Tera Synth

The file system function set (such as it is) is new and this app is not. It does not work with the newer file functions. You can open recording .wav files in other apps. No need for catastrophizing reviews - the app not only works, it is one of the few best synthesizer apps in the store. Eventually one hopes for a minor file-system-storage-compatibility update from the developer. Meantime, work like an old timer and enjoy a great synth.

A finest example of truly versatile MASSIVE synth that’s intuitively designed not to feel like it’s overwhelming or all over the place! It’s a semi-modular synth, meaning there are fixed number of modules that you can hook up in any way. Once you start experimenting with it, the range of sounds is very wide, and the sound quality is great even without fx applied (the only way to test a synth is with fx Off). As far as semi-modular synths go, Tera is one of the most straightforward ones I’ve ever seen. It’s got a sliding UI that you basically slide from left to right to get to various units. But this is done nicely (not like in Reason iOS), and there’s accelerated scrolling so you can quickly get from one side to the other. Now when I say it’s easy to use, I mean making it do exactly what you want to do quickly. There are a LOT of variation/complexity in what can be done in terms of chaining, filter types, sound sources... can’t even list them all. I can list modulation, you get 4 LFOs, 4 ADSRs, 4 MENV (this is like envelope but you can daw path and more stuff, really cool!) With so much going on, the app runs very efficiently, which is very important on iOS because latest iPads have very limited resources when compared with even much older laptops. Overview - UI is simple/quick to use. Each of those knobs you see, controls amount of whatever it says, the slider underneath controls modulation intensity of this item (up - normal, down opposite), and the box underneath is a modulation source (LFO, env, etc..) Some can have more than one of these. If you scroll to the very right, you’ll see Amplifier, this is where you start. You see 2 input sources with a blend knob on it. For example you can put Filter-1 here. Then scroll to Filter-1 section, which also has an Input box, and you can put OSC-1 there that’s it - you got sound. Or you could put another filter there, a mixer, or something else, but this is basically how you chain things. UI might appear a bit boring looking, like a schematic, but controls are all well placed so it’s super quick to use, and that’s a whole lot more important than flashy colors with limited sound capabilities. There are 2 screens, Synth and Modulation, that control the synth directly (there are also Arp and FX screens). When you tap on modulation box in the Synth screen you get a popup of the thing (LFO, ENV, etc) so you can adjust it directly without going into MOD screen (though you get even more options through MOD) Presets

After making several recordings, discovered they do NOT appear in the iTunes file sharing window. They can NOT be pasted into other applications, do not export into Audioshare or Audio paste, cannot be shared via Airdrop (says “failed”) cannot be saved in Dropbox (says “error”), and cannot be mailed (crashes the program). Basically, any recordings made within the app are unusable.

I’ve just spent a few minutes creating my first patch and, already, I’m in awe of the balance between depth and simplicity in this modular synth. The ease with which one may modulate nearly everything with almost anything is breathtaking, and the waveform options are great. Of course, the mind can’t help but wonder what would happen if all the effects parameters were modulatable, but with 3 oscillators, 4 LFOs, 4 insane envelopes, and a sequencer, I feel confident that I’ll have plenty to explore. Next, I’ll have to test how in runs in AUM and AB3.

Cool synth. But it won’t update to version 1.6? Also the midi learn crashes.

I was excited to see the AU3 support added, but I haven’t been able to get it to work using AUM on iOS11. In the update description you list iOS10 required. Does this mean exactly iOS10 or “at minimum” iOS10. I don’t want to downgrade.

The variety of sounds this synth can produce and the quality of the sound it produces are certainly worthy of much praise. Now with AUv3 it will get even more use than before. Tera is a winner.

Great synth, easily one of my favs, but in all honesty.... I'd be a lot more excited update wise if this became an audio unit. I use addictive pro more than this now because it's an audio unit and I can use it directly inside of Beatmaker 3, Cubasis and Auria pro. Any update that doesn't support audio unit is kinda...meh.

The best all-around iPad synthesizer app available - hands down - is Korg's iM1. Now: I absolutely love iM1, but I don't use it. I play with it, sure! Sounds killer, and it's a blast! What I actually use is Tera - a port of a pc soft that's been around for a while, adapted to the iPad's environment. In a nutshell: Tera is an extraordinarily flexible, extremely powerful polyphonic synthesizer app - easily capable of taking the user/listener into deep sonic waters - the trade-off being that a rich synth tool like Tera requires time, patience, and perseverance to master, especially if you're an inexperienced software synthesizer user. Not that I'm trying to discourage anyone from buying Tera - Tera does come with plenty of great sounds right out of the box, but it's true capabilities - that make it sparkle like a diamond - come from when the user digs into Tera deep, and creates his or her own sounds. The limitations that the prospective Tera user should be aware of are the polyphony (8 notes) and the UI (Tera is super rich/super deep - so much so, that the Dev had to make compromises in regards to how to manage all of it with the iPad's limited screen real estate) July 2016 Update: I've continued to push Tera hard, and I'm happy to say that it continues to deliver above and beyond what is expected. Brilliant! December 2016: There are some absolutely superb software synth apps here in iOS land - as an example: Korg continues to surprise us all with such gifts as a virtual Wavestation and Arp Odyssey - but in spite of all of it, Tera for me is still my go-to synth app - by a wide margin. Tera remains untouchable. July 2017: Still my favorite synthesizer app - It continues to sound insanely rich amongst a crowded field. But let's update it, Virsyn - try to keep it completely current with the times.

It is the only non game app I've ever purchased and I bought because of all the great reviews. It's a wow! I'm stunned. You can tweak sounds to your liking and store them. You can record them as a song! Unreal. Buy it. You won't care about the price.