The newest addition to Native Instruments’ software collection introduces a new synth created by A. G. Cook, a Grammy-winning British producer best known for his work with Charli XCX. Named Super*Saw — and pronounced ‘Super Star Saw’, apparently — the instrument has been built around the stacked sawtooth patches that have defined Cook’s signature sound.
The producer’s work with the likes of Charli XCX, Beyoncé, Caroline Polachek and Oklou has relied heavily on ‘supersaws’ — stacks of sawtooth waves that are layered and slightly detuned to create wide, harmonically dense sounds. Over the course of a two-year collaboration, the NI team have crafted the new instrument from Cook’s own patches, creating a library of presets that cover “blissed-out harmonies, metallic dissonance, ravey leads and impossible glides”.
Super*Saw has been built around a pair of independent 16-saw oscillator banks, and features a central Y-Y pad that captures four distinct patch states and allows users to blend seamlessly between them. Per-voice Glide and Offset controls deliver the tonal variations that are central to Cook's sound-design approach, while Chord, Scale and Quantize functions help to keeps things in time and in tune! Onboard effects include a chorus, delay and reverb, and the instrument is also kitted out with a high-pass filter that offers two- and four-pole slope options.
As you might expect, Super*Saw integrates seamlessly with Native Instruments’ Komplete Kontrol keyboards and Maschine hardware.
Compatibility
Super*Saw is supported on PCs running Windows 10 or above, and Macs running macOS 14 and later. VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Super*Saw is available now, priced at $€99.
www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/synths/superstarsaw
