Elastic OSC expands on Émilie Gillet’s 24 original open-source Plaits oscillator models, adding 8-voice polyphony, expression (MPE), a modulation engine, and Elastic effects. And if that sounds like something you wish you had in your computer DAW and not just Android and iOS, now you’re in luck.
Damn, this sounds good:
Disclosure: I built a new bank of sound presets for Elastic OSC, included in this version. (And I do hope you enjoy them!)
Feature set:
- 24 oscillator models (virtual analog, FM, wavetable, granular, physical modeling, drums, etc.)
- 8-voice polyphony
- Expressive XY control for synthesis and effects
- 4 LFOs with an LFO mixer (that is, not just a matrix, but a continuous X/Y mixer that lets you freely add the four LFOs across a palette of destinations)
- MPE support (MIDI polyphonic expression)
- 500+ presets
- Cross-platform: iOS, Android, macOS, Windows
— and you can move ideas between platforms, so, for instance, start something on your iPhone, then bring it into your DAW.
The ingenious models and interface of Plaits have really grown in utility as they’ve expanded beyond just that original Eurorack module. As I’ve written in the past, having Plaits with a keyboard, essentially reimagining it as a single instrument, changes how you think about it. And that was just the first version. Adding dimensions of expression using MPE, or adding modulation, or animating parameters with the automation engine, all add up to a uniquely Elastic Instruments way of playing those models. And you couple it with Elastic’s signature effects, too.
LFO mixing:
So yes, we’re getting Plaits everywhere, but that’s a really great thing. Patching a monophonic Plaits voice with CV is different than using it on an iPad is different than playing an MPE controller as part of your desktop workflow, or working with it in a compact groovebox. (tbd 16 and Elastic Instruments will be booth mates this week at Superbooth if you’re in town.)
I’m especially aware of that, as working with the four LFOs and then jamming on an Ableton Push 3, a standard MIDI keyboard, and an Expressive E Osmose, I got really different results as I explored sound design. (And I say that as someone who’s spent some time with the original Mutable Instruments module.)
Here’s a tour:
The expansive preset banks feature not only myself but also Arovane, Jakob Haq, SOI, Robert Lippok, and more. Alexander Ewald takes us on a tour:
Here’s a jam using exclusively Elastic OSC to build up drum parts, with Push 3 as the MPE controller and the AU plug-in running in Ableton Live. I worked with just the percussive presets I built for the instrument, so you can find these in the release and play with them yourself, too!
AU + VST3 for macOS and Windows (don’t worry, I’m lobbying hard for Linux!) — all-in-one; LFO and MPE functionality is included. (On iOS/iPadOS and Android, these are separate in-app purchases.)
€ 39 intro price. A trial version is available, as well.
Elastic Instruments Elastic OSC – product and store page [all mobile and desktop versions]