Developer(s) Image-Line Software Operating system License Proprietary | Written in Delphi Type Software synthesizer | |
Initial release October 2011; 5 years ago (2011-10) | ||
Harmor is a software synth created by Image-Line Software for the music production program FL Studio. It is available as a demo version within the software; however, it must be purchased separately in order to save projects that contain Harmor channels. Harmor is an upgraded and more elaborate version of its predecessor, Harmless. It was originally released with a 32-bit engine, and upgraded to a 64-bit engine in 2013.
Contents
Additive Synthesis Engine
Harmor is powered by an additive synthesis engine, similar to Image Line’s synthesizer Morphine. Harmor’s engine differs in that it sums its component partials later in the signal chain than most additive synthesis engines, even past the filter stage. This creates a more particular sound when its partials are summed. This is especially true when its partials are altered through the filter stage or other effects. A more evolving and changing sound can be achieved due to this delayed summation of partials. Harmor also uses subtractive synthesis equally as effectively as it does additive. It can produce up to 516 partials per note, per unison sound. They also can be modified in real time through Harmor’s additive synthesis engine as described before. Imported audio (WAV, AIFF, WavPack, MP3, OGG, REX1&2) and image (.bmp, .jpg, .png, .gif) files can also be resynthesized quite extensively such as time stretching, pitch shifting, etc. When opened, Harmor’s spectrogram (visual feedback panel) shows partials sent the synthesis engine and displays their modulations in live time.
Effects
Harmor is equipped with various effects to alter its sounds. It comes with distortion, chorus, delay, reverb, and comp (compression/limiting). All of these effects can be individually tweaked by various factors relating to that particular effect. The comp effect is powered by Maximus, a plugin by Image-Line.
Envelopes, LFOs, and Filters
Harmor offers the unique option of being able to draw one’s own envelopes for filters, along with LFOs. These envelopes and LFOs are applied to each individual partial simultaneously, rather than the final compilation of partials in a sound. This creates a much cleaner and more authentic modulation of a sound compared to envelopes within synthesizers that are not applied to individual partials.
General GUI Features
Harmor contains tools on its main GUI to modulate sound, different from the effects located under the FX tab. Two timbres, a saw and square wave, can be morphed or used independently when creating a sound. These are the default when Harmor is opened, but they can be edited or changed. Reverb and preverb effects can be created by using the blur knob to smear the partials horizontally. Blurring the top and bottom of a partial affects its frequencies, while blurring the left and right of a partial affect its attack and decay, respectively. Located directly below the blur, the prism knob is useful for creating a detuned or harsh sound. Partials are shifted from their original frequency to the fundamental frequency, causing quite a clash between them. Especially useful for creating a string-like sound, the pluck knob uses a filter to impact the decay rate of a sound's partials. This simulates an effect of a string being plucked; however, any sound created in Harmor can be emulated in that fashion. The Global Controls section of Harmor's GUI controls a variety of effects more related to the performance of notes rather than the timbre of the sound. Articulation of notes is strongly effected by the legato and strum controls. The only timbre controls within the Global Controls is the A/B switch. This feature controls two independent parts that can be mixed and modulated separately. The depth of the final output is much deeper and complex due to these factors controlling more characteristics of the sound.