NOMN has released a physically-modeled synthesizer that generates sound based on the acoustics of bursting bubbles. Every bubble in FOAM is an independent oscillator solving real acoustic equations in real time.
Bubble acoustics is one of the most sonically rich phenomena in nature and one of the least explored in synthesis. The physics are well-documented but undertheorized as a sound source, largely because the behavior is so chaotic that nobody has bothered to model it in real-time.
The sound of a wave receding is not five or ten sources. It’s thousands of interactions across a wide range of behaviors whose aggregate creates the sonic richness of the texture. FOAM implements this physics directly. Not samples. Not approximations. Actual acoustic modeling of what happens when gas meets liquid, from the initial film rupture through cavity resonance to viscous damping.
FOAM features
- Physics-driven synthesis: Every sound is generated from physical models.
- Full MPE support: Per-note pitch bend, slide, and pressure for expressive control over bubble size, pitch sweep, ring time, emission rate, and amplitude.
- MIDI learn: Right-click any parameter to assign CC control.
- 75+ musical scales with gravity-based pitch quantization.
- 8-band parallel compression for density and sustain control.
- Intelligent voice scaling: Multi-factor gain management for clean mixes at any density.
- GPU-accelerated visualization: Real-time display of bubble populations, density, and spectral content.
- OSC output: Stream bubble events to external applications for synchronized visuals or data sonification.
- Preset system: Save and recall configurations. Preseeded with statistically distinct timbres, not bespoke ideas. It’s an open terrain for your own exploration.
FOAM by Micah Silver with NOMN is available in VST3 and AU plugin formats for macOS, priced $69.65 USD.
More information: NOMN
