Audio Damage Quanta 2, granular Synthesizer plugin gets a major feature update

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Audio Damage has released Quanta 2, a major update for its excellent granular Synthesizer plugin with new oscillator power, effects…

Granular Synthesis is a special kind of synthesis. It is used particularly often to generate drones, textures, etc. This creative technology is often built into large multi-engine synthesizers like UVI Falcon 2, Arturia Pigments 2, and more.

In Audio Damage’s Quanta plugin, things are different. Here you get instant granular fun in a very easy-to-use plugin for macOS, Windows, and Linux. The Audio Damage developers released Quanta 2 today, a major update with numerous new features and improvements. Lots of new stuff to discover but everything that made Quanta unique (operation, simplicity…) stays the way it was.

Audio Damage Quanta 2

Audio Damage Quanta 2

Like the first version, Quanta 2 remains an easy-to-use polyphonic granular Synthesizer plugin. However, version 2 has many new features. Let’s start with the most obvious of the GUI. Audio Damage has cleaned up the user interface and modernized it with new panels giving it more clarity. I really liked the interface of the first version because it was designed very intuitively. This goes in the same direction but is significantly fuller with controls.

On the oscillator side, Quanta 2 can still only granulate one sample. So no multi-sample or multiple layers. However, you now get two virtual analog oscillators instead of a single one in the original. You can use it in different ways: as a sub-bass generator, as sound sources for the granular engine, or even granularize a single oscillator and leave the other normal. This gives you nice flexibility in how you use three sound sources (sample + 2 VA OSCs).

Then, Q2 introduces several major improvements for the granular engine. You can benefit from a new root note detection and assignment functionality. When you drop a sample on Quanta 2, or load it via the import dialogue, Quanta 2 attempts to find the root note of the sample. Of course, you can also adjust the root note to taste after the import.

Also new is a grain pitch quantization with MTS-ESP support, with which you can optionally limit grain pitches to particular notes. Important: this quantizing is post-modulation, so you also any randomization or mod will be quantized. Quanta 2 also comes wth range effects, including a new chorus, stereo dual delay, and reverb.

Audio Damage Quanta 2

More Modulation

Audio Damage has also completely overhauled the modulation engine. The FEGs pick up amplitude and time scale knobs, and the FLFOs get amplitude control, switchable bipolar output, and a sync switch which causes FLFO 2 to reset whenever FLFO 1 restarts. There are also four handy macro knobs with MIDI CC  in the modulation panels for quick modulation action.

Further, Quanta 2 ships with a new modular system. Bye-bye matrix mod system, welcome the clever right-click content menu system as we know from Continua and Phosphor 3 synthesizers. In addition, the controls now have indicators to show modulation.

The developers have ensured that all your Quanta 1 presets are compatible with the new version 2. It also ships with all Quanta 1 presets and with brand-new from excellent sound designers. There are new packs from Red Means Recording and Red Sky Lullaby, and new sounds made in-house.

iOS?

Quanta is also available for iOS. However, there will be no Quanta 2 for iOS. According to Audio Damage, the engine is currently too complex to port it 1 to 1 to iOS. We will continue to support Quanta 1 for iOS, and Quanta 1 update will follow the Q2 release shortly.

A nice update for Audio Damage’s Quanta Synthesizer plugin. I really like the new features. Unfortunately, it is not a free update. Everyone should decide for themselves whether the new features are worth the update price.

Audio Damage Quanta 2 is available now for $129 USD. Existing Quanta 1 users get a coupon with which they get the Quanta 2 upgrade for $59 USD, either per mail or via your Plugin Boutique account. It runs as a 64-bit VST3, AU, and AAX plugin on macOS and Windows.  For Linux Ubuntu 18 or later, there is a VST3 version available.

More information here: Audio Damage 

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1 Comment

  1. Too complex for the platform or are the prices too low for the amount of whining App Store users do?

    One hopes the guys will change their minds about releasing the second version for pad users. It has been a great pleasure having their apps available in a sick-bed-friendly format. A steaming laptop just doesn’t cut it when you’re already beaten up and in need of sanity-saving productive distraction.

    Maybe they mean it would be a lot of work. Yes, potentially, arguably, but what else is there to do for a developer other than building and porting apps?

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