Xhun Audio ResonHeart is a new synthesizer plugin that uses physical modeling to recreate acoustic instruments and turn them into unique sounds
Xhun Audio, known for the LittleOne plugin, has a new synthesizer plugin on the grid, but one that is very special. ResonHeart is a new physical modeling based Synthesizer described as an aerophone-based acoustic instrument.
The strength of this plugin is not to creating powerful analog-inspired sounds but more to recreate the tones and flavors of acoustic instruments. The results range from more familiar acoustic instruments to very experimental sounds that are not possible with a normal synthesizer.
Overview
Characterized by a complex modal-based architecture, this original machine has expressly been built to mimic the sound of different families of acoustic instruments – like winds, membranes, chromatic percussions, ethnic lutes and whistles, glasses, cymbals and crashes, vocal ensembles and choirs, or even an entire orchestral strings section – as well as to produce very unconventional, organic tones, evolving textures and expressive motion pads.
Working on the principles of fluid dynamics and designed to potentially be a real-world replicable machine, every single component inside ResonHeart has been modeled after existing hardware – commercially available devices like air pumps, pneumatic valves, and metal resonators. Also, the surrounding room acoustics has been carefully modeled, simulating a wide range of spatial environments, from small chambers to big concert halls, to stone-walled cathedrals and beyond.
Moreover, ResonHeart features a clean and intuitive interface, making the sound designing process just simple and effective.
Features
- Physical modeling simulation of a complex acoustic sound generator machine, achieved by the adoption of the Advanced Component Simulation (ACS) approach.
- Full 64-bit processing accuracy for every single aspect of the simulation.
- A 100% original aerophone-based mechanical acoustic instrument, featuring an articulated modal architecture and capable of mimicking other acoustic instruments’ tones and flavours.
- Entirely made of mechanical components (resonators, motors, valves) which have been modeled after existing, commercially available parts
- Air pump motors with dedicated automations and retrig control.
- Venturi valves.
- Swing motors and valves (from 0.1 Hz up to 20 Hz).
- Pneumatic solenoid valves (with a 3-ms aperture, 2-ms disclosure timing).
- Air turbulence dispersion control.
- A complex resonator block (one per voice) made of sixteen universal Helmholtz resonators, each with independent tuning (internal volume) and pressure (embouchure) controls
- A dedicated modulation for resonators’ tuning, featuring Swing, Contour, Velocity and Pitch Follower controls.
- A dedicated modulation for resonators’ pressure, featuring Swing, Contour, Velocity and Pitch Follower controls.
- Operates as a monophonic or polyphonic (4-voices) instrument.
- True polyphony, achieved by simulating separate, fully-independent mechanical sound generators.
- Separate controls for global tuning, voices detune (spread), pitch bending (amount) and portamento.
- An accurate room / hall simulation (resonator-based).
- A spatial displacement engine, arranging the instrument’s four voices/blocks inside the room space.
- Including a 130+ ready-to-use factory presets collection, covering different styles and genres, including deep and solid basses, real-world cymbals and crashes, membranes and percussions, woodwinds, plucked strings, ethnic bells and whistles, organic motion pads, symphonic strings and choirs sections, evolving soundscapes, psychoacoustic sound effects and more.
- MIDI automation.
- Support for sample rates from 44.1 kHz up to 192 kHz.
- Available in multi-size GUI resolutions.
Xhun Audio ResonHeart is available now for VST/VST3/AU for the introduction price of 39,90€ (regular 69€). The plugin is also included in the XA Instruments Bundle (LittleOne Synthesizer & IronAxe electric guitar) priced at 129,90€ (regular 169€).
More information here: Xhun Audio
This is an infectious instrument. I would highly recommend the Woodcraft Kit expansion if you plan to explore sound design with this vst. It is tiresome to adjust all parameters individually in Resonheart, and the Woodcraft expansion is full of shortcut patches for building your own patches.