"Tube" type synths - are there any on IOS?

gkillmaster

I was looking on desktop and was intrigued by Vacuum Pro and Knifonium and wondering there there are any similar synthesizers in IOS.

Thanks for any insights here.

Greg

Krupa

Nothing specific as far as I know, I’ve got both on desktop and they’re good fun, Vacuum Pro more accessible, knifonium takes a bit of patience getting something interesting out… there’s probably ways you could use drambo to get close, especially with the modulation and feedback side of it all… I’ve used in a very amateur way some of the samples of my own tube oscillators as wavetables in drambo, as well as ableton with some success…

Samu

ZEDSynth was a 'tube oscillator synth' but it's no longer available on the AppStore...

Moderndaycompiler

JeffChasteen

@Samu said:
ZEDSynth was a 'tube oscillator synth' but it's no longer available on the AppStore...

A great synth.
The first “expensive” app I ever bought.
Not the last, though...

Littlewoodg

@gkillmaster
Edit- corrected

I thought Zedsynth wasn’t an example of this tube thing but it does claim that the oscillators are “inspired by vacuum tube technology”
I was weirder out by the Zedsynth idea because i think of it as a resonator synth…my bad

I have Zedsynth preserved on my latest device (which still runs in Audiobus) but I don’t know now if those who purchased it can still download it…

I felt like the best bet for getting the “inspired by vacuum tube tech” thing would be emulations of classic synths from the tube era like the Model D emulations from Moog or Arturia. I’m obviously not the go-to on the forum for deep synth knowledge but I don’t think the old school sound (warming and slewing effect?) is not super unusual on the platform. I’ll keep thinking’ and I’ll add stuff that makes that claim as I look around in my Synth pile…

gkillmaster

@Littlewoodg said:
@gkillmaster
If you’re looking for something like Vacuum Pro on ios (i dont know the other example) you’re looking for a virtual analog synth with conventional oscillators that has an added bit of code simulating a vacuum tube effect (post oscillators) This isn’t a synth like Zed, which is a completely different (amazing) physical modeling beast.

If you’re looking for a synth on iOS like Vacuum Pro, you’ll want a virtual analog that claims to have a tube sound, which with a guitar instrument might be a tube amp effect added post oscillator. Off hand I can’t think of iOS va’s that claim a tube sound (warming, slewing?) but I don’t think it’s super unusual. Synths that are attempts at creating old school tube era synths may be the way to go (maybe Moog Model D emulations - the Arturia one that Retronyms sells, or the actual Moog version etc). I’m not really the go-to here for deep synthesis knowledge. I might be wrong about the slew thing for example…but I am clear that you’re not looking for physical modeling.

Thanks! Wish Zed was still available! This whole thing started by reading about Knifonium and this windows synth: https://proclethya.com/

Littlewoodg

@gkillmaster said:

@Littlewoodg said:
@gkillmaster
If you’re looking for something like Vacuum Pro on ios (i dont know the other example) you’re looking for a virtual analog synth with conventional oscillators that has an added bit of code simulating a vacuum tube effect (post oscillators) This isn’t a synth like Zed, which is a completely different (amazing) physical modeling beast.

If you’re looking for a synth on iOS like Vacuum Pro, you’ll want a virtual analog that claims to have a tube sound, which with a guitar instrument might be a tube amp effect added post oscillator. Off hand I can’t think of iOS va’s that claim a tube sound (warming, slewing?) but I don’t think it’s super unusual. Synths that are attempts at creating old school tube era synths may be the way to go (maybe Moog Model D emulations - the Arturia one that Retronyms sells, or the actual Moog version etc). I’m not really the go-to here for deep synthesis knowledge. I might be wrong about the slew thing for example…but I am clear that you’re not looking for physical modeling.

Thanks! Wish Zed was still available! This whole thing started by reading about Knifonium and this windows synth: https://proclethya.com/

I had to amend the post you have attached, I was wrong about what Zedsynth offered. To me as I said in my edited post, I’ve always thought of Zed as a resonator type tool, but the dev did attempt to add the tube feel to his oscillators…my bad

I do think there are some great candidates for a tube sound/feel…I feel personally that this is something you find with emulations of classic synths from the tube era…or modern VA synths can be worked towards the old school deal: Volt, Mood, Zeeon, Magellan 2, IMS-20 (this may have been transistors in the original I’m not really the go-to on this stuff)
iVCS3, iSEM, 76 Synthesizer (which may not be on the store anymore, isn’t AUv3, but has a tube on its skeuomorphic GUI!)

I don’t think this kind of emulation is rare on iOS, you probably already own this type of thing, emulations of pre-digital era instruments..

Knifonium and Proclethia both look awesome, and seem to be along the same lines as the iOS VA vintage emulations…that hardware Knifonium is incredible (26 tubes!)

anickt

I don’t think any of the “classic” synths used tubes. Tubes are being used in some Korg synths and some modular stuff. But there’s a difference between having a tube in the signal path (Korg Nubass) and generating sound with tubes. Metasonix used to make a tube-based synth and a tube-based drum machine but have since moved on to modular format.

Krupa

I believe the Trautonium, which is one of the inspirations for Moog’s Subharmonicon was a tube based synth - there’s loads of tube based oscillator designs, if you choose to dive into that particular rabbit hole… (I’m nesting there still, waiting on a grant application to develop what I’ve learnt into something else, one more week to wait unto I know whether I’m in or not…🤞)