FRMS⁠.

Any sound. Endlessly reshaped.

A granular synthesizer that turns any sample into a playable instrument. Drop a vocal, a field recording, a chord — break it into grains and find textures that didn't exist a minute ago.

Buy FRMS Try for free€89 · bundle from €159
80
Grains per voice
163
Factory presets
18
Expansions
4.64⁠
App Store rating
FRMS interface — waveform, granular controls and keyboard
[ OVERVIEW ]

The short version.

FRMS slices any sample into clouds of grains — stretched, scattered and re-pitched into living, evolving textures you can play like an instrument.

A granular synthesizer for desktop, iOS and Android. Up to four layers per patch, each with its own engine, filter and envelopes — plus a modulation matrix and effects that take a raw sample to a finished patch without leaving the plugin.

CategoryGranular synthesizer
PlatformsmacOS · Windows · iOS · Android
FormatsAU · AUv3 · VST · VST3
Presets163 factory presets
Best forSound designers & texture builders
01 · What it is

Any sample, made playable⁠.

Drop a vocal, a field recording, a chord. FRMS breaks it into up to 80 grains per voice and spreads it across the keyboard as an instrument.

02 · What it does

Textures that never sit still⁠.

Position, density, spray, pitch and jitter sculpt the grain cloud, while envelopes and the modulation matrix keep it evolving as you play.

03 · Why it's different

Deep engine, fast results⁠.

163 factory presets and eighteen expansion packs get you to a finished sound in minutes — and the engine rewards going deeper.

[ TRAILER ]

FRMS, in motion⁠.

[ ENGINE ]

The pieces that make grains sing⁠.

A real granular synth, not a special effect.
Designed to be played, not just programmed.
02 · feature

Position scrub & freeze

Move freely through any sample. Lock the playhead, spray grains around it, freeze a single moment in time and stretch it forever.

03 · feature

Spray, pitch, jitter

Three knobs that turn any sample into something else. Detune grains, scatter their start points, randomise their length.

04 · feature

Per-grain envelope

Shape each grain with a configurable Hann window. The difference between musical and broken is one curve.

[ WORKFLOW ]

Three steps from sample to instrument⁠.

No menus. No analysis stage.
Drop, dial, play.
01

Drop a sample⁠.

Drag any audio file onto FRMS — a vocal, a field recording, a chord stab. The waveform appears, transients marked, ready to play.

02

Break it into grains⁠.

Set position, density and pitch. Spray grains across the sample, freeze a single moment, scatter them in stereo. Listen as it transforms.

03

Play it like an instrument.

Map a controller, route to your DAW, layer with FX. The sample is now a synth — every key a new texture, every note alive.

[ FEATURES ]

The features that stand out⁠.

01Granular engine — up to 80 grains per voiceEngine
02Up to 8 voices of polyphony with dynamic allocationEngine
03Position, density, length, spray, jitter, pitch — per-grainGrain
04Non-linear, self-oscillating multi-mode filter, including a 4-pole ladderFilter
052 ADSR envelopes — amp and filterMod
064 LFOs with tempo sync, free-run and phase-lock modesMod
07Modulation matrix — 24 slotsMod
08FX rack — reverb, delayFX
09MPE — pitch, slide and pressure per voicePerformance
10Drag-and-drop WAV, AIFF, MP3 · automatic transient detectionSample
11163 factory presets · 18 expansion packsSounds
12AU, VST, VST3 · Apple Silicon nativeFormat
[ AUDIO DEMOS ]

Hear the presets⁠.

Pads, drones and granular textures.

A curated set of FRMS preset demos — pads, drones, vocal granulation, field-recorded percussion.

Best on headphones, or anything that reproduces stereo correctly.

[ TUTORIALS ]

From sample to cloud⁠, in three lessons.

Three featured videos.
Full course library on YouTube.
Lesson 01 · Sources

From sample to pad in five minutes

Lesson 02 · Density

Grain density and spray — sculpting the cloud

Lesson 03 · Spectral

Spectral freeze and time stretching, deep dive

[ EXPANSIONS ]

Three flavours of FRMS⁠.

Drop-in libraries. Each pack adds
~80 fresh presets and source samples.
Ghost Signals expansion pack cover

Ghost Signals

by arc rae

This collection gathers fleeting ideas—sounds that evoke memories or hint at an unknown future. Some feel familiar, others like echoes of an imagined past, all ready to take shape. Explore, adapt, and blend acoustic textures with the unpredictability of synthesis. Where it leads is yours to decide.

€9.99
Fragmented Chants expansion pack cover

Fragmented Chants

by Imaginando

Unravel the essence of the human voice with ethereal chants, whispered incantations, and spectral echoes transformed through granular synthesis. Create lush vocal pads, hypnotic mantras, rhythmic glitches, and harmonic drones—perfect for ambient, cinematic, and electronic soundscapes.

€9.99
Glitches From The Heart expansion pack cover

Glitches From The Heart

by Perplex On

An awe-inspiring collection sounds, straight from the heart of renowned newmedia artist Perplex On. A beautiful set of patches covering the entire spectrum of human emotion.

€9.99
Sounds of Saxophone expansion pack cover

Sounds of Saxophone

by Imaginando

Get horny with a selection of sublime sax sounds that will blow you away. A super expressive set of patches across an assortment of styles; from moody blues to epic 80’s tunes.

€9.99
18 expansion packsSee all FRMS expansions
[ PRESS ]

What the press says⁠.

Integraudio

FRMS is a versatile synth that combines granular synthesis with FM synthesis. Imaginando is a Portuguese plugin developer that creates some cool effects and virtual instruments.

Top 12 FM Synth Plugins For Unique Sound 2022Read review →
MusicTech

By the time we reached the 20th century and the advent of the electronic age, sound creation had been elevated into a science in its own right.

Review: Imaginando FRMSRead review →
Synth AnatomyThe synth has up to 4 simultaneous layers, each one either granular or…
AMAZONA.deHave you ever wondered what happens when you cross granular synthesis with FM,…
[ TESTIMONIALS ]

Producers who use it⁠.

App Store4.79★★★★★822 ratings
Google Play3.97★★★★188 ratings
★★★★★
"excellent soundscaper."
Lisa Hyde · Google Play
★★★★★
"Great app. Synth engine is fantastic."
Doug Hankins · Google Play
★★★★★
"09 06 26. One of the most interesting granular synthesizers ever. And it also works on Android."
zedegon · Google Play
★★★★
"What a sound machine! Simply wonderful, and on Android! FRMS is the best and most innovative synth in the Play Store. It doesn't run quite as smoothly as the iOS version, but I'm sure you'll get that sorted out. I'm just…"
Noxx · Google Play
★★★★★
"There were teething problems with the synth at the start, it seems to be fine now. It's a great synth and I've bought the premium version. If you make Industrial Electro/soundscape music you'll have fun with this 👌"
Gary Stubbs · Google Play
★★★★★
"Best granular synth I could find on Android. Works fine with my MPE gear, and the sound packs are actually fun places to start sound design from. No complaints. Would maybe like an fx rack with some distortion stuff, but…"
Calvin Byers · Google Play
★★★★
"Great synthesizer, but I wish there was an introduction or tutorial on how it works, or that the interface was a bit more intuitive."
Starnight · Google Play
★★★★★
"The app is insane! Excellent app!"
ALONSO BETETTA · Google Play
★★★★★
"This one is probably gonna be one of the most useful tools in a musicians toolbox, with mindboggling possibilities and beautifully complex sounds with an almost effortless worksurface."
EC0Sphere · App Store
Portrait of composer Andrián Pertout
After discovering VS, I tried FRMS and found it ideal for blending live acoustic instruments with electronics. As a contemporary composer, I value its creative potential—granular, FM, and subtractive synthesis—to generate evolving textures. The preset libraries are inspiring, and the ability to granulate any sound source, even live input, is incredibly powerful.
Andrián Pertout · Composer, PhD
[ Pricing ]

Own it your way⁠.

Rent it monthly or buy it once.
Mobile apps are available separately on the app stores.
[ Rent-to-own ]

Pay monthly

€8.90/mothen yours forever
  • Flexible monthly payments
  • Pause or cancel anytime
  • Same licence as buying once
  • Yours to keep after the final payment
How rent-to-own works
[ Bundle ]

Get the full bundle

€159one-time · desktop
  • Best value — save vs buying separately
  • Desktop licences only
  • FRMS + all expansion packs
● UNLIMITED-TIME DEMOSign in with an Imaginando account and try FRMS for as long as you like — no card required. Until it's licensed, a short noise burst plays every 60 seconds, saving is disabled, and a DAW can't recall the plugin's patch state when you reopen a project.
Download demo
[ EDUCATION ]

Students & teachers, 50% off⁠.

Verified students and educators get 50% off FRMS — same features and updates. Verify your status, get the code, install.

[ MOBILE ]

Also on mobile⁠.

FRMS for iOS and Android is sold separately on the App Store and Google Play.

App StoreGoogle Play
[ REQUIREMENTS ]

Will it run on your rig?

macOS 12 or higher

AU, VST, VST3. Apple Silicon native. ~772 MB download.

Windows 10 or higher

64-bit. VST, VST3. ASIO recommended · ~211 MB download

iOS 17.0 or higher

Universal iPhone & iPad. AUv3 host & plugin · ~268 MB download

Android

Standalone app. ARM64. Low-latency Oboe audio.

[ FAQ / Before you try ]

Quick answers⁠.

The questions we get asked most about FRMS.

What is FRMS?

+
FRMS is a granular synthesizer with frequency modulation. Drop in any sample — a vocal, a field recording, a chord — and it breaks the sound into grains you can reshape into new pads, textures and instruments.

Which platforms and formats does FRMS support?

+
FRMS runs on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. On desktop it works as a VST, VST3 and AU plugin and as a standalone app; on iOS it's an AUv3 plugin and standalone for iPhone and iPad.

Can I use my own samples?

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Yes. FRMS turns any audio you load into a playable granular instrument, with up to four layers per patch and 80 grains per voice — position-scrub, freeze and stretch any moment of a sample.

Is the mobile version included with the desktop app?

+
No. FRMS for iOS and Android is sold separately on the App Store and Google Play. The desktop and mobile versions are independent purchases.

What's included, and can I expand it?

+
FRMS ships with 163 factory presets, and its library can grow with eighteen expansion packs spanning ambient, cinematic, acoustic and experimental sounds.

Can I try FRMS before buying?

+
Yes. A free demo lets you explore the full engine with your own sounds, so you can hear exactly what FRMS does before you buy a licence.