Micronix: Plaits’ 24 synthesis models in a free synth plugin

Push and Groove has released Micronix, a free software synth built on the 24 synthesis models of Plaits, Mutable Instruments’ well-known Eurorack oscillator, with modulation and MIDI control added for use in a DAW. Version 1.0.1 has been available since October 18 on Push and Groove’s official page; the news was picked up by Synthtopia.

Plaits, as a plugin

Plaits is a macro oscillator: a single module that packs some two dozen ways to make a sound, each driven by just three controls. Designed by Émilie Gillet at Mutable Instruments, it became a modular staple, and its code was released under the open MIT licence. Micronix includes that DSP (digital signal processing) code; Push and Groove states that Micronix is an independent product, neither affiliated with nor endorsed by Mutable Instruments.

The 24 models cover:

• virtual analogue (classic waveforms to filter and modulate);
• FM, including a six-operator engine;
• wavetable (the sound sweeps through a series of waveforms) — see our explainer on wavetable synthesis;
• granular synthesis, physical modelling (strings, resonators) and percussion engines.

Each model is played with three macros, Harmonics, Timbre and Morph, whose labels change per model to show what they actually do. As on the module, you can blend the OUT and AUX outputs, the second one giving a variation of the sound.

What the plugin adds to the module

Modulation

An LFO (low-frequency oscillator, which moves a parameter in a loop) offers five waveforms: sine, triangle, square, saw and sample & hold (a random value held for each cycle). It runs free or syncs to the DAW tempo. The modulation matrix has four rows of Source, Via, Destination and bipolar Amount; sources include the LFO, the amp envelope, velocity, mod wheel, aftertouch and key tracking.

Envelope: ADSR or low-pass gate

Amplitude is shaped either by a classic ADSR envelope (attack, decay, sustain, release, covered in our ADSR envelope explainer) or by an LPG mode. A low-pass gate closes both the volume and the high frequencies of the sound, which gives Plaits its dry attacks and natural decays; it is set with a Decay and a Color control.

Playing and workflow

• monophonic playing in retrigger or legato mode, adjustable glide, octave shift and pitch bend;
• on-screen keyboard with a Hold function;
• Randomize picks a random model and macro settings, Restore goes back to the previous setting;
• waveform, envelope and modulation displays, and a resizable interface.

Formats: VST3 on 64-bit Windows, AU and VST3 on macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon). No CLAP or AAX: the difference between formats is explained in our guide to VST3, AU, AAX and CLAP.

Who it is for, what it costs, what it competes with

Who it is for. Producers curious about the Plaits sound who do not want to invest in a Eurorack system, and modular users who want their module inside the DAW. Micronix is monophonic: it targets basses, leads and percussion, not chord pads.

What it costs. Free. A Micronix Pro version adds two independent engines, polyphony, ring modulation, a Filtronix-derived filter, two LFOs, two modulation envelopes, a step sequencer and preset management, for an introductory US$19 instead of US$29.

What it competes with.

• VCV Rack: the free virtual modular rack can host a version of Plaits (Macro Oscillator 2, in the free Audible Instruments plugin), but you have to patch everything else yourself.
• Surge XT: a free, open-source polyphonic synth whose Twist oscillator is inspired by Plaits, inside a much larger instrument.

Micronix sits between the two: all 24 models ready to play, no patching, with just the modulation you need. For more recent free instruments, see our Free & Open Source section, including Full Bucket’s free Matriq-Six.