8.4Great
Chromaphone 3 is a two-voice acoustic object synthesizer using physically modeled acoustic resonators by Applied Acoustics Systems.
Plugin comparison
Chromaphone 3 vs Nikolator
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
Nikolator is Hügelton Instruments' physical modeling synth that simulates a musical Tesla coil, with voltage, current, arc, and discharge controls, a valve filter, and a 4 by 6 modulation matrix.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | Chromaphone 3 | Nikolator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199 | Pay what you want, from $1 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.4 | — |
| Formats | VST2, VST3, AU, AAX Native, NKS, Standalone | VST3, AU, Standalone |
| Synthesis | Two-voice multitimbral, based on physically modeled acoustic resonators | — |
| Resonator types | Eight: beam, marimba, open tubes, closed tubes, string, drumhead, plate, membrane | — |
| Factory library | 1,090+ presets (421 new plus 676 remastered Chromaphone 2 sounds) | — |
| Effects | Reverb, delay, distortion, phaser, chorus, flanger, filters, equalizer, compressor, guitar amplifier, tremolo across three independent racks | — |
| Tuning | Supports Scala scale file format and reference note frequency tuning for microtonal music | — |
| RAM | Less than 256 MB per instance | — |
| Type | — | Physical modeling synthesizer (musical Tesla coil) |
| Sound source | — | Modeled resonant circuit, discharge, and air behavior |
| Voices | — | Monophonic and polyphonic modes |
| Filter | — | Paraphonic valve low-pass filter |
| Modulation | — | Drive envelope, 4 by 6 modulation matrix, assignable MIDI routing |
| Presets | — | 22 factory, plus user presets |
| Formats | — | Standalone, AU, VST3 (macOS); VST3 (Windows) |
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