Effects

MI-Warps

Mutable Instruments Warps, compiled from the original C++ to WebAssembly - a meta-modulator that morphs between crossfade, ring mod, XOR, wavefolder, and vocoder.

Try one in your browser →

What is a MI-Warps?

Mutable Instruments Warps is a meta-modulator - a module that takes two audio inputs and morphs continuously between several different ways of combining them. It was designed by Emilie Gillet and released in 2014, the same year as Clouds, and like Clouds it took a difficult academic concept (multiple modulation techniques unified under one parameter sweep) and made it patchable, knob-driven, and immediately musical.

There are five modulation algorithms baked in, and the ALGORITHM knob smoothly crossfades between them: crossfade (simple A/B blend), amplitude modulation (multiplication of two signals), ring modulation (AM with the carrier DC removed - produces sum and difference frequencies), XOR (binary digital interaction - aggressive, lo-fi), analog wavefolder (one signal modulated by the absolute value of the other - produces harmonic-rich timbres), and a 20-band vocoder (carrier filtered by the spectrum of the modulator). Sweep ALGORITHM and the same two inputs become six different sounds.

Modulation by another signal is one of the oldest tricks in synthesis. AM and RM were used in the Buchla 200 series and Don Buchla's 'inharmonic source' patches - feed two oscillators into a ring mod and you get bell-like, metallic, inharmonic tones impossible to make from a single waveform. Vocoders famously turned vocals into 'robot voices' on Kraftwerk records. Wavefolders are the heart of west-coast Buchla 259-style synthesis. Warps puts all of these in one place under one knob.

It also has an internal oscillator, so you only need *one* external input to make the magic happen - patch a sound into the modulator input, set OSC to a waveform, and Warps becomes a self-contained sound source where the sound color is the algorithm sweep. With TIMBRE controlling secondary modulation depth and CV inputs on both ALGORITHM and TIMBRE, every sound is patchable.

Our MI-Warps

This is the *actual* Mutable Instruments Warps firmware - Emilie Gillet's original code (open-sourced under MIT), running natively in your browser. Bit-identical to the hardware module: same 5 algorithms, same crossfade curve between them, same internal oscillator with selectable waveforms, same 20-band vocoder, same MOD and AUX outputs (AUX gives you the unmodulated internal oscillator if OSC is enabled, useful for stacking parts).

All 6 parameters are exposed: ALGORITHM, TIMBRE, OSC waveform select, OSC FREQ (note-numbered, MIDI 24-108), and per-input level controls. Both ALGO and TIMBRE have CV inputs. Carrier and Modulator have full audio-rate inputs - feed them anything from oscillators to drums to samples. 10 HP panel matching the Mutable color scheme.

It's the most flexible modulation effect in the rack. Patch two sounds, sweep one knob, get six different results. Pair with Clouds for granular-into-vocoder textures, or with Plaits for the canonical 2014-era MI voice stack.

In a patch

Warps lives wherever two signals could become one with character. The classic patch: two VCOs slightly detuned, one into Carrier, one into Modulator, sweep ALGORITHM with an LFO - you get a constantly-evolving timbre that morphs between blend, AM, ring, fold, and vocoder over time. Add an envelope on TIMBRE for per-note depth control.

For vocoder patches: feed a mic (or any sound rich in formants, like a noisy noise-source filtered into vowels) into Modulator, and a harmonically rich oscillator (saw works well) into Carrier. Set ALGORITHM to maximum and TIMBRE to taste. Articulation in the modulator becomes articulation on the carrier.

Warps also pairs beautifully with the rest of the MI series. Feed Plaits into Carrier, Rings into Modulator, and you have the fattest, most timbrally complex single voice the rack can produce. ALGORITHM under voltage control turns it into a meta-instrument.

Inputs

Carrier (audio) — Carrier audio input. The first signal in the modulation pair. If not patched, the internal oscillator is used as the carrier.
Modulator (audio) — Modulator audio input. The second signal that modulates the carrier. If not patched, the internal oscillator is used as the modulator.
Algo (cv) — Algorithm CV input. Modulates the Algorithm knob position to sweep through modulation types with a control voltage.
Timbre (cv) — Timbre CV input. Modulates the Timbre parameter for dynamic timbral control.

Outputs

Mod (audio) — Main modulated output. The result of combining carrier and modulator through the selected algorithm.
Aux (audio) — Auxiliary output. Provides a complementary version of the modulated signal, often with a different phase or filtering.

Controls

Algorithm — Modulation algorithm (0 to 1). Smoothly morphs through: crossfading (0), ring modulation (~0.25), XOR modulation (~0.5), analog wavefolding (~0.75), and vocoder (1). Each region has its own character.
Timbre — Timbre control (0 to 1). Secondary timbral shaping that varies by algorithm. In ring mod, controls the depth. In vocoder, adjusts the spectral resolution.
Osc — Internal oscillator waveform (0-5). Selects the waveform of the built-in oscillator used when one of the inputs is not patched. Includes sine, triangle, sawtooth, square, and noise options.
Osc Freq — Internal oscillator frequency as MIDI note (24-108). Sets the pitch of the built-in oscillator. 60 = middle C.
Level 1 — Carrier input level (0 to 1, default 0.8). Attenuates the carrier signal before modulation. Turn down if the input is too hot.
Level 2 — Modulator input level (0 to 1, default 0.8). Attenuates the modulator signal before modulation.

Native port of

Direct compilation of Emilie Gillet's original Warps firmware (open-sourced under MIT) from C++ to WebAssembly. Algorithm crossfading and the 20-band vocoder behave identically to the hardware module.

Mutable Instruments Warps

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