Software synthesizer - Definition and Overview

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:

• VSTi cross platform
• DirectX Windows only
• DSSI based on LADSPA Linux 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)
• AlsaModularSynth (http://alsamodular.sourceforge.net/) (Linux-based software synthsizer)

See also

• Digital audio editor
• Music sequencer
• Pure Data
• Cubase
• 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.