5 ms·

Open Source Spectral warping wavetable synth

117 points by Fannon 5y ago

Fannon 5y ago
This free and open source software synth really blows me away. It's better than most paid alternatives and I really love how visual interactive and well laid out this synth is. Due to it being free, there's a huge community growing around creating presets, sharing tutorials, and more. For example, here are many presets incl. audio preview: https://presetshare.com/presets?instrument=2&orderby=likes https://presetshare.com/presets?instrument=2&orderby=likes
- bambax 5y ago
  Vital is indeed fantastic. But it's a little heavy on the CPU. Yet, the sounds it can make are indeed amazing.
EarlKing 5y ago
- CoastalCoder 5y ago
  Which of Vital's features are less innovative than they claim? I'd be interested in hearing about the pre-existing implementations you have in mind.
- vollmond 5y ago
  Vital and Helm are easily the most-recommended free synths I've seen in a couple years of learning music production. I think this might be the first negative/"meh" response I've seen to Vital. What are your preferred free synth plugins?
- jrajav 5y ago
  Its modulation system, wavetable engine, voice synthesis features are all innovative in certain ways. In addition, you can't ignore the UX, being tied to creativity even if it's not part of the sound. Vital has shed the traditional skeuomorphic approach that dominates software synthesizers and proven a lot of new ideas for connecting its features, visualizing its processes, and streamlining user workflow. Similar to what Arturia is doing with Pigments, though Pigments still paints inside the lines a little more. But it doesn't necessarily have to be innovative to be worthwhile, anyway. Vital has a comprehensive breadth of features for a digital wavetable synth and is often being compared to Serum, historically the marketplace leader in the space.
ace2358 5y ago
Great synth! Huge sound possibilities and the visual aspect is great for visual learners who are learning synths for the first time! I love seeing this stuff posted here. Does anyone have any other similar plugins for synths/effects. I know that Valhalla does amazing work and there is VCV or whatever but I remember there being a bit of community issues with that one.
- bambax 5y ago
  > there is VCV or whatever but I remember there being a bit of community issues with that one Try Cardinal: a fork of VCV that offers a free VST implementation. It's still a little rough around the edges but it's great.
- sideshowb 5y ago
  Surge vst?
- mackrevinack 5y ago
  this is more of a VCV type thing than a standalone synth but it has some helpful visual stuff going on https://www.bespokesynth.com/ https://www.bespokesynth.com/
jermeh 5y ago
Vital is one of the best free software synths out there. In terms of functionality, it competes with a whole lot of paid synths out there. For anyone getting started with making music or synthesis, this is 100% the recommendation I give.
mastazi 5y ago
I don't get the spectral warping part: is it similar to nonlinear distortion (e.g. Casio CZ-series)? Or is it a different concept? How does it work under the hood?
- Bieberfan2003 5y ago
  https://ibb.co/y0TL3SS https://ibb.co/y0TL3SS https://ibb.co/Hn945Q0 https://ibb.co/Hn945Q0 You get multiple choices on 2 dropdowns with associated bipolar knobs. Best way to explain them all would be to just listen to a demo.
  - mastazi 5y ago
    Nice, thank you, from looking at the 2 drop-downs it's possible to get a good idea of what it does. It seems like a very interesting synth engine!
thanatos519 5y ago
Wait, open source but I have to make an account to get anything? Public git repo or GTFO.
- danbolt 5y ago
  I found the source code for the synth here on GitHub[1], but it doesn't look like they advertise it on their site? It seems to be compiling/linking fine on Pop!_OS, but I had to do some apt trial/error to ensure the right packages were installed. [1] https://github.com/mtytel/vital https://github.com/mtytel/vital
  - joe_the_user 5y ago
    Let us know if you get enough for a usable system once you're done.
    - danbolt 5y ago
      Hey sorry, for the late followup. I was getting compile/link errors related to Google Services dependencies. I think this is one of those situations where it's GPL-licensed, but not necessarily the most accessible.
- ghostly_s 5y ago
  In fact they seem to require a paid subscription.
  - vollmond 5y ago
    The synth is free. Paid levels seem to be mostly for skins/presets/support. There are more wavetables in the paid version, though I don't know enough about wavetable synthesis to know how much that matters.
    - joe_the_user 5y ago
      I'm at the free download and it's demanding I register. Which might still be "free" but isn't part of the terms of things considered "open source".
winternett 5y ago
There's a big difference between "Free" and demo versions. I've personally found that most music software makers always have an angle or strategy to up-sell when they say their tools are free, and that's simply NOT free. Now even demo versions of software give you no accurate indication of what happens behind the scenes. Free plug-ins often install additional software, security tools (digital dongles) and drivers that can cause problems even once they are installed, especially if you don't purchase the full version. They also often don't uninstall correctly as well. I tried Vital months ago and found the free version to be limited in many subtle ways and processor intensive, which likely is not as much the case in the full version. I am very cautious now about plug-ins and other software offered online as "Free" because after trying out the free version of Fresh Air by Slate digital a few months ago, it never managed to run and my DAW and computer experienced total failure and data corruption caused by their licensing tool, which cost me a lot more than the full version cost, but it also cost the company me, as a potential customer. Luckily I routinely make backups, I can't afford to lose my work and data by trying dodgy apps... No exceptions.
- kylenoteboom 5y ago
  I'm curious to know what you found limiting about Vital's free (as in beer) offering. Other than fewer wave tables, presets and a limited number of text to wave table usages per (Day? Week? I'm not sure what the timeframe is) I am certain there is no difference compared to any of the paid offerings. If you're interested in soft synths that are FOSS, you might want to check out these as well: Vitalium (a completely FOSS fork of Vital, in a similar vein as Chromium compared to Google Chrome Helm (developed by Matt Tytel as well, just like Vital) Surge (XT) Zyn-Fusion (a FOSS additive synth)
- digitalslr 5y ago
  You may have a point regarding some plugins, but complaining about it here isn't very fair to Vital: >additional software, security tools (digital dongles) and drivers Vital appears to install/require none of these things. >found the free version to be limited in many subtle ways Subtle how? It's all listed on their home page: there are less presets (you can make your own) and there are less wavetables (you can import your own). The only functional limitation is on using the "text-to-wavetable" feature to generate wavetables. Otherwise, you have all the same modulation, filtering, wavetable morphing, & FX that the paid version does. If you choose to pay for it, you're basically just buying more presets.
adzm 5y ago
I had no idea this was open source. Vital is an amazing synth, and really gives Serum and Pigments competition.
- kragen 5y ago
  It's apparently been open source for less than 13 months under GPLv3: https://github.com/mtytel/vital https://github.com/mtytel/vital As recently as the end of 02020 (two months earlier!) they were planning to not open-source it: https://forum.vital.audio/t/is-vital-actually-open-source/1396/13 https://forum.vital.audio/t/is-vital-actually-open-source/13...
  - mxmilkiib 5y ago
    Vitalium is the fork that removes the store etc. https://github.com/DISTRHO/DISTRHO-Ports/tree/master/ports/vitalium https://github.com/DISTRHO/DISTRHO-Ports/tree/master/ports/v...
    - kragen 5y ago
      Thanks!
- smrtinsert 5y ago
  Surge is also another amazing open source synth that should be included at that level: https://github.com/surge-synthesizer/surge https://github.com/surge-synthesizer/surge Team is super passionate constantly adding features which are already in thee wishlist zone.
llamataboot 5y ago
I really love this synth, and I really love this software model. You can support with a subscription, but it's not a scammy "we hope you forget to cancel this", you literally get the credit from your subscription to buy the full thing. You don't have to buy anything! The code is free as in speech and in beer, but if you actually use the software for what it is used for, you get a lot of amazing benefits from doing so (ie; I'm a programmer, but if I'm making music I don't always want to be making presets, sometimes I just want to hear a bunch) There's (less) danger of the company just going backrupt and being locked into their bitrot because the code can be forked and maintained (can is not will, but makes me feel better)
cmrdporcupine 5y ago
I'm two months into writing a VST instrument, and I'm curious about business models and how much success this product is having. I'd consider open sourcing, but I also feel like I've put in a crapload of work (and still have lots to do before I'd release, mostly UI work which I hate doing). I had in mind perhaps I would create a fairly cheap commercial project and attempt to sell and market it myself. But it seems like this one has an interesting alternative models. Open source core, free basic version, pay for content? I wonder how successful it is in bringing in $$. Looks like a boatload of work went into the instrument, too. (The thing I'm making is a mix of additive + frequency-modulation synth. Uses a variant of frequency modulation [Modified FM] not present in anything else I've seen based on some papers I read some years ago [from Victor Lazzarini and Joe Timoney @ Maynooth University university]. A more regular linear pattern to the sideband amplitude during modulation. Sounds less "nasal" and "tinny" than classic Yamaha DX FM.)
- felizuno 5y ago
  I'm curious if you've seen/heard the Xaoc Devices Odessa (Eurorack and not software but is an additive synth with linear and exponential FM)?. Xaoc make a separate module for mid/side processing so $0.02 if you're in territory that boutique hardware makers are investing in that seems like a good sign.
mellow98 5y ago
Is the creator going to release updates on the github repository or is this the last version that's released as open source? Because the github seems to be out of date a bit.

117 points by Fannon 5y ago

This free and open source software synth really blows me away. It's better than most paid alternatives and I really love how visual interactive and well laid out this synth is. Due to it being free, there's a huge community growing around creating presets, sharing tutorials, and more. For example, here are many presets incl. audio preview: https://presetshare.com/presets?instrument=2&orderby=likes https://presetshare.com/presets?instrument=2&orderby=likes

bambax 5y ago
Vital is indeed fantastic. But it's a little heavy on the CPU. Yet, the sounds it can make are indeed amazing.

EarlKing 5y ago

CoastalCoder 5y ago
Which of Vital's features are less innovative than they claim? I'd be interested in hearing about the pre-existing implementations you have in mind.
vollmond 5y ago
Vital and Helm are easily the most-recommended free synths I've seen in a couple years of learning music production. I think this might be the first negative/"meh" response I've seen to Vital. What are your preferred free synth plugins?
jrajav 5y ago
Its modulation system, wavetable engine, voice synthesis features are all innovative in certain ways. In addition, you can't ignore the UX, being tied to creativity even if it's not part of the sound. Vital has shed the traditional skeuomorphic approach that dominates software synthesizers and proven a lot of new ideas for connecting its features, visualizing its processes, and streamlining user workflow. Similar to what Arturia is doing with Pigments, though Pigments still paints inside the lines a little more. But it doesn't necessarily have to be innovative to be worthwhile, anyway. Vital has a comprehensive breadth of features for a digital wavetable synth and is often being compared to Serum, historically the marketplace leader in the space.

ace2358 5y ago

Great synth! Huge sound possibilities and the visual aspect is great for visual learners who are learning synths for the first time! I love seeing this stuff posted here. Does anyone have any other similar plugins for synths/effects. I know that Valhalla does amazing work and there is VCV or whatever but I remember there being a bit of community issues with that one.

bambax 5y ago
> there is VCV or whatever but I remember there being a bit of community issues with that one Try Cardinal: a fork of VCV that offers a free VST implementation. It's still a little rough around the edges but it's great.
sideshowb 5y ago
Surge vst?
mackrevinack 5y ago
this is more of a VCV type thing than a standalone synth but it has some helpful visual stuff going on https://www.bespokesynth.com/ https://www.bespokesynth.com/

jermeh 5y ago

Vital is one of the best free software synths out there. In terms of functionality, it competes with a whole lot of paid synths out there. For anyone getting started with making music or synthesis, this is 100% the recommendation I give.

mastazi 5y ago

I don't get the spectral warping part: is it similar to nonlinear distortion (e.g. Casio CZ-series)? Or is it a different concept? How does it work under the hood?

Bieberfan2003 5y ago
https://ibb.co/y0TL3SS https://ibb.co/y0TL3SS https://ibb.co/Hn945Q0 https://ibb.co/Hn945Q0 You get multiple choices on 2 dropdowns with associated bipolar knobs. Best way to explain them all would be to just listen to a demo.
- mastazi 5y ago
  Nice, thank you, from looking at the 2 drop-downs it's possible to get a good idea of what it does. It seems like a very interesting synth engine!

thanatos519 5y ago

Wait, open source but I have to make an account to get anything? Public git repo or GTFO.

danbolt 5y ago
I found the source code for the synth here on GitHub[1], but it doesn't look like they advertise it on their site? It seems to be compiling/linking fine on Pop!_OS, but I had to do some apt trial/error to ensure the right packages were installed. [1] https://github.com/mtytel/vital https://github.com/mtytel/vital
- joe_the_user 5y ago
  Let us know if you get enough for a usable system once you're done.
  - danbolt 5y ago
    Hey sorry, for the late followup. I was getting compile/link errors related to Google Services dependencies. I think this is one of those situations where it's GPL-licensed, but not necessarily the most accessible.
ghostly_s 5y ago
In fact they seem to require a paid subscription.
- vollmond 5y ago
  The synth is free. Paid levels seem to be mostly for skins/presets/support. There are more wavetables in the paid version, though I don't know enough about wavetable synthesis to know how much that matters.
  - joe_the_user 5y ago
    I'm at the free download and it's demanding I register. Which might still be "free" but isn't part of the terms of things considered "open source".

winternett 5y ago

There's a big difference between "Free" and demo versions. I've personally found that most music software makers always have an angle or strategy to up-sell when they say their tools are free, and that's simply NOT free. Now even demo versions of software give you no accurate indication of what happens behind the scenes. Free plug-ins often install additional software, security tools (digital dongles) and drivers that can cause problems even once they are installed, especially if you don't purchase the full version. They also often don't uninstall correctly as well. I tried Vital months ago and found the free version to be limited in many subtle ways and processor intensive, which likely is not as much the case in the full version. I am very cautious now about plug-ins and other software offered online as "Free" because after trying out the free version of Fresh Air by Slate digital a few months ago, it never managed to run and my DAW and computer experienced total failure and data corruption caused by their licensing tool, which cost me a lot more than the full version cost, but it also cost the company me, as a potential customer. Luckily I routinely make backups, I can't afford to lose my work and data by trying dodgy apps... No exceptions.

kylenoteboom 5y ago
I'm curious to know what you found limiting about Vital's free (as in beer) offering. Other than fewer wave tables, presets and a limited number of text to wave table usages per (Day? Week? I'm not sure what the timeframe is) I am certain there is no difference compared to any of the paid offerings. If you're interested in soft synths that are FOSS, you might want to check out these as well: Vitalium (a completely FOSS fork of Vital, in a similar vein as Chromium compared to Google Chrome Helm (developed by Matt Tytel as well, just like Vital) Surge (XT) Zyn-Fusion (a FOSS additive synth)
digitalslr 5y ago
You may have a point regarding some plugins, but complaining about it here isn't very fair to Vital: >additional software, security tools (digital dongles) and drivers Vital appears to install/require none of these things. >found the free version to be limited in many subtle ways Subtle how? It's all listed on their home page: there are less presets (you can make your own) and there are less wavetables (you can import your own). The only functional limitation is on using the "text-to-wavetable" feature to generate wavetables. Otherwise, you have all the same modulation, filtering, wavetable morphing, & FX that the paid version does. If you choose to pay for it, you're basically just buying more presets.

adzm 5y ago

I had no idea this was open source. Vital is an amazing synth, and really gives Serum and Pigments competition.

kragen 5y ago
It's apparently been open source for less than 13 months under GPLv3: https://github.com/mtytel/vital https://github.com/mtytel/vital As recently as the end of 02020 (two months earlier!) they were planning to not open-source it: https://forum.vital.audio/t/is-vital-actually-open-source/1396/13 https://forum.vital.audio/t/is-vital-actually-open-source/13...
- mxmilkiib 5y ago
  Vitalium is the fork that removes the store etc. https://github.com/DISTRHO/DISTRHO-Ports/tree/master/ports/vitalium https://github.com/DISTRHO/DISTRHO-Ports/tree/master/ports/v...
  - kragen 5y ago
    Thanks!
smrtinsert 5y ago
Surge is also another amazing open source synth that should be included at that level: https://github.com/surge-synthesizer/surge https://github.com/surge-synthesizer/surge Team is super passionate constantly adding features which are already in thee wishlist zone.

llamataboot 5y ago

I really love this synth, and I really love this software model. You can support with a subscription, but it's not a scammy "we hope you forget to cancel this", you literally get the credit from your subscription to buy the full thing. You don't have to buy anything! The code is free as in speech and in beer, but if you actually use the software for what it is used for, you get a lot of amazing benefits from doing so (ie; I'm a programmer, but if I'm making music I don't always want to be making presets, sometimes I just want to hear a bunch) There's (less) danger of the company just going backrupt and being locked into their bitrot because the code can be forked and maintained (can is not will, but makes me feel better)

cmrdporcupine 5y ago

I'm two months into writing a VST instrument, and I'm curious about business models and how much success this product is having. I'd consider open sourcing, but I also feel like I've put in a crapload of work (and still have lots to do before I'd release, mostly UI work which I hate doing). I had in mind perhaps I would create a fairly cheap commercial project and attempt to sell and market it myself. But it seems like this one has an interesting alternative models. Open source core, free basic version, pay for content? I wonder how successful it is in bringing in $$. Looks like a boatload of work went into the instrument, too. (The thing I'm making is a mix of additive + frequency-modulation synth. Uses a variant of frequency modulation [Modified FM] not present in anything else I've seen based on some papers I read some years ago [from Victor Lazzarini and Joe Timoney @ Maynooth University university]. A more regular linear pattern to the sideband amplitude during modulation. Sounds less "nasal" and "tinny" than classic Yamaha DX FM.)

felizuno 5y ago
I'm curious if you've seen/heard the Xaoc Devices Odessa (Eurorack and not software but is an additive synth with linear and exponential FM)?. Xaoc make a separate module for mid/side processing so $0.02 if you're in territory that boutique hardware makers are investing in that seems like a good sign.

mellow98 5y ago

Is the creator going to release updates on the github repository or is this the last version that's released as open source? Because the github seems to be out of date a bit.