Physical-modeling synthesizers have a reputation problem: the sounds are often extraordinary, but the interfaces tend to be dense, parameter-heavy, and intimidating to anyone who isn't already fluent in modal synthesis. Naturarum's new instrument Anima is a direct response to that — a standalone and AUv3 physical-modeling synth for iPadOS and macOS that pairs a genuinely playful interface with full MPE support and a built-in multitouch ribbon keyboard built for microtonal expression.
An Instrument Designed to Be Touched, Not Just Programmed
Anima ships with 55 factory presets, including contributions from sound designers Red Sky Lullaby and Hoavi, covering a range of modeled acoustic and semi-acoustic textures. What sets it apart from the growing crowd of modal and physical-modeling plugins isn't the modeling engine itself so much as how players are meant to interact with it.
The instrument includes a built-in ribbon keyboard designed for true microtonal play, supporting multitouch and per-finger sliding, alongside a more conventional three-octave piano layout for players who want standard note-based input. Both can be played directly on an iPad's touchscreen or via an external MIDI controller, and critically, both respond to MPE — meaning per-finger or per-note pitch bend, pressure, and timbre data all feed directly into the modeling engine rather than being flattened into a single shared control stream.
That combination — touch-native multitouch input plus full MPE support — makes Anima a somewhat unusual case in the MPE ecosystem. Most MPE instruments are designed around external hardware controllers; Anima is one of the few that treats the touchscreen itself as a first-class MPE surface, no separate controller required, while still welcoming one if a player wants deeper control.
Rounding Out the MIDI Implementation
Beyond MPE, Anima also supports sustain pedal input (CC64) and MIDI Program Change, which keeps it usable in more conventional performance setups — a sustain pedal plugged into an iPad via a MIDI interface, or Program Change messages triggered from a DAW or hardware sequencer to switch presets mid-set. That's a small detail, but it signals the app is aimed at real performance use rather than being a studio-only sound-design toy.
Interface as a Feature, Not an Afterthought
Reviewers have specifically called out Anima's interface as unusually accessible for the physical-modeling category, where dense, technical-looking UIs are the norm rather than the exception. Anima leans toward a more playful, custom visual design — a choice that matters for MPE adoption broadly, since one of the recurring barriers to expressive controllers and expressive synths isn't the hardware or the protocol, it's the learning curve of programming a patch that actually responds meaningfully to per-note pressure and slide. An instrument that makes that responsiveness immediately audible out of the box, with 55 presets built to show it off, lowers that barrier considerably.
Pricing and Availability
Anima is available now at an introductory price of $7.99, running as both a standalone iPadOS/macOS app and an AUv3 plugin for use inside a compatible host. Full details, including compatibility notes and preset previews, are available on Naturarum's website.
Why It's Worth a Look
Anima arrives at a moment when MPE support has become almost expected in serious synth plugins, but genuinely MPE-native touch instruments — ones built from the ground up around a multitouch surface rather than adapted from a knob-and-fader interface — remain relatively rare. For iPad-based musicians already using MPE controllers with apps like GeoShred or Ableton Live for iPad, Anima adds another option that leans into touch as an expressive input in its own right, rather than treating the screen as a secondary control surface bolted onto a synth designed for something else.