VST | Xoxos

VST

ALGORITHMIC (Audio)

Host-synced randomised sample player/modulator.

Event Generator

Phase distortion oscillator powered by clock-driven counter and graphic lfo. Sounds like casinos/pacman. Designed for live use.
download Event Generator

Ordinate

Probability-based drum sample sequencer.
Includes 3 programmable probability sequences, and a fourth sequencer which switches between them at another timing resolution, so you can program a ‘fill pattern’ to be more probable every 8th measure et c.
Muchacho VST is intended to be a companion for this generator.
download Ordinate

Shoggoth

An older two voice K-S ‘plucked string’. CPU runs high, some people like it.
MIDI note relates to the tonic but is transposed by a few semitones due to the marvels of science.
download Shoggoth

XChanter

This synger-derived ‘algorithmic vocalist’ uses a reduced phoneme set inspired by polynesian languages.
XChanter uses Lance Putnam’s henon oscillator (orbit modeling) SEP. This is a very old VST, as of 2008 I still hear of it being used.
download XChanter

EFFECTS

Acoustic

Acoustic is a simple acoustic body resonator model, consisting of a first order mass-spring for modeling the Helmholtz or ‘air’ frequency, and a banded waveguide.

Channelswap

Applies the host-synced algorithmic patterning engine used by other plugins with same GUI style to switch left and right channels.
download Channelswap

CKpitchshifter

A wrapper for Chris Kerry’s low CPU, high quality pitch shifter.
download CKpitchshifter

Discipline3

Randomly switches between multiple delay taps for randomised audio segment effect.
download Discipline3

Gate3

My most recent gating plugin. Host-synced lfos can create crossrhythms, randomised amplitude, modulate gating period, et c.
download Gate3

Muchacha

Applies David Haupt’s granulator to clock-synced probability sequencer.
download Muchacha

Muchacho

Probability-driven synced repeater, a.k.a. “stutter” effect.
download Muchacho

Outdoorverb

A sparse algorithmic reverb for environments with partial reflection.
download Outdoorverb

Pink

Amp simulation effect for guitars, featuring 10 shaping options and an optional second gain stage. The zip includes mono and stereo versions.

Sandh

Periodically captures a wavecycle and ‘freezes’. An audio ‘sample & hold’ effect.

Servo

Applies a simple algorithmic sequencer to downsampling settings.

Smoky Joe

This is an old, very glitchy wavecycle-stretching formant shifter, suitable for FSU applications. This effect can be heard on the vocals of ‘Planet Rock’.

Spring

A 4-section waveguide with proprietary spring reverb algorithm. This VST has a denormal, I’ll update it sometime.

Waterverb

Uses massive cascades of allpass filters interspersed with short randomised delay times. An FDN is located in the feedback loop for ‘ocean floor’ echoes.

Depending on the input and feedback levels, the signal may drop silent due to DC offset. Highpass filtering is suggested.

MIDI

Arp4midi

A wrapper for Chris Kerry’s arpeggiator SEM. I have never used this plugin! Installation of MIDI plugins varies between hosts.

BloqSeq

BloqSeq switches between four 8-step sequences using an 8-step pattern. It has some application for performance, though the VST is proposed hypothetically until I figure out how I want to expand the pattern sequencing..

CC Cube

CC Cube gives you eight sets of MIDI cc values and transmits them at tempo. You may send the cc value sets manually, or configure an algorithmic progresson between them.

Circuit

Circuit’s algorithm is designed to create natural feeling rhythms by evening the distribution of beats and rests.
Each measure is divided into short phrases, and probabilities are assigned to each step so that a part can be weighted towards the downbeat or the upbeat.

Circuit can be used for live performance or run automatically.

Hypercube

HyperCube applies periodic parameter modulation to Circuit and Hyperion for algorithmic song structing. The grid of trimmers on the right indicates the probability for each band to progress to the next.
CC Cube is a generic version of HyperCube that sends 8 cc values.

Hyperion

Hyperion MIDI VST has a semi-modular structure suitable for a wide variety of tuned algorithmic applications. LFOs and counters are used to easily create dynamic MIDI sequences and change them on the fly, or to modulate other components of the architecture.
Hyperion produces glissandos or subtly varying sequences for up to three parts on three separate MIDI channels using a simple chord function. It can also be used as a phrase arpeggiator to make sure that you never play out of key or out of sequence.

Malt

Malt uses an LFO to periodically alternate between one or both of two midi channels for generating algorithmic sequences.

Midilegato

Delays NoteOff events on one midi channel by up to 500ms to turn generated sequences into legato sequences.

MiniSeries

A smaller, different version of Series. Miniseries has one modulated counter that progresses through eight MIDI note assignments.
Three LFOs and a variety of performance controls make MiniSeries capable of generating a wide array of sequences.

Period Seq

Period Seq generates rhythmic sequences using four counters.

Phase Seq

For sequencing unquantised loops, host synced or not.
The position of each note is modulated individually by three LFOs, which can create effects like sequence stretching as well as randomisation.

Populus

Populus generates MIDI sequences with a ‘biologically modeled behavioural’ algorithm. The measure is treated like a ‘year,’ wherein notes grow, reproduce and combat.

This VST is now freeware (june 09).

Series

Series is a MIDI sequencer based on the concept of serialism.
Two separate counters can be assigned to three gate sequences and three modulation sequences. With three LFOs, four random step generators and performance controls, Series is capable of generating and modulating intricate arpeggios and rhythms.

Skunk

Skunk is a four part algorithmic percussion sequencer. Probability is used to determine which of eight sequences follows the current selection. This concatenative effect is useful for cross-rhythms and other simple rhythmic automations.
download Skunk

Strumee

Three modulated MIDI delays for strumming and humanising MIDI.

Talent

An algorithmic MIDI application.
This plugin was replaced by Hyperion in 2008.

Wav4midi

Plays wav files really slowly and translates them to MIDI cc values.

Models

Aerophone

Aerophone models lip valve instruments with cylindrical bores such as trumpets and trombones. The lip valve is modeled with an oversampled 3rd order mass-spring to emulate expressive acoustic performance.
The elementary acoustic circuit is capable of producing impressive emulations, however to appreciably render a human performance with this circuit requires knowledgable modulation of several parameters.

Boing2

Boing2 is my bowed string model. Oscillation is produced with a friction calculation applied to a dispersive waveguide string with oversampling rates of up to 16x. The string loop includes a mass-spring modeled bridge. The body resonator consists of a mass-spring “air tone” model and a 5 band banded waveguide.

Bomb

This freeware synth uses a 6th order mass-spring and filtered noise for simple emulation of explosions. It is similar to Mass and Cymbal (the ‘Mass-Springs’ VST set) and Gun VST (Gun adds a multitrigger).

Cylinder33

A waveguide drum model as shown on gui.
Note that high feedback settings can exceed unity which can be employed for timbre or overload. Always use a limiter and low monitor levels when patching!

Friction

The friction algorithm is combined with a 2nd order mass-spring and two waveguide resonances for flexible emulative application.
Presets include squealing tires, squeaky hinges and axles, ww2 bombs, swingsets, etc.

Gun

This VST is almost identical to Bomb VST (above) with the addition of a gently randomised clock for “automatic fire” effects.
Gun was exclusively available as a bonus item and is no longer available. There are better sounds for people to hear.

KL Tract

The Kelly-Lochbaum model represents a cross-section of the vocal tract with reflection coefficients.
This implementation is a temporary offering for experimentation and does not include on-board modulators. Low settings for some reflection coefficients can produce feedback overload, so always use a limiter and low volume levels.

Mass-Springs

Mass VSTi and Cymbal VSTi are percussion synthesizers that use mass-spring models to produce realistic dynamic and timbral effects.
Boundary conditions imposed upon the movement of a multi-order mass-spring create complex timbres that evoke common modes of vibration in acoustic forms.
These models are augmented with conventional subtractive elements to comprise low-cpu solutions for improved realtime emulative percussion synthesis, eg. 909 hihats.

Phybes

Phybes is a banded waveguide suited for vibraphone and other mallet instrument emulations. The mallet impulse is modeled with a mass-spring to produce tonal variation from dynamic performance.

Piamo

Piamo is an elementarily modeled virtual piano, providing variable performance timbrality in a gentle emulation.

Pling4

Pling4 is a plucked string model with improved sustain and high frequency response thanks to hermite interpolation. The timbre is also significantly improved with a more complex pick impulse for brighter, crisper plucked string patches.

Pling4 features 8 voice polyhony. More accurate emulation can be achieved by using one legato instance for each string. Just add your favourite resonance modeler and amp sim effects.

Snare

Cylinder33 with 4 ‘snare’ vectors. This low number is closer to a gut snare eg. Tabor than modern snares, both may have similar damping dynamics.

Stoq

This instrument is suited for synthesis of maracas and other shaker instruments and is inspired by descriptions of Perry Cook’s work.

Surface

A 2d square resonance for percussion.

Sym5

A 5-channel FDN that can produce sounds similar to 909 hihats.

Syng2

Syng2 is a voice synthesizer which uses four bandpass filters to produce formants in any spectrally rich signal, or using an internal oscillator. The phoneme can be selected on a second MIDI channel, or preset words can be triggered.
Syng2 was designed as an intelligible, low-cpu voice engine for Breathcube 2. The articulation is intended to be more natural than other ‘robot voices’ using this method, with plosives slightly emphasised to be heard with music.
The light edition (LE) removes the ‘words’ function for much faster songfile loading times when sequencing phonemes directly. Most of the music I’ve recorded in the last few years uses this instrument.

Virtual Machine

A commuted synthesis model for emulating engines and other cyclic mechanical sounds.

Nature

Fauna

Fauna produces natural and synthetic animal vocalizations using waveguide modeling techniques.

An extensive set of modulators make Fauna a versatile new generation synthesizer. Pitch and timbre can be controlled by traditional methods, or as a function of the form working as a whole.

The core of Fauna is a 5-segment KL tract coupled to a first order mass-spring. The movement of the ‘glottis’ interacts with reflected pressure waves, resulting in natural pitch cascades.

Fauna is ideal for animators and for musicians who wish to adventure into abstract territory. 107 patches.

Oscine Tract

Oscine Tract VST models the songbird vocal tract, also known as the syrinx.

This VST is part of ‘Sounds of Nature’ VST collection, which was voted first place in the Developer Challenge 2007 held by kvraudio.com.

Rain

Rain is a low CPU emulation using subtractive synthesis.
see Oscine Tract above for download link

Synsect

Synsect uses a single sample impulse clock routed through a series of resonant filters to emulate the high frequencies produced by small insect bodies.

Thunder

Thunder uses a combination of filtered delay networks and subtractive synthesis to emulate the transmission of sound between earth and sky.

Wind

Several groups of modulators are applied to a bank of bandpass filters for this emulation.

Percussion

Brush

Brush is a quick wrapper for an impulse cluster generator. The density and length of the impulses can be changed to produce timbres similar to bitcrushing. The output is routed through a biquad filter coded by Chris Kerry to produce a simple and flexible midrange percussion module
November 2010: This VST has been recompiled to remove a lag in note velocity created by SynthEdit’s internal velocity smoothing. Gate events now have 2.5ms of latency but reflect note velocity accurately.

Clap of Luxury

A syncable noise algorithm is precisely amplified and applied to three filters to produce virtually any synthetic clap sound in existence.
The patch names were contributed by the users of kvraudio.com VST forum.

Cleardrum

A simple introductory percussion synth useful for analog snares.

Dystopia

An 808 hihat and cymbal emulation to accompany Utopia.

Expodrum

Two separately filtered and pitch-enveloped noise, sine or sample oscillators.

Power

A 4-part phase modulation percussion synth. This was created for my own use and has cursory labeling and documentation.

T Osc

An attractor-based percussion oscillator perhaps similar to the T-circuit used in Roland’s classic analog drum machines.

Utopia2

My emulation of older analog hihat and cymbal circuits found on machines like the dr110.

Synthesizers

Clearsynth

A simple 2-oscillator synthesizer for students.
The first 42 patches progress through the features. The patch names should acquaint the user with a basic knowledge of subtractive synthesis.

Expo

This 3-oscillator phase modulation VST includes emulations of my favourite classic Yamaha DX patches.

Horizon

Horizon combines lush stereo unison voicing with a phrase sequencer that stays in key when the sequence is transposed.
This simple format makes Horizon ideal for lead sounds in dance and other styles. The oscillators are also suitable for producing panoramic pads, before any stereo effects are applied to the signal.

Isnonu

A wrapper to audition Chris Kerry’s Unison Osc and SV filter modules for SynthEdit.
Many tasteful patches have been contributed by Ouroboros and others to make Isnonu a useful low-CPU option for unison sounds and a perennial favourite.

Noisemo

An unusual and noisy little synth – each wavecycle is produced by retriggering a noise generator, producing an arbitrary, harmonically rich timbre. Auto-crossfading is applied to the two oscillators to create smooth evolving textures similar to Ensoniq’s Fizmo.
The ichneumon pictured on the GUI used to come in through the air conditioner and land on me for a ride to the front door when it wanted to go outside. Too cute.

Perfecto2

Perfecto was inspired by my desire to reinstate the functionality of my missing Pro-One in a software monosynth by oversampling two oscillators that can modulate each other simultaneously.

The oscillators of the first edition were not antialiased, however pitch modulation could be locked to a user-set scale which could produce transposing, tempo-synced arpeggios. The second version used BLIT oscillators, which are antialiased.

While the second version still has up to 16x oversampling, cross-modulation is performed using the output of the BLIT table, which means that the output still differs from analog oscillators. The pitch scaling was removed and an assignable filter was added into the cross-modulation architecture.

The functionality of the LFO was dramatically improved.
Perfecto2 is one of my most commonly used synths. The single envelope and LFO are limitations that indicate an upgrade is due at some point.

Puru

Puru is an audition for Chris Kerry’s phase distortion oscillator SEM for SynthEdit.
The background graphic is used with the permission of Shane Sanders.

Regula

Basic VA architecture with a unique distortion effect produced by multiplying the decimal portion of the sample value.
Regula comes in two flavours: Regula can select between 67 alternative temperaments mapped to each octave, or Irregula, which is fixed to the pythagorean 17-tone scale used in arabic maqamat temperaments.

Steam

Steam uses prepared wav files in a similar manner to some Waldorf and Ensoniq synthesizers.
I have been told that the header data for the wav files is written incorrectly (perhaps due to the free wav editor I used) which produces clicks during modulation. I would prefer not to offer this VST, for some reason it seems to be popular, five years after the fact.

Svati

Svati is an demo for Chris Kerry’s Spectral Oscillator.

Urom

Urom is an demo for Chris Kerry’s drawable waveform oscillator.
download Urom

Whoosh

Whoosh is a 1 oscillator synth for creating simple swell effects. It’s one of the first VST I made and has apparently enjoyed some popularity.
download Whoosh

Xompler

A 53 waveform rompler. Samples are dual cycle, and may employ either the first, the second, or both cycles as the oscillator. One of the LFOs also uses the rompler waveforms.

Utilities

Blinker

Someone asked for a VST that would give their drummer a visual cue to match tempo.

Controls

Eight assignable sliders for freeing up screen space.

Steps

A VST emulation of the popular software Hammerhead.