Bit Splitter vs PolyrhythmLab

BIT SPLITTER A bit-plane manipulator. The input is scaled and quantized to an 8-bit value, then a single bit-plane of that value is used to reshape the signal. Where a bit crusher reduces resolution and hands back a degraded copy of the sound, the bit splitter operates on one specific bit and can either output that bit on its own, use it to gate the input, or mask the signal down to a chosen number of bits. MODES ISOLATE Outputs the chosen bit-plane on its own as a bipolar square wave. The most-significant bit behaves like a sign comparator, producing a hard square that tracks the waveform; lower bits flip more often as the amplitude moves, giving increasingly noisy, aliased fuzz. This is the most literal reading of splitting a bit out. GATE Passes the dry input only while the chosen bit is high, and mutes it otherwise. The signal is chopped by its own bit-plane, producing glitchy, rhythmic gating that still carries the source material underneath. MASK Zeros every bit below the chosen one and reconstructs the result to audio. This is a bit-depth reduction in which BIT sets how many low bits are discarded: at 0 the signal is untouched, at 7 only the most-significant bit survives (1-bit). Closest of the three to a classic crusher, but with arbitrary bit selection. CONTROLS BIT In Isolate and Gate, selects which bit-plane is used, from 0 (LSB) to 7 (MSB). In Mask, sets the lowest bit that is kept, so it acts as a resolution control. Lower bits track fine detail and toggle rapidly; higher bits track the gross shape of the waveform. Range: 0 to 7 THRESH Input drive into the quantizer. The signal is divided by this value before being mapped to a byte, so lower settings push the signal harder into the 8-bit range (clipping into it sooner) while higher settings keep it quieter and more centered. It changes which bits are active for a given input level, and so reshapes the character of every mode. Range: 0.01 to 2.0 MODE Selects the bit-plane operation: Isolate, Gate, or Mask (see above). Switching mode changes what BIT means, so the two are best adjusted together. MIX Controls the balance between the unprocessed (dry) input and the processed (wet) output. At 0% only the dry signal is heard; at 100% only the processed signal passes through. Intermediate values produce a linear crossfade, useful for blending the harsher modes back under the source for parallel-style processing. Range: 0% to 100%

PolyrhythmLab is a groovebox built around true polyrhythms: every sound layer gets its own step count, pulse count, and rotation, so layers of different lengths interlock and drift in and out of phase instead of locking to one shared grid. NEW IN 2.0 — AUv3 PLUGIN Use PolyrhythmLab as a real instrument inside GarageBand, Logic, AUM, and any other AU-compatible host. Four independent polyrhythmic layers, each exposed as automatable parameters, real MIDI output so your performance actually records as a MIDI region, and its own compact control panel with a live pattern wheel, a randomizer, and optional sync to your session's tempo. NEW IN 2.0 — LIVE MIDI OUTPUT Send a real Note On/Off for every layer hit straight from the main app — one MIDI channel per layer, over a virtual MIDI connection — to drive another synth, app, or piece of hardware in real time, not just sync tempo. NEW IN 2.0 — CAST VJ MIX Send the VJ Mix visuals to a TV or projector over AirPlay or a wired adapter, while your device keeps the full set of live controls. Save and reload VJ Mix setups — visual styles, effects, camera moves, and their LFOs — as named presets, same as patterns. GROOVEBOX • Euclidean-style rhythm engine — set steps, pulses, and rotation per layer • Drums, glitch/textural one-shots, classic synth voices (piano, bell, pad, bass), and melodic synth patches • Per-layer filter, reverb, delay, pitch, and LFOs on every parameter • Randomize engine biased toward musical, playable combinations • Chord modes, scales, and modal note selection for melodic layers SONG MODE Arrange your saved patterns into sections and chain them into a full song. VJ MIX A live visual performance surface: blend two audio-reactive visualizations, layer on real-time color and shader effects — RGB split, kaleidoscope, pixelate, glow, trail — and a 3D camera with zoom, pan, orbit, and tilt, each with its own LFO. Randomize the whole look by hand, or hand it to an autonomous "robot" that keeps remixing itself. Record the performance in real time via ReplayKit, or export a styled video clip. PRESETS Save and reload both groovebox patterns and VJ Mix setups as named presets. EXPORT Render your patterns and songs to audio, or export them as MIDI. No account, no ads, no analytics. Everything is stored locally on your device.