Mela – AUv3: Synth, FX, MIDI 4+

Modular Music-Making

Nikolozi Meladze

    • 5.0 • 12 Ratings
    • Free
    • Offers In-App Purchases

Description

The 6.2 update introduces powerful new modules: Group, Effect & Layer.

Mela is a modular music-making tool that scales with your needs. With its intuitive interface, you can seamlessly build fully custom polyphonic synthesisers, unique audio effects, and complex MIDI processors. Mela can run as a standalone app on iOS and macOS or as an AUv3 plug-in inside your favourite DAW such as AUM, Cubasis, Drambo, Logic Pro and many more.

In Mela, presets are constructed using modules arranged on lanes, where signals flowing through the lanes are processed by the modules. Audio and MIDI signals can be sent and received to and from the host or routed between lanes using internal buses. Modulator modules can target any module parameter on any lane. Lanes and modules are easily added, removed, or rearranged, allowing you to design presets as simple or complex as needed. Mela comes with 85 modules, with new ones added with every update. The following are some examples from different categories.

- MIDI processors: arpeggiator, chord, Euclidean sequencer, note echo, note modifiers, scale, strummer.
- Synth building blocks: virtual-analog oscillator, FM operator, phaseshaping, noise, VA filter, amp envelope.
- Modulators: envelope follower, envelope generator, LFO, macro control, MIDI source, random.
- Audio effects: chorus, delay, distortion, flanger, phaser, dynamics processors, comb filter, EQ, stereo panner.
- Utilities: level and correlation metering, audio oscilloscope, MIDI capture, MIDI logger, notepad.

Mela can be loaded inside a host as one of the following plug-in types: Instrument, Audio Effect or MIDI Processor. The only difference is the number of audio and MIDI inputs and outputs. Otherwise, the features are identical, and a preset created in one type can be opened by another.

Modules are organised into collections. Collection 0 is free, allowing you to test out Mela's features. Other collections can be purchased via in-app purchases. Every Mela 6.x update will add new modules to Collection 4. You only need to purchase it once. The following is a list of all modules.

Collection 0:
Amp Envelope, Arpeggiator, Audio In, Audio Out, LFO, Meter, MIDI In, MIDI Out, MIDI-to-Poly, Note Pad, Poly-to-Audio, Relative Pitch, Stereo Delay, Transposer, VA Filter, VA Oscillator, Volume.

Collection 1:
Balance, Chord, Chorus, Control Change, Compressor, Distortion, DS Oscillator, Envelope Generator, Envelope Follower, Flanger, Glide, Level, MIDI Logger, MIDI Source, Mono, Noise Oscillator, Note Echo, Note Length, Note Range, Phaser, Pitch Bend, Random, Scale, Strummer, Velocity.

Collection 2:
Clipper, Comb Filter, DC Blocker, Degrader, EQ Band, Fixed Pitch, FM Operator, Macro, MIDI Capture, MIDI Channel, Oscilloscope, Pitch Ratio, Rectifier, Vibrato, Voice Activity, VPS Oscillator.

Collection 3:
All Pass, Audio-to-Mod, Correlation, Digital Delay, Dual Pan, Euclid, Macro Button, Mid-Side, Multiply-Add, Noise Gate, Note Chance, Note Event, Phase Inverter, Pitch Follower, Reverb, Ring Mod, Simple LFO, Stereo Pan.

Collection 4:
Delay, Effect, Feedback, Group, Layer, MIDI Delay, Note-to-Pitch, Note Pulse, Vel-to-Amp.

Mela's capabilities continuously improve, evolve and expand, driven by its long-term vision and user feedback. Feel free to get in touch for anything Mela-related.

Say Hello: nikolozi.com/contact
Tutorials: nikolozi.com/mela/tutorials
Changelog: nikolozi.com/mela/changelog
FAQ: nikolozi.com/mela/faq
Mela Classic vs Mela: nikolozi.com/mela/getting-started/#5-mela-classic-vs-mela

What’s New

Version 6.2

The Mela 6.2 is a significant update, making the app fully native on macOS by moving away from MacCatalyst. It offers improved stability on macOS, particularly when used as an AUv3 plug-in within a host. It also introduces three new modules—Layer, Effect, and Group—replacing the Sublane module.

Layer Module
- Layer module lets you create an audio layer easily using its sublane.
- The sublane takes non-Audio signals, MIDI and Pitch or Poly (non-Audio components), as input.
- The output Audio signal (or the Audio components of the Poly signal) is the sum of the module's input and the sublane's output.
- All other signal types pass through unchanged.
- While the sublane can transform a copy of the MIDI and Pitch input signals, those aren't merged at the output, unlike the Audio signals.
- The module allows you to create synth layers, where each layer can have independent processors such as filters, amp envelopes, panners, and pitch transposition.
- The Volume parameter controls the volume applied to the sublane's output before the Audio signal summing.
- Layer is a Mela Lab module and part of Collection 4.

Effect Module
- Effect module lets you create self-contained custom audio effects.
- Its sublane, called Wet Path, receives a copy of the module's input signals.
- The output Audio signal (or the Audio components of the Poly signal) is the mix of the module's input and the sublane's output.
- While the sublane can transform a copy of the MIDI and Pitch input signals, those aren't merged at the output, unlike the Audio signals.
- The Dry parameter controls the level applied to the module's input before the Audio signal summing.
- The Wet parameter controls the level applied to the sublane's output before the Audio signal summing.
- Effect is a Mela Lab module and part of Collection 4.

Group Module
- Group module lets you group a sequence of modules using its sublane.
- It allows you to move the submodules together or bypass them at once.
- The module's input signals are passed to the sublane.
- The sublane's output signals are passed to the module's output.
- Group modules can be nested.
- Group is a Mela Lab module and part of Collection 4.

Improvements
- Glide: The module now handles non-Poly signals, i.e. it functions properly when following a Note-to-Pitch module.
- Oscillators: The VA and DS Oscillator modules, along with the VPS Oscillator, will no longer animate changes to the Level parameter, except when its sign changes (positive to negative or vice versa). This adjustment improves visibility, as it’s harder to observe how other parameters influence the waveform shape when the Level is near zero.
- DS Oscillator: The module now has the same layout as the VPS Oscillator.
- DS Oscillator: The module now handles zero pitch signal gracefully.
- Preset Browser: On macOS and iPad, you can now secondary-click on a preset to show the context menu instead of the long-press gesture.
- Presets: When the plug-in state is saved or loaded, the "name" field now sets or retrieves the preset name. This ensures that in hosts like Logic Pro, which store presets outside Mela’s file container, the name shown in Mela matches the name of the preset loaded from the host.
- UI: Removed the close buttons from the popovers, as they were redundant. Tap/Click outside to dismiss them.
- UI: The About view is now a popover and follows the zoom setting.

Fixes
- MIDI Delay: Fixed a bug where MIDI messages were delayed by twice the amount of the set tempo-sync value.
- Preset Browser: Fixed a bug where long-pressing a preset shown in search results would sometimes display a wrong context menu.
- Polyphony: Fixed an issue where the Reuse and Release settings were not set in the audio engine.
- Polyphony: Fixed MIDI-to-Poly's voice alignment not working for the same MIDI input in some cases.
- Modulation: Fixed modulation not working correctly for the modules inserted after a module causing a Poly-to-Audio signal collapse.

Ratings and Reviews

5.0 out of 5
12 Ratings

12 Ratings

slyyyde ,

Rich sound palette, elegant UI in form and function

Nikolozi is an awesome dev, highly engaged with the user community, and he has crafted Mela into a beautiful work of art, both sonic and visual. I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what Mela can do. With so many types of oscillators, filters, and effects to mix and match, it offers nearly infinite possibilities for sound design. Workflow is smooth and intuitive, and it encourages exploration.

As a windsynth player, I especially appreciate the range of expressive control that is possible with Mela. The MIDI Source module allows me to meticulously sculpt the response curve of breath and other continuous controller inputs, so that the most subtle nuances of performance can be captured, processed, and routed for modulation in musically useful ways. The sub-millisecond smoothing adjustment eliminates filter “zippering” and other unwanted steppy artifacts that can plague other synths when controlled by breath, while still keeping latency to a minimum, which is critical for responsive live performance.

Mela continues to grow and evolve, with new modules being added all the time, as well as enhancements and refinements to existing functionality. Well worth the price, and well worth investing time and effort to discover, experiment, and enjoy.

_tristan ,

One of a kind.

I never written a review before, but this app and developer deserve it. As someone who’s been making noise for 10+ years I’m familiar with what’s out there….Kilohearts, FabFilter, Baby Audio, Xfer, CableGuys, etc… this dude is up there with the best.

Mela is an incredible platform that I hope never dies. It’s a lean yet infinitely deep instrument…yet it’s an audio effect and did I mention it can do MIDI as well?! Basically any situation you’re in in the studio Mela can be your friend. Niko is an incredible dev who not only cares about the capabilities, quality and aesthetic of Mela but also the FEEL while using.

I don’t know how to properly praise such an incredible experience from using the app, to giving my feedback, to getting support, getting regular updates…this isn’t an app…this is a partner in the studio. If you’re into making music, noise, bleeps, bloops, or anything in between this is a must.

Developer Response ,

Thank you Tristan, for such a lengthy praise. I appreciate it. Words like that keep me going 🧡🙏

jvfjvfjvf ,

An Synth as effect in Aum-Unbelievable!

I kept seeing “runs as an effect and as a synth”in the write-up for many synths. However, what I got a was a synth’s actual effects in the effects slot and for the Special synths that explicitly stated runs as an effect in the effects slot—There were none that even worked. I was wary when I saw this one, lo and behold it runs as an effect in the fx slot. Imagine, a synth with more parameters(Egs,Lfo’s…and I mean……)than any of the others I own in Ios,as an effect right alongside my Blackhole,Shimmer Delay and UA Needlepoint! How would you know if you created a sound from an alternte Universe, anyways.

App Privacy

The developer, Nikolozi Meladze, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy.

Data Not Collected

The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

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