Tawus: Multilayer Virtual Instrument by Thenatan Audio

The core of Tawus is its multi-layer engine. Each of the four samplers can be shaped separately with filters, reverse, pan, gain and tuning, so layers can sit in different frequency ranges and stereo positions.

The pitch designer adds vibrato and pitch envelopes, and glide and velocity control are available for expressive playing. Transpose covers plus or minus 24 semitones.

A mixer section gives individual control over each sampler's level, mute, pan, pitch and high-pass and low-pass filters, which makes it easier to balance a stack of layers without leaving the instrument.

Tawus includes 14 built-in effects, among them tremolo, phaser, pumper, wobble, compressor, a three-band EQ, reverb, delay, bit crusher, saturation and a stereo widener. The developer describes the effects as one-knob simplicity with powerful results, which makes them quick to shape.

The preset collection is a useful starting point for 808 bass, bells, pads and vocal textures. Drag the XY circle to generate variations from a preset without building a new patch from scratch.

The interface is resizable up to 200 percent, which helps on high-resolution screens.