Softube launches Mutable Instruments Rings for Modular

A physical modeling phenomenon. After the great success of Mutable Instruments’ Clouds and Braids modules in our software Eurorack environment, Modular, we’re excited to announce the introduction of Rings, the multi-resonator that no physical synthesist should be without.

Three specialized resonator models

Rings uses tuned filters to physically model just about any resonant material imaginable, in three broad categories.

  • The ‘modal’ resonator emulates the resonant qualities of plates, strings, membranes, and tubes, which reinforce energy fed into them by organizing certain frequencies of sound around certain physical points (called modes) based on their size, shape, and structure.
  • The ‘sympathetic strings’ model offers the kinds of droning and over-toning sounds and textures offered by instruments such as the sitar. Virtual strings other than the one ‘plucked’ ring in sympathy with the main note.
  • The ‘modulated/inharmonic string’ model is an extension of Karplus-Strong synthesis, which uses a delay with very high feedback and very short period to synthesize a pitched wave like a string being struck, bowed, or plucked.

In addition to these fascinating and endlessly explorable
varieties, Rings offers the user timbral control of the resulting sound, as well as the ability to excite the resonator models in any way they choose in the first place, either with an internally generated noise burst or with external audio signals.

Even strummed chords are possible with Rings, due to a built-in polyphony mechanism which generates a new virtual string (up to 4 in total) for every trigger – even while the last note is still ringing.

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