You can turn the vactrol response down to instantaneous, or up to a pronounced ring. Kaivo is truly inspiring to use, sounds wonderful and does things that no other synth can. What it involves is the simulation of the physical aspects of a sound producer, using mathematical equations to simulate each aspect of the sound maker. You can set the shape of the probability distribution that generates your random signals — from very slow sub-audio to high rate audio. This subtle variety can quickly give a very lifelike quality to sounds that would be tedious to recreate with sampling.
This is as close as Kaivo comes to having a traditional oscillator. Next along the upper row of modules is a Sequencer, which is indeed a standard 16 step sequencer. The Noise module is a highly programmable random control source. Obviously, the source sample is hugely influential on the final result, but there's no limit to what you can do to it using that powerful arsenal of modules. And while Kaivo is capable of making very realistic sounds, it is also designed to apply this subtlety to abstract creations. As for instrument bodies, there are four, including two wooden body models, a metal plate, and a frame drum—all true 2D models. It has a unique kind of visualisation, where the setting of each knob as it is being controlled is displayed as changing lines.
Great for deep environments and filmic spaces. And although Kaivo is able to create very realistic sounds, it is also designed to apply this feature to abstract creations. Plenty of synthesizers still use the voice design laid out by the Minimoog 40 years ago. Aalto's sounds are not hyped or confined, they are wide-range, open and natural. Vertical lines show the places in the multi-track sample that waveforms are currently being derived from.
Many aspects of these two resonators for that's what they both are can be adjusted, from Pitch, Brightness and Sustain, to the position within the Resonator at which it's excited by the Granulator output, and the physical connection points between the Resonator and Body. And while Kaivo is capable of making very realistic sounds, it is also designed to apply this subtlety to abstract creations. There are also additional delayed outputs for both the trigger pulse and level outputs, and these delays can also be set. It can do a great line in 'realistic' physical modelling, but what it really excels at is the mad, textural stuff: twisted pads, elemental ambiences, bonkers impacts, terrifying Texas Chainsaw metallics, the distant sound of space. The samples the Granulator uses are a maximum of eight seconds long, but some of them are multi-track.
The sound modules are configured in a fixed left-to-right signal path. And, as mentioned, when the synth is set to polyphonic operation, each voice gets its own copy of the sequencer, which can work independently of the others. It is full offline installer standalone setup of Madrona Labs Aalto 1. Then there is a final Output module, which has a tilt equalizer, a simple chorus two variations, and off , and a limiter, which can be switched off for the brave of heart. Although, for example, in a real Body, there would only be one set of resonant frequencies, in Kaivo, the pitch of the Body can be modulated. User and factory presets now share the same location. An update is planned that will allow user waves to be imported.
Aalto is designed as much for sequencing patterns as for playing individual notes. Sonically, Kaivo is very much one of a kind, as you'd expect given its unique combination of generators and processors. Literally all of the controls in the Granulator, Gate, Resonator and Body sections can be modulated, each with its own depth setting, and featuring both linear and logarithmic mod inputs for the Granulator and Resonator Pitch knobs. Each of these is modelled as a two-dimensional object. The Granulator's output is sent via the Gate section dynamic shaping and filtering to the physical modelling Resonator and Body sections, which come together to create your basic modelled instrument, 'excited' by the Granulator. Kaivo brings some of the latest academic research in physical modeling to a patchable package for the first time.
This collection of control modules is very cleverly put together. Grains are faded in and out to avoid clicks, and their lengths can be set anywhere from absolutely tiny to the full length of the loaded sample. Improved drag ergonomics for dials. Great for deep environments and filmic spaces. Pitch-bend depth, glide, the number of notes of polyphony, and micro-tuning scale can also be set.
And for those just getting into synthesis, Aalto is an accurate and honest tool for learning. If you set Kaivo to three-note polyphony and play a three-note chord, for instance, the vox output will transmit a value of 1. Both the number of steps and the offset starting step can be modulated in real time, as can the playback rate. This is complete offline installer and standalone setup for Madrona Labs Kaivo 1. Kaivo is a very different kind of beast, one which might give you lots of opportunities for exploring new sonic ground. In Kaivo, it is possible to create expansive spatial sounds with independent panning.