manaCompiler
manaCompiler is a modular audio/music environment that aspires to establish a ground between traditional digital audio workstations and visual DSP programming languages in extremely accessible way, focusing only in fast and intuitive creative process.
Play and mix audio loops, build your own synthesizers or sample-based instruments, combine different sequencer types together like nobody has ever dared to imagine, with incredible ease. Render the output to WAV or route individual audio channels to external mixer or DAW and link multiple manaCompiler instances with network audio.
So far 50 different object types provide functionality to create and process multichannel audio and simulate analog control signals across audio/midi interfaces and TCP/IP network.Environment
- So far 50 object types from simple operators to complete sequencers.
- Objects can send three types of signal: Audio, Sync and Trigger.
- Any object can be connected to any other object.
- Connection types are auto-resolved between object types.
- Groups of objects can be saved to macros and loaded back between projects.
- No (software) limit on object amount.
- State machine for sequencing parameter/data scenes.
- Complete project saving and loading with all data and parameter states.
Interface
- OpenGL rendered 2.5D interface.
- Supporting resolutions up to 8K @ 60Hz.
- Rapid intuitive navigation and operation with or without keyboard shortcuts.
- (almost) VR ready.
- Internal manual with thoroughly explained pictures.
- Customizable color themes as text files.
Sound
- Engine sample rate from 22 KHz to 192 KHz
- Seamless object operation on runtime.
- Anti-aliased oscillators.
- Control signals at audio rate, with ultra precise effect.
- High quality stereo sample interpolation.
- Buffered online stereo hard disk recorder.
- Stereo audio auto-slicing, pitch-analysis and pitch shifting.
- OPUS-compressed real-time network audio.
Control
- Traditional polyphonic piano roll editor/sequencer.
- Microtonal support for all synthesis and sample playing.
- Traditional automation editor/sequencer.
- Arithmetic and logic objects to process control signals.
- Algorithmic and stockhastic sequencers.
- Physics simulation sequencer.
- Virtual keyboard and sheet note visualizer.
I/O
- Audio through DirectSound, WASAPI or ASIO in Windows 10.
- Native CoreAudio for macOS.
- Up to 32 individual input and output audio channels.
- Reads WAV, AIFF and MP3 audio files.
- MIDI in/out with support for multiple simultaneous devices.
- Writes 32-bit WAV files with online render.
- Reads and writes Scala (.SCL) tuning files.
- TCP/IP real-time network audio.
Steam User 13
Not bad at all, it takes a little time to get your head around the interface, but it's reasonably intuitive and things soon click into place, (literally). Eurorack or voltage modular it's not.., but it's certainly a great way to introduce someone to the joys of modular synthesis. I really appreciate the midi and I/O functionality, which alone, make this a serious tool, and I imagine that the VR implementation will enhance the overall experience when it's up and running.
I would love to see this as a VST, not sure if that's even possible but it would be a blast if it was.
The price is about right, - as someone who has spent far too much money on Cherry Audio and VCV Rack modules over the years, getting a full blown complement of modules to play with for £24 is a steal.
I've no problem in recommending this at it's current price, and will watch with interest to see what patches people create with it.
Steam User 10
Don't let the obscure UI stop you, for as soon as you figure out the working audio output, you enter the endlessly entertaining world of modular synthesis almost for free in comparison to those hardware machines. Here it's super easy to compile a decent full-spectrum receiver of UFO-saucers' requests for SOS landing on Earth, finally breaking out from illuminati matrix conspiracy.
Steam User 9
Pretty cool modular synth. Best used in full screen. And there is a help file in there by pressing F3. shift-delete doesn't appear to be working if you try to delete objects when not in fullscreen. Otherwise, it's fine.