Dawesome Myth v1.63 [WiN]

• Product: Myth
• Developer: Dawesome
• Version: 1.63
• Format: VST3, AAX
• Requirements: Windows 10 or later
• Source: dawesomemusic.com/plugins/myth

Myth is a re-synthesis instrument built around the IRIS — a circular oscillator representation generated from machine learning analysis of a drag-and-drop audio source, approximated by four internal oscillators whose envelopes are multi-segment curves with up to 500 segments each. Twelve Transformer dials shape the IRIS output through FM, SYNC, BRASS, STRING, PURE, DIRT, SQ, SAW, ANIMATE, SMOOTH, WTF, and stereo controls. Two re-synthesis algorithms handle different source types: the original optimizes for timbral extraction; V2, introduced in v1.5, preserves the source’s original timbre with four playback modes. A left-to-right modular chain system covers 20+ module types across OSC, Filter, FX, and ARP sections. Full MPE, MTS-ESP microtonality, up to 24-voice polyphony, and a Breed randomization system complete the instrument. It answers the query: how do I convert any audio source into a playable, modulated, fully expressive instrument without programming synthesis from scratch.

Key Takeaway

Sound designers and composers whose sessions start from recorded audio — field recordings, acoustic instruments, processed samples, noise — and who need those sources to become tonally playable instruments with modulated expression find Myth’s re-synthesis workflow faster than granular or sampler-based alternatives. The IRIS converts the source’s inherent timbral variation into modulatable parameters rather than requiring the sound designer to program that variation from scratch. Complex patches with long exponential release tails and dense module chains can strain CPU on older hardware at full 24-voice polyphony; sessions built primarily on precise acoustic realism or predictable steady-state waveforms will bypass most of what Myth’s re-synthesis offers.

The IRIS: Re-Synthesis as an Oscillator Paradigm

Dragging audio onto the IRIS triggers machine learning analysis that approximates the sample using four internal oscillators — each capable of generating any static waveform — with individual volume envelopes of up to 500 MSEG segments controlling temporal evolution. The result is not a sample player: the IRIS stores a synthesis approximation of the source’s spectral behavior and its changes over time, not the audio itself. This distinction determines what the Transformers can do — they modify the synthesis engine’s output, not the original audio waveform.

Two algorithms handle different material differently. The original algorithm extracts timbral variation effectively but may not reproduce the source’s exact spectral character. The V2 algorithm, available via the right-side drop zone, preserves the original timbre more faithfully and adds four playback modes: Wavetable (for synth sources), General (for acoustic and voice), Groove (for rhythmic material), and Pitch Flat (for inharmonic or unpitched sources). Choosing the wrong playback mode on inharmonic or unpitched material produces unpredictable results that require playback mode switching to correct.

Stereo samples dropped between the two IRISes split to left and right channels independently, with panning and stereo width auto-adjusted per channel — a single operation that sets up a stereo re-synthesis voice without manual configuration.

Transformers: Twelve Dials, Each a Synthesis Dimension

The twelve Transformers act on the IRIS output the way a filter cutoff acts on an oscillator — they modify without requiring technical knowledge of the underlying operation, and every one is modulatable. PURE spectrally strips partials until only the strongest remain, moving the source from dense toward clean. DIRT generates noise from the input for driving comb or modal filters. ANIMATE detuning adds movement; high values shift toward inharmonic character. FM, FM BRIGHTNESS, and FM INHARMONICS apply FM synthesis to the IRIS output, with FM INHARMONICS for adding inharmonic content.

BRASS, STRING, SAW, and SQ transform the IRIS as if it originated from the physics of those respective sources — they reshape harmonic content rather than apply EQ or filter curves. SMOOTH simplifies the internal envelope curves, making temporal evolution less complex. WTF adjusts the balance between the four internal oscillators: turned left, brightest oscillators fade; turned right, darkest fade. This produces a brightness-shift effect tied to the synthesis internals rather than to a filter.

All twelve Transformers can be modulated simultaneously from any source in the modulation system. Modulating PURE with a slow LFO cycles between dense and spectrally clean; modulating BLUE (softening) with a sharp ADSR creates natural-sounding transient shapes where the attack is harsh and the sustain is cleaner.

Module Architecture: Left-to-Right Pedal Board, 20+ Types

Each section — OSC1, OSC2, Filter, FX1, FX2, ARP — accepts up to six modules chained left to right. Modules are added with a + button, reordered by drag-and-drop, and removed by dragging out of view. Per-voice modules (available in OSC and Filter sections) include: ANALOG FILTERS (LPF, HPF, dual ladder, KORG-35 modeled), MODAL and RESONATOR (32-bank modal filterbank trainable by drag-and-drop sample), WAVE (up to 5× unison with SAW/SQUARE/TRI/SINE/NOISE), COMB, VOWEL, ORBIT, OTT (multiband compressor), FM, RM, F-SHIFT, AM, BTTF (feedback FM), GLURP, ATARI PUNK, saturation and distortion modules, and SWEET/J-60/MELLOW chorus types. The ROUTE module enables parallel chains within a single section.

ORBIT interprets the incoming signal as a planet in orbit and adds a moon, following the moon’s trajectory as the output signal — producing behavior between ring modulation and FM with its own tonal character. LOOPHOLE runs six parallel micro-loopers with incommensurable delay times for organic freeze and stutter textures. GRAINS provides granular processing with per-grain octave glitching and density control. The CLOUDS reverb is credited to Valdemar Erlingsson’s CloudSeed; SHIMMER uses a pitch shifter in a feedback loop.

Modules not available in FX sections are marked — polyphonic-incompatible operations can’t be placed there. The per-voice SEND parameter on the FX section allows dynamic dry/wet routing per voice, so note onset can bypass the FX stage while sustain is sent into it, controlled via ADSR modulation.

Breed, Freeze, and the Randomization System

Breed generates a new preset by randomly replacing entire sections of the current patch from whatever set of presets is currently filtered in the Browse tab. Filtering the Browse tab to DARK PADS before Breeding produces new patches that combine sections from across those presets — IRIS and OSC from one, Filter and FX from another. Freeze locks specific sections from being replaced: Freeze OSC1 and FX1, then Breed, and only the Filter, OSC2, ARP, and FX2 sections change. The two mechanisms together allow directed exploration — keeping a liked timbral source while cycling FX sections, or vice versa.

The dice randomization operates differently: it modifies parameter values within the current module configuration without adding or removing modules. Hold duration determines deviation depth — a short hold nudges values, a long hold randomizes extensively. Neither Breed nor dice randomization functions as an autopilot; both produce outputs that require evaluation and editing before use.

Preset filtering drives both tools — the Browse tab’s five-filter system covering Pack, subdirectory, tags, and full text search defines the pool that Breed draws from. A badly populated or unfiltered Browse tab produces generic Breed outputs.

CPU Architecture and the 24-Voice Polyphony Ceiling

Myth runs up to 24 voices, each carrying two IRIS oscillators with up to six per-voice modules in OSC1, six in OSC2, and six in the Filter section. Per-voice CPU load scales with module complexity and modulation density — a patch with MODAL filters, ORBIT, and OTT per voice running at 24 polyphony on a mid-tier CPU will produce dropouts that require polyphony reduction to resolve. The voice indicator shows active voices as colored discs and release-stage voices as colored outlines; long exponentially shaped release tails keep voices alive and consuming CPU through the full decay period.

Three CPU modes — ECO, SMART, and standard — adjust internal settings with mostly subtle perceptual differences on most patches. ECO and SMART are described as sufficient for almost all cases. On problematic patches, reducing polyphony per preset is the most direct fix, adjustable from the voice indicator in the interface.

AAX format is absent — Pro Tools users require a wrapper such as KushView Element (free) or BlueCat Patchwork to host Myth inside Pro Tools sessions. The developer documents this explicitly in the FAQ with both wrapper recommendations.

Modulation Depth vs. Patch Complexity Trade-Off

The modulation system accepts LFO, ADSR, KEYTRACK, NOTE-RANDOM, PERLIN noise, and MATH sources, each shapeable by chained modulation modules including AMT, CURVE, SOFT, JIT, PERLIN, and VISU. Every parameter in every module in every section is a valid modulation target. The Modulation Matrix provides a full overview — source, depth, target parameter, section, and module name in one panel, with depth editable directly in the matrix and click-to-jump navigation to any target in the UI.

MATH sources accept a modulated input and apply a curve plus modulation modules to it, enabling derived signals: feeding an LFO into MATH, applying an exponential curve, and using JIT produces a signal that is simultaneously LFO-shaped, exponentially mapped, and jittered — all addressable from one modulation source. KEYTRACK’s 500-segment curve allows per-note character shaping across the keyboard rather than a simple linear pitch-to-value mapping.

The depth of this architecture means preset complexity accumulates rapidly. A patch with 25 modulation sources, each with multiple modulation modules, each targeting multiple parameters, can produce behavior that becomes difficult to trace or edit once built — the Modulation Matrix is the primary tool for navigating that complexity, but it doesn’t simplify what’s already there.

FAQs