Nikolozi updates Mela to v5.2 – Refreshed Preset Browser, New Note Event Module

17th April 2024 - KVR Audio News

Nikolozi has updated Mela, the modular AUv3 plug-in for iOS and macOS, to version 5.2. Here's what's new:

Preset Selector:

Moved the Preset Selector to the left side of the screen.
Added disclosure button to toggle the Preset Browser view.
Tapping the preset name now presents the actions menu, removing the need for a separate button.
The Save Preset, Export & Save and Create Group actions no longer present a separate text field. Instead, the Preset Selector turns into a text field in place.
Now a confirmation dialogue will be displayed when overwriting an existing preset.
Create Group action is now accessible via the File menu or Command-G shortcut in the Mela app.

Preset Browser:

Greatly improved Preset Browser interface, now vertically scrollable on the left side.
It now feels more integrated with the Preset Selector.
The Import, Export, Rename, and Delete preset group actions are accessible via the ellipsis icon menu.
User presets offer similar actions through a long-press gesture (or right-click on macOS) and swipe left on the preset name.

Note Event Module:

Introduced a new MIDI Processor module for note-on and note-off events.
It's simple yet very versatile.
With the Event module, you can create algorithmic compositions by modulating its parameters.
It can trigger envelopes or retrigger LFOs, even when Mela is inserted as an audio effect with no MIDI input.
Events can be triggered via the user interface, automation, or modulation.
Its primary parameter, Event, accepts values within the [0%, 100%] range.
When the value exceeds 50%, the module generates a note-on event.
Once the value drops to 50% or lower, it generates a corresponding note-off event.
Additional parameters allow you to set the generated event's channel, note, and velocity values.
The note-on and note-off events can also be triggered by tapping the toggle button.
The toggle button indicates the currently held note.
The Event module is part of Collection 3.

Node Pad Module:

Introducing a new module for simple note-taking purposes.
It serves as a tool for describing presets or jotting down session notes.
The module supports limited Markdown features for text formatting: regular, bold, italic, strikethrough, monospaced, and links.
Artists, creating and distributing Mela presets, can utilise it to provide detailed information about how to best use a given preset, along with links to their websites and social media.
A new preset called Session Notes in the Audio FX group features the Note Pad module.
The Note Pad module is part of Collection 3.

Note-On/Off Gate:

It's now possible to create a gate-like modulation signal using the MIDI Source module based on note-on and note-off events.
Set the Input parameter to Note-On/Off Gate to use it.
On note-on, the modulation signal jumps to 100% but it drops back to 0% on note-off.
The signal can be smoothed out using the Smoothing parameter.
You can use this instead of an envelope generator when you don't need the complexity.

Text Input:

The Perform View parameter renaming no longer happens in a separate text field. Instead, the value label turns into a text field in place.
The Enter Value menu action and a triple tap on a dial or slider no longer display a separate text field for entering a parameter value. Instead, the value label turns into a text field in place.
For frequency-based parameters, you can now enter values by appending either "kHz" or "k". Mela will interpret these values as kilohertz instead of assuming they are in hertz.
Similarly, for time-based parameters, appending "s" to the value will indicate to Mela to use seconds instead of the default milliseconds unit.
Added "Set to 0%" menu item above Enter Value for the Level parameters of the oscillator modules.
The Level parameter of these modules reset to the default value of 50% on double-tap, however, the 0% value is also very useful (e.g. for amplitude modulation).
In the future, other parameters may gain similar options to quickly set them to common useful values.

UI Zoom:

Other Changes:

The update includes many internal changes to continue to transition away from Mac Catalyst and towards becoming a fully native macOS app.
The MIDI Source and Note Length modules updated the Note-on/off strings to Note-On/Off to improve consistency.
The MIDI Logger module is now more compact as the Copy and Clear buttons were removed. The actions are still available via the context menu which can be accessed by tapping the console anywhere.
Added the Stereo Playground preset to the Synth FX group.
Added a workaround for Musical Keyboard getting stuck notes due to SwiftUI gesture bugs.
Many UI tweaks and improvements.

Download the update from the App Store.