Annulus
Key Features
- Six physical-modeling resonator modes cover modal tones, sympathetic strings, Karplus-Strong plucks, FM-like timbres, chord-locked resonance, and ambient string blur
- Eight-voice Rings section spreads resonator voices across the stereo field with velocity and position randomization for organic variation
- Spiral tape delay adds tempo sync, ping-pong routing, wobble modulation, and saturated feedback after the resonator stage
- Velvet algorithmic reverb supplies shimmer, diffusion, ducking, and a four-second tail for wide ambient spaces
- Distortion section includes twelve waveshaping models at 2x oversampling, ranging from tube warmth to asymmetric fuzz
- Four macro knobs can reshape the resonator, delay, reverb, drive, and visual motion together from one performance gesture
Description
Annulus is a polyphonic resonator and effects engine from Jonas Eriksson, built around a Rings-inspired physical modeling core. It turns incoming notes or audio into plucks, bells, sympathetic-string washes, metallic hits, and unstable ambient textures, then runs them through delay, reverb, distortion, and global macro controls.
The official page lists six resonator modes: Morphosis, Sympatheia, Bathmos, Anomalia, Donisis, and Antron. Those models cover modal resonance, sympathetic strings, Karplus-Strong string behavior, FM-like tones, chord-locked sympathetic shapes, and blurred string-and-reverb ambience.
Annulus is not just a bare resonator module. Spiral adds tempo-synced stereo tape delay with ping-pong routing, Velvet adds algorithmic reverb with shimmer and ducking, and Distortion adds twelve waveshaping models at 2x oversampling.
The developer clearly marks the release as untested in the wild, with no public beta or formal testing phase yet. That makes Annulus more appropriate for exploratory sound design, scoring textures, and experimental production than for mission-critical mix sessions where absolute stability matters.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Annulus based on Mutable Instruments Rings?
The official page says Annulus uses a faithful implementation of the physical modeling engine behind Mutable Instruments Rings. It expands that idea with six named modes, eight voices, macro controls, and an effects chain rather than presenting a one-to-one Eurorack module clone.
What effects are built into Annulus?
Annulus routes the resonator into Spiral tape delay, Velvet algorithmic reverb, and a Distortion section with twelve waveshaping models. The Morphe, Aigle, Nothros, and Topos macro knobs can move several parts of the chain at once.
Is Annulus stable enough for finished projects?
The developer warns that Annulus has not gone through a public beta or formal testing phase and may contain bugs or behave unpredictably across systems and DAWs. It is best treated as an early creative tool until more real-world testing reports come in.
How do you download Annulus?
The official page links to a Lemon Squeezy checkout for the download. The checkout is pay-what-you-want with a zero minimum and zero cart total, but users still need to complete the checkout flow to receive the files.
