VA-1 User Manual

Start with a sound

Load a preset, play the keyboard, shape a patch, and save your own version.

1. 01

   Choose a preset

   Open the preset name at the top of the instrument. Browse the factory sounds, then choose a bass, pad, lead, keys, pluck, arp, or FX starting point.

2. 02

   Play and balance the layers

   Play the on-screen keyboard or a connected MIDI controller. Adjust the two oscillator levels and MIX, then set a comfortable master volume.

3. 03

   Give the patch its own shape

   Try different oscillator waveforms, filter cutoff and resonance, amplitude envelopes, LFO settings, and effects. The envelope section below explains how to give each oscillator a different contour.

4. 04

   Keep your version

   Use SAVE to name and save your sound as a user preset. Use Capture or Export Sequence WAV when you want an audio file instead of a preset.

Portrait and landscape layouts

The standalone iPhone and iPad app reflows the full instrument when the window is taller than it is wide.

On iPhone and iPad, turn the standalone app upright to use the portrait dashboard. The oscillators, filter, envelopes, LFO, MIX, FX and master volume remain together above the step lane and performance keyboard. These sections are reflowed into rows; you do not need to switch pages to reach the main sound controls.

The preset picker and SAVE stay at the top. Transport controls include Record, Play, Stop, Capture, Export Sequence WAV, CLEAR, and SEQ. BPM, KEY, LEN, octave controls, the dual-keyboard switch, and the Settings gear sit in the transport area.

Use the FX card's EDIT button to open the detailed effects controls. The compact CHO, DLY, PHS and RVB buttons switch Chorus, Delay, Phaser and Reverb on or off.

Landscape uses the wider instrument layout. A narrow iPad window adapts its sizing to the space available. In an AUv3 host, the host sets the plugin window size and VA-1 uses its own host-sized editor rather than the standalone portrait dashboard.

Oscillators, noise, and mix

Build the tone from two oscillator layers, each with its own waveform, tuning, level, and noise.

VA-1 has two oscillators. Each can use a sine, saw, square, or triangle waveform. Sine is a smooth starting point, saw is harmonically bright, square is hollow and rich, and triangle sits between a pure sine and a brighter waveform.

Coarse tuning moves a layer in semitones; fine tuning changes its pitch in cents. A small fine-tuning difference can make two layers sound wider, while an octave or interval creates a more obvious layered tone.

Each oscillator has an independent noise amount. That noise follows its oscillator's amplitude contour. MIX balances the two layers, so make sure both oscillator levels and the mix position let you hear the layer you are editing.

Independent oscillator envelopes

Use linked amplitude envelopes for one shared contour, or unlink them to combine different attacks and tails.

The amplitude envelope shapes the volume of a played note. VA-1 can give oscillator 1 and oscillator 2 separate ADSR contours. The main instrument uses O1 and O2 selectors with a chain-link control; the AUv3 envelope editor uses OSC 1 and OSC 2.

With the link enabled, both oscillator layers use oscillator 1's amplitude envelope. This shared contour is the compatibility mode used by older sounds. With the link disabled, select O1 or O2 and edit that oscillator's own Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release.

The link mode is taken when a note starts. Release the keys and play a new note after changing the link so you can hear the new routing clearly. Unlinking does not create a second filter: the layers still pass through the shared filter and filter envelope.

1. 01

   Make a short first layer

   Disable the link, select O1, and choose a quick Attack, a short Decay, and a low Sustain. This makes the front of the note speak clearly.

2. 02

   Bring in a slower second layer

   Select O2, lengthen Attack, raise Sustain, and give Release more time. Use a contrasting waveform or a small tuning offset to hear the layers separately.

3. 03

   Play a fresh note and balance MIX

   Release the keyboard, play again, and set the two oscillator levels and MIX. Listen for the short layer giving way to the slower body of the sound.

Filter and modulation

Shape brightness with the shared filter and add movement with its envelope and the LFO.

Choose a filter mode, then adjust Cutoff and Resonance. Cutoff changes which part of the spectrum remains prominent; Resonance emphasizes the area around the cutoff. The filter is shared by the combined oscillator sound.

The filter envelope changes the cutoff over the life of a note. Its envelope amount sets how strongly that ADSR contour affects the filter. Start with a noticeable amount while learning the shape, then reduce it to suit the patch.

The LFO adds repeating movement. Set its waveform, rate, depth and destination, then listen while holding a note. The MOD performance strip controls LFO depth, so it provides a quick way to bring movement in and out while playing.

The SEQ piano-roll editor

Edit note timing, pitch, length, chords, and velocity in the standalone app.

Press SEQ in the standalone instrument's transport to open the piano-roll editor. The step lane remains useful for quick entry; SEQ gives individual notes a visible start time, pitch, duration and velocity. Use DONE to return to the instrument.

In SELECT, tap notes to add or remove them from the selection, or drag empty grid space to select several notes. Drag a note to move it in time and pitch. Drag its right edge to change its length. A group selection lets related notes move or change together.

Drag velocity bars up or down in the velocity lane to change note velocities from 1 to 127. If a bar belongs to the selected group, the gesture adjusts that group while preserving the limits of the velocity range.

SNAP ON aligns editing to the step grid; SNAP OFF permits finer placement. QUANT moves selected notes onto the grid, or quantizes all notes when nothing is selected. On a compact landscape layout, the snap switch is labeled SNAP or FREE.

Use MORE in portrait, or the Pattern tools button in landscape, for selection, copy/paste, duplicate, focus, fit, time movement, pitch and octave changes, note length, zoom and velocity actions. Undo and Redo are in the header; they let you revise an edit without clearing the pattern.

Keyboard, DUAL, and KEY mode

Change the playing range, use overlapping keyboards on iPhone or iPad, and transpose a running sequence.

Play directly from the on-screen keyboard or from a connected MIDI keyboard. Use the octave controls to move the visible playing range. On Mac, QWERTY-as-piano input is also available in the standalone app.

On standalone iPhone and iPad, the DUAL control shows two overlapping keyboard ranges. The upper keyboard uses the selected octave; the lower keyboard starts one octave below it. They play the same current sound, rather than separate presets or instruments.

BND bends pitch and returns to center when released. MOD adjusts LFO depth. When KEY is enabled, keyboard notes can transpose the sequencer pattern during performance. Use it when you want to move a running phrase to a different key.

The AUv3 instrument offers full and compact playable layouts when the host provides enough space. The smallest host slots fall back to a parameter-only view without the on-screen keyboard or step area. Host MIDI input can still play the instrument; the host remains responsible for its MIDI track and transport workflow.

Effects and output level

Add depth with Chorus, Phaser, Delay and Reverb, then balance the final output.

Use the effects controls to add Chorus, Phaser, Delay and Reverb. Each effect has a bypass/on state and its own shaping controls. In the portrait dashboard, the FX card offers quick switches and EDIT opens the detailed effects surface.

Set the oscillator levels and MIX first, then use Master in the VOL section to balance the finished sound. Dense chords, long release tails, resonance and feedback can all increase the energy in a patch.

VA-1 includes automatic protection on the master output to manage peaks. It is part of the audio path, not a separate threshold control that you need to set. Keep levels sensible and reduce oscillator, effect or master levels if a very dense patch sounds strained.

Settings, skins, and resets

Use the standalone Settings gear for appearance, MIDI Learn, routing, help, and separate reset actions.

Open the gear in the standalone app. Wide settings windows show Appearance, MIDI Learn, Audio + MIDI and Help / Reset. Compact windows use the short labels SKIN, LEARN, A/M and HELP.

Appearance offers Graphite, Porcelain, Studio Gray, Midnight, Moss, Aubergine, Sandstone and Rosewood. Choosing a skin changes the instrument's visual palette. Your appearance choice is remembered on that device; it does not change the sound of a preset.

Open Settings > MIDI Learn (LEARN in compact windows) to see saved assignments or remove an individual mapping. To make a mapping, enable Learn there, close Settings, choose a highlighted synth or transport control, then move the desired MIDI controller control.

Help / Reset contains separate RESET CURRENT SOUND, CLEAR SEQUENCE and CLEAR MIDI LEARN actions. Each asks for confirmation. Reset Current Sound loads the Init sound; it is separate from clearing the sequence or learned controller assignments.

MIDI and audio routing

Choose what plays the local synth, what leaves as MIDI, and which audio route you are using.

Open the standalone Settings gear, then Audio + MIDI (A/M in compact windows), to check the current audio route and MIDI endpoints. Quick Routing provides Receive MIDI input, Play the local synth, Send MIDI output and Send sequencer notes switches.

From Audio + MIDI, choose OPEN DETAILED AUDIO + MIDI to reach endpoint, channel, audio profile, available buffer controls and recovery actions. Use Test Note to check a destination, All Notes Off to release external MIDI notes, and Panic when you need to recover from a stuck-note condition.

MIDI is control information, not recorded sound. If VA-1 sends notes to another instrument, that instrument's audio must be recorded separately if you want it in a WAV. VA-1's built-in Capture records VA-1's own synth output only.

A class-compliant USB audio interface can provide the output route. Check the route shown in VA-1 after connecting or changing hardware. On supported iOS versions, the detailed panel offers Native, 512, 256 and 128 buffer requests. iOS 26 requires Native. The operating system and audio hardware determine the actual buffer, so the granted value can differ from the request. Buffer changes are blocked while a capture is in progress.

The Mac standalone app has no buffer picker. Use macOS Audio MIDI Setup to configure the audio device and sample rate, and use buffer settings in your host or audio-interface software where available.

Record a performance or export a loop

Use standalone Capture for a performance and Export Sequence WAV for an offline render of the current sequence.

1. 01

   Capture a performance

   Tap the waveform Capture button, play the keyboard or sequencer, and shape the sound while it runs. Tap Capture again to stop. One capture is limited to 20 minutes.

2. 02

   Keep the completed take

   Use the completion panel to preview the WAV, save it to your chosen location, share it, or delete it. Save or share a take you want to keep before discarding it.

3. 03

   Render a sequencer loop

   Create a non-empty sequence, select the sound and tempo, then use Export Sequence WAV beside Capture. VA-1 renders the current loop offline using the current sound and effects.

4. 04

   Check the result

   Preview the generated WAV, then save or share it. If the current patch plays the sequence silently, raise the relevant oscillator/mix/master levels and export again.

Standalone and AUv3 at a glance

Use the right guide for the app or plugin surface you are working in.

Add VA-1 as an AUv3 instrument in a compatible host. Full and compact playable layouts offer OSC, TONE, ENV and FX pages, a step area and a keyboard when the host provides enough space. The smallest host slots use a parameter-only view. The same sound-design concepts apply, including independent oscillator amplitude envelopes.

Use the host to sequence and record plugin performances, automate parameters, and reopen saved host sessions. The standalone app adds its own full SEQ piano-roll editor, Settings window, mobile portrait dashboard and built-in audio capture/export workflow.

Quick troubleshooting

Check the sound path and current editing mode before rebuilding a patch.