Andrew Strickland has released Pentaholic Synth, available as a FREE download with an optional.in-app purchase that unlocks the full features.
Pentaholic Sketchpad Synth – The First Digital Emulation of the Gleeman Pentaphonic – 5 Voice Polyphony – Analog Modeled CEM 3320 24dB Filter – 300 Note Seauencer – MPE.
Pentaholic is a digital emulation of the Gleemar Pentaphonic, a rare polyphonic synthesizer from the early 1980s. Built natively for Apple Silicon, it captures the specific character of the original hardware–its five-voice architecture and unique modulation routing–while providing a stable, modern interface on iOS.
Most modern sequencers are micro-managers that ask you to draw every velocity curve and nudge every MIDI note. Pentaholic is designed for the initial spark By maintaining the classic 5-voice limit and focusing on a tactile workflow, it limits your options to the essentials. It removes the infinite possibilities of a DAW piano roll, forcing you to focus on rhythm and melody rather than production.
The original hardware was known for its “rubbery’ filters and a distinct grit sitting somewhere between a Prophet-5 and a Rhodes Chroma. Through meticulous analog modeling, Pentaholic recreates the exact internal signal path of those five voices using a high- performance, zero-latency C++ DSP core
Authentic 5-Voice Polyphony: True to the original circuit limitations, complete with a beautifully nodeled gain stage saturation that organically overdrives the signal as your voices stack.
- Oscillators: 3 DCOs per voice featuring Triangle Ramp, Square, exact Pulse widths (3%. 12%, 50%) and Complex waveforms, capturing the precise electrical imperfections of the original hardware.
- The Filter: A painstakingly modeled CEM 3320 24dE resonant lowpass filter sweeping from 20Hz to 18,000Hz. We preserved the specific bite, instability, and nonlinearities of the classic CEM chips used in the original units.
- Envelopes: Dual independent, ultra-snappy ADSR for Filter and VCA (5ms to 5.0s)
- The Sketchpad Sequencer: A 300-note polyphonic performance capture system completely faithful to the original hardware
- Real-Time Capture: Records exactly what you play in real-time-pitch, gate, and polyphony-allowing you to commit to an idea instantly.
- Dynamic Voice Stealing: Integrated logic lets you play live over your sequences without playback interruption.
- AUv3 & Standalone: Seamless plug-in integration with Logic Pro for iPad, GarageBand, AUM, and other AUv3 hosts
- Native MPE Support: Deep compatibility with modern expressive MIDI controllers.
For more information on Pentaholic Synth, click here:
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