Yonac KASPAR Synthesizer Review – 8 Synthesizers In One Single App

Yonac released today KASPAR Supersynthesizer for iOS. It’s a new Synthesizer app powered by a new developed multi-engine automorphing Supersynthesis technology that includes 8 polyphonic synths in one single app. I had the chance to check out this entire app a week before the official release. Here is my review of this new app by Yonac

Available here: Yonac KASPAR Synthesizer 

Introduction 

The Synth Engine from KASPAR is very powerful and contains 8 independent Synthesizer instrument layers with the same structure. To get more out of each instrument, you can add two layers of effects to each synth instrument via the FX1 and FX2 knobs. This feature is especially great for sound design oriented musician who want to create deep sounds with full effects on it.

Multi-timbral functionalities 

In most cases, synthetic sound tone generators can only play one sound at the same time. Due of this 8 layers synth structure, KASPAR is capable to play 8 different sounds at the same time.

The Yonac developers team has implemented this multi-timbral feature very easily in the keyboard menu. With the MIDI note min value, you define the starting point and with the MIDI note max, you declare the ending point of your layer on the keyboard. Per example: Layer One: C1 to B1, Layer Two: C2 to B2…. So you can map each layer to your keyboard very quick. Musicians can map inside KASPAR via the MIDI note in each layer to one MIDI channel. This gives users the possibility to use multiple keyboards to control different sounds from one patch.

Inside the third layer page, you can find for each layer advanced features for velocity and aftertouch. This gives musicians the possibility to setup these parameters as you wish. In this interface, you can also adjust the pitch bend and activate/deactivate MIDI sustain for each layer.

Synth engine 

As mention already, the synth engine inside KASPAR is a power horse and contains 8 independent synthethic  instrument layers with the same synthesis structure: oscillator, filter, amp, lfo, envelop, mod, arp, chord. On the “Edit” page, you have full access to the complete synth engine of each instrument. To switching from one to another layer, the app includes a nice intuitive designed interface on the left side.

Each layer features three oscillators and includes 23 different waveforms. These range from more classic to more interesting waveforms, which leave a lot of room for creating own sounds. Especially all the special waveforms are excellent for more adventures sound design ideas. Beside the best-known tuning parameters inside the oscillators (oct, semi, oct), each oscillator includes the possibility to add pulse width. If PW is not available for the chosen waveform, it’s possible to change the timbre of the waveform with the same knobs.

Unlike in Oscillator 1, you can find in oscillator 2 and 3 the possibility to add ring modulation. Both ring mod options gives a lot more harmonics to the initial sound. Beside the three oscillators, the engine also includes a versatile noise generator with a tone and volume knob. The developer made here a good decision to add here the possibility to change the character of the noise generator because this allows musicians and sound designers to match the perfect noise to the programmed sound.

My downside for this oscillator page is that it doesn’t include any options for frequency modulation (FM). A feature like this, I would have hoped a lot for a SuperSynthesizer. I hope a lot that Yonac will add this later to this synth. Some easy to use FM features would give the oscillators even more playground for new sounds.