Propellerheads rack up another synth: 4MER WaveShaper
4MER main GUI · Source: propellerheads.se
4MER rear connections · Source: propellerheads.se
4MER is a new polyphonic waveshaping synth from Ochen K for Propellerhead’s Reason. It features four oscillators, eight waveshaping operators, five envelopes, two multimode filters, a four-stage tone stack and a ten channel modulation matrix with a reverb and delay. We’re not done with the numbers yet – each oscillator begins as one of twenty-five single cycle waveforms which can then be mangled by the operators and routed through the sixteen stage envelopes. And finally there are six generic CV inputs as well as thirty dedicated CV inputs, giving you complete control over pretty much everything.
The sound of combining four oscillators can be quite fierce and thick but it also offers the opportunity for complex overlapping movement and evolving sounds. The wave display in the centre is excellent, as it gives a complete representation of what you’re doing with your waveform and how it’s being shaped. Sometimes I find when sound designing that my ears are not enough and having some visual clues to reinforce what I’m trying to accomplish is really very helpful. Each oscillator is addressed and processed individually by the eight operators comprising of phase width, spread, harmonics, warp, sync, saturation, bit crush and phase. This is followed by far too many envelope and modulation possibilities. It can make editing quite complex but also gives you a wide scope for crafting some very individual sounds.
4MER is available now in the Propellerheads store for EUR 39.
More information: http://www.propellerheads.se
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