Relic Waves

What it does

A generator of lo-fi noises, pads and effects built on NightRadio’s own synthesis algorithms. Every sound is held in a short code of letters and numbers under the display, and you either step through them with the arrows or type your own string to land somewhere else. A lock holds the slots you like while the rest re-randomise. The controls stay few: volume, transpose, stereo width, reverb, echo and an envelope that stretches short stabs into slow attacks. It is polyphonic and tracks octaves from a keyboard.

In the demo

Jade runs several instances in AUM under Bounce Bud, Scaler and an arpeggiator, holding notes to hear sounds modulate and stacking other effects apps on top. She records inside the app, exports a WAV over Wi-Fi, and tracks it into Logic for iPad.

Worth knowing

There is no sample import and little editing, so it is a machine for finding sounds rather than shaping them. It fits noise, drone and soundscape work more than conventional parts.