Polymorphia
and the art of expression
Discover a new sound bank for PolyBrute 12 that pushes its aftertouch modes into new sonic territory, and learn about the philosophy of sound design for this uniquely expressive instrument.
When sound designing with PolyBrute 12, it is important to anticipate every subtle gesture that can shape the final result of a sound. Below, we explore this creative process in more detail and introduce Polymorphia; a bank of 64 presets built as an expressive toolkit for modern film scoring and contemporary composition.
A dialogue between
musician and instrument
Sound design on the PolyBrute 12 demands a fundamental shift in philosophy. It asks the creator to move past simply programming a static patch and embrace the nuanced craft of building a living, responsive sound that is playable across multiple dimensions.
This elevated dialogue between musician and instrument is born from the PolyBrute 12's core. The groundbreaking FullTouch® keyboard dissolves the barrier between physical gesture and sonic modulation, capturing expressive detail across the entire range of a key's travel. A sound is no longer just triggered; it is coaxed and mutated into existence. This challenges sound designers to think kinesthetically; to anticipate how a delicate press will yield a different truth than a sharp, percussive strike.
The reward for this deeper engagement is a palpable sense of life. When sculpted with this intention in mind, a single preset can contain a spectrum of possibilities. A slow, deliberate lean into a chord can make a filter bloom with acoustic-like authenticity; a tightly focused bass can open into a resonant, cinematic drone. This transformative potential is the result of a seamless integration of technologies: from the per-note sensitivity of FullTouch, to the narrative power of its A-to-B morphing architecture, and the rich, unwavering foundation of a dual-filter 12-voice analog engine.
Ultimately, to build a patch for the PolyBrute 12 is to choreograph a performance, shaping an instrument where the final authorship is ceded to the hands of the artist.
Lily Jordy
on PolyBrute 12
The Polybrute 12 doesn’t just elevate your live playing and composition, it transforms it. With its sensitivity, it allows you to tell a story with a single sound, shaping emotion in real time. Every gesture, every subtle movement of your fingers brings out new layers of nuance, depth, and color. It’s an instrument that feels malleable and alive in your hands, the way that a cello can, and opens up a rich world of musical storytelling.
Polymorphia
Dynamic analog sounds that breathe
#warm, #dynamic, #tactile, #cinematic
Focusing on emotional depth and vivid expression, this curated library of 64 presets pushes PolyBrute 12’s powerful aftertouch capabilities to new heights. From evolving arps and cinematic bass pulses to soaring leads, delicate plucked textures, and immersive pads, each sound is crafted for warmth, resonance, and dynamic movement. Morph between contrasting moods, explore the nuances of Full Touch control, and perform in real time with the the Ribbon and 3-dimensional Morphee —an expressive toolkit for film scoring and contemporary composition alike.
Granular Pad
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.”
Before Creation
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
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 Blanchet - 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.”
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.
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.”
Analog Generation
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Golden era synthesis
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Cinematique
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Film score fuel
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Luminescent
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Light in the polyphonic abyss
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Electro Voltage Vol 1
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Tomita
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An homage to an analog pioneer
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