Official Website
GitHub Release
https://github.com/IUSmusic/O-Resonator-Synthesizer/releases/tag/v1.1.0
A rotating seven-ring string body for sustained resonance, flywheel motion, and external audio transformation
Research demo - Seven concentric string rings - Standalone instrument - Effect processor - VST3
O Resonator v1.1.0 expands the first public release into a more complete research demo. The interface now separates performance, physical motion, and final output into MAIN, COUPLING, and OUTPUT pages. The update adds Motion Coupling for disk and string slip behaviour, a dedicated Output page with Final EQ, Output Guard, recording controls, real-time recording waveform display.
O Resonator is a JUCE-based rotating string-body instrument and audio processor. It is built around a black circular disk containing seven internal concentric string rings. Each ring has an electronic activation path. When a ring is active, its path opens and it contributes to one shared rotating resonant body.
O Resonator does not work like a normal note-triggered synth, arpeggiator, sequencer, plucked string, or step-based effect. The flywheel does not strike, pluck, or trigger the strings. Instead, it continuously shapes the active string paths through motion, pressure, damping, brightness, inertia, and body resonance.
In simple terms:
active string path → sustained string resonance → flywheel modulation → body output
The result is a sound that blooms rather than strikes. It can become a low dark drone, a shifting harmonic field, a textural resonant body, or an external-audio processor that revoices incoming sound through selected circular string paths.
O Resonator is based on a different model of sound behaviour:
energy enters a rotating circular body
instead of notes being triggered one by one
Most instruments begin with a clear event:
press key → note starts
strike string → transient
sequencer step → next note
O Resonator begins with activation and continuous motion:
open string path → energy enters ring → flywheel shapes resonance over time
This makes the instrument feel less like a fixed patch and more like a resonant object being brought to life.
The instrument contains seven tuned internal rings:
A1 D2 G2 C3 F3 A3 D4
The visual order from outer ring to inner ring is:
D4
A3
F3
C3
G2
D2
A1
Each ring can be opened or closed. Open rings contribute to the harmonic body. Closed rings remain silent.
Changing which rings are active changes the tonal centre and physical weight of the sound:
- A1 / D2 for low, dark resonance
- G2 / C3 for central body tone
- F3 / A3 / D4 for upper shimmer and harmonic lift
- multiple rings together for stacked sustained harmonies
The seven concentric strings are not decorative. They define the harmonic structure of the instrument. Activating different rings changes the body of the sound, almost like choosing which strings inside a circular instrument are allowed to vibrate.
Movement comes from a shared flywheel, not from an LFO grid, arpeggiator, gate, or step sequencer. The flywheel shapes pressure, damping, brightness, phase, and energy continuously. The movement feels circular, physical, and alive rather than stepped or looped.
O Resonator is designed for sustained resonance. The sound rises, opens, and evolves. It does not rely on sharp plucks or note attacks. This makes it especially suited to drones, ambient work, sound design, cinematic textures, experimental composition, and long-form harmonic motion.
O Resonator can generate its own sustained tone, but it can also process external audio. A voice, guitar, synth, drum loop, field recording, or noise source can be passed through the same seven-ring body and animated by the flywheel.
O Resonator sits between instrument, resonator, and sound processor. It is pitched enough to form harmony, physical enough to feel like a resonant body, and open enough to reshape incoming sound.
The core engine is built around seven parallel resonant string paths:
- A1
- D2
- G2
- C3
- F3
- A3
- D4
Each ring has a smooth electronic activation path. Activating a ring opens it into the rotating body. Deactivating a ring closes that path and lets it fade or damp away.
Multiple active rings sound together as one body. They are not played in sequence.
The flywheel is the movement source of the instrument. It continuously shapes active rings instead of triggering notes.
Relevant controls include:
- Disk On
- Speed / BPM
- Host Sync
- Phase
- Direction
- Rise
- Flywheel
- Inertia
- Mod Depth
- Period
- Evolution
The flywheel can create slow bloom, drifting movement, circular energy, phase movement, and long-form resonance evolution.
The string controls shape how the active rings respond.
Main controls include:
- Pressure
- Sustain Feed
- Rub Energy
- Bend
- String Sustain
- Harmonics
- Damping
- Bright Move
- Input Response
These controls affect the strength, sustain, brightness, harmonic emphasis, damping, bend/tension behaviour, and response of the resonant paths.
The body controls shape the sound after the active rings enter the shared resonant system.
Main controls include:
- Motion Drift
- Texture
- Body Move
- Body Grit
- Width
These controls help move the instrument from clean sustained resonance into more animated, textured, spatial, or rougher sound design.
O Resonator can be used as an effect processor. In effect mode, incoming audio is routed through the active string paths.
The basic effect model is:
host input
→ input gain
→ active string paths
→ tuned resonant rings
→ flywheel modulation
→ body output
→ mix / master
Relevant controls include:
- Input Gain
- Input Isolation
- Mix
- Sidechain Body
- Sidechain Pressure
- Internal Sustain
In this mode, external sound is not simply filtered. It is revoiced through whichever circular strings are active.
The interface follows the internal state of the instrument while it plays.
Visual components include:
- central disk visualiser
- active ring indication
- resonator bank
- input waveform monitor
- output waveform monitor
- live IO meter
- modulation cards
- motion and energy feedback
The visualiser is intended to make the instrument easier to understand during performance: which rings are active, how the body is moving, and how the signal is entering and leaving the system.
The resonator bank shows the seven rings in visual order:
D4
A3
F3
C3
G2
D2
A1
The table displays:
- ring number
- note
- frequency
- energy / level
- damping
- state
When rings are opened or closed, the state changes. When notes are assigned or retuned, the note and frequency update.
O Resonator is designed to run as both:
- a standalone application
- a VST3 plug-in
Standalone mode is useful when O Resonator is used as a self-contained instrument. VST3 mode is useful inside a DAW as either an instrument-style source or an effect processor for other tracks.
An active ring means:
input path open
ring contributes to the resonant body
flywheel shapes the ring continuously
Activation should feel like a smooth tonal arrival, not a pluck.
An inactive ring means:
input path closed
no sound from that ring
no hidden note
no automatic trigger
MIDI or rotation should not make a closed ring audible by itself.
Multiple active rings form one combined body:
D2 + A3 active
→ sustained D/A rotating drone
The rings are not played one after another. They merge into a sustained harmonic field.
- Open O Resonator as a standalone app or instrument.
- Activate one or more string rings.
- Turn Disk On.
- Raise Sustain Feed and Pressure until the sound blooms.
- Adjust Flywheel and Inertia to shape motion.
- Use Damping, String Sustain, and Body Move to refine the tone.
- Set Master to a safe output level.
Recommended starting rings:
D2 + A3
This gives a stable low drone and demonstrates the core sound identity.
- Insert O Resonator as an audio effect on a track.
- Send audio into the plug-in.
- Activate one or more rings.
- Raise Input Gain.
- Increase Input Isolation if the signal should be strongly routed through the rings.
- Adjust Pressure, Sustain Feed, Flywheel, and Damping.
- Use Mix and Master to balance the processed output.
Good input sources include:
- voice
- guitar
- synth
- drum loop
- field recording
- noise
- sustained pad
- percussion
Active strings: D2 + A3
Disk On: enabled
Speed: low to medium
Flywheel: medium
Inertia: medium-high
Sustain Feed: medium
Pressure: low-medium
String Sustain: high
Damping: medium
Motion Drift: low
Texture: low or off
Body Move: medium
Delay: off or low
Space: off or low
Master: safe level
Active strings: D2 + F3 + A3
Disk On: enabled
Evolution: slow movement
Mod Depth: medium
Period: several rotations
Flywheel: medium-high
Inertia: high
Pressure: medium
Damping: low-medium
Body Move: medium-high
Width: moderate
Space: low
Mode: effect
Input: voice, synth, guitar, drums, or field recording
Active strings: choose 1–3 rings
Input Gain: raise until input is visible
Input Isolation: medium-high
Internal Sustain: off unless internal tone is desired
Mix: adjust wet/dry balance
Flywheel: medium
Pressure: medium
Damping: medium
Master: safe level
MIDI can be used to retune or shape active strings.
MIDI may:
- retune active string paths
- finger active paths
- bend active paths
- affect pressure or brightness when mapped
MIDI should not:
- auto-arm inactive strings
- trigger plucks
- create arpeggios
- create string-order melodies
- create sound from closed paths
If a string is inactive, MIDI should not make it audible by itself.
On launch, O Resonator may show a rights and use notice before entering the main interface. This confirms the research/demo status and permitted use conditions.
The main disk shows the instrument as a circular resonant body. Active rings are visually emphasised. Motion is shown as energy moving around the ring body. The moving energy mark is not a trigger point; it represents flywheel motion and energy.
The resonator bank gives a practical view of the seven rings, including their notes, frequency, energy, damping, and open/closed state.
The modulation cards summarise key movement parameters:
- Mod Depth
- Motion Drift
- Body Move
- Bright Move
- Pressure
The waveform lanes show input and output activity so the user can see how much signal is entering the system and how much processed sound is leaving it.
The Output page controls final tone, output protection, recording, and monitoring. It includes Final EQ, Output Guard, Record Output, final meters, a DAW-style recording waveform lane, and master status.
The Motion Coupling page adds a second physical-motion view for disk and string coupling. It includes controls for coupling mode, slip, radius bias, friction, surface texture, Doppler, stereo orbit, phase spread, and centre body field.
Controls disk movement and flywheel behaviour:
- Disk On
- Host Sync
- Time Mapping
- Direction
- Reset
- Evolution
- Quality
- Oversampling
- Speed
- Phase
- Rise
- Flywheel
- Inertia
- Mod Depth
- Period
Controls the ring activation paths and string response:
- string activation buttons
- note assignment
- Pressure
- Sustain Feed
- Rub Energy
- Bend
- String Sustain
- Harmonics
- Damping
- Input Response
Controls how energy enters and colours the body:
- Bright Move
- Motion Drift
- Texture
- Body Move
- Body Grit
- Input Gain
- Input Isolation
- Sidechain Body
- Sidechain Pressure
- Internal Sustain
Controls final processing, protection, recording, and monitoring:
- Mix
- Master
- Width
- Delay
- Space
- Final EQ
- Output Guard
- Record Output
- live IO meter
- input waveform
- output waveform
- final meters
- recording waveform lane
- Framework: JUCE
- Language: C++17
- Formats: Standalone, VST3
- Core model: seven concentric tuned string rings
- Sound behaviour: continuous activation, sustained resonance, flywheel modulation
- Use modes: internal instrument, external audio processor
- Interface: custom JUCE UI with circular disk visualisation and waveform monitoring
A typical session looks like this:
- Open O Resonator.
- Activate one or more rings.
- Start the disk.
- Raise Sustain Feed and Pressure until the body blooms.
- Shape motion with Flywheel, Inertia, Speed, Direction, and Evolution.
- Refine sustain, brightness, damping, body, width, and texture.
- Use external input if working in effect mode.
- Monitor the resonator bank, disk visualiser, waveform lanes, and output meter.
- Save the host project or preset state through the plug-in host.
O Resonator is currently provided as a research demo and is not for sale.
This repository is intended for:
- study
- technical explanation
- private non-commercial evaluation
- teaching
- research discussion
- demonstration of the O Resonator sound model
It is not intended as an open-source commercial product or a permissively licensed software project.
This repository is provided under the I/US O Resonator Research Demo License 1.0.
See LICENSE.md for the full license text and usage terms.
In plain language:
- You may view, clone, build, and privately study the project for non-commercial research or education.
- You may not sell it, distribute builds, reuse the brand, create derivative products, train AI on it, or treat it as open source.
- All rights remain reserved.
IUS (PRS: IUS) and I/US Music® identify the performing name and brand for works released under the I/US Music® brand.
I/US Music® is a UK registered trademark, No. UK00004243563.
ISNI: 0000 0005 2827 1416.
Copyright © Pezhman Farhangi 2026. All rights reserved.
All website content, software content, source code, object code, binaries, plug-ins, standalone applications, audio concepts, sound design logic, interface design, images, official logos, documentation, text, diagrams, product names, design language, music, visual materials, and associated intellectual property are the intellectual property of Pezhman Farhangi and/or I/US Music®, unless expressly stated otherwise in writing.