Mela 6 – AUv3: Synth, FX, MIDI 4+
Modular Music-Making
Nikolozi Meladze
-
- Free
- Offers In-App Purchases
Screenshots
Description
Mela 6.0 kicks off a new chapter in the app's evolution, check out the release notes for the full details.
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, 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 76 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. The following is a list of all modules.
Collection 0:
Amp Envelope, Arpeggiator, Audio In, Audio Out, LFO, Meter, MIDI In, MIDI Out, MIDI-to-Poly, Note Pad, 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, Mono, Noise Oscillator, Note Echo, Note Length, Note Range, 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 Ratio, Rectifier, Vibrato, Voice Activity, VPS Oscillator.
Collection 3:
All Pass, Audio-to-Mod, Correlation, Digital Delay, Dual Pan, Euclid, Macro Button, Mid-Side, Multiply-Add, Noise Gate, Note Chance, Note Event, Phase Inverter, Pitch Follower, Reverb, Ring Mod, Simple LFO, Stereo Pan.
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 3 vs Mela 6: nikolozi.com/mela/getting-started/#mela-3-vs-mela-6
What’s New
Version 6.0
Mela 6.0 kicks off a new chapter in the app's evolution, starting with unifying all lane types into a universal one for greater flexibility. The updated Getting Started guide explains how key concepts have evolved—be sure to check it out, along with the changelog, for a quick overview. This is just the beginning, with much more to come in the upcoming 6.x updates.
Universal Lane
- All lane types (Audio, MIDI, Instrument) are now unified into a single universal lane with merged capabilities.
- The preset migrator automatically converts existing presets to use universal lanes.
- Lane audio and MIDI I/O settings are replaced with Signal Router modules.
- Signal Routers: Audio In, Audio Out, MIDI In, MIDI Out, MIDI-to-Poly, and Poly-to-Audio.
- These modules are part of Collection 0.
Audio In/Out Modules
- Audio In receives Audio signals from the host or an Audio bus.
- Audio Out sends Audio signals to the host or an Audio bus.
MIDI In/Out Modules
- MIDI In receives MIDI messages from the host or a MIDI bus.
- MIDI In includes a "Panic!" button to send "All Notes Off" MIDI messages downstream on all channels.
- MIDI Out sends MIDI messages to the host or a MIDI bus.
- MIDI Out a "Panic!" button to send "All Notes Off" MIDI messages on all channels to the output.
MIDI-to-Poly Module
- The module converts MIDI messages into a Poly signal, replacing any existing Audio or Poly signal with a new Poly signal.
- The module lets you set the polyphony settings for the preset.
- Instances sharing the same MIDI input synchronise voice allocation, ensuring consistent Poly-to-Poly modulation across modules.
- The Voice Priority rule is replaced with a "Release" setting, clarifying how voices are reallocated for new notes.
- Previously, this functionality was handled implicitly by the Instrument lane type before sending the Poly signal to modules.
Poly-to-Audio Module
- Collapses a Poly signal into an Audio signal by summing voices while retaining the last note-on Pitch signal.
- Modules that don't support Poly signals automatically perform this collapse.
- The signal remains collapsed even if the collapsing module is bypassed.
- Previously, this functionality was handled implicitly by the Instrument lane type before sending the Audio signal to its output.
Module Updates
- Amp Envelope: Now mirrors the behaviour of the Envelope Generator. When no Poly signal is present, it uses MIDI signals to trigger attack and release states, shaping the Audio signal accordingly.
- Panic Module: Removed, as the functionality is now integrated into the MIDI In and MIDI Out modules.
- Voice Activity: Now displays Audio signal levels and MIDI signal's last note and velocity when no Poly signal is present.
- Voice Activity: Now automatically resizes based on the preset polyphony.
- Modulators: The "Targets" view no longer scrolls to the bottom on appearance.
Improvements
- Getting Started: Updated to reflect the latest changes.
- Notepad: Renamed the Note Pad module to Notepad.
Fixes
- Module Help: Fixed the help popover not utilizing available space correctly.
- Preset Load: Resolved a crash that occurred under certain conditions when changing presets.
- Polyphony Settings: Fixed an issue with the Newest Release mode not initialising correctly.
- Modulators: Modules without parameters, such as Notepad, no longer appear as modulation targets.
Ratings and Reviews
Modular made simple.
Very well put together UI which makes building modular chains very easy. The best I used on iOS. For some reason this just clicks with me unlike Drambo and MiRack which have higher learning curve. On the surface it doesn’t look much but under the hood Mela 5 has a lot going for it.
feature rich modular synth
that’s got tonnes of depth fully configrable
Is it really necessary to have iOS 18.x as minimum requirement?
Sadly I won’t use this. I won’t upgrade to 18 soon, because there are still problematic areas and I don’t want to risk trouble with older apps.
I always appreciate when developers have an “as low as possible” system requirement approach. It will not just open a bigger Market but reduce electronic waste as well.
Developer Response ,
I understand my approach may not appeal to all users. As a solo developer with limited resources, I must make tough decisions and decide where to focus my energy. For example, compatibility issues that I often have to resolve with the DAW developers and Apple because Mela utilises functionality (APIs) that most AUv3s don't use (and therefore are hardly tested by them) require a lot of back-and-forth with them. Adding support for multiple OS versions multiplies the required effort. A more lengthy answer to this issue can be found on the Mela FAQ page: "Unfortunately, Mela will not support earlier versions of iOS and macOS. I know it’s very upsetting to the users on older devices that can’t upgrade to the latest OS. But I have very limited resources. I currently have to test and support all 3 types of Mela plug-ins (Instrument, Audio Effect and MIDI Processor) inside multiple AUv3 hosts (GarageBand, Logic Pro, AUM, Cubasis, Live etc) on multiple devices with different form factors (iPhones, iPads and Macs). That’s a lot of work as it is, and supporting older OS versions would significantly increase the debugging and testing required. Furthermore, Mela usually utilises the latest OS features. Writing code to incorporate the same functionality on older devices is non-trivial work. Finally, I have a long list of user feature requests, and I would rather focus my efforts on that."
App Privacy
The developer, Nikolozi Meladze, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy.
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Privacy practices may vary based on, for example, the features you use or your age. Learn More
Information
- Provider
- Nikolozi Meladze
- Size
- 10 MB
- Category
- Music
- Compatibility
-
- iPhone
- Requires iOS 18.0 or later.
- iPad
- Requires iPadOS 18.0 or later.
- Mac
- Requires macOS 15.0 or later.
- Apple Vision
- Requires visionOS 2.0 or later.
- Languages
-
English
- Age Rating
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2017-2024 Nikolozi Meladze. All rights reserved.
- Price
- Free
- In-App Purchases
-
- Collection 1 £19.99
- Collection 3 £19.99
- Collection 2 £19.99