British producer A.G. Cook, founder of the influential label PC Music, has left an indelible mark on contemporary electronic music over the last decade. His avant-garde productions for world-renowned artists such as Charli xcx, Caroline Polachek, Jónsi, and Oklou have redefined the boundaries of modern pop and club music, characterized by maximalist textures, deconstructed rhythms, and, above all, aggressive, euphoric synthesizers. Recently, this unmistakable sonic identity has crystallized into a new and ambitious technological milestone: the launch of Super*Saw (pronounced Super Star Saw), a virtual synthesizer developed in close collaboration with software giant Native Instruments.
After two years of rigorous joint development and exhaustive testing in studio environments, Native Instruments has presented this tool that promises to change the rules of the game in music creation. This software instrument is not a simple emulator of classic hardware. The architecture of Super*Saw has been built directly based on the personal patches, recording sessions, and empirical workflow that Cook has perfected throughout his award-winning career. The main goal of the Berlin-based company has been to encapsulate the tedious and complex process of wave layering into an agile and accessible interface, allowing producers to access massive and expansive sounds immediately without compromising the creative flow.
Technical architecture: The dual system and the 4-Corner Morpher
To understand the magnitude of this release, it is crucial to analyze the technical specifications that drive the Super*Saw audio engine. At its core, the synthesizer houses a dual oscillator system based on sawtooth waves, capable of processing multiple simultaneous voices to generate extremely dense and harmonically rich layers of sound. Historically, creating a convincing supersaw sound—a technique popularized in the late nineties during the golden age of trance and rave—required routing and grouping multiple tracks, subtly detuning each layer to achieve the desired stereo width. Super*Saw automates, modernizes, and expands this technique, consolidating sound design into a single virtual ecosystem that optimizes processor performance.
One of the most notable and revolutionary innovations of this plug-in is the inclusion of the 4-Corner X/Y Morpher. This advanced macro modulation tool allows users to transition and blend in real-time between four completely distinct patch states: harmony, tension, chaos, and clarity. Through simple automation gestures or the use of MIDI controllers, producers can transform static chords into constantly evolving rhythmic sequences, providing a level of performative expressiveness rarely seen in synthesizers of this category.
- High-density dual sawtooth oscillator system.
- 4-Corner X/Y modulator for fluid transitions between sonic states.
- Extensive preset library personally designed by A.G. Cook.
- Native integration with Komplete Kontrol controllers and Maschine hardware.
A new paradigm in virtual tool design
The arrival of Super*Saw on the market marks a significant turning point in the creation of music production tools aimed at the modern producer. By partnering with an undisputed pioneer of hyperpop, Native Instruments demonstrates a deep understanding of where the electronic vanguard is heading and the current needs of creators in studios around the world. The simplification of complex workflows does not imply, in this case, a loss of technical depth; on the contrary, it frees creators from the barriers of basic audio engineering so they can focus fully on composition, groove, and performance.
Super*Saw not only recreates classic sounds, but takes them in an experimental and performative direction, reducing hours of sound design to an instrument of immediate execution.
— Avant-garde synthesis analysis
This release underscores a growing trend in the music software industry: the creation of signature instruments that capture the essence, soul, and secret techniques of a specific producer. With the introduction of Super*Saw, the historical legacy of stacked sawtooth waves evolves into unexplored territory, offering the next generation of producers the definitive tools to sculpt the soundscapes of the future of electronic music.
