Featuring five distinct sound sources, an effect suite and a cloud-connected content platform, Minimal Audio Current caused quite a stir when it was announced. The rent-to-own virtual instrument is available for $15/month or $120/year.
Rhythmic grain layering and an additive sub oscillator provide the foundation, while a granular engine offers a variety of synthesis methods. A modulation section allows for up to nine effects to be loaded, arranged and saved as rack presets.
Spectral Oscillator
The company that makes some of the most unusual effects on the market is now stepping into synth territory with Current, a virtual instrument with multiple synthesis engines and a built-in cloud preset system. The plugin also includes a sub-oscillator, granular module and a sampler with advanced time-stretching algorithms for reshaping samples.
The Spectral Oscillator is a dual-spectral oscillator which performs real-time spectral analysis and resynthesis of the input signal, with control over the frequency of harmonics to focus or sweep. The window setting controls how fast the analysis process runs, and the output filter settings determine the type of spectra synthesis.
A number of modes give the oscillator a wide variety of shapes, from analogue to bowed strings and bass. The Filter tab has over 50 different filter types, including morphing, and the FM/AM section offers a full selection of modulation processes.
Sub-Oscillator
Current is a full-featured synth with a ton of features that you’ll likely find in other popular vst synths, but it also has a few unique elements. For example, it has a sub-oscillator that produces a square wave one octave below OSC 1.
Adding to this is an advanced multidrive circuit that’s sure to give your sounds some added aggression and distortion. Finally, the sampler offers an innovative time-stretching algorithm and rhythmic grain layering that’s aimed at making this a useful tool for creating drum and bass.
It’s also semi-modular with three Performer sequencers, nine primary modulators and four trackers that can map MIDI controls. Plus, it has a Voice Randomization unit that randomly changes the value of certain parameters to create more natural sounding patches.
Granular Engine
Current is a versatile virtual instrument and effects suite that forms part of Minimal Audio’s Stream cloud-connected content platform. It features granular sampling, spectral wavetable synthesis and an extensive collection of built-in effects, including Rift distortion, Cluster Delay, Morph EQ, Fuse Compressor and Flex Chorus.
The granular engine can completely reshape an audio sample into new sounds by determining the number, position and size of grains; they can also be arranged rhythmically, played backwards or reversed, looped and pitched up or down. The speed of playback can be controlled as well, from slow and droning to pumping and dynamic – perfect for ambient music and sound design.
The built-in effects can be loaded up to nine at a time and arranged however you like, while up to eight modulators are provided to control them via envelopes, LFOs and macros. The MIDI section includes an arpeggiator and chord generator to create melodic patterns and progressions.
Sampler
Most vst synthesizers offer filters, effects units and modulation via low frequency oscillation. Often they are polyphonic and can play more than one sound at a time.
Sampler forms part of Minimal Audio’s Stream ecosystem and integrates the company’s cloud-based collection of samples, loops, wavetables and presets. The Stream service is updated regularly, offering a wide selection of additional content without users ever having to leave the instrument.
A full suite of Minimal Audio effects are also included, including Flex Chorus, Rift Distortion, Cluster Delay and Fuse Multiband Compressor. Up to nine of these can be loaded at once and arranged in any order, with their parameters controlled via a comprehensive modulation system that includes envelopes, LFOs and macros. They are joined by MIDI effects, such as an arpeggiator and chord generator.
Effects
Minimal Audio is known for some of the more unique effects plugins on the market, and they have brought all that knowledge to their first synth with a huge feature set. From a subtractive hybrid engine to a granular engine, and with a host of effects including morphing state variable filters, this is one of the most powerful wavetable synths on the market.
The modulation system is equally impressive with LFO’s, envelopes, macros and a chord generator. All of this is combined with a massive sonic palette and a great collection of built-in effects.
The effect rack has nine slots that can be arranged and saved as presets. It includes Rift Distortion, Morph EQ and Cluster Delay with more to come. It also integrates with the stream cloud-connected content browser, which can be directly accessed within the instrument.
