U&I Software
tells createdigitalmusic.com that they expect to release the
highly-anticipated Mac OS X version of MetaSynth by the end of the year
(unofficially). MetaSynth, created by wonder-programmer Eric Wenger who
brought us tools like Bryce and ArtMatic, was the one and only reason
to run Classic in OS X for many of us who couldn't live without the
unique sonic generation capabilities of this "image synth."
The application has to be experienced first-hand to be understood:
MetaSynth has unique synthesis, granular editing, and filtering/effects
capabilities, centering around a graphical synthesizer that lets you
create and edit sound using graphical painting tools. The wide range of
possible results made this tool popular in film scoring, with celebrity
users like Ryuichi Sakamoto and Hans Zimmer and use in films like Panic
Room and Run Lola Run. (Fairly sure that's in The Matrix, too, by the
way!)
What's new in version 4? The new release will be OS X native and has
been reworked from the ground up, with real-time high-resolution
previewing and all-new audio capabilities (hence the skip from version
2.x to 4!). I've used MetaSynth a lot in my own work and frankly can't
wait to get my hands on the new version.
U&I is a tiny two-person developer, so if you have questions,
please ask them here and I'll keep the whole CDM audience up-to-date.
You can bet I'll be first with the news and reviews of the new version,
or I'll eat my image synth.