A cult-favorite FM synth is back. MAP Audio, the developer behind the PAM sampler and drum synth, has teamed up with Big Tick Audio to release Rhino 3, a modernized version of the hybrid FM synthesizer that first appeared on Windows back in 2003.
Rhino 3 is out now in early access for macOS and Windows at $50, half of its planned $100 full price, and existing Rhino 2 owners get it free.
Six oscillators, FM, additive, and wavetables
At its core, Rhino 3 keeps the formula that made the original popular. Each voice has six oscillators, and any oscillator can frequency-modulate any other, including itself. Sound sources include FM, additive, and, new in this version, wavetables, so you can draw your own partials in the additive editor or build a waveform from a WAV file.
The FM routing matrix now lives on its own page, where you can see and edit every modulation path at once. Two multimode filters, drawn multipoint envelopes, and a 16-step sequencer with per-step note, velocity, and length round out the engine.
What's new in Rhino 3
MAP Audio rebuilt the instrument around a new, resizable interface and made it friendlier to tweak while you play:
- Edit while it plays. Drawn partials reshape held notes in real time, and switching a waveform, filter mode, effect, or preset fades smoothly instead of clicking.
- Four effect slots instead of Rhino 2's two, with six routing options and effects such as delays, choruses, reverbs, a granulator, CrazyComb, rotary speaker, and ring modulation.
- Randomize a page, a single section, or a whole preset by a set amount, while keeping locked sections intact.
- Preset compatibility with drag-and-drop loading of Rhino 1 and Rhino 2 presets and Rhino 2 .fxb banks.
- Two color themes, MAP and Heritage Teal.
- Microtuning with .tun scale files, plus MIDI learn and optional CC output.
Formats, licensing, and a browser version
Rhino 3 runs as a VST3 plugin and standalone app on macOS and Windows, plus AU on macOS. It's the first Rhino with VST3 support, while the old VST2 build has been dropped. Copy protection moves from key files to MAP Audio account activation, which works online or offline, and each perpetual license covers three computers with updates included.
There's no traditional trial. Instead, you can play a full version of Rhino 3 right in your web browser on the product page, no account or download required. Rhino 2 owners can sign in with the email used for their Big Tick Audio purchase to claim a free Rhino 3 license, and Rhino 2 keeps working alongside the new version.
Full details, and the in-browser version, are on the Rhino 3 product page.
Images in this article are from MAP Audio.