Audio Damage Continua: free update 1.2 transforms it into a multi-engine synth

Audio Damage Continua: free update 1.2 transforms the VA synth into a multi-engine synth with a new arpeggiator, and more.

In early 2020, Audio Damage released the Continua VA Synthesizer plugin for macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS. Even though it is very classic in many places, it offers features that are rarely found in VA synths.

This includes warp, shape, and skew controls for the waveforms, an advanced modulation engine where every parameter is modulatable, MPE support, and a very hands-on design. Six years after its release, the free Continua 1.2 update is now available and massively boosts the synth’s capabilities.

Audio Damage Continua 1.2

This free update is quite a surprise. After six years, one would expect bug fixes or little refinements. Audio Damage took a different approach with Continua 1.2, supercharging the synth with new features.

A big highlight is the all-new oscillator section. It now features four new oscillator modes, including the original virtual-analog engine. Additive synthesis stacks 64 sine waves with per-harmonic amplitude control.

Then, Supersaw layers five detuned sawtooths while Supersquare does the same thing with square waves for a darker, hollow result.

The fourth new one is IXA, which combines phase modulation and waveshaping borrowed from an obscure early-90s Synthesizer. This makes the Continua a multi-engine Synthesizer, which is a big step forward.

More Advanced Features

Continua 1.2 also adds a fully-featured arpeggiator with 18 patterns ranging from standard to more experimental, like converge, diverge, and brownian. Extra flexibility can be added via the chance knob that infuses probabilistic rests into the patterns.

It is fully sycable to host tempo, with dotted and tripled values and up to two octaves of range.

The new free update also introduces Genetics, a new extra panel in which you can generate a branching tree of mutations for every patch. Instead of randomizing a patch entirely, you get a slightly or even more heavily mutated patch based on pre-selected parameters.

Lastly, Audio Damage overhauled the preset browser in Continua with a faster navigation, cleaner 4-column layout, and other neat extras, including import/export via ZIP.

That’s a wonderful gift that Audio Damage has given to its existing Continua customers. Thank you!

Audio Damage Continua 1.2 is available now as a free update for existing users. Continua is now on a special sale for a limited time, with 25% OFF. This update is also available for iOS, and the app is on sale for $6,99. The deal runs until April 1st, 2026.

Article January 8, 2020

It’s no secret: there are countless Synthesizer plugins on the market, most of which offer virtual-analog synthesis. Audio Damage’s newest Synthesizer plugin & iOS app Continua is another synth that emulates analog sounds.

Yeah, not exciting at first glance, but AD has put so much effort into the interface that it is interesting again.

It starts with three oscillators with continuously variable waveforms with warp, shape, and skew controls. Although it is not a wavetable synth, these three functions enable a large number of special waveforms that go beyond classic analog synthesis.

All three oscillators go into a dual morphing filter with different filter types. This connection is very versatile because it offers a flexible OSC/filter routing system.

You can determine which oscillator goes into which filter with just one click. On top, you can route a noise generator with an additional color function into one of the filters.

Tons Of Modulators Plus A Sophisticated Mod System

Continua contains plenty of polyphonic modulators: 2x ADSR envelopes, 2x flexible envelope generators with up to 99 steps, and 4 flexible LFOs with advanced shaping controls. That’s not all.

Also onboard is a sample-and-hold generator and support for MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression). This is a massive number of modulators embedded in a very clever, simple modulation system.

For this, you do not need to read any manual or to have a doctor in synthesis. Just right-click on any knob to bring up the hidden modulation assign panel. Every knob can be modulated here, which is super powerful.

This shows how simple this synthesizer is designed. Although virtual analog is stale in the plugin world, Continua shows where plugins are headed. Less cryptic design, but with the focus on simple control and quick results.

Everything About Performance & Effects

On the second page of the interface, you can find essential features to refine your sounds. Here are three new custom-designed effects, including a chorus, delay, and reverb. No recycling of old effect algorithms.

Also, here you can work with up to 8 macro controls and 2 XY pads. You assign any knob you want to these controls.

As many know, and as you can see in the last releases, the developers of Audio Damage love MPE. During the development of Continua, care was also taken to ensure that the instrument could be played perfectly with MPE controllers.

It uses a per-instance customization method that lets you set the MPE mode, aftertouch smoothing, pitch bend range override, tuning table, and global tuning offset for each instance.

And of course, Continua is available for PC, Mac but also as an AUv3 Synthesizer for iOS.