The Melbourne-made polysynth just became significantly more powerful, with the complete Mutable Instruments Braids macro oscillator now running across all 12 of its polyphonic voices.
NINA, the desktop polysynth from Melbourne Instruments, has received a generous free update. The full Mutable Instruments Braids engine, Émilie Gillet’s celebrated open-source macro oscillator, is now built into NINA, bringing all 45 of its synthesis models to the instrument’s 12-voice polyphonic engine.
Catch up on all the latest news here.
For anyone unfamiliar with Braids: it started life as a single-voice Eurorack module, widely loved for its ability to cover an enormous range of sounds within a single interface. FM, granular, formant, wavetable, physical modelling – it does all of it. On NINA, that one voice becomes 12, each routed through its own overdrivable analog filter and sitting inside a four-part multitimbral architecture.
What this update does well is make Braids feel truly integrated rather than bolted on. NINA’s motorised knobs snap to position as you switch layers, preset morphing sweeps parameters in real time, and every modulation routing appears on the panel the moment you call it up. Two expressive controls – Timbre and Color, adapted from the original module – shape each model across multiple tonal dimensions simultaneously, so sounds evolve in complex, musical ways.
“It can go from delicate FM, Karplus-Strong and even vocal formant textures, straight into swarming, stacked super waves. It feels like an instant NINA MK-2,” says musician and sound designer James Terris.
Macro Oscillator mode includes:
- Analog VCO emulation
- Additive and digital synthesis
- Vowel and formant synthesis
- 2-operator FM
- String and wind instrument simulation
- Wavetable synthesis with smooth XY interpolation
- Filtered, coloured and pitched noise
- Granular synthesis
- Electronic drum sound simulation
The firmware update is free for all NINA owners and available now, along with new preset packs built around the Macro Oscillator mode. Head here to learn more.
