Audio node
Drone Synth
Uplifting drone instrument -- blooming, breathing interval stacks with shimmer, air and slow organic motion. Add inside an Audio Modular System.
Inputs
| Port | Type | Default |
|---|---|---|
| EnableTurns this drone off without removing it. Voices already blooming fade out through their Release. | bool | true |
| NotesThe note stream that plays this drone (128 bins, value = velocity). Each held note becomes a blooming interval stack. | float | — |
| PresetWhich world the stack is voiced in — lydian dawn, the pure harmonic series, ocean, organ pipes. Only consonances; this instrument cannot be dark. | int | 0 |
| LevelOutput volume of this drone. Clamped to 0…1.5. | float | 0.8 |
| PitchTransposes everything, in semitones. Any value works. | float | 0 |
| AttackSeconds for a note to bloom from silence to full light. Clamped to 0.02…30. | float | 2 |
| ReleaseSeconds to fade after the note is released; the voice then retires when it truly stops being audible. Clamped to 0.1…60. | float | 6 |
| ShimmerHow strongly the octave-and-above partials swell on a slow ~21 s cycle — the ascending halo. Clamped to 0…1. | float | 0.3 |
| BreathAudible coloured air over the chord — spray, wind, hiss; the preset chooses its colour. Clamped to 0…1. | float | 0.2 |
| MotionHow far each partial's level breathes on its own slow clock (6…25 s, never repeating). 0 freezes the spectrum. Clamped to 0…1. | float | 0.5 |
| SpeedMultiplies the breathing clocks — 0.1 is nearly still, 4 is restless. Clamped to 0.1…4. | float | 1 |
| BrightnessTilts energy toward the higher partials. Clamped to 0…1. | float | 0.5 |
| SubThe warm floor: a sine layer an octave below the note. Clamped to 0…1. | float | 0.3 |
| WarmthSaturation — gentle thickening toward soft distortion. Clamped to 0…1. | float | 0.2 |
| SpaceStereo spread of the voices. Clamped to 0…1. | float | 0.6 |
| DriftOrganic imperfection: slow pitch drift, per-note scatter, a living tail. Clamped to 0…1. | float | 0.4 |
| Max VoicesHow many notes may sound at once. Clamped to 1…8. Drones are heavy — chords already live inside each note. | int | 4 |
Outputs
| Port | Type |
|---|---|
| NotesThe note stream that plays this drone (128 bins, value = velocity). Each held note becomes a blooming interval stack. | float |
How It Works
Drone Synth builds uplifting drones from interval stacks that bloom and breathe. The stack's partials move on irrational clocks, so the texture never repeats; Shimmer adds a high wing, Breath adds air, and Motion, Drift and Speed set how the whole body moves. Fourteen worlds preset the character.
Use Cases
- Foundations — an endless bed under everything else in the system.
- Meditative work — long attacks and releases with Space for the room.
- Cinematic swells — automate Level and Brightness for a rising bloom.
Tips
- Attack and Release are in seconds and go long — a drone that takes six seconds to leave sounds like a room, not an envelope.
- Keep Sub modest when a bass instrument is also playing.
Open Drone Synth in the interactive catalog →
Drone Synth is one of 381 nodes in Grafit Pro.
Free download. Every feature for 7 days, no card. Then €99.99 once — or keep playing your projects as a Player.