Aaron Anderson has released Terrain, a new free, open-source Synthesizer plugin that explores exotic wave terrain synthesis.
We know subtractive, wavetable, FM, additive, and physical modeling synthesis. However, there are still new, less well-known types of synthesis. Have you ever heard of Wave Terrain Synthesis?
It became more prominent in the very last Mutable Instruments Plaits firmware update, which also included the DX-7 engine. With the Terrain Synthesizer plugin by Aaron Anderson, you can now explore this synthesis on your desktop for free.
Aaron Anderson Terrain
Terrain is a free, open-source Synthesizer plugin for macOS, Linux, and Windows. The plugin uses the unusual wave terrain synthesis, but what is it?
In wave terrain synthesis, a sound is produced via a 2D trajectory scanning over a 3D surface or terrain. The developer goes deeper:
In Terrain, both the trajectory and terrain parameters may me modified at audio rate. To achieve this level of modification, both the trajectory and terrain are calculated per sample. This comes at the cost of computation time; Terrain is a computationally expensive synthesizer.
In a simple case, an elliptical orbit scans a sinusoidal terrain. Introducing higher frequency sinusoids into the terrain introduces more harmonics into the resulting signal. The same goal may be accomplished by increasing the size of the trajectory.
If I adjust the modifier parameter on the trajectory, the ellipse will become narrow. In this narrow state, changes in phase and the balance of harmonics may be heard as the trajectory is rotated. This becomes more obvious on more complex terrains.
Translation of the trajectory also has a substantial impact on the resulting signal. The peaks and troughs traversed by the trajectory determine the output; translation adjust which peaks and troughs are traversed, and when this traversal happens relative to the trajectory’s phase.
A trajectory that remains in the same location, and is otherwise unmodified, will create a static timbre. However, moving this otherwise static trajectory will create time-varying timbre. To this affect, I’ve added a modifier I’ve named Meanderance. This allows trajectories to displace about the terrain on their own accord. Both the speed and the scale of this meanderance can be controlled and automated.
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Terrain Synthesizer ships with various trajectory and terrain files, allowing you to explore the synthesis in detail. Each element also has a wide range of features that allow you to tweak it in detail.
An exciting novel feature is the recursive trajectory feedback loop inspired by audio feedback loops. Here, the trajectory position feeds back onto itself over a determined amount of time. This effect will drastically modify the shape of a given trajectory.
To remedy feedback explosions, Aaron Anderson has developed a new spatial compressor for Terrain that keeps the signal within the bounds of a determined radius.
Then, you also have a classic and less exotic section featuring an ADSR envelope generator, an up to 16x oversampling option, a filter, a spatial compressor, and an output level.
The current version does not include LFOs, effects, an arpeggiator, or a sequencer. It also lacks presets, so nothing for preset players. Here, you have to play with the parameters to explore the instrument.
Aaron Anderson has made Terrain Synthesizer open-source, which means the plugin may continue to grow in features in the future.
First Impression
Out of curiosity, I downloaded it immediately and found that you won’t get far with classical synthesis knowledge. You have to work your way into this new type of synthesis by experimenting with the parameters. It reminds me of west-coast synths with wave folding as the sounds are colder and more aggressive.
The animations have a bit of Animoog vibe. At first look, it is an interesting new free synth with a novel concept. Great for experimenting with new, unusual timbres.
Aaron Anderson Terrain is available now on GitHub. The compiled installers are in the linked demo video. It runs as a VST3 and AU plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel), Linux, and Windows.
More information here: GitHub
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