Stemwire has released Mica, a synthesizer for macOS and Windows.
Synthesizers with experimental sound sources often leave out conventional controls. No standard envelopes, limited modulation, no familiar filters. The source material is interesting, but finishing a patch for a track means working with what the instrument gives you. Mica pairs its experimental engines with the tools you expect: ADSR envelopes, dual filters, deep modulation routing and a full effects rack.
2 sources, 4 engine types
Each slot selects independently from four engine types: Braids (47 models), Plaits (24 models), Elements (a struck-and-bowed modal resonator), and a two-operator FM engine. The first three use open-source DSP from Mutable Instruments, released under the MIT licence. The FM engine is a Stemwire design. A sub oscillator and a sample-based noise generator sit alongside them as a third layer. The noise generator supports user-loadable samples. Each of the two main sources has its own unison with up to eight voices, adjustable detune and stereo width.
Modulation that reaches everything
Fourteen sources route to every parameter on the instrument: three envelopes, three LFOs, three drawable waveform oscillators, key tracking, velocity and three assignable macros. Every target supports a depth source, so one modulator can scale how much another one does. No matrix page, the whole system lives on the same screen as the sound.
4 re-orderable effect slots
Twelve types: reverb, delay, chorus, crunch, overdrive, pitch shifter, frequency shifter, filter, five-band EQ, compressor, plus a Clouds granular processor and a Rings resonator, both from Mutable Instruments. Each slot stores independent settings per effect type, so switching back and forth loses nothing.
Controls
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2 multi-engine sources + sub oscillator + sample-based noise generator.
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4 engine types per source, 70+ models total.
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Dual filters: LP/BP/HP, 12 or 24 dB, with pan and serial/parallel routing.
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14 modulation sources, 622 destinations.
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4 re-orderable effect slots, 12 effect types.
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Up to 32 polyphonic voices, per-source unison up to 8.
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50 factory presets across 8 categories.
Availability
Price: $79. Introductory price $59 until September 13th. A demo with no time limit is available: the full plugin, every engine, presets and state saving, with occasional noise bursts and no other restrictions. There is no trial countdown and no recurring network check.
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