Mica

Unconventional synthesis without unconventional workflow. Physical models, modal resonators, analogue, digital and FM across four layers, with modulation on every parameter.

Software InstrumentSynthesiser

$89$59

Introductory offer, save $30, ends 11 September

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Mica

Interesting patches, not interesting workarounds.

Synthesizers with unusual sources tend to fight you on the way out. The sounds are there, but getting from a starting point to something that breathes usually means working around the instrument, or settling for something static.

Mica keeps the unusual sources and removes the friction. Swap an engine, change a model, reorder the effects: the patch stays yours the whole time. Nothing needs re-patching, nothing disappears when you switch.

Find the sound first

Each of the two main slots selects from four engine types independently. Flip through models by ear, not by name. When something catches, layer the second slot underneath it, add the utility oscillator for body, and the starting point already sounds like nothing in your library. Fifty factory patches are there when you would rather start from something moving than from silence.

Then make it move

Fourteen modulation sources route to every parameter on the instrument. Drag a source onto a knob and set the amount. If you want one modulator to control how much another one does, assign a depth source and it is done. No cables, no matrix page, no clicking through menus. The whole modulation system lives on the same screen as the sound.

Keep everything you tried

Switch an engine type and the settings for the previous one stay where you left them. Switch back and they are still there. The same goes for the four effects slots. Every slot stores independent settings for each effect type, and the slot order is yours to drag into place. Mica lets you try things without punishing you for changing direction.

Specifications

Sources
Two slots, four engine types each: analogue and digital oscillators, physical and synthesis models, modal resonator, two-operator FM. Utility oscillator and noise generator alongside them.
Filters
Two filters, low pass, band pass or high pass, 12 or 24 dB, serial or parallel.
Effects
Four reorderable slots, twelve effect types: reverb, stereo delay, chorus, granular, resonator, frequency shifter, pitch shifter, crunch, overdrive, filter, EQ, compressor.
Modulation
Fourteen sources: three envelopes, three LFOs, three drawable functions, three macros, key tracking, velocity. Any source to any parameter, including the depth of another modulation.
Voices
One to eight, plus 16 and 32. Per-source unison.
Presets
Fifty factory patches across eight categories, plus your own.
Formats
VST3 and AU on macOS, VST3 on Windows.
Documentation
Read the manual

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FAQ

What are the sound sources based on?
Four engine types, available in either of the two main slots: analogue and digital oscillators, physical and synthesis models, a struck-and-bowed modal resonator, and a two-operator FM engine. The first three are built on Mutable Instruments DSP, open-sourced under the MIT licence as Braids, Plaits and Elements. The FM engine was written for Mica. The effects rack uses Clouds and Rings from the same source for granular processing and resonance. Everything else is Mica's own: the filters, the modulation system, the utility and noise layer, the voice architecture, and the rest of the effects rack.
How is this different from a free Braids or Plaits port?
A standalone port gives you one engine with its own controls. Mica gives you four sound layers running at the same time, with a modulation system that routes fourteen sources to any parameter on the instrument, dual filters, a four-slot effects rack, per-source unison, and a preset system that saves and recalls the entire state. The difference is between a module and an instrument.
How many voices does Mica play?
Polyphony is set in the header: one to eight voices, plus 16 and 32 when a patch needs the room. Set it to one and Mica is monophonic.
Which formats and platforms are supported?
VST3 and AU on macOS, VST3 on Windows. Works in any DAW that supports these formats.