Knif Audio Knifonium

The Knifonium is an exceptionally beautiful-sounding monophonic synthesizer that is driven by a whopping 26 vacuum tubes. This upscale synth features two tube-driven oscillators, a 4th order ladder filter, a ring modulator, and a gorgeous “steampunk” aesthetic.

The original hardware units are handcrafted in small batches by high-end audio device designer Jonte Knif, with his incomparable sense for detail. But as beautiful as these synthesizers are, the Knifonium is not just a piece of eye candy capable of making “weird noises". It is an exceptionally musical and inspiring instrument that offers countless possibilities for shaping and modulating sounds.

Although Knif Audio is a new addition to the Plugin Alliance family, the name is well-known by hardcore synth freaks and audiophile engineers alike. Lead designer Jonte Knife has been making vacuum tube-based hardware for mixing, mastering, and sound design for years. And his Knifonium synth is carefully crafted to be the best in its class. No one sums it up better than Jonte himself, who simply says: "It sounds like nothing else."

Now, the engineers at Brainworx have taken a great thing and made it even better. Not only is the plugin version of the Knifonium even more accessible and easy to use than the original, it also adds features that just aren’t possible in the analog world.

First and foremost, this plugin emulation of the Knifonium adds 8 independent voices to the synthesizer, opening up an entirely new universe of possibilities. Imagine an atmospheric pad sound produced by a total of 208 vacuum tubes!

The software version of the Knifonium also adds on mid-side and stereo spreading capabilities, a powerful unison mode, as well as the carefully-curated BX effects section, including a well known vintage-style phaser, SPL EQ Ranger, Waveshaper, and more, giving you a wide range of effects that you will actually want to use.

Even at its most basic, the Knifonium sounds uniquely rich and captivating. And Jonte Knif confirms that it sounds and behaves just like the real thing. Brainworx engineers modeled the complete circuits of the original hardware, including all 26 tubes, applying their patented Tolerance Modelling Technology (TMT, US Patent No. 10,725,727) to recreate the natural variations in envelope parameters, pitch, LFO speed, and so many other characteristics to make this digital recreation sound as realistically analog and natural as possible.