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 95 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, Group, LFO, Meter, MIDI In, MIDI Out, MIDI-to-Poly, Notepad, Overlap Remover, 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, Noise Oscillator, Note Echo, Note Length, Note Range, Note Stack, 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 Oscilloscope, Pitch Ratio, Rectifier, Vibrato, Voice Activity, VPS Oscillator.
Collection 3:
All Pass, Audio-to-Mod, Band Pass, Correlation, Digital Delay, Dual Pan, Euclid, Macro Button, Mid-Side, Multiply-Add, Noise Gate, Note Chance, Note Event, Pitch Follower, Reverb, Ring Mod, Simple LFO, Stereo Pan, Stereo Tool.
Collection 4:
Crossover, Delay, Effect, Feedback, Gain, Gain Computer, Groove, MIDI Delay, Note Hold, Note Pulse, Note-to-Pitch, Phase Distortion, Quantiser, Stack, 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/user-guide/#mela-classic-vs-mela
Module On Parameter
- A module no longer dims when it or one of its ancestors is turned off.
- The On parameter has changed from a binary type to a continuous one.
- It is always a Mono modulation target, even if the module is in Poly mode.
- For Group and Stack modules, a submodule's effective On value is the minimum of its own On parameter and its parent's.
- Modulators: The On parameter acts as the amplitude of the modulation signal.
- Pitch Processors: The On parameter crossfades between the input and the generated Pitch signal.
- Audio Processors: The On parameter crossfades between the input and the generated Audio signal.
- These changes mean the On parameter no longer causes clicks in audio when changing state.
- Since the On parameter no longer disables a module's processing or switches its output between Mono and Poly, it has been removed from modules where it added little value or could cause confusion.
- The following modules no longer provide the On parameter: Correlation, Meter, MIDI Capture, MIDI-to-Poly, Oscilloscope, Pitch Oscilloscope, Poly-to-Mono, and Voice Activity.
Other Changes
- Module Help: Built-in help for all modules has been fully refreshed and is now consistent with Core Concepts terminology.
- VA Oscillator: Added the new "Bipolar Triangular Pulse" waveform.
- Voice Activity: In Mono mode, the module now resizes to show a single item.
- Enter Value: Percentage, decibel, and multiplier units can be used interchangeably.
- For example, entering -6dB is equivalent to 50%, while entering 2x is equivalent to +6dB.
- Chord Module: The Note On parameters no longer cause the corresponding Pitch and Velocity parameters to dim or become disabled.
- Phase Distortion: The module has graduated from Mela Lab and can now be found under the Audio Processor category.
- Pitch Oscilloscope: The module has graduated from Mela Lab and can now be found under the Utility category.
Factory Presets
- Added the "Simple Perc" preset to the Synth FX group, showcasing the new waveform.
- Added the "Evolved Perc" preset to the Synth FX group.
- Added the "Chorus-Reverb" preset to the Audio FX group.
- Added the "LR Sweeps" preset to the Audio FX group.
