Austrian synthesizer maker Mayer EMI today released Aurora 5.0, the first in a series of named firmware milestones for the MD850 Vibes desktop synthesizer. Aurora adds more than 335 new sounds, a true-stereo reverb with decay times of up to 60 seconds, a Vintage Mode with analog character profiles, full SFZ multisample import and dedicated controller integration with an updated UI. Announced at Superbooth 2026, it is now available as a free download for every MD850 Vibes ever sold, installed in seconds from the device directly.
The Aurora was shaped together with sound designers Drey Andersson and Synthmill. Both contributed new preset libraries, core concepts and months of testing during development. way.
What’s new in Aurora 5.0
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| 01 |
335+ new sounds in six new banks. Something for every genre, from analog-style polys to film-score textures. Analog, Chameleon, Ethnic, FM Legacy, Keys & Synths and Mayer Collection join the completely reworked factory library, now renamed Aurora. Ethnic is built on wavetable scanning of real instruments; FM Legacy delivers classic FM character as scannable, velocity-sensitive wavetables. |
| 02 |
Cloud Reverb. Pads that hang in the air for a full minute, and a reverb good enough to run other synths through. True-stereo, studio-grade, 40+ parameters, 26 presets, decay up to 60 seconds. Via the external inputs it also works on outboard synths, turning the Vibes into a stereo effects engine. |
| 03 |
Vintage Mode. Makes a digital chord move like it came from a 40-year-old analog poly. Profiles such as Jump Chords, Ladder Drift, Matrix Pan and Unstable Analog add tuning drift, pan movement and per-voice variation, from subtle to extreme, on a single Vintage Amount knob. |
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SFZ multisample import. Your sample library, playable in hardware. Drag-and-drop in VibesConnect with key and velocity mapping, layered with the wavetable oscillators and processed through the full modulation, filter and effects path. |
| 05 |
Controller plugins. Hands on the music instead of the screen. Pads, buttons and grids mapped straight to the Vibes‘ step sequencer, drum computer and clip launcher, for controllers like the Akai Fire, Novation Launchpad Pro and many more. |
| 06 |
Deeper modulation, updated VibesConnect, new UI. New mod matrix destinations for delay, reverb and filter; an info center and one-click sound pack installer in VibesConnect; a redesigned on-device interface that is easier on the eyes and faster to navigate. |
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Aurora 5.0 is available now, free of charge , via the internal updater, VibesConnect or at mayer-emi.at/manuals-and-firmware.
