Currents & Nostalgia is out! If you've been checking the website recently, you might have seen the product page, the videos and the release date I sneaked in. Well, today is the day. You can now buy and download it for macOS and Windows.
It is my third synthesizer, and a quite simple subtractive synth in the Unusable style. I think of it as a classic synth from a parallel timeline. Familiar, but not a recreation of an existing instrument.
The oscillators and the slots
The two main things are its oscillators (which sound quite decent, if I may say so myself) and the slot systems. The oscillators are built around a circuit model of a saw-core oscillator I designed for an earlier hardware project. Component tolerances give each oscillator slight differences in sound, and in the software you can control how much of that variation you want. The name's Currents refers to the electrical currents charging the capacitors until the voltage is reached for the comparators to reset the process. Well, that is a sawtooth oscillator core. Nostalgia came when I played the first alpha version and felt its effect on me.
If you know Partials & Discrepancies, the slots will feel familiar. Here there are two independent systems: one for the oscillators and waveform mixer, and another for the filters. Each holds up to eight complete sets of settings that you can step or sweep between in different ways and patterns.
The two sections can run at different speeds, respond to your playing or follow the clock, with speeds going into audio rates. Parameter locks let you keep individual settings still while the rest move.
350 presets and a walkthrough
The synth ships with 350 presets I made during the last couple of months. I've tried to bring more variety and make them a bit more worked-through than you usually get from me, so I am super curious about which ones you like. Hopefully you will find plenty to use, and some ideas for making your own preset banks.
I've also made a walkthrough covering the synth and some of its background. There are more sound examples on the product page, including 15 minutes of 41 layered preset examples running two instances at once, with no talking.
Product page, videos and user guide: https://www.unusable.net/synthesizers/currents-and-nostalgia/
A full walkthrough of the instrument, its background, synthesis architecture and slot systems.
Price and cross-grades
The regular price is €89 including Danish VAT. If you already own a synth or a bundle, there is a cross-grade offer:
Full Suite v2 owners: €70 including Danish VAT.
Curves & Membranes, Partials & Discrepancies, Scientist Suite, Emulated Effects Pack or Full Suite v1 owners: €79 including Danish VAT.
Currents & Nostalgia is sold separately, so it is not included in Full Suite v2. Log in to your account to find your personal offer: https://www.unusable.net/account/
UNUSABLE10
There is also a voucher you can use at checkout: UNUSABLE10. It takes €10 off including Danish VAT, and works for regular product purchases as well as cross-grades. One voucher per purchase.
For Currents & Nostalgia, that brings the Full Suite v2 cross-grade down to €60, the other qualifying cross-grades to €69, and a regular purchase to €79. Those prices include Danish VAT; the final price varies according to applicable local taxes.
I am not a big fan of sales or Black Friday, so this is the closest thing I'll do this year to a sale. The voucher expires the day before Black Friday: 26 November 2026 at 23:59 Copenhagen time.
Formats and the usual refund policy
Currents & Nostalgia is available in AU and VST3 formats for macOS 12 or later, and VST3 for Windows 10/11.
I still don't offer demo versions, but the 30-day, no-questions-asked refund policy is unchanged.
I hope you enjoy it. And do let me know which presets you end up using!
All the best,
Rasmus Nyåker