my first iOS/AUv3 synth and just got the beta approved — looking for testers!

valdlabs

Hey everyone! First post, nice to be here

I’m Jaime, and i've started a new musictech studio called Våld Labs. I’ve been working on my first commercial synth, called TRESSE, and the iOS/AUv3 beta has just been approved on TestFlight.

I’m looking for a few people who like to experiment new tools on iPad/iPhone and would be willing to test it properly — especially inside hosts like AUM, Logic Pro for iPad, GarageBand, Cubasis, Loopy Pro, etc.

TRESSE started as a hardware synth experiment and later became a software instrument. The early version grew out of experiments with the Plaits DSP architecture, but it has expanded quite a lot since then:

Current features include:
39 sound engines
Full polyphony
Variable SEM-style filter
2 envelopes
LFO
Spread
Wavefolder
Compact UI for quick experimentation
AUv3 support
iPhone and iPad support

The idea is to make something immediate: choose an engine, shape it quickly, randomize when needed, and get to useful/weird sounds without turning the process into menu-diving.

I’m not asking for reviews or promotion.
I’m mostly looking for honest beta feedback to make this something special.

Does the AUv3 behave properly in your host?
Does the interface make sense?
Is the sound engine selection clear?
Does the synth feel immediate enough?
Are there bugs, crashes, weird UI issues, missing features?
Does the freemium model feel fair?

The app will be freemium, with a one-time full unlock planned at around €7.99 for launch and then €9.99. I’d like the free version to be genuinely useful, not a fake demo, so feedback on that balance would also be really helpful.

TestFlight link:
https://testflight.apple.com/join/HXY8Qfc4

WIP product page:
https://valdlabs.com/tresse

This is part of a wider project that also includes Vekte, an algorithmic sequencer, and Rekke, a hardware sequencer I’m developing — but for now I’d really like to focus the beta feedback on TRESSE itself.

Thanks in advance to anyone who tries it. I’d genuinely appreciate brutal, practical feedback more than polite encouragement.

Instagram: @valdlabs

rs2000

Hi!
Nice and easy UI.
What is the source of Filter Env?

dendy

I like this one .. LFO would benefit from faster rate

In general i like the concept, simplistic but Mutabke Instruments oscillators are giving wide range of sounds. Nice little project !

mistercharlie

@dendy said:

Those oscillators I guess it's Mutable Instrumetns Plaits/Braids code ?

I was wondering the same thing. If so, you should definitely say so in the description.

Looks super cool!

gusgranite

@mistercharlie said:

@dendy said:

Those oscillators I guess it's Mutable Instrumetns Plaits/Braids code ?

I was wondering the same thing. If so, you should definitely say so in the description.

Looks super cool!

I definitely read ‘thank you Emilie’ somewhere loading up the TestFlight

mistercharlie

@gusgranite said:

@mistercharlie said:

@dendy said:

Those oscillators I guess it's Mutable Instrumetns Plaits/Braids code ?

I was wondering the same thing. If so, you should definitely say so in the description.

Looks super cool!

I definitely read ‘thank you Emilie’ somewhere loading up the TestFlight

Ah, cool! I read the site and I was scanning for “plaits” or “braids”.

I apologize for that.

Pxlhg

Våld (Violence in Swedish) is a bit of an odd choice for a lab name? 🙃😊

dendy

@Pxlhg said:
Våld (Violence in Swedish) is a bit of an odd choice for a lab name? 🙃😊

Maybe he is cooking some brutal distortion / wavefolding / noise effects as next project 🤣

Pxlhg

@dendy said:

@Pxlhg said:
Våld (Violence in Swedish) is a bit of an odd choice for a lab name? 🙃😊

Maybe he is cooking some brutal distortion / wavefolding / noise effects as next project 🤣

That's gotta be it! 😂

egobeats

Thx for the beta. Looking forward to playing with it!

egobeats

The random is really aggro, limiter absolutely needed. bummer I couldn’t test all the sounds…

The east coast preset is pretty good tho

Krupa

Only tried it on iPhone, works well enough, though needed to be loaded standalone before the interface would appear in AUM properly (was just blank white until I did that).

Could be made usable on iPhone by rearranging the knobs so the two sets of four stack on top of one another rather than side by side, but I know this isn’t a priority for many devs… I could kinda work out what most of the knobs were doing just by tweaking though.

Interesting sounds, I’ll try it on a bigger screen when I get a chance…

gusgranite

@egobeats said:
The random is really aggro, limiter absolutely needed. bummer I couldn’t test all the sounds…

Why can’t you test all the sounds? You won’t get charged for the TestFlight IAP

rottencat

When I open it in AUM I see this:

Makes it difficult to test anything.

mistercharlie

@rottencat said:
When I open it in AUM I see this:

Makes it difficult to test anything.

Same.
Also, would it be possible to have the knobs send midi feedback whenever you move them?

Not sure if this is easy or hard to do, but it would let me use it with the Roto Control controller, which has motorized knobs.

gusgranite

Getting some interesting sounds out of this but very crackly. Sounds a bit thin as well.

valdlabs

First, let me say that i'm really grateful to all of you for being so active on providing feedback!

Issues, one by one:

• The biggest bug which will be tackled first is the AUM blank page; you need to run once the native UI then quit it and reload on AUM, that should load the interface. Annoying bug yes, but it's on the top of the list
• Source of Filter ENV is the Filter ENV on the right side of the filter, not sure if that's the question!
• Vertical wasn't on the list but I had some more requests so definitely will be done!
• Interface will be made a bit bigger for iPhone users
• Våld will definitely have some more aggressive stuff in the works haha!
• Indeed it is based on Plaits DSP, it has a "Thank you" and the credits on the splash screen (will make it show for a bit longer) though it is a very modified version (added filter, envelopes, effects, and lots more engines than the original)
• @gusgranite what do you mean crackly? Let me know!
• I will definitely make the midi implementation better, I might also add a midi send from it so it can send out realtime feedback.

I'll try to implement all or most of these on the next release, which hopefully will be done within a week or less.

Thanks again for the fantastic feedback, and apologies for the annoying AUM bug, as it has been the biggest complain (understandably).

Will post here when the new version is up!

rottencat

@rottencat said:
When I open it in AUM I see this:

Makes it difficult to test anything.

Your workaround worked.

In AUM, the none of the DX7 presets produce any sound.

valdlabs

@rottencat said:

@rottencat said:
When I open it in AUM I see this:

Makes it difficult to test anything.

Your workaround worked.

In AUM, the none of the DX7 presets produce any sound.

The DX7 presets and Modal need a bit of tweaking on the engine so they snap to the correct algo positions, it's something in the roadmap - but i'm glad it worked on AUM! It will be fixed.

Also, as a question to the group: i'll probably include a simple sequencer and keyboard for people who just want to test it without the fuss of having to hook it to a host (also for initiates); what do you think?

There is also a better preset system being worked on!