16.2 MB

A finite-difference time-domain physical modelling synthesiser.

1. Model
PartialString simulates the vibration of a plucked string by numerically solving the one-dimensional wave equation in real time using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The string is represented as a list of displacements in memory. A lower note requires a longer string, which needs more points to represent it. You can then excite the string at any point along its length, and the FDTD scheme will compute how that change in displacement propagates. A pickup measures the displacement at a chosen location, and this generates the audio output. 10-voice polyphony is supported (up to 10 simultaneous strings), but this is dynamically adjusted based on your computer’s capability and the lengths of the string being simulated.

2. Controls
You can set the position and shape of the excitation, both velocity-sensitive. An LFO can sweep the pickup position, up to audio rate for AM-like sidebands. The string’s decay time is adjustable, with or without dampers applied. The dampers can behave like a piano’s, closing when a note ends. Combined with a long undamped decay, this makes pad-like sounds. Reducing the simulation accuracy generates unrealistic, soft and inharmonic sounds. Accuracy can be set constant for all notes, or proportional to string length (which can help prevent CPU overload on less-capable machines).

3. Performance
Simultaneously simulating many low notes (long strings) accurately is quite computationally intensive. On less capable computers, PartialString will automatically limit the number of sounding voices to prevent CPU overload, and this is indicated on the UI. You may notice that the synth behaves monophonically in low registers.

There is an option to prevent too-low notes (those estimated to cause overload on your machine even when played monophonically) from sounding, or to automatically pitch them up an octave or two to maintain performance. This option only takes effect when the synth is being used in real-time (i.e. not when your DAW is bouncing or freezing tracks).

On Apple Silicon Macs (M-series), running an Intel-based DAW forces the plugin to run through the Rosetta 2 translation layer, which can significantly reduce CPU performance. For the best results, ensure you install and run an Apple Silicon native (or ‘Universal’) version of your DAW.

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PartialString.1.0.3  (16  MB )

36 MB

Turn any folder of samples into a playable instrument.
Drop a folder of samples and Pathfinder scatters them into a living field of light. Draw a path to play it, pull a sphere apart into tempo-synced grains, and shape the whole thing with effects.

Four moves. That’s the whole instrument.
No menus to learn. You drop, draw, explode, and shape — and the field responds in real time.

Drop in a folder
Drag any folder of samples straight onto the plugin — it analyzes each one and scatters them into a 3D field. Brighter, closer spheres are the sounds it likes best for playing.

Draw a path to play
Trace a line through the field and Pathfinder plays every sphere it crosses, in order. The shape of your line becomes the rhythm and melody of the phrase.

Explode a sphere
Grab a single sound and blow it apart into tempo-synced grains. One sample becomes a swarm you can re-scatter, re-pitch, and play back as a texture.

Shape it with FX
Drag effects into any order — reverb, degrade, flair, delay and a granular engine — and reorder the chain live to sculpt the field into a finished sound.

A granular sampler that feels like an instrument.
Your samples, mapped
Nothing is baked in. Feed it your own drum kits, field recordings, or one-shots and it builds a fresh field from whatever you give it.

Drawn, not programmed
Paths are performances. Draw fast or slow, jagged or smooth — the gesture is the sequence, so no two takes are the same.

Tempo-synced grains
The granular engine locks to your DAW. Explode a sound and every grain lands on the grid, from tight stutters to slow, drifting clouds.

// the toolkit
Everything inside.
A whole sampler lives under the map — scan, draw, sequence, edit and process, all in one instrument.

Particle map
Every sample becomes a sphere, auto-sorted into kick, snare, hat, perc, melodic, texture, vox and FX.

Category detection means you find the right sound by where it sits — not by scrubbing filenames.
Draw the path
Play any route from MIDI, tempo-locked and pitch-corrected to your project key and scale.

Key detection lets samples from totally different sources play in tune together — no manual retuning.
Layer mode
One key fires your whole captured group as an instant stack.

Explode
Select a sample and slice it into tempo-synced chunks scattered back onto the map.

A fast way to turn one hit into a whole palette of rhythmic fragments.
Step sequencer
Per-lane sounds, with swing and nudge.

Deep sound editor
Trim, envelope, pitch and volume per sound, plus a chromatic pitch-tracked keyboard for any sphere.

Five-effect chain
Reverb, Degrade, Flair, Delay and a tempo-synced Granular engine — drag to reorder, with full parameter pages.

Presets that remember everything
Paths, sequencer, effects, categories and settings, all saved together.

MIDI CC learn · scalable interface · built-in walkthrough

// techniques
Things to try.
No two folders make the same map. No two paths make the same instrument. A few places to start:

In-key arps
Draw a path across only your melodic spheres for evolving arpeggios that stay in your song’s scale.

Granular textures
Explode a vocal or pad, then draw a new path through the fragments for moving, atmospheric fills.

Kits from chaos
Lasso your kick, snare and hat spheres and build a drum pattern in the step sequencer from found sounds.

Instant chords
Capture a melodic group in Layer mode to turn any folder into a one-key chord instrument.

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Pathfinder.1.0.4.WIN  ( 8 MB )

Pathfinder.1.0.4.MAC  ( 2 MB )

23.6 MB

Four-layer one-shot sampler for AU, VST3 and standalone use. One MIDI note normally triggers all four layers, or one non-repeating random layer in Round Robin mode. DICE selects samples from their source folders and randomises volume, pitch, start point and delay.

Features:
– Four drag-and-drop sample slots with waveform display and previous/next folder navigation
– Smooth proportional interface resizing from 60% to 200%, plus persistent scale presets
– Twenty persistent colour schemes with dark, light and colourful variations
– Optional Glitch Mode with per-note inverted colour flashes, regenerated Zalgo text, waveform artefacts, randomized delays, stutters, crackles and sample-hold glitches
– Refined arc-style controls with parameter units
– Per-slot volume, whole-semitone pitch with Shift fine mode (0.1 st), draggable start point, positive shift (0–250 ms), and fade-end controls
– Smooth real-time playheads and visual start, shift, and fade editing on every waveform
– Hover-highlighted Start and Fade markers
– Non-crossing Start/Fade markers, draggable range selection, and mouse-wheel fade editing
– Option/Alt + mouse wheel adjusts fade-in and fade-out curve shape
– Mouse-wheel slot volume editing with matching waveform amplitude scaling
– MIDI note-on triggering
– Selectable 1–16 voice polyphony
– Hold-to-repeat Burst mode with adjustable 1–30 Hz rate
– Per-trigger parameter evolution (PTE) with a real-time-safe audio path
– Optional chromatic MIDI keytracking relative to note 60
– Random Round Robin mode plays one loaded slot per trigger without immediate slot repeats
– Per-slot LOCK controls to exclude layers from DICE and PTE
– Per-slot random-sample and clear controls
– Separate DICE, SAMPLES and PARAMS actions
– BACK recalls the previous generated combination
– Four global randomisation-depth controls
– Real-time-safe master volume control
– DAW state restoration for parameters and sample paths
– Last-used sample folder is remembered globally; DICE can populate empty slots from it
– Once-daily background check for newer GitHub releases with an in-plug-in notification

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Sample.Dicer.1.5.2  ( 24 MB )

15.5 MB

Roland TR-909-style kick drum synth. Club-ready kick drums, designed, developed, and fine-tuned by Alexkid. No wrong settings: only sweet spots, only good choices. A variation on the classic 909 character that still anchors clubs worldwide, shaped by three decades on dance floors and in the studio. Shape transient, body, tone, and decay, straight into your track.

Free. No strings. Just good kicks for the community.

Automate via MIDI CC — Each parameter is visible to automation.
Operating systems: macOS 11+ / Windows 10+

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WOMB.intro.1.0.0  ( 15 MB )

63 MB

Identity is a polyphonic synthesizer built around two formula oscillators — programmable oscillators where you write the waveform as a math expression. It includes a sub oscillator, noise generator, two multi-mode filters with envelopes, four MSEG-based LFOs, three modulation envelopes, a flexible modulation matrix, an arpeggiator, eleven reorderable effects, four macro knobs, per-voice vibrato and analog drift. Supports MPE.

Features
Two formula oscillators — write waveforms as math expressions, with built-in waveform and filter functions
Sub oscillator and white/pink noise generator
Two multi-mode filters with envelopes (LP / HP / BP / Notch, 12 & 24 dB/oct)
Four MSEG-based LFOs with poly, mono, legato, and free trigger modes
Three modulation envelopes
Flexible modulation matrix with curve shapes and bipolar / unipolar modes
Eleven reorderable effects (gate, chorus, distortion, delay, reverb, EQ, filter, and more)
Built-in arpeggiator
Four assignable macro knobs
Per-voice vibrato and analog drift
MPE support

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Identity.1.0.9  ( 124 MB )

29 MB

TetraOP is a wavetable synth with four oscillators, FM, Unison, ring modulation and more.
My first attempt at a wavetable synthesizer, it is based of Ableton Operator and combines four wavetable oscillators with phase and ring modulation. Its built using Gin and Juce.

Overall it’s a well executed synth with good performance and SIMD across voices, it doesn’t have however wavetable editor or a great filter section or a preset browser etc, due to FM not playing well with wavetables I am not sure I’ll be adding new features either.

Features
Wavetable based synthesis
4 operators with FM and RM routing
10 predefined FM layouts
FM and RM routing matrix
16 Unison voices per operator
5 Unison modes
8 Phase distortion modes
2 Filters with 5 types and 4 modes each
Drag-and-drop modulation system
Envelopes, LFOs, Macros and other modulation sources

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TetraOP.1.0.0  ( 36 MB )

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 )

26 MB

Instant is a single-voice percussion plugin for electronic and dance music production. It loads with a default pattern already running for the selected instrument, removing the need to manually program a basic clap, snare, or hihat pattern at the start of a session.

Four instrument slots are available: clap, snare, closed hihat, and open hihat. Each includes a factory sample library, and users can load their own WAV or AIFF samples (44.1 or 48 kHz, 16 or 24-bit) by placing them in the relevant folder, where they are automatically categorized.

The sequencer supports up to 32 steps with variable pattern length, per-step velocity, shuffle and swing with per-step override, micro-timing nudge per step, a fill toggle, pattern reset, and a velocity randomizer with intensity control.

Sound shaping controls include pitch (±24 semitones), high-pass and low-pass filters (24 dB/octave), a shape envelope for attack or decay, reverse playback, and master output level.

Parameter locks allow pitch, filter, shape, shuffle, reverse, and micro-timing values to be set independently per step, in the style of Elektron hardware sequencers. Locked values are shown on the relevant controls during playback and are saved with presets.

Audio exports can be dragged directly to a DAW timeline / a clip, rendering at the project’s exact tempo and pattern length with all locks, filters, and shuffle settings included in the export.

Instant is free, with a resizable interface and a preset save/load system.

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Instant.1.5.0  ( 27 MB )

12.6 MB

Magical FDS Plug is a software synthesizer plug-in that reproduces the sound of the The Disk System (FDS) sound chip. It can be used within Mac / Windows host applications that support Audio Units and VST3.

The FDS sound chip features a unique architecture in which a 64-sample waveform memory (carrier) is modulated by a separate 32-step instruction sequence (modulator). Despite its steep learning curve, Magical FDS Plug preserves the full flexibility of the original hardware while providing a logical interface for building waveforms — through additive synthesis, presets, and more.

Features
Carrier + Modulator — two independent signal paths. Design the audible waveform (carrier) and its modulation sequence (modulator) separately.
Logical waveform editing to take the guesswork out of FDS sound design:
Additive Synthesis — Drawbar-style, like a tonewheel organ. Mix harmonics with 8 sliders.
Preset Waveforms — Start from triangle, sawtooth, or sine wave, then reshape the tone via compression and expansion.
Pulse Waveform — Shape the waveform by adjusting the pulse width (1–63) of a square wave.
Freehand Drawing — Draw a 64-point waveform directly using sliders.
Modulator: 6 presets + Custom — Triangle, sawtooth, sine, square, ramp up, ramp down. In Custom mode, enter a 32-step opcode sequence (32 digits, 0–7) as text.
Modulation rate modes — Three modes: LFO (slow, cyclic modulation), FM (timbral modulation), and OFF.
ADSR envelopes for both carrier and modulator — Shape the volume and modulation over time, with the same workflow as Magical 8bit Plug 2.
Hardware-accurate output filter — A ~2 kHz low-pass filter modeled on the original hardware, switchable on/off (default: on).
Preset save / load — Save and load all parameters as an XML file.

Carrier and Modulator
Part Role Details
Carrier The audible base waveform A 64-sample, 64-level (6-bit) wavetable. Can be built in four ways: additive synthesis, preset waveforms, pulse waveform, or freehand drawing.
Modulator An instruction sequence that alters the carrier’s readout speed (and thus its timbre) Operates as a 32-step, 3-bit opcode sequence. Choose from 6 presets including triangle wave, or specify opcodes directly in Custom mode. Rate and depth controls allow LFO-style or FM-style effects.
Specifications
Parameter Details
Polyphony 1–32 (default: 1)
Carrier waveform modes Additive Synthesis / Preset Waveforms / Pulse Waveform / Freehand Drawing
Carrier waveform 64 samples, 64 levels each (6-bit)
Modulator Triangle / Sawtooth / Sine / Square / Ramp Up / Ramp Down / Custom (32×3-bit opcode text)
Modulation rate 1–4095 (LFO: 1–30 / FM: 30–4095)
Modulation depth 0–63 (LFO: 1–5 / FM: 0–63)
Modulation mode LFO / FM / OFF
Envelope ADSR (Attack / Decay / Sustain / Release) for both carrier and modulator
Controller support Velocity (0–127) / Pitch bend (±0–±24 semitones)
Output filter Hardware-approximate low-pass (~2 kHz), switchable on/off
Color themes 7 themes (FDS / YMCK / YMCK Dark / Japan / Worldwide / Monotone / Mono Dark)
Presets Save / load as XML file

Operation environment
Mac OS X macOS applications that support Audio Units and VST3 (macOS 10.13 or later)
Windows Windows applications that support VST3

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MagicalFDSPlug  ( 12 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 )