Resonator by Thony Audio is a fresh offering from what appears to be a relatively new developer—a reasonable assumption given the sleek but seemingly young website. Despite its newcomer status, Resonator promises to be a valuable addition to any producer’s toolkit.
This plugin is crafted to “enhance your sounds with vibrant, tonal resonance,” enabling you to turn virtually any audio input—even basic white noise into lush, harmonic textures.
In a demo video, we see it in action: starting with a chaotic stack of noise, Resonator effortlessly morphs it into captivating chords. This approach is especially well-suited for high-energy genres like EDM and hyperpop, but its versatility makes it equally useful for ambient music and other styles.
As an ambient music composer myself, I often experiment with turning atonal field recordings into something more melodic. Resonator seems perfectly equipped for such tasks. One standout feature is the ability to blend the dry signal with the processed sound, preserving the original texture while layering it with rich harmonics.
The interface is straightforward yet powerful. Resonator offers two tonal modes:
- Saw: Delivers a harmonically rich resonance.
- Square: Produces a subtler tone, emphasizing only odd harmonics.
You can tweak the decay and tonal character to suit your needs, and as mentioned earlier, blend in the original signal. Note that square waves have an instantaneous release, so Thony Audio advises using a longer decay setting when working with this mode.
The real magic happens when you start shaping chords. Resonator allows you to add up to seven pitches, letting you create virtually any chord. Each pitch is customizable with fine-tuning, panning, and gain staging, providing a high degree of control over your harmonic palette.
Additionally, the plugin features eight independent modules, so you can design unique chords for each one and automate them to build dynamic chord progressions. If live performance or precision is your style, Resonator supports live MIDI input, offering even greater creative possibilities. Plus, you can save presets for quick access to your favorite setups.
Resonator is compatible with both Windows and macOS, available in VST2 and VST3 formats.
Download: Resonator (FREE)
