Sines: A New Polyphonic Waveshaping Synth From Cherry Audio
Cherry Audio have just announced the release of their latest software synthesiser, Sines. The architecture of Sines is based around four sine-wave oscillators and utilises complex waveshaping algorithms to shift these pure waves into “infinitely variable and complex shapes”. The four oscillators are matched with four LFOs, four envelope generators, and four fully modulatable effects sections, which all combine to create some really interesting sound design possibilities.
Although it may take you a while to get through all 700 presets, the synth is specifically designed to encourage experimentation in sound design, whether that be through subtractive, additive or FM synthesis.
Waveshaping is at the core of Sines, and to help with that it features six waveshaper controls (feedback, phase, width, shape, wavefold, and drive), to bend the pure waveforms into other standard waves (sawtooth, square, pulse, triangle) and more complex and novel shapes. Each of the waveshapers also has modulation source assignments available. There is a sub and super oscillator for each oscillator, a resonant multimode filter with 6, 12, 18 or 24 dB/oct lowpass, highpass, bandpass, and notch modes and polyphony for up to 16 voices.
The four tempo-syncable LFOs each feature 14 waveforms: sine, triangle, sawtooth, sawtooth, exponential sawtooth, logarithmic sawtooth, three-step sawtooth, four-step ramp, exponential ramp, logarithmic ramp, three-step ramp, and four-step square random, for almost endless modulation possibilities of nearly every synth parameter through the four-slot mod matrix.
There is a built-in DAW-syncable arpeggiator, and the four effects section offers multiple distortion and sample-crushing options, phaser, chorus, flanger, delay and five reverb effects, one of which uses the algorithm from their beautiful-sounding Galactic Reverb algorithmic reverb plugin.
There is native support for MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) — Pitch, Channel Pressure, and Timbre — making Sines capable of more organic and expressive performances when using MPE-compatible controllers.
Sines is available in AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and standalone formats and an introductory deal is currently available for 30% off from Plugin Boutique. MSRP is $59.
