42 MB

The virtual version of this historic Italian synthesizer, created by myself and Marco Molendi, can be downloaded for free.
CRB URANUS 1: for those who saw it and for those who weren’t there
After years and years of video collaboration with the SM Strumenti Musicali YouTube channel, where I dedicated myself to other people’s projects, finally – and with great pride – I present to you a project that sees me as the protagonist in collaboration with a great technician and a very dear friend like Marco Molendi .

This project had been in the air with Marco for some time: it was the emulation of an Italian synthesizer that – as the title of the chapter suggests – few have seen and probably some have only heard of. In SM Strumenti Musicali columns such as Arranger Legacy and Synth Legend , we have often mentioned a long-defunct Italian brand like CRB Elettronica of Ancona , founded in 1948 by Duilio Borsini . The writer had the opportunity to work at CRB in his youth in the mid-1970s, doing the so-called apprenticeship. Like many companies in the Marche region of that period, CRB also mainly built electronic organs , but the company’s research and development laboratories also studied new and ambitious projects aimed at attracting musicians and dealers. Among these projects was the rather “courageous” one for a synthesizer, which at the time was gaining new enthusiasts, thanks to creations arriving from overseas such as those by Moog and ARP.

Today, with modern technology, discussing the idea of ​​building a synth is no longer scary , but believe me, in the mid-seventies, just talking about a project like that made industry insiders turn up their noses . CRB ” got off to a flying start ” with a project that – nowadays – we would define as the fruit of a courageous “vision”. The CRB URANUS 1 was a “Monster” instrument in every respect, both in terms of features and overall dimensions. An instrument born to generate a “Wow!” effect in the enthusiast. Anyone who has read the two books co-written with my friend Riccardo Gerbi ( Volume 1 and Volume 2 ) will have seen the photos where I played it at trade shows and demonstrations of the time. Here I offer you a few nuggets of history and some characteristics of the URANUS 1.

But what are we talking about?
It was the first and only polytimbral (and therefore polyphonic) synth of its time made by an Italian company. Eight oscillators (divided into two pairs split across the keyboard) with a panel full of sliders and buttons for controlling and programming the various sections! An instrument that left an indelible mark on the writer’s memories, until the day my friend Marco Molendi and I decided to create it, to the delight of those who saw it and those who weren’t there.

The Genesis
The CRB Uranus 1 was the forefather of projects that later followed in the Italian company, namely the URANUS 2 , the Oberon and finally the Vega , a mammoth synthesizer that was never released (also due to its cumbersome size and weight). Only five URANUS 1 units were built , of which one remained in the company and four were distributed for demonstrations in Italy and around the world, but which never returned to CRB, due to the subsequent closure of the company for commercial reasons well described in my books.

Reconstructing a memory
I spent hours on the URANUS 1 at the company, preparing various demonstrations for trade shows and events. My experience with that model fueled curiosity , study, and memories. Memories I’ve pursued for years, based on the sonic and technological experiences I’ve experienced throughout my career in this industry. Starting from these very memories, Marco Molendi and I challenged each other with a thousand and one questions: What was it made of ? How did it sound? What was its musical logic?

Marco and I began researching the technical possibilities to make this dream come true, but he, a truly great musician, already knew where to start. I tried to convey to him all my information , my memories, and my passion for that instrument. Marco accompanied me on this quest and, like a true enthusiast, he set out to shape it into software variants day by day, slider by slider, oscillator by oscillator.

Below you can see the graphics of the original from which Marco then extrapolated the layout of the software interface!

True to the original!
Upon startup, the CRB URANUS 1 will appear like this on your computer:
Marco Molendi reproduced all the oscillators as well as the eight VCFs, VCAs, LFOs, and much more! The instrument offers a mirror image of all the features and a few added features typical of modern day utilities. Marco was also more generous than expected, equipping this variant with 10 programmable memories. (Back then, talking about memories was like spotting a UFO!)

Together we refined all the features with tempo sounds (including the Drum Machine), polytimbral priorities and much more.

Today, this pursuit of memory has become an easy-to-install software and… FREE . Yes, you read that right: FREE .

In the installer (currently only for the Windows platform ) you can select your preferred format (Standalone or VST 3 plugin), and you will also find the user manuals describing the various utilities and settings, as well as the 10 presets created by yours truly, with the relative descriptions and audio demos for each. The installer also includes a demonstration video , which you can see below.

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VST.Uranus  ( 42 MB )

820 / 821 / 821 MB

Apus is a free lo-fi virtual instrument by Audiolatry, made for warm chords, dusty melodies, soft pads, and simple lead sounds. It includes 52 presets designed for lo-fi hip-hop, chill beats, ambient music, retro pop, and relaxed electronic productions.

The plugin keeps things simple, with an easy interface and built-in sound shaping controls. You can load a preset, adjust the tone, add movement, use the effects, and quickly build new ideas.

Features
– 52 lo-fi presets
– Keys, leads, pads, and melodic sounds
– Warm, dusty, and nostalgic sound character
– Envelope controls for attack, decay, sustain, and release
– Filter, glide, modulation, and velocity controls
– Built-in chorus, distortion, delay, and reverb
– Simple interface for fast sound shaping
– Suitable for lo-fi hip-hop, chill beats, ambient, retro pop, and electronic music

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Apus.1.1.0.Windows.VST3  ( 820 MB )

Apus.1.1.0.Mac.VST3  ( 822 MB )

Apus.1.1.0.Mac.AU  ( 822 MB )

69 MB

MechanOdd is a polyphonic physical-modelling synthesizer plugin (VST3/AU) built with JUCE. It synthesizes sound by exciting simulated mechanical resonators (strings, plates, membranes, and beams) and routing the results through a feedback matrix, effects chains, and a modulation engine.

CONCEPT
MechanOdd is built around the idea that interesting timbres arise from the interaction between excitation signals and resonant structures, rather than from either alone.

A typical path through the synth:

Sources generate raw signals (noise bursts, wavetable oscillators, crackling textures).
Resonators shape those signals using models of physical objects: a vibrating string, a struck plate, a drum membrane, a stiff beam.
A feedback matrix lets resonators feed back into each other and into the sources, creating coupled systems with complex emergent behaviour.
Effects polish the result (reverb, delay, EQ, saturation, cabinet simulation).
A modulation engine (LFOs + per-voice ADSRs) animates any parameter over time.
The synth is fully polyphonic (up to 8 voices). Each voice runs its own set of sources, per-voice resonators, and a modulation engine. A second tier of global resonators receives the summed output of all voices and processes it once per audio block, suitable for room-scale resonances shared across notes.

User Interface
Sources
Four source slots (coloured orange, gold, rose, magenta) generate the excitation signals. Each slot can be independently tuned and shaped. Typical source types:
Wavetable: band-limited oscillator reading a stored waveform cycle.
Noise: spectrally shaped random signal, useful as a bow or breath approximation.
Cracks: sparse impulse train imitating plectrum picks or percussion strikes.
Sources feed into the columns of the feedback matrix.

Resonators
Four resonator slots (coloured teal, azure, lime, violet) model the physical structure being “played.” Each slot independently selects a resonator type and its associated parameters.
Resonators can run in two modes:

Per-voice: each polyphonic voice gets its own independent resonator instance, tuned to the note’s pitch.
Global: a single instance shared across all voices, processed once per audio block.

Feedback Matrix
A 4×9 routing grid. Each cell is a bipolar gain knob (centre = mute, edges = ±maximum gain):
Columns 1–4 carry the four source signals.
Columns 5–8 carry the four resonator outputs (fed back with a one-block delay).
Column 9 carries the processed send-bus output, fed back with a one-block delay (the re-entrant send chain).
Rows 1–4 feed the four resonators.
Each row also has a level, pan, and send control. The send bus routes signal into the Bus Effect Chain, whose output is both folded into the master mix and fed back into column 9 of the matrix.

Warning

Watch your output level when tweaking the matrix. Because multiple gain paths sum at the mix stage, the combined signal can peak well above 0 dBFS before it reaches the Master chain — even if individual cells appear modest. This is especially true when resonator-feedback columns (5–8) or the send-bus column (9) carry appreciable signal, as they form re-entrant loops that multiply on every block. Start with all cells near centre (muted) and raise gains gradually while watching the VU meter. Placing a Limiter as the last slot in the Master chain is strongly recommended as a safety ceiling whenever exploring high-gain or self-oscillating settings.

Effects
Two serial effect chains of four slots each:
Chain Purpose
Bus Applied to the send signal accumulated from all voices and resonators. Its output also re-enters the feedback matrix (column 9), forming a re-entrant effect loop
Master Applied to the final stereo mix, after the bus chain
Available effects per slot: Delay, Tube saturation, EQ, Octaver, Compressor, Limiter/maximizer, Transient shaper, Cabinet IR, Convolution Reverb.

Modulation
Twelve global modulators, each targeting any float parameter in the plugin. Two types:
LFO: continuously oscillating; selectable shape (Sine, Triangle, Square, Saw Up, Saw Down); rate in Hz or tempo-synced to host (1/1 down to 1/16T).
ADSR: triggered by MIDI note gates; global gate rises on the first note after silence, falls on the last note release.
Per-voice ADSRs mirror the global ADSR modulators but track individual note gates, so each voice can have independent envelope shapes even on the same target parameter.

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MechanOdd.0.1.0  ( 70 MB )

31.06 MB

PhizmOsc is a 2-Oscillator Transwave Synthesizer loosely modelled after (or rather, inspired by) the Ensoniq Fizmo Hardware Synthesizer.

PhizmOsc is NOT an emulation of the Fizmo, but is capable of generating very similar sounds as the Fizmo’s Transwaves / Wavetables are included in the download as .wav files. Other, arguably better emulations of the Fizmo like Echograin’s Tranzwave (A really great emulation, highly recommended) or Puremagnetik’s Waveframe (only for Ableton) use them too, so I hope it is fine to include them. I obtained the wavetables from nilamox.com, which were originally .vitaltable files, and converted them to .wav files myself.

Even though I own the above two Fizmo emulations which are really good, I wanted a standalone .vst3 version to play around with and wanted to give a free alternative to the community. If you have the money, please purchase one of the great synths linked above from Echograin or Puremagnetik, I am not affiliated in any way with either of them.

What PhizmOsc offers

PhizmOsc is a dual oscillator transwave synthesizer. Each oscillator morphs through its transwave at a rate and trajectory the user can design visually in a sound evolution envelope. The two oscillators share a single scan clock but can follow completely different curve shapes, so their timbres evolve in lockstep but may diverge in character. A single cycle through the evolution pattern can last to anywhere from 0.1 seconds to 100 seconds, perfect for slowly evolving pads.

Please Note: The transwaves are not directly build-in into the synthesizer. Make sure to save them into a directory of your choice and always load them from there. When you load a preset, the synths expects the transwave .wav files to be at the same location from where you accessed them when saving the preset. Preset loading may fail if the directory changed, however you can always reconstruct the name of the wavetable from opening the .phism preset files using a text editor, which saves the absolute path to the presets.

The oscillator is the focus of PhizmOsc. Other characteristics that make up the Fizmo or other great synthesizers, like the Fizmo’s extensive FX section, are not included besides a simple Chorus and Reverb. For many more free effects, feel free to have a look around my other VSTs!

Included in the download is the vst3 and a standalone .exe program of PhizmOsc, both for Windows, and the Source Code for JUCE so you can compile it yourself for Mac or Linux (I do not own either of these systems, so I can’t provide builds for these platforms, however CutUpMusic kindly offers many of my plugins for Mac).

PhizmOsc was in large parts coded with Claude.ai, specifically the free Sonnet 4.6 model.

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PhizmOsc Transwave Engine VST  ( 31 MB )

201 MB

Annulus is a polyphonic resonator and effects engine built for sound designers who think in texture, not presets. At its heart is a faithful implementation of the physical modeling engine behind Mutable Instruments’ Rings — one of the most celebrated modules in the history of Eurorack — paired with a full effects chain and a visual interface that breathes with the sound.

Six modes. Six physical models. Six complete sonic identities.

The engine
Annulus routes your signal through four linked processors:

Rings: a MIDI-driven polyphonic resonator based on Mutable Instruments’ Rings, running six distinct physical modeling algorithms. Eight voices spread across the stereo field with velocity and position randomization for organic variation on every hit.

Spiral: a stereo tape delay with tempo sync, ping-pong routing, wobble modulation, and saturated feedback.

Velvet: an algorithmic reverb with shimmer, diffusion, ducking, and a four-second tail.

Distortion: twelve waveshaping models at 2× oversampling, from soft tube warmth to asymmetric fuzz.

Four macro knobs: Morphe, Aigle, Nothros, Topos. Reach across the entire chain simultaneously. One gesture shapes the resonator, the delay, the reverb, and the drive at once. Topos also integrates into the visualizer’s rotation, tying the image to the physics of the sound.

Morphosis

Modal resonator — the original Rings algorithm

The filter bank that made Rings famous. Morphe adjusts the stiffness and spacing of modal partials, moving from tight harmonic clusters into rich inharmonic shimmer while the fundamental stays anchored. Stable and musical, with warm amber tones on a burnt sienna background. The classic starting point.

Sympatheia

Sympathetic strings — ensemble in a box

Six virtual strings that retune themselves in response to incoming pitch, producing the swelling unison and shimmer effect of a sympathetic string instrument. Morphe sweeps the interval relationships; Aigle controls how quickly the strings glide into tune, from instant to languid and out-of-focus. Coral and maroon over a deep purple slate, warm and restless.

Bathmos

Karplus-Strong string — from wood to metal

A plucked string model with tunable dispersion. Near center, Morphe sounds like a natural string. Push it outward and the partials spread into clangy, bell-like inharmonicity. High settings introduce a stochastic noise into the delay line that gives notes an unpredictable shimmer, like a string that isn’t quite behaving. The only mode with per-slider macro colors: red, orange, green, blue on parchment white.

Anomalia

FM voice — ratio walks

FM synthesis inside the resonator. Morphe steps through a quantized table of carrier-to-modulator ratios, moving from clean harmonic intervals through irrational, clanging relationships. Aigle pushes the modulation index — low for pure tones, high for sideband-rich noise. Every Morphe position is a different instrument: marimba, bell, metallophone, something with no name. Pale cream on deep red, minimal and stark.

Donisis

Quantized sympathetic strings — chord engine

The sympathetic string model locked to fixed chord shapes. Where Sympatheia glides freely between intervals, Donisis snaps to presets — octave, minor, major, sus4, minor 7th, major 7th, and more. Morphe steps through eleven chord voicings; the current chord name displays beside the knob. Less a texture and more a harmonic tool — play a note, choose the chord it lives inside. Cool gray-green on silver.

Antron

String and reverb — ambient string

The Karplus-Strong model with an internal reverb baked into the resonator’s tail, before the signal reaches Velvet. The result is warmer and more diffuse than Bathmos — notes bloom rather than decay cleanly. Good for pads, atmospheric textures, and anything where the line between instrument and space should blur. Copper on near-black.

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Annulus.0.1.0  ( 200 MB )

15.2 MB

Deep Evolving Pad Synth. Elysa Morph is a musical evolving pad/texture synthesizer designed for long, expressive, cinematic tones. It combines analog-style warmth, wavetable/granular detail, and spacious stereo movement in a single instrument.

Its core philosophy is simple: hide technical complexity, keep creativity immediate. Most advanced routing is intentionally under the hood, so you can shape rich sounds quickly without juggling dozens of controls. Instead of managing around 70+ parameters directly, you work through a streamlined macro workflow that stays clear, fast, and performance-ready.

Behind that minimal surface is a deep architecture with multi-engine synthesis, layered modulation, multi-stage filtering, and spatial FX. The result is an instrument that feels effortless to use, yet delivers complex, evolving sound design.

Feature Highlights:
– Dual character modes: ELYSA and WAELAR
– 3-engine architecture with deep synthesis behaviors
– 3 LFOs, 3 random modulators, and 3 ADSR envelope layers
– 3-stage filter structure for tonal sculpting and movement
– Built-in chorus/ensemble/dimension, delay, and reverb space design
– Macro-first workflow for fast, musical control
– Hidden advanced depth for complex internal motion
– 99 factory presets focused on evolving, musical pad textures

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Elysa.Morph.1.0.1  (15  MB )

15 MB

Cinematic Pad Synthesizer. Aether Drift is a cinematic pad instrument built around a simple idea: a visually elegant, macro-driven interface on the surface, with a far deeper evolving synthesis engine underneath. It is designed so the user shapes complete pad worlds, not individual technical parameters.

Rather than presenting a traditional synth panel full of oscillators, routings and modulation pages, Aether Drift hides that complexity inside the engine. The result is a workflow that stays immediate and musical, while still delivering rich, layered and evolving pad textures.

Features:
– Dual-oscillator pad body with wave morphing and unison width
– Macro-driven interface with Aether and Drift orbs for sound shaping
– Hidden layers for warmth, shimmer, harmonic glow, and evolving depth
– Integrated spatial effects including chorus, ensemble, dimension, and reverb
– Preset generation and mutation with Inspire and Evolve functions
– Visual feedback display (Vision Core) reflecting sound energy and motion
– Macro controls for tone, motion, depth, width, space, air, warmth, glow, and sparkle

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Aether.Drift.1.0.4  ( 15 MB )

199 MB

Arturia MicroBrute-based synth. Mini-Menace is a throwback to the modern resurgence of analog synths, with all sounds sourced from the Arturia MicroBrute.

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Mini-Menace.1.0.0  ( 199 MB )

4.60 MB

Droplets is a plugin that aims to recreate the old 32 bit freeware plugin Water by xoxos, a physical water droplet model synthesizer that can create individual water bubble sounds, splashes or river sounds depending on the settings. I wanted to preserve it for the foreseeable future in vst3 form and of course in 64 bit. The old version still works in FL Studio, my favourite DAW, but not for example in Ableton.

While the original’s source code is not publically available, a brief technical description of the general methods xoxos used to make it was, and with big help of the Claude Sonnet AI I was able to recreate it in JUCE relatively well. I compiled a vst3 and standalone .exe program for Windows, but the source code which is included in the download also works for Mac and Linux!

It might not have all the functions of the original and sound a little different, but can sound quite nice and simple – don’t expect it to sound realistic though!

An explanation of the controls is provided in the download as well.

The plugin is free and the source code is open, meaning you are free to do whatever you like with it, but please do not sell it for profit unaltered.

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Droplets VST  (  MB )

175.2/39.9 MB

Vital is the perfect solution for those looking to enhance their sound and unleash their creative potential. With a range of synthesis options, including wavetable and granular synthesis, Vital offers endless possibilities for sound design. The intuitive interface and powerful sound shaping controls make it easy for producers of all levels to quickly create professional-quality sounds.

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Vital.1.6.1  ( 175 MB )