Mononoke

Expressive Drone Synthesizer

Published by: Bram Bos
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Description

Mononoke is an unconventional synthesizer, designed to compose evolving soundscapes and musical textures.
Feedback routing
What sets Mononoke apart from other synths is that its voices (4 in each section) can be routed back into each other in multiple ways, creating all sorts of overtones and pulsating resonant frequencies. Sometimes harmonic, sometimes weirdly atonal. Sometimes clear and delicate as icicles, sometimes harsh as metallic blades, sometimes soft as fresh snow. This interaction between voices helps fuse all layers together into a coherent musical landscape.
A tale of two engines
The synthesizer engines (each of the two sections has its own independent engine) have relatively simple controls, which influence a complex system of many invisible, interconnected LFOs. But this is not your bread-and-butter general purpose synthesizer: think of Mononoke as one huge FM synthesizer where each voice is an independently playable operator. Together all operators contribute to a single soundscape.
Expressive pads
Complex soundscapes can be created live, using the 8 performance pads which let you modulate each voice independently in several dimensions. Your interactions with the pads will also be sent out as MPE/MIDI (when loaded as an AU plugin in a compatible host) so you can record and tweak your session. The onscreen pads can be latched individually so some voices can be used as drones, while others as can be added and removed as extra sonic layers. The pads are fully integrated in the Audio Unit plugin.
Connectivity
Mononoke is designed as an AUv3 plugin, with advanced Audio Unit features such as MPE input and output (!), a fully exposed array of AU parameters for automation and all the connectivity and scalability you can expect from modern plugins. 
The standalone mode is basic (just meant for jamming and creating presets) and does not offer any connectivity, so if you want to use Mononoke in conjunction with other apps and effects you'll need to load it into a host, such as Garageband, Audiobus, AUM or Cubasis.
Summary:
- Audio Unit (AUv3) plugin
- 8 voice polyphony, 2 independent engines with 4 voices each
- Compatible with MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) and MIDI
- MIDI Input and Output (only available when used as an Audio Unit plugin)
- Limited standalone mode for jamming (full screen, no connectivity)
- 8 independently tunable performance pads for expressive interaction
- Universal, fully scalable to any screen size, supports fullscreen mode in AU hosts
- Freely tunable voices, or quantized to semitones (with overall finetuning)
- iOS10 (MIDI/MPE output from the plugin requires iOS11) or higher
Also contains Mononoke Pads: an extra AUv3 MIDI controller plugin for playing MPE compatible synths using Mononoke's pads. Note: this is a separate plugin which will be installed in your MIDI Plugin collection. Mononoke Pads requires iOS 11.
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Mononoke FAQ

  • Is Mononoke free?

    Mononoke is not free (it costs 34.90), however it doesn't contain in-app purchases or subscriptions.

  • Is Mononoke legit?

    🤔 The Mononoke app's quality is mixed. Some users are satisfied, while others report issues. Consider reading individual reviews for more context.

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  • How much does Mononoke cost?

    The price of Mononoke is 34.90.

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User Rating
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Ratings History

Mononoke Reviews

Spectacular

Tek314 on

United States

This is one of my favorite iOS synths. Absolutely incredible sounds, and a great interface for expressions. Kudos to the devs. I adore Mononoke.

I’ve been chasing that sound

space-age on

United States

I finally took the Euro-Rack plunge after hearing a Radigue recording. The Arp 2500 modules are intriguing, but this stunning App takes great strides at the price of a sandwich. And plays with the new Logic Pro.

Bad Midi Controllability

EthanGross on

United States

note to dev: learn to take some criticism for your work. its a great app, just needs some attention in some areas. settle down bram wow This app makes notes hang when you press more than one on any midi controller. Also there is no aftertouch which makes playing it with a keyboard even more useless. ty.

Monster drone synth!

widowsson379 on

United States

When I first bought this app, I didn’t know what to make of it. Then, I watched videos on the Lyra-8 and everything fell into place. This app masterfully recreates and improves on the original design. Not only does it have the crazy feedback modulations on the oscillators, it has added LFO waves, wavefolding, and MPE sensitive buttons with individual holds and velocity. This synth is worth every penny, and once you delve into modulating the voices and put the presets aside, you will find that this app is every bit as visceral and organismic as the Lyra-8. In my opinion, it is even more so.

Nothing but crashing

deezbeatz on

United States

Opened 3 times in 10 minutes......sound cuts off after a few minutes.....honestly can't even say anything about it cause it just won't run correctly.......I may be on an ipad4 but that's no reason for this app not to be working, as I have plenty other apps from this dev plus many other apps just as new as this app that run flawlessly......and I definitely do want a refund. EDIT I understand that but that does not change the fact that it crashes ...... and for that I would like a refund. It's not asking much.

Issues with mononoke

pjeadmin134 on

United States

The app can’t appear in my iPad whether as inter app or auv3 pls pls fixes the problem because I just purchased it.

Not Your Average Synthsizer

BozoToo on

United States

Actually, Mononoke is not a synthesizer. It is an electronic musical instrument to be sure. But it is not a synthesizer in the normal sense of the word. Lots of good things to say about, but most of them have been said in other reviews. The bottom line is it is a great deal of fun to play around with. The range of music you can do with Mononoke is quite limited. But think of it as a specialty instrument, not a general purpose synthesizer. One of the best features is its playability. Control Voltage structures are limited. The instrument is clearly intended to be played manually, complete with MPE data capabilities. The included ability to use the tunable playing pads as a separate MIDI control surface to play other instruments within an AU host is a great big plus. Shortcomings: ¡¡Mononoke NEEDS a dedicated volume knob!! The lack of a discrete master volume knob is very limiting. You have only one really useful way to control the volume of Mononoke, which is to run it through an AU mixer or host DAW. But that can be awkward, especially in live performance. A simple volume knob seems to me to be a necessary, obvious and very simple item on the upgrade list.

Wonderful drone synth

sneJ on

United States

As I learn my way around Mononoke, it’s become one of my favorite instruments. Its drones are so expressive, going from pure tones to howling nightmares as the wavefolder and feedback kick in. The multiple LFOs keep the sound in motion. And the pads let you change chords or add some melody during a performance. I’ve found Mononoke to be a perfect accompaniment to ambient guitar. It sets the key and mode for me to solo over, and it can match the sweetness or harshness of the guitar’s tone. It’s really been putting my creativity in high gear! I should note that I own a Lyra-8, the Russian synth that clearly inspired Mononoke. The Lyra-8 is a crazed beast I’m almost afraid to turn on. Bram Bos has caught its spirit but tamed it a bit, made it into something mere mortals can explore and live to tell the tale.

A Subtle Beast

Morgman73 on

United States

Only subtle until you understand that is not that at all. Once again, Bram kills the game with his vision and amazing creativity to create usable inst. Nothing new in way of this developers knack for making machines that not only are incredibly usable but stable and expressive. 10 Stars.

Tunings !

DRKPHK on

United States

Woah I over looked the tuning capabilities Excellent!

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Top Paid
235
Top Paid
338
Top Paid
397

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