Morphwiz 2 by One Red Dog Media takes Jordan Rudess’s initial Morphwiz app from 2015 to a new level with new synthesis power, and more.
You can make music on tablets and smartphones for over ten years. The iOS platform is specially designed for this, as it is based on the same low-latency Core Audio driver as the macOS system. Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) was there early on with his Wizdom music apps, which have been with me all my music-making life on iOS.
The most well-known apps from his early portfolio are the Morphwiz and SampleWiz apps, which Jordan uses live on stage. In 2021, the French company BLEAS teamed up with Jordan Rudess to relaunch SampleWiz as a new, more powerful version 2 app. Today, Morphwiz is getting a successor: Morphwiz 2.
Morphwiz 2
Jordan Rudess brought the developers of One Red Dog Media on board for the Morphiz 2 release. Version 2 is a big step forward, allowing for more profound synthesis, sound design, and playability.
Like the original app from 2015, Morphwiz 2 is a morphing Synthesizer that you can play with your fingers by swiping horizontally and vertically. According to the developers, it has all the features you knew and loved from the first version. However, it also has significant new features, making the app much more versatile.
The core consists of four sample slots, each with a dedicated volume control. You can choose from a range of factory sounds or load your own. MW2 includes a built-in recorder for capturing your sampling on the go, giving you unlimited sound sources.
The highlight of this 4-slot sample engine is the synthesis touch. It uses a spectral morphing synthesis engine that can seamlessly morph between four samples. Users can control the morphing using the X and Y axes of the interface, which allows for very expressive sound blending fun.
Shaping & Filtering
Then, you can shape your Morphwiz 2 sounds with various filters and built-in effects, including chorus, distortion, delay, and various reverbs.
Version 2 also hosts versatile and flexible modulation options such as four multi-wave LFOs, four envelopes, a randomizer, velocity sensitivity, aftertouch, and additional features. Additionally, it has a fully customizable arpeggiator that offers various modes, patterns, and styles.
Yes, your purchase also includes an AUv3 version, with which you can easily integrate Morphwiz 2 into any setup and use it not just once but in multiple instances. Also lovely is the included included macOS version (native Apple Silicon).
Further, it supports MPE with a multi-touch expressive playing surface, iCloud sync for preset sharing, and more.
First Impression
Unfortunately, there is no official demo of the new Morphwiz 2 app yet. But I am thrilled that the app has a successor with deeper, modern synthesis options. I have been a big fan of Morphwiz 1 since minute 1 it was launched in 2015, and am very excited to see what version 2 can do
Morphwiz 2 is available now for $19,99/22,99€ on the Apple AppStore. It runs as a standalone app and AUv3 plugin on iPads and macOS (native Apple Silicon only).
More information here: One Red Dog Media / AppStore
that guy still around?