If you can't already program, a VST is probably not a particularly good place to start learning. I would suggest you first learn to code in general. That will take you a few years.
You will also need a solid foundation in maths and should enjoy maths, and not be put off by reading papers full of maths symbols.
The suggestion that you knock something up in a dedicated environment like SynthEdit/Synthmaker is a good one if your primary aim is to "create a synthesizer". And things like SynthEdit/Synthmaker also allow you to add your own code without having to worry about the whole nuts&bolts that hold the plugin together (like the UI, and communicating with the host). You can focus on the DSP itself. Or look into something like Reaper's JS.
If you want to learn to program because that is something that interests you, then don't be discouraged by the fact that you won't be programming a VST any time soon. You will have a lot to learn before you can even begin to think about doing that.
How long does it take to program a synthesizer?
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- KVRAF
- 2618 posts since 17 Apr, 2004
Voted KVR's resident drunk Robert Smith impersonator (thanks Frantz!)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2myYesRBRgQB3LkZzEYdt5 | https://soundcloud.com/steevm/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2myYesRBRgQB3LkZzEYdt5 | https://soundcloud.com/steevm/
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- KVRian
- 1010 posts since 6 Aug, 2005 from England
Get JUCE and it will take care of a lot of 'boiler plate' code for you, i.e. each plug-in format on each OS. You may drown in obfuscated C++ for a while though... but it's fun! 
There's some pretty good youtube videos that'll help you get started as well - you'll soon find out if you've got what it takes to persevere with it or not.
There's some pretty good youtube videos that'll help you get started as well - you'll soon find out if you've got what it takes to persevere with it or not.
Dave Hoskins. http://www.quikquak.com
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Distorted Horizon Distorted Horizon https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=392076 - Banned
- 3878 posts since 17 Jan, 2017 from Planet of cats
And created something incredibly awesomeantto wrote:i think i started somewhere around 2007-ish maybe?
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- KVRian
- 1313 posts since 31 Dec, 2008
Took me two years to deliver a final product. Though I'm not a stranger to programming, doing it since a kid, DSP was totally some thing new to me. I started from scratch in that regard.
www.solostuff.net
The 3rd law of thermo-dynamics states that: the 2nd law has two meanings, one of them is strictly wrong, the other is massively misunderstood.
The 3rd law of thermo-dynamics states that: the 2nd law has two meanings, one of them is strictly wrong, the other is massively misunderstood.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 138 posts since 3 Apr, 2014
A little bit of a follow-up question: What is your experience with Reaktor or Max/MSP? Is it hard to learn these programming environments? How are the results?
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
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- KVRAF
- 1584 posts since 25 Mar, 2017
A friend of mine here told me about this thread.
Very quickly, I'm a good test case for this question since I programmed Fathom myself, not in a team.
From start to finish it took 3 years full time to do a full synth.
Technically two things made this possible.
First, the absolute best way to learn plugins is to read Will Pirkle's books:
www.willpirkle.com
His tool "Rack AFX" was originally designed as a teaching aid, but it's so good
that people now use it as the framework for released plugins.
Second, JUCE !
JUCE is a C++ class library that covers everything you need for a plugin,
including all audio functions, all plugin interfaces such as VST, AU, AAX,
all graphics and lots of handy software stuff like arrays, message queues, FFT's etc.
I use to work in other software industries and JUCE is the best class library
I've ever used of any kind, let alone for programming music.
One thing I would have done differently is trying to do it all myself.
You really need at least 3 people to do a good synth.
1. DSP guy for audio and algorithms.
2. GUI developer.
3. Programmer to connect everything.
Very quickly, I'm a good test case for this question since I programmed Fathom myself, not in a team.
From start to finish it took 3 years full time to do a full synth.
Technically two things made this possible.
First, the absolute best way to learn plugins is to read Will Pirkle's books:
www.willpirkle.com
His tool "Rack AFX" was originally designed as a teaching aid, but it's so good
that people now use it as the framework for released plugins.
Second, JUCE !
JUCE is a C++ class library that covers everything you need for a plugin,
including all audio functions, all plugin interfaces such as VST, AU, AAX,
all graphics and lots of handy software stuff like arrays, message queues, FFT's etc.
I use to work in other software industries and JUCE is the best class library
I've ever used of any kind, let alone for programming music.
One thing I would have done differently is trying to do it all myself.
You really need at least 3 people to do a good synth.
1. DSP guy for audio and algorithms.
2. GUI developer.
3. Programmer to connect everything.