Electric Atlas Instruments has released Phantom Sun, a semi-modular synthesizer for iPadOS built around West Coast synthesis techniques. It runs standalone or as an AUv3 plug-in and is on the App Store now at an introductory $9.99, going to $12.99 afterwards. The company says there are no subscriptions or in-app purchases.
Modules and patching
The instrument holds 18 modules. Two main oscillators blend a sine wave with saw, square and folded sine shapes and run in fixed or free modes, feeding two lopass gates that handle level, filtering and stereo position. Modulation comes from two rise/fall slope generators, dual LFOs with high-frequency modes, two fluctuating random generators, a pulse generator, two logic functions and sample and hold.
Two five-step sequencers can be linked into a single ten-step pattern, and a row of touch plate keys sends pitch, gate and pressure control voltages. Overdrive, an echo with feedback and a spring reverb sit at the output.
In place of virtual cables, Phantom Sun uses a patch bay of 42 sources and 44 destinations. Each destination accepts up to four sources at once, each with its own bipolar amount. The synth also takes external MIDI and follows host tempo when run as a plug-in.
Electric Atlas says Phantom Sun is “designed for generative patches, experimental sound design, and expressive performance”. The developer, Neil Burnby, works from Winnipeg, Manitoba.