Audio Damage Continua, VA Synthesizer Plugin With A Clever Interface

Audio Damage Continua is a new versatile three oscillator virtual analog power horse synth with many functions that are packaged in a clever interface.

It’s not a secret: there are countless Synthesizer plugins on the market, most of them offer virtual analog synthesis. Audio Damage’s newest Synthesizer plugin & iOS app Continua is another synth that emulates analog sounds. Yeah, not exciting at the first glance, but AD has put so much effort into the interface that is interesting again.

It starts with three oscillators with continuously variable waveforms with warp, shape and skews controls. Although it is not a wavetable synth, these three functions enable a large number of special waveforms that go beyond very classic analog synthesis. All three oscillators go than in a dual morphing filter with different filter types. This connection is very versatile because it offers a flexible OSC/filter routing system. You can determine with oscillator goes into which filter with just one click. On top, you can route a noise generator with an additional color function into one of the filters.

Tons Of Modulators Plus A Sophisticated Mod System

Continua contains plenty of polyohonic modulators: 2x ADSR envelopes, 2x flexible envelope generators with up to 99 steps and 4 flexible LFOs with advanced shaping controls. That’s not all. Also onboard is a sample and hold generator and support MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression). This is a massive amount of modulators embedded in a very clever and simple modulation system.

For this, you do not need to read any manual or to have a doctor in synthesis. Just right-click to any knob to bring up the hidden modulation assign panel. Every knob can be modulated here what is super powerful. This shows how simple this synthesizer is designed. Although virtual analog is stale in the plugin world, Continua shows where plugins must go in the future. Less cryptic design but with the focus on simple control and quick results.

Everything About Performance & Effects

On the second page of the interface, you can find features that are essential to refine your sounds. Here are three new custom-designed effects including a chorus, delay, and reverb. No recycling of old effect algorithms. Also here, you can work with up to 8 macro-controls and 2 XY pads. You assign any knob you want to these controls.

As many know and what you could see in the last releases, the developers of Audio Damage love MPE. During the development of Continua, care was also taken to ensure that the instrument can be played perfectly with MPE controllers. It uses a per-instance customization method where you can set the MPE mode, aftertouch smoothing, pitch bend range override, tuning table, and global tuning offset for each instance. And of course, Continua is available for PC, Mac but also as an AUv3 Synthesizer for iOS.

Features At A Glance

Three Flexible Oscillators: Continuously variable morphing waveform, with warp, shape, and skew controls.
Dual Morphing Filters: Filters can be used in serial or parallel modes, and morph from lowpass through bandpass and highpass to notch in 2-pole and 4-pole configurations.
Noise Source: Noise source features a “color” control that affects tonal characteristics of the noise.
ADSR x 2: it has two ADSR-style envelope generators, with curve on attack, decay, and release.
Flexible Envelope Generator (FEG) x 2: The two FEGs are arbitrary function generators, with up to 99 steps, curve and step level control, arbitrary loop points, and host tempo sync.
Flexible Low-Frequency Oscillator (FLFO) x 4: The four FLFOs utilize four controls (phase, shape, skew, and warp) to access a virtually limitless palette of waveforms, and feature host tempo sync and retrigger.
Sample And Hold: The S&H mod source can sample noise (random) or any of the other mod sources, at either a user-defined rate or a musical division, and includes built-in smoothing and distance limit (for a “walk” effect).
Modulation: Every knob in Continua is a mod destination, with a very fast and simple assignment matrix access with a right-click on the knob (double-tap on iOS).
Tuning Tables And Global Tuning Offset: Re-tune Continua to new intonations and temperaments using the open-source and easy-to-use TUN file format. A global tuning offset (default to A=440) allows you to easily retune the entire synth to match a different A frequency without using a tuning table.
MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) : Continua understands both “legacy” MIDI and MPE. Use your Linnstrument, Roli Seaboard, Haken Continuum, Madrona Labs Soundplane, or Sensel Morph (among others) to directly access per-note pressure, pitch bend, and modulation.
Per-Instance Settings: Continua utilizes a per-instance customization method: set MPE mode, aftertouch smoothing, pitch bend range override, tuning table, and global tuning offset for each instance in your DAW, with an option to save any state as your global starting point.
Factory Presets: Continua comes with a substantial collection of factory content, including Designer Presets from Red Means Recording, Glitch Machines, and Sonalsystem.
Cross-Platform Preset Format: Continua utilizes an XML-based preset manager. Work between multiple systems without troubles, make a preset on your desktop machine and paste it to the iOS version with Handoff, easily share your creations with your friends, or make a preset bundle to sell.
Fully Resizable Hi-Dpi/Retina GUI: Continua’s vector-based GUI is resolution-agnostic, and displays the same on every system and resolution. Easily resize the UI (per instance) to match your visual needs, from postage stamp to poster-sized.