What is Curves & Membranes?
It is a one-oscillator mono synth plugin with a Bézier waveform engine, two parallel modulation concepts, and a 32-lane membrane-inspired filter.
synth
Curves & Membranes
A one-oscillator mono synth built around Bézier wave shaping, orbital motion, and a membrane-style filter model.
SynthAUVST3macOS
What it is
I have always loved one-oscillator mono synths. When they are done right, it is just one big sweet spot that can be played endlessly. Curves & Membranes was built with that mindset, but with a different engine under the hood: a repeating single-cycle Bézier waveform, plus a filter model based on vibrating membrane lanes.
The oscillator runs in three wave-distortion modes: None, Clip, and Fold. You shape the waveform by moving handles and midpoint, then animate it with two modulation concepts running in parallel: an 8-slot wave preset bank with slew/clocked stepping, and independent orbital modulators for each point and handle. In the filter stage, 32 membrane lanes react to LP, BP, and HP actuator points in parallel, with damping, tension, width, emphasis, and keyboard tracking changing the response.
It works well for bass lines with movement, expressive mono leads, and long evolving drone material. You can keep it simple and musical, or push into stranger territory with wave sequencing and orbital motion. Either way, the goal is the same: interesting timbre movement without losing pitch stability or playability.
Full walkthrough
A complete 16-minute walkthrough of Curves & Membranes covering oscillator shaping, orbital modulation, membrane filter behavior, and workflow.
Filter walkthrough
A complete 6-minute walkthrough of the Curves & Membranes filter, with a focus on membrane vibrations and their effect on the overall character of the synth.
Highlights
Bézier single-cycle oscillator
Build wave shape from handles and midpoint movement instead of fixed oscillator tables.
None, Clip, and Fold modes
Switch between clean wave shaping, boundary clipping, and folding behavior for different harmonic responses.
Wave Preset Bank + Slew
Store 8 waveform states, randomize instantly, and morph between them with continuous slew.
Wave Sequencing Clock
Run preset stepping from internal or host clock, with order control and keyboard-triggered stepping options.
Orbital modulators per point
Each point and handle gets an orbital modulator with rate, ellipse, rotation, key reset, and ENV mode.
32-lane membrane filter model
LP, BP, and HP actuators run in parallel with damping, tension, width, emphasis, and keyboard tracking.
How producers use it
- Bass lines with animated harmonics that still sit firmly in tune
- Mono leads where timbre motion comes from wave geometry, not just filter sweeps
- Drone and soundtrack textures with long evolving overtone movement
- Clocked sequences where each note can carry a different waveform state
- Experimental patches that stay playable because the interface remains direct
Fit and focus
Great fit for:
- one-oscillator mono synth workflows
- shape-based synthesis and modulation
- experimental DSP with practical playability
Probably not for:
- preset-browsing workflows over hands-on sound design
- strictly conventional subtractive architectures only
- users who want no visual interaction in the synthesis flow
Questions people ask
How is it different from a typical mono synth?
Instead of starting from fixed waves and standard LFO-only movement, it combines Bézier shape editing, sequenced wave morphing, and orbital modulation per control point. The filter is also model-driven, with LP/BP/HP actuators interacting over 32 spectral lanes.
Who is it for?
It is for producers and sound designers who like exploratory synthesis, but still want an instrument they can play quickly while writing music.
Is there microtonal support?
Yes. Angine de Poitrine and Aphex Twin aficionados rejoice: Curves & Membranes now supports MTS-ESP for all those times when 12 chromatic keys are not enough. This was added in version 1.1.0 after a customer suggestion, and it is available to all current owners from the account page.
What can the Wave Preset Bank and Orbitals do musically?
The Wave Preset Bank can morph or sequence through saved wave states for note-by-note timbral variation, while Orbitals add smooth geometric movement or envelope-like one-shot motion using ENV mode.
What does it do to sound?
It can stay smooth and focused, or become aggressive and animated. Even with heavy movement, it is designed to remain pitch-stable and controllable in a production context.
Compatibility
macOS 10.15+
AU, VST3
Sound demo and Patch Ideas
A no-talking walkthrough of different sounds and patch ideas, focused mainly on leads and basses, with a few effect-type sounds as well. The on-screen notes show what is happening in the patches and how different parts of the synth are being used.
A Patch-Making Session, where I start from the INIT setting and making a quite motion rich bass sound. The Frequency Guillotine filterbank is added late in the process for extra movement.
Bundle option
Also available in bundle form
If this plugin fits your workflow, there is a good chance one of the bundles will fit even better and reduce total spend.
Includes 4 products.
Includes 9 products.