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Complete software
u-he ACE is a virtual instrument designed for sound creation and music production, particularly suited for electro, ambient, techno, synthwave, cinematic producers, and any context where evolving textures, organic basses, and expressive leads are sought. Its "boxes and cables" philosophy allows building custom sounds like on a modular system, while maintaining an accessible approach: you can play immediately with the pre-wired architecture, then dive deeper by repatching modules to achieve more experimental timbres.
ACE captures the spirit of hardware modular synths but within a semi-modular structure: a fixed architecture is ready to use, and each routing can be replaced by manual cabling. The key strength is the absence of separation between audio and control signals: an LFO can become an audio oscillator, a VCO can serve as slow modulation, and unusual paths (filtered modulation, FM via filter, feedback loops) become natural. The result: a compact synth that is easy to handle but far from limited once you start patching.
The two VCOs are the main generators, with behaviors inspired by analog circuits (including instabilities and nonlinearities). To reinforce the low end, a sub-oscillator adds density, while synchronization options, internal ring modulation, and cross modulation open the way to more aggressive or complex sounds. The glide (portamento) parameters are particularly flexible, with time or rate management, percentage range control, and an offset per oscillator for more expressive shifts.
ACE includes two cascade-style multimode filters modeled on analog hardware. They can be driven into overdrive without generating excessive harshness while maintaining solid resonance. Self-oscillation allows for unstable, chaotic, or highly experimental timbres, and chaining the two filters (with high resonance on the second) helps create sharper and more edgy sounds. Parallel outputs add flexibility for internal mixing and creative routings.
To animate your patches, ACE offers two enriched ADSR envelopes (snap, fall/rise, level and speed modulation, velocity handling). The "singing" mode reproduces a typical analog retrigger behavior, useful for lively basses and leads. The two LFOs cover from 0 Hz to 20 kHz, allowing them to be used as additional VCOs or audio FM sources. Additionally, the host-synchronizable Ramp Generator (trapezoidal shape) adds rhythmic and loopable modulation, handy for filter movements, pitch variations, or modulation sequences.
The presence of the Mapping Generator brings a more modern approach: a list of up to 128 editable values (drawing, ready-made shapes) that can serve as per-note patterns, per-voice offsets, modulation transformers, or even waveform shapes for LFO2. It is a very effective tool for creating "programmed" variations without heavy automation in the DAW.
Essential in modular environments, "multiples" are used to mix or duplicate signals. In ACE, the Multiplex modules go further: via modulation input and clever patches, they can perform ring modulation, amplitude modulation, crossfading, inversion, and hybrid combinations. It's a real playground for sound design, especially when exploiting the fact that any signal can modulate any other signal.
To finalize your patches without leaving the synth, ACE includes global effects: a stereo chorus with four modes (including phaser) to thicken and widen, a stereo delay with seven immediately selectable modes to add movement and depth, as well as bass and treble controls to adjust the mix rendering. Enough to go from a raw patch to a production-ready sound while keeping a smooth workflow.
Important: ACE is not a standalone application. It requires a compatible host software (DAW) and runs as a plug-in.
