Vertigo FAQ: granular Phase Plant presets & eight macros

Question 1

Are all 100 Vertigo presets based on granular synthesis?

Accepted Answer

Vertigo contains 100 presets: 94 use granular synthesis, while the six bass presets are the exception. The collection explores textured, grainy psytrance sounds through Phase Plant's sound generation, modulation and effects. Every preset has eight macros. The six basses are included in the total of 100, not an additional bank.

Question 2

What software do I need to use Vertigo?

Accepted Answer

Vertigo is a preset bank for Kilohearts Phase Plant, which is required and sold separately. It is not a standalone synthesizer, a Vital bank or a Pigments bank. Use the 15-preset demo to audition the workflow in your installed Phase Plant setup before choosing the complete collection. The current product listing does not specify a minimum Phase Plant version.

Question 3

What do the eight macros in each Vertigo preset control?

Accepted Answer

They provide mapped ways to change the patch's character and movement. The assignments depend on the preset: a small adjustment can reveal a variation, while a larger move can affect several parts of the signal path. The live tweaking video shows Black Marvin performing those changes while the Phase Plant interface remains visible. Begin with one control at a time so you can connect the movement you hear to the macro you are changing.

Question 4

Do I need the APC40 controller shown in the Vertigo video?

Accepted Answer

No. The APC40 is Black Marvin's performance controller in the demonstration, not a requirement listed for Vertigo. The sound bank loads into Phase Plant, where the macros are available in the plugin interface. A controller is an optional way to perform several controls by hand; it is not included with the preset bank.

Question 5

How is Vertigo different from Molekules and Mycological?

Accepted Answer

Vertigo gives you finished Phase Plant patches, including modulation, processing and eight macro assignments per preset. Molekules and Mycological are separate granular source collections for building and exploring your own patches. The video identifies material from those Fractal Sounds libraries as part of Vertigo's sound design. That does not make Vertigo a purchase of both complete source libraries, and the different software or hardware editions should not be treated as interchangeable.

Question 6

Should I choose Vertigo or Horizon for Phase Plant psytrance?

Accepted Answer

Vertigo centres on granular textures and intricate processing, with eight macros on every preset. Horizon takes a broader, more direct approach to classic psytrance roles, including acid leads, basses, pads, percussion, sequences, stabs and zaps. Choose Vertigo when granular experimentation is the main attraction; explore Horizon when you want a versatile bank covering those different parts of an arrangement.

Question 7

What gives Vertigo its complex granular character?

Accepted Answer

The bank combines Fractal Sounds source material with Phase Plant's modulation and the Kilohearts processing environment. Its product page highlights resonance suppression, parametric filter sweeps and convolution sequencing as sound design techniques used across the collection. These describe the bank's approach; they do not mean that every preset contains the same effects chain or that one macro performs the same function throughout the bank.

Question 8

How can I hear and try Vertigo before buying?

Accepted Answer

The product page has an audio demo and a short video with an introduction followed by live macro tweaking. The free demo contains 15 working presets selected from the full 100-preset bank. The performance starts at about 2:41 in the video, so you can jump directly to the sounds or watch the introduction for the granular concept and controller workflow.