Retronyms have launched the Google Play version of the Phase84 phase distortion virtual synthesizer inspired by the Casio CZ lineup of hardware instruments.
Phase84 follows the classic Casio CZ style phase distortion synth architecture while expanding on this original concept and making it more convenient to use on modern touchscreen devices. Phase distortion synthesis is an interesting mixture of purely digital synthesis and pseudo-analog sounds, as heard in popular VST plugins like VirtualCZ ($99) and Digits 2 (free). Being the first phase distortion synthesizer to ever hit the Google Play store, Phase84 is well worth checking out if you’re looking to expand the synth arsenal on your Android device.
See also: Retronyms Looperverse Loop Performance System (iOS)The app features three oscillators with a wide range of waveforms, a multimode filter, three LFOs, amplitude and shaper envelopes, dual XY pads, a built-in delay effect, and a powerful mix section. The oscillators can be frequency modulated and pulse modulated, further expanding the instrument’s timbral range. Phase84 comes with over 100 factory presets to help new users get started with the instrument, however exploring the synthesis engine and coming up with your own original sounds is where the real fun begins with Phase 84. Unlike FM synthesis, phase distortion synthesis is easy to understand and experiment with, making it much closer to subtractive synthesis in terms of user friendliness.
For a long while, music making apps on Android were notorious for their latency and poor performance. Phase84 remedies this by supporting both the OpenSL and Samsung Pro Audio SDKs to ensure lower latencies and improved stability across a wide range of Android devices. The app also comes with full USB MIDI controller support, an advanced virtual keyboard, a performance-oriented mode with Groove Gate, and the Precision Knob mode for making parameter adjustment more precise and intuitive.
Even though Phase84 just launched on Google Play, it was available on Samsung Galaxy Apps and iOS for quite some time now. If you use an iPhone or an iPad to make music and like the idea of using a phase distortion synthesizer in your projects, make sure search the App Store for this neat little synth.
More info: Phase84 ($9.99 on Google Play)
