The art
of sound design
Discover presets that have been designed by experts in every sonic field and enhanced to bring out the dynamic capabilities of PolyBrute 12’s expressive features.
The world’s top sound designers pushed PolyBrute 12 to its limit, harnessing its massive tonal palette and infinitely expressive FullTouch® keyboard. Each preset has been designed to be explored: inviting you to Morph between an infinite spectrum of sound and discover breathtaking aftertouch effects.
We reached out to sound designers, producers, and musicians to give voice to PolyBrute 12’s true nature. They have mastered its complex architecture to produce sounds unlike any other synthesizer before it - intertwining webs of modulation and expression into composition textures that are simply alive.
Read about our sound designers’ personal experiences with PolyBrute 12: what inspired them, their approach, and what they wanted to achieve with each patch.
Granular Pad
Arovane
„Granular Pad“ preset is a fav' one. I love the grainy, noise texture and the textured depth of that sound. It shows excellently the tonal variability of the Polybrute 12 synthesizer.
Arovane - on PolyBrute 12
I really like the Polybrute. It is powerful as an analog synthesizer but can also sound very delicate and digital in a positive way. Sounds are very easy to shape with the filters, the mod matrix and the new touch envelope function enables extremely nuanced playing. I'm always surprised at the variety of tones and possibilities this instrument offers.
For me it's interesting to get new tones out of an instrument. I am interested in unusual aspects of a sound. My method is to rely on decades of experience with synthesizers and then experiment. to explore sonic boundaries.
Sandcastles
Lily jordy
I chose "Sandcastles", an Env Touch mode lo-fi dusty keys patch, which responds to the touch in a very unpredictable way when pressing down and playing with the Ribbon - it becomes a wild drone. But you can also play it super simply as a plucked keys in its base state.
Lily - on PolyBrute 12
The new Env Touch mode is a pioneering mode in sound design - to be able to play a pluck sound when hitting the note a certain way, but to have a deep expressive pad when slowly pressing and holding down? I've never seen it (heard it...) before.
I really enjoyed reworking and leveling up my previous presets with the new Aftertouch Modes - it's like the sound went from being 2D to 3D! However, it was a challenge to stick to simplicity when making brand new patches on the Polybrute 12 Voices, because of the multiplied possibilities of expression with the new Modes. My stream of consciousness would flow too quickly while making sounds. So I decided to embrace the complexity of the new sounds I made, and their slightly chaotic nature.
Kuba Sojka - on PolyBrute 12
It is surprising what experience PolyBrute 12 gives in terms of expression and dynamics. With this in mind, it is on par with acoustic instruments. And the additional fact that we have as many as 12 voices of polyphony in an analog synthesizer gives greater possibilities in synthesis and gives an organic feel when creating sounds.
My approach was to imagine, for each preset I created, an actual instrument, what it might look like even in its most futuristic form. This made it easier for me to program parameters such as aftertouch, velocity and touch strip, it was really challenging and a lot of fun.
Deep Coral
Deep Coral is one of my favorite presets because it captures both the mellow character and sharp resonance of the filter. It responds perfectly to dynamics, changing the pulsation of the sound. Using it, you can create many dimensions of sound, and the sound itself may give the impression of using several presets at once.
Before Creation
Victor Morello
I really like the 'Before Creation' preset. It's an expressive and wide dub timbre playing a simple sequence (made by the LFO 1 using a saw waveform). It's sent into phasing and a long stereo delay. Experimenting with simple chords that rely on only two or three notes and subtly varying the amount of pressure on each key creates these dubby notes going thru the long stereo delay, that would be very tedious to recreate manually.
Victor Morello - on PolyBrute 12
My task was to create sounds that relied on the "Envelope Touch" aftertouch mode, which lets you basically continuously "create" the envelopes with your fingers as you press the keys, instead of relying on a fixed duration. Not only you win a tremendous amount of time along the way, since you avoid tedious work on volume automation, but it also makes you cultivate the physical proximity and feedback you get from playing an acoustical instrument. Playing Pad sounds this way was a "wow" moment for me!
Since I had to focus on the specific Envelope Touch mode, I knew I wanted to create a couple of processed sounds that use distortion as a main component of the sound. I also created presets that were pretty dry and simple, allowing users to create movement using with their own playing styles.
The Opening
Jean-Michel Blanchet
'The Opening' represents all the power and subtlety of the Polybrute 12's sound, as well as being a fine tribute to vintage analog synthesizers! The A layer is a very characteristic string sound that demonstrates the quality and thickness of the analogue sound. The Envelope Touch mode lets you play the VCA and filter envelopes from a very stretched strings ensemble sound by gently pressing one (or more) note(s), to a faster, shorter envelope if you play staccato... Layer B, meanwhile, has a more modern ambient pad sound, using a subtle, more metallic and ethereal timbre. For me, this sound is a beautiful illustration of the Polybrute 12's identity.
Jean-Michel - on PolyBrute 12
When I started using the Polybrute 12, I was immediately seduced by the possibilities of expression offered by the new after-touch modes! The Full Touch mode provides rich additional dimension for modulating one or more parameters of the instrument simply by playing the aftertouch on a note. The sound of the preset can then evolve to take on a whole new dimension, as morphing does in a more global sense. The Envelope Touch mode is also an extraordinary innovation, enabling you to switch very quickly within the same sound from a very stretched sound by pressing gently on one (or more) notes, to a snappier, shorter envelope if you play staccato.
Before creating the sounds on the Polybrute 12, I started by identifying the ways in which the synth's new functions could be used. Polyphonic after-touch modes, 12-voice polyphony, polyphonic unison mode. I then oriented the creation of presets around these features. I started with an 'Init' sound, chose the basic timbre for the VCOs and filters, then 'modelled' the sound using, in particular, the Envelope Touch mode to modulate the filter and VCA envelopes, then I used morphing to affect my sound using the Morphee controller. I could also use the 'Dual' mode to create a much richer ambience or sound.