Cem Olcay Nikaya is a new two-oscillator wavetable and 2-OP FM Synthesizer with advanced sound design features for iOS and macOS.
There’s a bit more activity in the iOS market these days. Following the new VAPolyMT from RTMS, there’s another new Synthesizer for iOS. This one comes from developer Cem Olcay, who is known to iOS users for his handy and inspiring MIDI plugin apps.
Cem Olcay has released Nikaya, a new AUv3 Synthesizer for iOS and macOS that combines wavetable with FM synthesis. As a beta tester, I was able to take a closer look.
Cem Olcay Nikaya
Nikaya Synth is a new polyphonic wavetable and FM Synthesizer for iOS and macOS. According to Cem Olcay, Nikaya Synth offers a practical approach to modern wavetable synthesis.
All this is built into a lightweight, responsive, and easy-to-navigate app that is capable of classic and more advanced expressive sounds. As a beta tester, I was able to take a closer look at the app, and I can confirm that it’s lightweight and easy to use. It uses little CPU. That’s correct from my testings.
Nikaya Synth is an 8-voice polysynth with four oscillators per voice, each containing two independent wavetable oscillators and a pair of FM operators.
The wavetable oscillators feature a classic, tweakable set of controls, including control over the wave index, detune, and level. It’s a pity there is only one wavetable for both oscillators, but this is also a special feature.
The Wave Index knob plays an important role here, as it primarily shapes the sound. With it, you can create brighter, duller, crisper, etc. sounds. Modulating this knob creates classic wavetable travel effects. Since both oscillators share the same wavetable, you can achieve interesting sounds by modulating both wave indexes.
This is a unique sound design feature, since other synths usually work with two wavetables, each with an independent wave index control.
Wavetable Import
Somewhat more extensive, however, is the possibility of generating and importing your own wavetables. For example, you can convert images into wavetables using brightness data. A nice feature to have fun with and create more complex wavetables.
Alternatively, you can import folders of single-cycle waveforms and generate wavetables up to 128 waveforms from a single source. There is also an option to slice WAV files into multiple waveforms. If you want instant fun, you also have a collection of ready-to-use wavetables built in.
The FM oscillator also has classic control, including ratio, amount, and level control per operator. It’s interesting to see how FM synthesis works here. Instead of a standalone waveform, it uses a bi-directional FM synthesis concept that uses the current wavetable waveform as the FM operator.
Filtering & Modulation
Then, on the second screen, you can find a global ladder filter with cutoff and resonance control. It’s a lovely filter. However, I would have liked to have seen other flavors of filters to have more flexibility in sound design.
On the modulation side, you have two multi-wave LFOs with tempo sync (first page) and two envelopes. The latter are fixedly mapped to the filter and amp, while the LFOs are mapped to the wave index controls. Here, too, I would like more flexibility.
There are no built-in effects, neither delay nor filter. It’s a pity, but you generally have a vast plethora of impact already in the DAW or from third-party plugins.
In my test/beta test, the app ran both standalone and as an AUv3 plugin without any noticeable issues. It’s nice that scaling as an AUv3 works well. Thanks to AUv3, you can also use the app in multiple instances.
Wait, there is one more feature to highlight. Cem Olcay also added a community sharing function in Nikaya (available with iOS 13 and later), where you can share your presets and wavetables with others.
Cem Olcay Nikaya Review Conclusion
Nikaya is a beautiful wavetable/FM synth that’s very intuitive and easy to use. A significant advantage is that it places minimal strain on the CPU. For those familiar with feature-rich wavetable synths, Nikaya’s engine may seem a bit too basic.
The app is worth a look for anyone who wants to explore wavetable and FM synthesis without diving into the endless depths. So, the extreme counterparts of Xfer Serum 2, Arturia Pigments 6, Korg Modwave, and others. In many places, I would like the synth to be more comprehensive, but I’m pretty sure the developer intended to achieve precisely this simplicity with the Nikaya synth. Less is more could be the motto of the synth.
Cem Olcay Nikaya is available now for $6.99. It runs as a standalone app and AUv3 plugin on iOS (iPad, iPhone) and macOS (native Apple Silicon).
More information here: App Store
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