Software synthesizer
Software synthesizers
A software synthesizer or virtual instrument is a computer program for digital audio generation. It works like a common synthesizer, but is realized entirely in software. A software synthesizer will typically respond to MIDI calls like a normal synthesizer module.
Types of software synthesizer
Software synthesizers can run as stand-alone applications or as plug-ins within other applications.
There are various audio plug-in formats that allow implementation of software synthesizers including:
- VST cross platform
- DirectX Windows only
- Audio Units Mac only
- RTAS
- TDM
- MAS
- ReWire
Popular software synthesizers
- Absynth
- Csound (A programming language that allows synthesis of scores)
- FluidSynth - previously known as IIWU Synth
- FM7 (Yamaha DX7 emulator)
- impOSCar (OSC OSCar emulator)
- Kontakt
- Lounge Lizard - Electric Piano (Based on physical modelling)
- Max/MSP (modular synth)
- M-Tron (Mellotron emulator)
- Moog Modular V (Moog modular emulator)
- Oddity (ARP Instruments Odyssey emulator)
- Pro-53 (Prophet 5 emulator)
- Pure Data (modular synth, free open source)
- Reaktor
- Reason
- ReBirth (Roland TR-808/TR-909/TB-303 emulator)
- Super Collider (programming language for building own synths)
- SynFactory
- Tassman - Sound Synthesis Studio (based on physical modelling)
- Timidity
- z3ta+
- ZynAddSubFX
- Rhino 2 (http://www.bigtick-audio.com)
See also
- Digital audio editor
- Music sequencer
- Pure Data
- VST plug-ins
- Cubase
- MAIA and LADSPA for Linux
- Rosegarden
- Digital Audio Workstation
- SawStudio
External links
- Software synthesizer news (http://www.synthtopia.com/Articles/MusicSoftware.html)
- KVR (http://www.kvr-vst.com/) is an excellent resource for keeping track of software version updates.