LayR-Multi Timbral Synthesizer 4+

Living Memory Software's 5 star, multi-timbral synthesiser LayR, previously only available only on iOS, can now be used via catalyst on the Mac. If you're already using LayR on iOS then you'll have no trouble with this version but new Mac users should be aware this is an iOS app/Audio Unit ported to the Mac with little change, all the iOS touch interactions are translated to left mouse clicks, long clicks (press & hold) and drags for swiping.

LayR delivers up to 256 voices of rich, multi-layered cinematic sounds and comes with many incredible presets made by some incredible sound designers. This Mac version is the iOS app converted to work in the Mac iOS emulation environment called Catalyst and runs as an app or as a v3 audio unit.

LayR's primary sound components are called Performances where a Performance is a set of Instruments and each Instrument is a set of Layers and each Layer is a complete synthesiser. A performance can consist of any number of instruments each with its own MIDI channel and crossfading keyboard span and each Instrument can have up to 128 Layers.

Each Layer has a dual oscillator that can morph with modulation between two shapes and phase states, two rich and warm state variable filters, a wave folder and a mixing section to blend oscillators and filters in any serial/parallel combination.

For modulation (frequency, amplitude and phase) there are two Low Frequency Oscillators ranging from DC to audio frequency switchable to optionally follow keyboard pitch and restart phase when a note is started. Two loopable ADSR envelopes ranging from fractions of a second to over 100 seconds, an amplitude ADSR and a random number generator with a smoothing filter. With stereo delay, reverb and EQ on the output section LayR excels at not only emulating normal analog synth sounds but also at creating massive pads and huge spacy ambient textures with extremely long evolution cycles.

An extensive selection of usable instrument and performance presets are included which can be loaded using MIDI bank select and program change messages in the same manner as hardware synths.

LayR sports extremely flexible MIDI control. Every parameter in the synth engine can be assigned to any MIDI Control Change number and parameters spread across multiple Layers can be grouped and controlled by a single MIDI cc with assignable range and direction.

There is also an 8 track, 16 step Arpeggio Sequencer which can be used to create all sorts of exciting polyrhythmic looped patterns or even ambient generative music. Each track can have its own speed, playback mode and length.

On top of all that LayR has a MIDI Controller Mixer that can be used during performance to control the synth engine in real time and can also transmit MIDI cc's from LayR's output port to other destinations.