Cem Olcay Ova Synth is a new physics-based Synthesizer for iOS and macOS, allowing you to play ambient sounds with gestures.
Traditionally, we play synthesizers with a keyboard with white and black keys. This has changed in the last 10+ years. One of the most significant advances is the touchscreen, which allows synthesizer sounds to be played and programmed using touch or slide.
With the built-in sensors, you can also often manipulate parameters by moving the device. Cem Olcay, developer of the Nikaya and Testere synthesizers, has now released another synth that takes this modern playing style as its foundation.
Cem Olcay Ova Synth
Ova Synth is a new standalone and AUv3 Synthesizer plugin for iOS and macOS that is based around touch and physics. Instead of a traditional piano keyboard, Cem Olcay incorporated into Ova Synth a hexagonal field where each touch is a unique musical gesture.
The synth engine itself is classic, has up to 10 voices, and uses wavetable oscillators. It also has a resonant self-oscillating filter, long envelopes for smooth fades up to 30 seconds, and a shared lush reverb. Plus, it supports all major and world scales.
Hands-on (Touch-on) parameters let you tweak parameters on the fly, including wave, tune, cutoff, resonance, attack, release, reverb size, decay, depth, and more.
The striking difference from a classic Synthesizer is the way you can play Ova Synth. You can play it either by touching the hexagonal field or with physics. Touch the center of a hexagon for softer tones, and the edges for brighter tones.
You can also control multiple parameters at once with your touch. Distance gives you control over the volume, horizontal over the panning, vertical is the pitch bend, and angle is the wavetable. morphing.
More exciting and experimental is to work with the physics engine. You can bounce a physics ball that triggers notes automatically, creating evolving, never-repeating patterns. Ova Synth supports full MIDI and MPE.
Whether you let the balls wander into generative soundscapes or perform by touch, Ova Synth balances intentional performance with organic discovery. Perfect for meditation music, ambient composition, or just exploring beautiful evolving sounds.
First Impression
An exciting new synth for iOS/macOS. I like the concept of playing synths in a different way than with a keyboard. This is always very inspiring.
I’m looking forward to checking out the synth. Unfortunately, there’s no sound demo yet.
Cem Olcay Ova Synth is available now for $5,99 on the Apple App Store. It runs as a standalone and AUv3 plugin on iOS (iPhone/iPad) and macOS (native Apple Silicon only).
More information here: Cem Olcay
a different playing experience and to make music