Nikaya Synth User Manual
Overview
Nikaya Synth is a polyphonic wavetable synthesizer for iOS, iPadOS and Apple Silicon Macs, as a standalone app and as an AUv3 instrument plugin. Its combination of wavetable synthesis, bidirectional frequency modulation (FM) and a morphing filter envelope allows both precise and wildly experimental sound design.
What is Wavetable Synthesis?
Wavetable synthesis is a digital technique that allows oscillators to sweep through a series of single-cycle waveforms (called frames) stored in a wavetable. Unlike traditional subtractive synthesis, which relies on fixed wave shapes (like sine, saw, square), wavetable synthesis offers dynamic spectral content: you can morph continuously between waveforms over time.
In Nikaya, each oscillator scans the wavetable with its own "Wave Index". By modulating this index, you can create dynamic timbral shifts—perfect for evolving pads, animated leads or futuristic textures.
What is FM Synthesis?
Frequency Modulation (FM) synthesis uses one oscillator (the modulator) to vary the frequency of another oscillator (the carrier). This creates complex overtones that can sound metallic, bell-like or deeply textured.
Nikaya combines FM with wavetable synthesis. The two oscillators of each voice modulate each other, and the modulator is a wavetable frame whose wave index can move. This means:
- The shape of the FM modulator is not static—it evolves with the wave index.
- Even with simple modulation depths, you can generate rich, animated sounds.
- Cross-modulation adds even more complexity, with textures that change at both macro and micro levels.
Expressive Power in Simplicity
Despite its deep engine, Nikaya keeps the interface and workflow intuitive. By combining:
- Wave index modulation
- FM depth and ratio control
- A morphing, cycling filter envelope
...you can design huge, expressive patches with just a few modulation routes.
Core Architecture
Signal Flow
Per voice (x 8):
OSC 1 + OSC 2 + FM 1 + FM 2
↓
Amplitude Envelope (ADSR)
↓
Sum of all voices
↓
Ladder Filter (with the Filter Envelope)
↓
Soft Clip → Output
Architectural Highlights
- 8-voice Polyphony: Every note you play gets its own pair of wavetable oscillators, two FM operators and an amplitude envelope.
- Shared Wavetable, Independent Indices: Both oscillators use the same wavetable but scan it independently, for layered motion from a single source.
- Per-Voice FM Synthesis: Each voice includes two FM operators that use the current wavetable frames of the other oscillator as the modulator.
- Clean Oscillators: The wavetables are band-limited for every octave, so high notes stay clean and low notes stay smooth, and wavetable morphing has no steps.
- One Global Filter: All voices go through one 24 dB/oct ladder filter with its own envelope.
- Graphical Envelope Display: The amplitude envelope display shows the phase of the latest triggered voice.
Wavetable Oscillators
Shared Wavetable Structure
- OSC 1 and OSC 2 always share the same wavetable.
- Each oscillator scans the wavetable with its own wave index.
- Up to 128 frames per wavetable.
Wavetable Sources
Factory Wavetables
- Algorithmically generated
- Harmonic, spectral, chaotic and vocal types
Audio File Import
- Split one WAV into equal segments (by sample length)
- Import a folder of single-cycle waves
Image-Based Generation
- Convert images into wavetables using brightness analysis
- Drag and drop, or pick from your photo library
Oscillator Parameters
Frequency Modulation (FM) Oscillators
FM Architecture
Each of the 8 voices has two FM operators:
- FM 1: OSC 2 modulates OSC 1 (the carrier is OSC 1)
- FM 2: OSC 1 modulates OSC 2 (the carrier is OSC 2)
The modulator is the current wavetable frame of the other oscillator, so the FM tone changes when the wave index moves
The modulator runs at the carrier frequency × Ratio. Non-integer ratios give clean, inharmonic tones
FM Parameters
- Amount (0–100%) – Depth of modulation. At 0% the operator is off
- Ratio (0.01–20.0) – Modulator frequency multiplier
- Level (0–100%) – Volume of the FM operator
Modulation Systems
LFOs
- Two LFOs: LFO 1 modulates the OSC 1 wave index, LFO 2 modulates the OSC 2 wave index
- Shapes: Sine, Triangle, Saw, Reverse Saw, Random
- Rate: 0.01–20 Hz, or tempo sync (straight, dotted and triplet divisions)
- Polarity: Bipolar moves the index up and down by half the Amount (±50% at 100%). Unipolar moves it up only, from 0 to the Amount
- Optional phase reset when you start playing (in Settings)
- With tempo sync, the LFO locks to the beat of the host transport when it plays
Filter Envelope
- One global envelope for the filter, with a Rise (attack) and a Fall (release) stage, 1 ms to 5 s each
- It follows the keys you hold: it rises when you press the first key and falls when you release the last key
- Retrigger (in Settings): it rises again on every new note
- Cycling mode: it loops Rise and Fall by itself, for rhythmic motion
- Tempo sync: Rise and Fall in note divisions; a cycling, synced envelope locks to the host beat
- Shape: morphs the curve from logarithmic through linear to exponential
- Amount can be positive or negative. The sweep is musical (in octaves) from the cutoff up to 20 kHz, or down to 20 Hz
Filter and Envelopes
Ladder Filter
- Analog-modeled 24 dB/oct lowpass ladder filter
- Cutoff: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- Resonance: 0–99%
- Modulated by the filter envelope above
- The filter always runs: at high resonance it self-oscillates, also when no note is held. Turn the resonance down to stop the tone
Amplitude Envelope (Per Voice)
- ADSR: Attack, Decay and Release from 1 ms to 5 s, Sustain 0–100%
- The real-time graph shows the most recent voice
- It shows the progression of attack, decay, sustain and release
Playing Nikaya
On-Screen Keyboard
- Show or hide the keyboard with the keyboard button
- Select the starting octave; set the number of octaves in Settings
- Hold keeps the notes on; turn it off to release all held keys
XY Pad Mode
- Turn on XY Pad mode, then drag on the wavetable display
- Vertical movement sets the OSC 1 wave index, horizontal movement sets the OSC 2 wave index
- While you drag, the LFO modulation fades out smoothly, and it fades back in when you let go
Tutorial
- Open the interactive tour from Settings (standalone app)
MIDI and AUv3
MIDI
- Note on/off with velocity, pitch bend (±12 semitones)
- CC 120 (All Sound Off) and CC 123 (All Notes Off) release all notes
- MIDI channel filter in Settings (Omni or channel 1–16)
- Standalone app: a virtual MIDI input "Nikaya In", connections to MIDI hardware, Bluetooth MIDI, and a Panic button
AUv3 Plugin
- All synth parameters can be automated by the host
- MIDI is sample-accurate: notes start at their exact position in the buffer
- Follows the host tempo and transport for tempo-synced LFOs and the filter envelope
- Runs at the sample rate of the host
- Factory presets show in the host's preset list; the complete patch (with its wavetable) is saved in your project
Preset Management
Sections
Factory Presets
- 34 designed patches that show Nikaya's sonic potential
User Presets
- Tap + to save the current sound as a new preset
- Saved to iCloud if available (Files/iCloud/Nikaya/Presets), else on your device
- Swipe to rename or delete
Community Presets
- Share with other users
- Like and save patches from the community
Uploading Presets
- Swipe left on a user preset
- Tap Upload
- Choose a username → publish to the community collection
Wavetable Manager
Categories
Factory Wavetables
- Harmonic, spectral, chaotic and formant-based sources
Imported Wavetables
Import: tap Import to pick audio files or folders, or put them into the Nikaya/Wavetables folder in the Files app. Pull down the list to scan again
Single File Import
- Choose the sample length of each frame (64 to 2048 samples)
- Nikaya slices the file uniformly and saves it as ".nwt"
Folder Import
- A folder of single-cycle waves becomes one wavetable (one file per frame)
- Waves with another length are resampled to the length of the first one
- Up to 128 waveforms per wavetable
Files in iCloud that are not on your device yet are downloaded automatically. If a file cannot be imported, Nikaya tells you which one and why
Image Wavetables
- Drop or select an image from the Wavetable Browser
- Choose the frame count (4, 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128) and an optional blur
- Nikaya uses the brightness of the image to make each frame
Storage
- iCloud: Files/iCloud/Nikaya (Wavetables, Images, Presets)
- Local: Files/On My Device/Nikaya
Wavetable Caching
Image Drag and Drop
Creation Workflow
- Drag an image onto the wavetable display, OR
- Use Images tab > Add (+) to select from your photo library
- Name your wavetable
- Select the number of frames (e.g. 32, 64, 128)
- Save to iCloud or your device
How It Works
- Each frame is one horizontal row of the image, from top to bottom
- Left to right across the row is one cycle of the waveform; bright pixels are high, dark pixels are low
- Common image formats are supported
Settings
- MIDI Channel: Omni or 1–16
- LFO 1 / LFO 2 reset phase on trigger
- Retrigger envelope: the filter envelope rises again on every note
- Keyboard octave count
- Knob Control Style
- Standalone app: tempo (BPM) and MIDI connections
- Support: tutorial, manual, review, feedback
- An FM operator at 0% Amount is turned off and costs no CPU
- Wavetable size (frame count) does not change the CPU load, only the loading time and memory
- Long releases with many fast notes keep more voices busy; Nikaya steals the quietest released voice first
- Use the tempo-synced filter envelope for rhythmic effects
Technical Specs
- 8-voice polyphony
- 32-bit floating-point processing
- Runs at the device or host sample rate (for example 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz)
- AUv3 instrument plugin
Requirements
- iOS 13.0 or later (iPhone and iPad)
- Mac with Apple Silicon
Links