Numercial Audio ShockWave, initially released for iOS, is a semi-modular phase distortion Synthesizer that is now also available for macOS.
In 2019, Kai Aras of Numerical Audio released Shockwave for iOS AUv3. It’s a great-sounding phase distortion Synthesizer with a semi-modular signal flow and MPE support.
Six years after its release, a version for macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel) is now available. As with the Volt synth for macOS, this version is not included in your previous iOS purchase.
Numerical Audio Shockwave
Shockwave is a new Synthesizer plugin for macOS that is built around the concept of phase distortion synthesis.
It features two independent oscillators packed with plenty of shaping capabilities. You can choose between five waveforms and noise and mangle its character with the brightness control. In a dedicated mixer, you can also set the volume and panning of each oscillator.
The sound of Numerical Audio Shockwave becomes particularly rich in frequencies and sound when both oscillators meet. You can cross-modulate them in various DX-style ways using three parameters. You can set the modulation type, including FM, FMx, PM, AM, and RM.
I’ve been using Shockwave since its official release on iOS. I particularly enjoy the modulation engine, which consists of two LFOs and two envelopes with raise and fall characteristics. What’s exciting is that you can trigger them in various ways, including trigger dividers, logic, or change modules.
They can be used individually or in combination to create very complex, evolving modulations. Even after so many years, the mod engine is still one of the best and most sophisticated on iOS, and now you can explore it also on macOS.
More Creative Options & MPE
Shockwave also features a pair of 8-step sequencers and a sample & hold module packed with creative utilities like chance, probability, logic comparisons, and more.
The entire synth and modulation engine is semi-modular, and parameters can be easily mapped via a pop-up matrix. You can modulate almost any control with up to 11 sources simultaneously.
A special X-Ray mode adds a real-time display of all currently active modulations right at their corresponding control, making it easy to understand what’s happening inside the synthesizer at any given time.
Further, built-in delay and effects refine your sound at the end of the signal chain. They are fully tweakable and can be placed on bus channels with dedicated send levels available as mod destinations.
One disadvantage of the synth since the iOS version is that it is monophonic. This is also the case with the macOS version. However, it offers MPE support, allowing you to manipulate multiple parameters with one key.
To get it started, it comes with 150 factory presets.
First Impression
It’s great that we can now trigger the Shockwave on macOS. Even after six years, the synth remains very versatile and fun. I like the sound it produces. It’s a shame that it’s still monophonic after all these years.
Numerical Audio ShockWave is now available for an introductory price of $14,99/16,99€ instead of $29,99. It runs as a standalone app and AUv3 plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel). A free trial version is also available. The iOS version is on the AppStore for 9,99€.
More information here: Numerical Audio
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