MFX Review
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MAP Audio sent me a copy of their new MFX multi-effect plugin so I could make some presets for the factory library. I knew right away I’d have fun with this one, but didn’t expect the abundance of cool modules that were included. MFX is a semi-modular multi effect unit with modulation and 33 different effects (plus a few more).
I say MFX is “semi-modular” because while it does have the modular patching window, it is a bit limited. This patching window allows you to freely patch together four effects racks in any configuration you like, including feedback. It also has a band split mode with three bands, but this is the extent of the modular patching. The 33 effects exist inside each rack, so you get four instances of each effect, but limited to one instance per rack. So if node based patching screens like this scare you, don’t be worried, you wont have to interact with it too much. On the contrary, don’t get your hopes up if you’re expecting this to be like Puredata or Grid.
EFFECTS
Inside each rack the 33 effects are split into five pages. They can be freely arranged as you like via a right click menu, but I think I’d rather have an empty rack by default where I can add modules as I please. I found myself digging through the five pages looking for the one module I wanted, then jumping between pages to edit the few modules I was actually putting to use.
As for the effects themselves, there’s a WIDE range to chose from and a few of the effects are cool enough they could be standalone plugins.
MFX includes: EQ8, pitch, transient, filter, LPC, codec, table filter, vocoder, resonator, ring mod, freq shift, FM, chorus, phaser, flanger, crusher, tape, drive, wavefolder, repeat, gate, vinyl brake, grain, gain, noise gate, squeeze, compressor, pan, delay, spectral delay, shimmer, FDN, EQ.
You’ll notice a lot of familiar effects on this list, but also quite a few unique ones. I wont cover every single effect, but I’ll go into some of my favorites:
CODEC: Very similar to the free plugin of the same name, this effect degrades audio with data compression.
FM: A fun take on phase distortion, applying frequency modulation to the signal for very strange distorted sounds.
REPEAT: A simple repeat effect great for glitching and chaotic madness.
GATE: A step sequenced repeat effect with pitch and stop effects included, The program modes change the pattern with custom and random patterns being available.
GRAIN: A simple but effective granular effect. This one has minimal controls but gets a basic “grains” sound across.
SPECTRAL DELAY: Always love a spectral delay. This one is simple, but capable of some cool sounds.
As you can see, the effects range from traditional stuff like chorus/flanger and EQ to more extreme glitching and destruction. There’s also some really cool tonal sculpting tools in here like a resonator, vocoder, and even this weird resynthesis effect: “LPC”. The transient shaper offers some cool spectral splitting, so you can emphasize harmonics, percussion, or whatever “other” is. I didn’t mess with the table filter much, there’s only a small handful of included tables, I owe this module a deeper dive in the future. I also mentioned “a few more” effects. These exist in the “mix” tab. Here you get a denoiser, EQ, punch, squeeze, tape, iron, limiter, and “loud”.
MODULATION
MFX has three types of modulation; envelope, LFO, and parameter sequencer. Each cell gets its own envelope follower that can be used as modulation for any control(in any cell). This allows you to use the processed signal of one cell to modulate parameters in another. You get six LFOs that can be set to any shape or random. I do wish there were at least twice as many LFOs available, I maxed out all six quite regularly.
Finally each control can also be modulated via a parameter sequencer. This is a simple step sequencer with up to 128 steps, You can use this as makeshift LFO in many cases. The parameter sequencer is capable of polyrhythms, but I could not find a way to achieve polymetric sequencing.
Over all I had a lot of fun with MFX, I was able to achieve some incredibly glitchy and destructive sounds that have very unique textures. While the workflow and layout aren’t quite my ideal setup, they did push me into new creative directions with preset design. I think we all have our own dream layouts that work perfect for our own workflows, but other layouts work better for other workflows as well. Each rack also has its own sub-presets, meaning you can treat MFX like a flexible patcher for four instances of the multi-fx rack. This layout is almost like having four rack style effect plugins that exist in a little mini-patcher and I think there is some powerful editing potential with that setup.
You can pick up MFX from MAP Audio’s website here:https://map.audio/mfx
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