Melbourne Instruments has dropped a major new firmware update for the Delia, unlocking a fully fledged Macro Oscillator Mode with 45 waveform models adapted from Émilie Gillet’s legendary Mutable Instruments Braids. It pushes the analog–digital hybrid synth into wild new territory, expanding Delia’s sound palette from classic VCO tones to granular textures, electronic drums, formants, FM, wavetables and everything in between.
Key Features
- New Macro Oscillator Mode adds 45 Braids-style synthesis models
- Timbre and Color parameters adapted from the original Mutable workflow
- Fully integrated with Delia’s deep modulation matrix and motorised controls
- Supports Delia’s 6-voice, 12-note polyphonic and bi-timbral engine
- Free firmware update available now via Melbourne Instruments
A Hybrid Synth With a Whole New Personality
There’s something exciting about seeing a synth evolve in real time. Melbourne Instruments have already carved out a niche with their motorised-knob designs — first with NINA and now with Delia — but this update feels like a particularly big swing. The new Macro Oscillator Mode lifts 45 open-source models from the cult Eurorack module Braids and drops them straight into Delia’s already flexible voice architecture.
Those models cover a huge spread of synthesis types: analog emulation, additive, formants, noise, plucked strings, two-operator FM, wavetables with XY morphing, and even digital drum voices. It’s the kind of palette that lets you drift from warm subtractive pads to broken-glass granular clouds without leaving a single oscillator block.
Electronic artist and sound designer Tom Hall summed up the update pretty neatly:
“Delia was already something special, but now we have 6-voices of Braids Macros, along with Delia’s extensive modulation matrix, the sonic possibilities are limitless.”
And he’s not exaggerating. Delia’s modulation routing was already deep enough to scratch most experimental itches — now it feels more like a playground for sound designers who enjoy chasing evolving timbres and strange harmonic behaviour.
Timbre, Color and the Mutable Philosophy
Anyone who has spent time with Mutable gear knows how expressive Braids’ dual-parameter workflow can be. Delia inherits that design: Timbre and Color each influence multiple internal behaviours, sometimes drastically so. Depending on the model, they might shape harmonic spread, spectral folding, noise density, vowel formants, FM index, transient shape, or oscillator crossfade.
It’s a smart fit for Delia’s motorised-knob interface. When those controls physically shift as you swap models or presets, the synth almost feels alive — you get a direct visual cue of the oscillator’s internal state and an immediate tactile connection to the sound.
Another thing worth noting: Delia gives you six voices of these macros, not the single-oscillator Eurorack experience. That polyphony transforms models traditionally used for monosynth experimenting into lush pads, stacked textures, strange choral beds, metallic sequences, or hybrid digital-analog leads.
A Digital Engine That Still Feels Analog-Adjacent
Despite the heavy digital lifting happening under the hood, Delia’s analog filters, morphing capabilities, and motorised architecture keep the whole experience grounded. You can push the granular engines into shimmering chaos, then tame them through the multi-mode filters and dual-layer voicing. Or pair a digital FM macro on Layer A with an analog-style model on Layer B and use morphing to glide between them.
The update also opens the door to more generative-style workflows. Some of the noise models, drum algorithms, and physical-modelled modes lend themselves well to sequenced modulation — especially when combined with Delia’s hefty mod matrix. You can quickly build patches that feel like they’re breathing and mutating on their own.
What This Means for Delia Users
If Delia already felt like Melbourne Instruments’ most exploratory synth, this update cements it. The Macro Oscillator Mode effectively adds an entirely new synthesis engine to the instrument while still playing nicely with its existing analog path and performance features.
For anyone coming from the Eurorack world, this is a comfortable crossover — a familiar Braids-style ecosystem with polyphony, presets, motorised controls, dual layers, and a keyboard. For Delia owners who’ve never touched a Mutable module, it’s a crash course in digital synthesis styles without needing to dive into modular.
Melbourne Instruments have also released new Macro presets, plus a video preview showing off the update in action.
How to Get the Update
The Macro Oscillator Mode firmware is available now as a free download:
- Firmware Update: melbourneinstruments.com/support
- Macro Mode Info: melbourneinstruments.com/delia#macro
- New Presets: melbourneinstruments.com/presets#delia
If you’ve been waiting for Delia to take a leap into broader digital territory, this is a strong step. It’s rare to see a synth meaningfully expand its sound engine post-release — and even rarer to see it done with such a beloved bit of open-source history baked in. This update should keep Delia users busy for a long time.
