synSurface - a first generation FM synth app - is now free! Go to our webpage to see newer apps that feature more powerful synth engines, Audiobus, and Core MIDI compatibility.
synSurface is a powerful and easy to use polyphonic synthesizer for the iPad.
A bank of cascaded-triple-oscillator frequency modulation (FM) synthesizers provides a broad palette of sounds from percussion to strings with over 170 million variations.
The keyboard can be scrolled across the full 88 keys of a piano from A0 to C8. You can even change the size of the keys to suit the size of your fingers. The keys are touch sensitive - the harder you tap a key the louder the sound.
The large iPad surface exposes all of the controls without having to use multiple views or dialogs.
Besides the keyboard there are six control bars:
The fundamental oscillator bar controls the synths amplitude attack and decay, register (octave) shift, and portamento (for "sliding" from note to note).
Two modulator bars control the sound. Each has the following controls: attack, decay, frequency ratio (defines the harmonic frequencies), modulation index (the number of harmonics), and dynamic modulation (how the harmonics change in time).
Keyboard size bar changes the size/number of keys on the keyboard.
Patch bar rotates through 32 preset patches plus 12 of your own custom sounds.
Custom sounds can be created from scratch or modified from existing sounds using the copy and paste bar
As you change from one patch to the next, you can watch the synthesizers parameter values change on the control bars.