NUSofting have released HarpTime, a Physically Modeled Harp VSTi synthesizer for Windows.

The HarpTime VST synthesizer was designed by Luigi Felici of NuSofting specifically to reproduce the sound of the plucked folk harp, and uses an advanced physical modeling synthesis engine in which twelve strings are all individually modeled to allow true sympathetic resonance. Unique attention has been paid to the construction of real harps, and with more than ten carefully designed string modeling algorithms available, HarpTime is capable of reproducing the tones of a rich variety of folk and ethnic instruments. In addition, the parameters and realtime controls of HarpTime have been carefully thought out to allow the most natural and realistic performances possible.

HarpTime can reproduce the beautiful sound of the Celtic harp, as well as that of many other types, such as Japanese (koto), Paraguayan and African harps.

HarpTime is available in two versions, the fully-featured 'Pro' version, and a simpler 'Fun' version which is more immediate to use.

Performance Features

• A unique implementation to emulate the pitch envelope typical of loose strings.
• Natural string vibrato is created by a smoothed Pitch Modulation, controlled by an LFO.
• Control is provided over the 'touch' of the player, allowing variation in the effective playing strength, from soft strums, to hard plucking.
• Full control of keyboard velocity response.

Effects

• A double "Low Pass/Band Pass" filter is implemented, which allows a great deal of control over the timbre of the sound. This means, for example, that electric harp timbres are possible.
• An internal stereo Chorus adds more depth and timbral variation to the sound.

String Controls

The 'Fun' version of HarpTime implements a global string parameter set, which affects all strings. The Pro version also has a global parameter set, but this may be overridden with a further set of controls for each of the individual twelve strings.

These controls determine the maximum energy sent to the string, microtuning of the string (-100 to +100 cents), the position where the string is plucked (changes the harmonic structure), the tone, or brightness of picking.