02 — Macro Oscillator / Digital Voice
Mutable Instruments
Width
12 HP
Depth
25 mm
+12V
50 mA
-12V
5 mA
Price
~$149*
Review
Plaits is the most popular oscillator on ModularGrid for good reason: it packs 24 synthesis algorithms into 12HP with zero menu-diving. Where its predecessor Braids relied on an encoder and a tiny screen, Plaits gives you two colour-coded buttons and three continuously variable timbre knobs. Every model sounds different; every knob position is a usable sweet spot.
The synthesis range is staggering. Virtual analog, waveshaping, two-operator FM, formant, granular, wavetable, string modelling, modal percussion, speech synthesis, and — with the v1.2 firmware — 6-operator FM (DX7-style), phase distortion, and wave terrain synthesis. The built-in low-pass gate with internal decay envelope means Plaits can produce complete, finished sounds with no external modules whatsoever.
This was Emilie Gillet's final oscillator design, and it shows. The v1.2 firmware update, her parting gift to the community after closing Mutable Instruments in 2022, added custom wavetable loading via the audio input. Discontinued originals now sell for well above MSRP; fortunately, the open-source design has spawned high-quality clones.
Key Features
STM32F373CCT6 ARM Cortex-M4 at 72 MHz. PCM5100A DAC. Band-limited synthesis throughout (no oversampling needed). 16-bit delta-sigma ADCs for CV inputs. 48kHz/16-bit DC-coupled outputs. All hardware and firmware are open-source. *Discontinued 2022; clones ~$175, used originals $250–350.