NIVIEM Phase II
Dual Formant Filter with Vowel Trajectory Modes
The first-ever plugin emulation of the ultra-rare Phase II Guitar Synthesizer (1970-71). Dual formant filters with three trajectory modes create the distinctive 'yoy-yoy' talking effect. With only ~150-200 ever built, originals command $5,000-$15,000.
What Makes It Special
Dual Formant Filters
F1 (250-1000 Hz) and F2 (800-3000 Hz) discrete bandpass filters with gyrator-simulated inductance. True speech formant modeling, not just a wah.
Three Trajectory Modes
Parallel (both sweep together), Counter (opposite directions), and Vowel (custom speech-like trajectory creating the 'yoy-yoy' sound).
UJT Animation LFO
Authentic 2N2646 UJT relaxation oscillator with exponential sawtooth waveform. Rate range 0.1-15 Hz. Flip-flop generates opposite-phase square waves.
Discrete Fuzz Section
3-transistor NPN/PNP complementary topology (Q5-Q6-Q21). Asymmetric soft-to-hard clipping. Hand-selected transistors were color-coded in originals.
Expression Pedal Control
10K linear expression pedal input for real-time formant control. Voltage scaling matches original 1.8V-2.2V critical range.
Narrow CV Sweet Spot
Authentic modeling of the 0.4V critical control range. This narrow window is why each original unit sounds different — and that character is preserved here.
Specifications
Highlights
- First-ever plugin emulation — no other VST recreations exist
- Heard on Sonic Youth, Primus, Pearl Jam, and Beck recordings
- Vowel trajectory mode for the distinctive 'yoy-yoy' sound
- Vintage Variation: each instance can sound like a different unit
- Tempo Sync, multiple LFO waveforms, pickup simulation (beyond original)
- Fuzz Character: Transistor (authentic), Tube, or Hybrid saturation
- 20 factory presets including signature Sonic Youth/Primus tones
Under the Hood
System Requirements
macOS
- macOS 11.0 (Big Sur) or later
- Intel or Apple Silicon (Universal Binary)
- AU or VST3 compatible host
Windows
- Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
- VST3 compatible host