Audio Damage goes with the grain with new Quanta granular synth

Audio Damage has officially released Quanta, a 10-voice hybrid granular/subtractive synthesizer for desktop and (eventually) iOS, first seen at Superbooth.

The synth comes with a dizzying array of modulation options, plus full support for MPE and tuning tables; not to mention presets from Chris Carter, Richard Devine, Marcus Fisher and Joseph Fraioli.

Quanta’s granular synth engine is true stereo and handles up to a hundred 1000ms grains per voice. You are afforded full control over the grain state, with direct randomisation and modulation of most parameters. It can accept WAV, AIFF, Ogg, or FLAC files, which can simply be dragged into the sample window.

With two multimode filters (with LP, HP, BP and notch in 2-pole and 4-pole topologies), and a "sidecar" virtual-analogue oscillator and noise generator that can be used in addition to, or injected into, the grain engine, Quanta is a fully capable subtractive synth in its own right, and will work as a granular or subtractive (or both) synth without any sample at all.

As Audio Damage puts it, “Quanta has mod coming out its ears” and it is not wrong; Four Flexible Envelope Generators are joined by a 99-point looping function generator, two LFOs and a multi-source sample-and-hold module. This might sound like more than enough, but add in fully user-controllable MIDI assignments, with nearly every control on the panel as a destination, and you have more than enough modulation to melt the brain.

Quanta is available now on desktop (AAX/AU/VST/VST3) with an early bird offer price of $79 (regularly $99). Head on over to the Audio Damage website to download a demo. Sadly, the iOS version (AUv3/IAA/standalone) is not yet available, but we are assured will be coming soon.

Simon Arblaster
Video Producer & Reviews Editor

I take care of the reviews on MusicRadar and Future Music magazine, though can sometimes be spotted in front of a camera talking little sense in the presence of real musicians. For the past 30 years, I have been unable to decide on which instrument to master, so haven't bothered. Currently, a lover of all things high-gain in the guitar stakes and never one to resist churning out sub-standard funky breaks, the likes of which you'll never hear.

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