Fors Superberry is a Mac/Win standalone & Max for Live Synthesizer inspired by melodramatic trance melodies and powered by enigmatic FM core.
Ableton Live in conjunction with Max For Live is a world of its own. Max or the M4L platform in particular is very exciting for musicians who would like to experiment with audio signals. These processes also result in commercial products that often have different approaches than a classic VST/AU/AAX plug-in. Developers often risk more here and try not to repeat themselves.
Superberry is the first Max For Live release by Ess Mattisson, and Felisha Ledesma of Fors, a new music tech company. Superberry is a new Synthesizer that tries to be different.
Overview
Superberry uses a pretty straightforward synth engine that is inspired by melodramatic trance melodies. It features one super sharp supersaw oscillator with phase-modulation technics, one stackable sub-oscillator, an AHR envelope, an LFO, and two diffusing bokeh delays. One interesting finding is that the synth does not have a built-in filter. According to the developers, it can cover a wide range of sounds (sharp/soft), even without an existing filter.
In version 1.10, you have now additional little knobs that introduce a whirlwind of features to it. For example, you can now soften and fine-tune the sub-oscillator that makes it more versatile. The synth also has a good partner. It includes the Roulette, a polymetric/asymmetric Roulette sequencer device. It can separate rhythm and pitch data and run at different lengths for evolving patterns. A new addition in the latest update is dynamic velocity patterns with randomization.
The interface is very successful. Intuitive, not cluttered, and elegant. And yes, designing an interface in Max For Live is not easy either. Sonically, it goes in a different direction. Superberry can be simple but also wild and experimental. The video gives you a brief overview of the different timbres.
Fors Superberry is available now for 49€ (excl. VAT) and ships as a macOS/Windows standalone app and Max For Live devices. The latter includes Superberry & Roulette sequencer. It’s not available as a plugin.
More information here: Fors
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