PHASE PLANT
Francis is one of the world’s most prolific sound designers. Find out more at francispreve.com
Every so often, a small developer will release a groundbreaking product with minimal fanfare and within a few months, early adopters spread the word so passionately that the product becomes a game-changing hit. Ableton began as a tiny start-up with an oddball DAW in 2000. Xfer Records released Serum in 2014 and within a year, it became one of the most influential softsynths of the past decade.
Kilohearts’ Phase Plant is currently poised to have a similar impact on the synthesis world. By taking the core concepts of modular racks and combining them with an Ableton-like interface, Phase Plant delivers on the promise of a fully configurable synthesis architecture with few compromises.
There are four oscillator options: Analog, Sample, Wavetable, and Noise. Multi-mode filters, EQ, and multiple distortion types then sculpt their output. Modulation tools run the gamut from DADHSR envelopes, customizable LFOs that double as step sequencers, sophisticated random generators, and MIDI tools for velocity and aftertouch. But unlike most other soft synths, you can have as many of these elements as your CPU can handle—and the full version comes with over 30 effects that can be applied on a per-voice basis.
For many producers, it’s hard to know where to begin, so over the next few pages, we’ll look at a few classic synth architectures that can be quickly designed within Phase Plant.
