Soulyft Audio, a company founded by musician and creative technologist Corey Lofthus, have announced the launch of their debut virtual instrument, Gradient Synth. Available via the iOS App Store, the instrument takes a novel approach to sound creation and allows users to create soundscapes by interacting with a colour palette rather than more traditional sets of controls.
The company say that the aim of Gradient Synth is to bridge the gap between beginners and professional musicians, and offer an accessible, inspiring experience that makes music creation a joy rather than a challenge. It certainly seems to be working, as the instrument has already climbed to sixth place in the Apple Music Paid App charts!
The majority of the App’s GUI is occupied by a large colour palette, with different colour representing tonal changes — touching anywhere within the palette’s boundaries will trigger a note, and it’s possible to play up to four notes at once. There are 30 presets included to get users up and running, and there’s an Editor section for those who wish to customise the App’s appearance and settings.
Although Gradient Synth has been designed to offer an immediate and intuitive playing experience, there’s still plenty of more in-depth controls and features on offer. A Note Editor makes it possible to change the scale generated by the gradient, and you get an ADSR envelope allowing with two effects slots that can each be loaded with reverb, delay, saturation, bitcrusher or chorus modules, as well as a low-pass filter. Each effect also has its own mix control and an X-Y pad that can control a pair of parameters.
The App boasts MIDI compatibility, allowing it to be used alongside other instruments, and can be used with mobile DAW applications as an AUv3 plug-in.
"With Gradient Synth, I wanted to make something that feels immediately rewarding and encourages creativity without the usual barriers. My goal was to design an app that is as useful for a professional musician as it is for someone just starting their musical journey." - Corey Lofthus, Founder, Soulyft Audio
Compatibility
Gradient Synth is supported on iPhones or iPads running iOS / iPad OS 17.0 and above. It will run either as a standalone App, or an AUv3 plug-in.
Pricing & Availability
Gradient Synth is available now from the iOS App Store, priced at $4.99. Take a look at the Soulyft Audio website to find out more.
