger conditions: Ratio (x:y), Not Ratio, First, Not First — Elektron-style conditional trigs.
• 6 Groove templates: Laid Back, Push, Shuffle, Bossa Nova, Funk Heavy, Human.
• Euclidean pattern generator with rotation.
• Auto-randomise per lane with configurable density, range, and interval.
• Song mode: full song arrangement with pattern chain, per-pattern channel automation.
• Clip launch: per-channel independent start/stop queuing for live performance.

Workflow

• Undo/Redo — 20-step history for all sequencer edits (Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y).
• Editable channel names — rename via double-click or context menu, saved with project.
• Copy/Paste: full pattern, step range, channel preset.
• MIDI CC Learn with per-parameter mapping and override values.
• MIDI Export: full song chain or individual channel patterns as standard MIDI files.
• Audio Export: WAV (16/24/32-bit float), AIFF, at 44.1/48/96 kHz.
• MicroTonic preset import — load .mtpreset and .mtdrum files directly.
• UI Scaling: 80% / 100% / 125% / 150%.

Technical Specifications

Architecture

• Zero dynamic allocation in the audio thread — lock-free triple-buffer design.
• Hardware-level denormal protection (FTZ/DAZ via MXCSR).
• All DSP components fully sample-rate aware.
• Developed entirely in Rust for memory safety and real-time guarantees.

Formats & Platforms

• Plugin formats: VST3, CLAP, Standalone.
• Platforms: Windows, Linux (macOS in development).
• Sample rates: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz (all supported dynamically).

System Requirements

• Multi-threaded CPU (audio thread is lock-free, MIDI/file I/O on background threads).
• ~256 MB RAM typical.
• Modern DAW with VST3 or CLAP support (OMNi DAW, Reaper, Ableton Live 12+, Bitwig Studio, etc.).

About

TOMiC is free and open to the community, developed with care by Tomasz Głuc (OMNi DAW).

Links:

• TOMiC - https://omnidaw.com/tomic
• Support (Suppi): https://suppi.pl/omni