Electro-Harmonix, a pioneer since 1968 in the field of sound effects pedals for musicians, has produced an app which is a faithful digital re-creation of their circa 1980 analog cult-classic, The MINI-SYNTHESIZER.
Available for iPad and iPhone (IOS version 15.0 or later), the EHX MINI-SYNTHESIZER accurately delivers all the vintage synth sounds of the original plus modern updates.
EHX President and Founder, Mike Matthews stated: “Fans of vintage synths will appreciate the apps ability to recreate the original’s warm analog sounds and deep funky bass, but because it’s so affordable ($2.99 for phone, $4.99 for tablet) and user-friendly, parents, educators and non-musicians will love it, too.”
The MINI-SYNTHESIZER app comes with 25 presets and the ability to store an almost unlimited number of user presets programs. Audiobus capabilities are also included.
Intuitive, flexible and powerful control are provided by the MINI-SYNTHESIZER’s 12 sliders and nine switches. Here’s a breakdown of the user interface:
OSC Section
- PITCH slider lets the player raise or lower the pitch of the note by +/- 1 octave
- SUB-OCTAVE slider introduces a note one octave below what’s being played for extra bottom
- OCTAVE UP switch causes the note being played to jump up one octave.
- TUNE knob lets the player tune the MINI-SYNTHESIZER to other instruments and sound sources over a +/- 50 cents range.
FILTERS Section
- PHASE RATE slider adjusts the speed of the phase shifter
- FILTER START sets the start frequency of the filter sweep
- FILTER STOP sets the stop frequency of the filter sweep
- SWEEP RATE controls the speed of the filter sweep
- PHASE switch turns the effect on/off
- 2X FILTER switch changes how the audio passes through the filters (either in parallel or in series)
- Q switch sets the amount of resonance on the filter sweep
- RETRIGGER switch turns the filter retrigger on/off
DELAY Section
- TIME slider adjusts the delay time up to two seconds
- FEEDBACK controls the number of echo repeats
- BLEND adjusts the mix of the original signal and the echo repeats
- DELAY switch turns the effect on/off
- TIME label can be tapped for tap tempo
REVERB Section
- AMOUNT slider adjusts the reverb effect level
- BLEND slider controls the mix of the wet and dry signals
- REVERB switch turns reverb on/off
- REVERB>DELAY switch lets the user place either Delay or Reverb first in the effects chain for a variety of cool sound effects.
MISCELLANEOUS CONTROLS
- VOL (Volume) slider adjusts the MINI-SYNTHESIZER’s overall sound output level
- POLY/MONO switch toggles between polyphonic (four notes can be played simultaneously) or monophonic (only one note can be played at a time) modes
- PRESETS pop-down menu displays the presets available and allows the user to instantly select one
- HORIZONTAL slider lets the player adjust the keyboards sounding range over an expansive eight-octave range.
- RIBBON Interface lets the player perform portamento (glide up or down to pitch), vibrato and other expressive playing.
The easy-to-use Electro-Harmonix MINI-SYNTHESIZER App is loaded with great sounds and features and is sure to appeal to serious musicians and non-musicians alike.
LIMITATIONS
- InterApp Audio experiences periodic crashes and graphics issues.
- The MINI SYNTH runs at 48 kHz sample rate; using the MINI SYNTH in an environment with 44.1 kHz sample rate (such as Garageband for iOS) may cause aliasing.
- Presets saved in the standalone app cannot be accessed when using the MINI SYNTH as an AudioUnit, and vice versa.
DOWNLOADING iPHONE VERSION ON iPAD
- The iPhone version is not meant to perform optimally on the iPad. Be aware that if you download the iPhone version on the iPad you are more prone to glitches and crashes than having the iPad version on the iPad.