v1.0 released: ExtraBold — Free Subtractive Synthesizer

[nakst]

Hello again! I made a free synthesizer called ExtraBold.

Free download: https://nakst.itch.io/extrabold
Chat on Discord: https://discord.gg/aHnUxztsVe



This synth is intended to be a sibling to my free FM synth Fluctus (https://nakst.gitlab.io/fluctus/). Like Fluctus, it sports a simple one-page UI layout and a fixed modulation pipeline, so its capabilities may seem limited. But beneath this simplicity is a very characterful, aggressive sound engine with a bunch of tricks up its sleeve: including filter FM, ring modulation, hard sync, comb filters, global unison, and more.

Available in CLAP and AU formats for Windows, macOS and Linux. Visit the website for more information: https://nakst.gitlab.io/extrabold/

Let me know what you think!

[ChanceB]

Nice. Thank you

[audiojunkie]

Cool! Thank you! BTW, I have an idea for a new instrument that shouldn't be too much effort for you, since you've already built the building blocks for it in your other samplers--a full-opcode-supported SFZ player with synth functionality. Take the Sfizz engine, which is available for everyone to use (or liquidsfz), to give it full SFZ opcode capability. Add to it a GUI that allows a user to be able to do the essentials of synth functionality in GUI form--for example, ADSR, pitch, vibrato, cutoff and resonance. Make the functionality also controllable through midi cc. Then sell it. There is a need for a sampler that does DFD, high quality sound, and allows users to have some essential control that is lacking in the current SFZ engines. It is something that doesn't yet exist, and I'd love to see it available. I think it's the biggest weakness with SFZ right now.

There is a way to do it with SFZ, but figuring out how to do it is akin to learning to program. Some people can do it, but most can't. This is an opportunity that is waiting for someone to grab and do. Currently, Altitude can do SFZ basics, but it can't read all of the opcodes--at least to my knowledge, this is the case (please let me know if I am incorrect about this). This is why I'm suggesting using an existing SFZ parsing library, so that you don't have to reinvent everything, and so that you can have most of the SFZ opcodes. I'm hoping ShortCircuit-XT will do this, but I haven't gotten any full commitments, so, I'm trying to not rest all of my hopes on something that might or might now come to fruition. Either way, it is something that I'd love to have, and I'd be willing to pay for it.

[ChanceB]

Like all your synths,this sounds great and is easy to use. I think it’s really nice how with the CLAP versions you can right click on controls in Fl Studio and get the same behavior as native Fl Studio plugins like create automation and link to controller. Good stuff

[sinkmusic]

Nice, thank you!

[Weasel-Boy]

Your Mac installer can't be opened under Sonoma (macOS 14.41). Here's how it appears in Archichect:

Screenshot 2024-04-15 at 10.13.30 AM.png

[Nug Wrangler]

Thanks!

[nakst]

Your Mac installer can't be opened under Sonoma (macOS 14.41). Here's how it appears in Archichect:
Screenshot 2024-04-15 at 10.13.30 AM.png

Please read the provided "How to Install" file. It contains a workaround for the "unidentified developer" error.

[nakst]

Cool! Thank you! BTW, I have an idea for a new instrument that shouldn't be too much effort for you, since you've already built the building blocks for it in your other samplers--a full-opcode-supported SFZ player with synth functionality. Take the Sfizz engine, which is available for everyone to use (or liquidsfz), to give it full SFZ opcode capability. Add to it a GUI that allows a user to be able to do the essentials of synth functionality in GUI form--for example, ADSR, pitch, vibrato, cutoff and resonance. Make the functionality also controllable through midi cc. Then sell it. There is a need for a sampler that does DFD, high quality sound, and allows users to have some essential control that is lacking in the current SFZ engines. It is something that doesn't yet exist, and I'd love to see it available. I think it's the biggest weakness with SFZ right now.

There is a way to do it with SFZ, but figuring out how to do it is akin to learning to program. Some people can do it, but most can't. This is an opportunity that is waiting for someone to grab and do. Currently, Altitude can do SFZ basics, but it can't read all of the opcodes--at least to my knowledge, this is the case (please let me know if I am incorrect about this). This is why I'm suggesting using an existing SFZ parsing library, so that you don't have to reinvent everything, and so that you can have most of the SFZ opcodes. I'm hoping ShortCircuit-XT will do this, but I haven't gotten any full commitments, so, I'm trying to not rest all of my hopes on something that might or might now come to fruition. Either way, it is something that I'd love to have, and I'd be willing to pay for it.

I thought about doing something similar to this last year, but unfortunately real life got in the way... I have had little time to work on plugins after I released Altitude and Regency. But maybe in the future I will make a SFZ player!

[Weasel-Boy]

Please read the provided "How to Install" file. It contains a workaround for the "unidentified developer" error.

I don't think you understand the situation I'm seeing. Your workaround won't work because the Installer can't be opened at all.

Screenshot 2024-04-15 at 10.44.42 AM.png

[nakst]

I don't think you understand the situation I'm seeing. Your workaround won't work because the Installer can't be opened at all.
Screenshot 2024-04-15 at 10.44.42 AM.png

Did you extract the .zip file with the builtin macOS archive extractor, or did you use a third-party tool? There have been reports of people having issues with third-party extractors.

[Weasel-Boy]

Did you extract the .zip file with the builtin macOS archive extractor, or did you use a third-party tool? There have been reports of people having issues with third-party extractors.

I used the built-in extractor. After reading your response, I opened your file with Pacifist and got the same results.

When I open the Zipped file, the folder reveals your app as unopenable on (at least over here) an M1 Macbook running Sonoma. The Archichect analysis pic I posted may be pointing out some useful information. I dunno.

[nakst]

I used the built-in extractor. After reading your response, I opened your file with Pacifist and got the same results.

When I open the Zipped file, the folder reveals your app as unopenable on (at least over here) an M1 Macbook running Sonoma. The Archichect analysis pic I posted may be pointing out some useful information. I dunno.

Huh, strange :/ I tested ExtraBold this morning on my M2 Macbook, which also runs Sonoma, and there was no issue. Sorry to hear you can't get it working, I have no idea why that is.

[ChanceB]

I used the built-in extractor. After reading your response, I opened your file with Pacifist and got the same results.

When I open the Zipped file, the folder reveals your app as unopenable on (at least over here) an M1 Macbook running Sonoma. The Archichect analysis pic I posted may be pointing out some useful information. I dunno.

Huh, strange :/ I tested ExtraBold this morning on my M2 Macbook, which also runs Sonoma, and there was no issue. Sorry to hear you can't get it working, I have no idea why that is.

I had no problem with the installer. MacBook Air m1 Sonoma 14.4.1.

[audiojunkie]

Cool! Thank you! BTW, I have an idea for a new instrument that shouldn't be too much effort for you, since you've already built the building blocks for it in your other samplers--a full-opcode-supported SFZ player with synth functionality. Take the Sfizz engine, which is available for everyone to use (or liquidsfz), to give it full SFZ opcode capability. Add to it a GUI that allows a user to be able to do the essentials of synth functionality in GUI form--for example, ADSR, pitch, vibrato, cutoff and resonance. Make the functionality also controllable through midi cc. Then sell it. There is a need for a sampler that does DFD, high quality sound, and allows users to have some essential control that is lacking in the current SFZ engines. It is something that doesn't yet exist, and I'd love to see it available. I think it's the biggest weakness with SFZ right now.

There is a way to do it with SFZ, but figuring out how to do it is akin to learning to program. Some people can do it, but most can't. This is an opportunity that is waiting for someone to grab and do. Currently, Altitude can do SFZ basics, but it can't read all of the opcodes--at least to my knowledge, this is the case (please let me know if I am incorrect about this). This is why I'm suggesting using an existing SFZ parsing library, so that you don't have to reinvent everything, and so that you can have most of the SFZ opcodes. I'm hoping ShortCircuit-XT will do this, but I haven't gotten any full commitments, so, I'm trying to not rest all of my hopes on something that might or might now come to fruition. Either way, it is something that I'd love to have, and I'd be willing to pay for it.

I thought about doing something similar to this last year, but unfortunately real life got in the way... I have had little time to work on plugins after I released Altitude and Regency. But maybe in the future I will make a SFZ player!

That would be fantastic!! There are lots of SFZ players, but none that actually have a GUI that lets you adjust ADSR, and the rest of the things I mentioned without needing to know special code. This would be something people would purchase!