There are software synths that don't follow the "virtual patch panel" concept: Audiomulch and Supercollider come to mind. Audiomulch has a graphical interface.

There are software synths that don't follow the "virtual patch panel" concept: Audiomulch and Supercollider come to mind. Audiomulch has a graphical interface. Signals are processed by constructing a graph where each line represents an audio channel that can be routed between blocks that perform specific functions. Supercollider is more like a programming language, you can think of it as a DSL for audio generation. Both of them can interface with hardware, of course. I think there will always be a strong demand for tactile hardware interfaces, regardless of what people come up with on a laptop application. The kinaesthetics of making sound by manipulating something physical is so satisfying and intimate.