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Synth1

Synth (Analogue / Subtractive) Plugin by Daichi Laboratory (Ichiro Toda)
MyKVRFAVORITE1115WANT514
Synth1
Synth1 by Daichi Laboratory (Ichiro Toda) is a Virtual Instrument Audio Plugin for macOS and Windows. It functions as a VST Plugin and an Audio Units Plugin.
Product
Version
1.13beta3
Product
Version
1.13beta11
Instrument
Formats
Copy Protection
None

MyKVR: Groups, Versions, ...

1889 KVR members have added Synth1 to 124 MyKVR groups 2408 times.

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+124 in private groups

KVR Rank

Overall: 1   1   1

30-Day: 1; 7-Day: 2; Yesterday: 2

Synth1 is a software synthesizer. Functionally it is modelled on the Clavia Nord Lead 2 Red Synth.

Features:

  • 2 Oscillators, FM modulation, ring modulation, sync, modulation envelope.
  • 4 types of filters, distortion.
  • 2 LFOs (synchronized with host).
  • Arpeggiator (synchronized with host).
  • Tempo delay (synchronized with host), stereo chorus/flanger.
  • Legato mode, portamento.
  • 16 notes polyphony.
  • 128 presets.
  • Thoroughly optimized for light CPU load using SSE instructions, etc.
  • Automation.

Latest User Reviews

Average user rating of 4.19 from 58 reviews
Synth1

Reviewed By withandi [all]
March 30th, 2024
Version reviewed: last on Windows

What can I say? I made my carrier on that synth - easy to program a patch or even a library. Simple concept out of clavia workshop but it works damn good. Interface may be a bit too simple for modern standards but hey - you can run it on even pentium III - yes 2000's machine :) And that simplicity makes it a workhorse for any project. Plus it has most growing patch library you could ever whish for a synth (even some of the original patches from nord have been rewriten for that one). This is a synth that you'll start your music journey with and keep it from now on in every project. Essential like a sampler and eq with compressor for electronic music production.

Read Review
Synth1

Reviewed By Spotto [all]
October 2nd, 2023
Version reviewed: V113beta on Windows

Hard to beat this when paired with Librarian by Neutrino Sky - checkout Youtube for full instructions for Windows. Unfortunately Mac users don't get the benefit of Librarian but it's still a mega Synth.

Read Review
Synth1

Reviewed By skank [all]
June 26th, 2023
Version reviewed: 1.13B3 on Windows

We should all be so grateful to have such a fantastic synth1, thank you, Ichiro Toda! I've had it for years, the simplicity, and the sound and community support for presets etc is great.

Read Review
Synth1

Reviewed By JeffRay [all]
March 22nd, 2023
Version reviewed: 1.13 on Windows

Pretty much everyone knows this is one of the most efficient heavy lifters. Lots of sound with minimal tweaking, hundreds of thousands of presets around. The real deal that some must not get is the QUALITY of the sound. Very few synths have achieved as high of a quality of sound, perceptually or even on a scope. Don't know how they did it but me and a gazillion others have used it in production environments for decades with great results. What makes it shine is the sound quality, ease of tweaking, arpeggiation and unison features. The only deficit is that it is ugly, and I wouldn't want it any other way. The few that have come close for sound quality are some of U-he's synths and Vital. Yes, there are new and interesting avenues worth pursuing (like additive synthesis, sample based, and hybrid synths), but this is hands down the best subtractive synth I've used.

Read Review
Synth1

Reviewed By lucknow13 [all]
November 9th, 2022
Version reviewed: Latest on Windows

Aside what the previous review by meru was. Does she need glasses or is her computer strange. I found nothing valid in her review. Synth1 is not overrated and is perhaps the most popular free synth out there and has been for years. Everything, at least on my computer is easy to see and adjust and has it's own unique sound. What to speak of the thousands of available banks for this great synth. The complaint that the Gui is ugly is hardly a valid point as it can be make very nice looking with adjustable custom colours and the fonts are clear. In her review he does not recommend any free synths that could be comparable. That would be a plus if it were so. At any rate she is no doubt in the minority on this. Long live Synth1.

Read Review

Products similar to Synth1...

Comments & Discussion for Daichi Laboratory (Ichiro Toda) Synth1

Discussion
Discussion: Active
rifftrax
rifftrax
29 August 2012 at 6:06pm

briandc... using a VST fail *facepalm*

chk071
chk071
29 August 2012 at 7:07pm

Mhh... so a 5/10 rating, because your Linux software isn't capable of running VST's correctly? Just saying, because on any Windows host i tried Synth1 in, the arp, delay and polyphony work correctly... there's also no need to improve the synth, but the software you tried it in.

dragonslayor
dragonslayor
22 January 2013 at 7:03pm

Linux runs on UNIX, windows does not.

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as.erwin
as.erwin
19 May 2013 at 6:29pm

What does that even mean? Unix is an operating system, Linux is a kernal that drive other operating systems... the statement makes no sense. Might as well claim that Windows runs on Mac.

Argon2005
Argon2005
19 August 2016 at 6:02am

No Prolems running this VST under Linux - using Reaper. Everything works fine.

gLOW-x
gLOW-x
29 August 2012 at 10:10pm

May be you'd better stop now using this configuration.Because you obviously don't know how to use VSTs on Linux.A lot of users reported Synth1 working perfectly with Wine or Vestige.

You'd better stick with Windows or Mac OS X...or learn HOW to use VSTs on Linux.

But if you post bad reviews every time a VST don't work right on Linux, you are going to use your fingers soon.

Reviews are not for troubleshooting things like "this VST don't work on my Linux with a beta wrapper" if you know what i mean ;)

ppl will be hard (like me) but you really searched it by playing the 'i'm smart because i use Linux to run VSTs" whereas you can't even use the simplest and most stable simple freeware synth

briandc
briandc
31 August 2012 at 4:02pm

If you can link me to others who run it in Vestige without problems I'd be very grateful. :)

godly
godly
30 September 2013 at 9:35am

Hey guys, I'm intrested in synth1 on linux also, I think briandc is onto something, can you help us out?

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briandc
briandc
31 August 2012 at 7:07am

Maybe it would be better to deal with the message, rather than just shooting the messenger??

I've tried about 200 different free VSTs in VeSTige. Many of them have nice working interfaces, good arpeggiators, mono/poly functions that work just fine.

It's not my fault that Synth1 doesn't perform as well. (I even re-installed it, thinking the md5sum was bad. No difference.)

Oh, one more thing: some of the patches actually make Synth1 crash. (Something that no other VST instrument I've tested does.

5/10.

Why should I lie?

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wikter
wikter
1 September 2012 at 9:09pm

I think that all the reviews should respect the fact that testing adapters in beta stage the results depend on the adapter and not the plugin. This review about a linux adapter is out of place...

glokraw
glokraw
2 September 2012 at 12:32am

Festige will do about 50% of vsts in linux, dssi-vst about 20%, while reaper

is about 90%, and you need nvidia graphics, and pci audio, or the numbers go down somewhat,

as the gui are often the failpoint. Synthmaster creations fail the most, some Synthmaker apps have a

few quirks, module dependant, while dongled apps, or those with custom copy protection intertwined with windows code unsupported by wine, always fail. As they should!.

Wine has proven to draw gui better this year than last, as is it's history. New linux users who are musicians, should avoid updating a working daw box to the 'newest' linux, but they fall for it over and over and over.

Musicians with supported hardware, a linux using friend, or the desire to learn the OS beyond audio production, have a bright future, as at least 5 audio production distributions are improving apace.

The 400 meg Studio 1337 (yeah, Steinberg, I said 'meg') is astounding. Pro-Tools needs that much code

just to use a mouse. @ briandc, for best longterm 'luck', become familiar with puppy, rpm and deb based

distributions. The hardware detection and support are different, and nuances of software are different.

A particular failure in one type of distro, is often fine in another.

The crashes based on Synth1 presets are probably based on not using reaper to host your plugins,

or an arcane sublimity in wine math calculations not liking a motherboard chipset.

I experienced some of those, but not in the last three years. A sound designer

I asked looked at the presets, and saw no obvious symptoms.

Cheers

StudioDave
StudioDave
5 September 2012 at 3:37pm

Just a note to say that I've been testing Synth1 with the Festige software on AVLinux 5.0.1. It works nicely here, and I've been testing it with various soundbanks. Great synth, very straightforward design with excellent sound quality.

I won't give it a rating, I agree that it's a bit bogue to evaluate a Windows-based VST while running it on Linux. But as I said, IMO it's a great synth.

Hooj
Hooj
8 September 2012 at 12:22am

Been using Synth1 for about 18 months now! I've auditioned just about every (popular) synth on the market (especially the FREE ones). I hate to admit this but Synth1 is even better than a few of the "paid version" synths. If you know synthesis, you can achieve some very nice sounds from this synth.

Don't judge it based on the many presets available. Instead, use them as a "guideline" and create your own according to your needs & style of music.

briandc
briandc
13 September 2012 at 9:02am

I am aware that VSTs are made for Windows. FeSTige is made to run these apps in Linux, and many of them work very nicely. (I'm using KXStudio, which is built upon Ubuntu Studio, which is Debian-based.)

So my point is, if other "less popular" VSTs work so well, it's a shame that this synth, which has been highly regarded here at KVR, is not able to work correctly. At least, not on KXStudio. Maybe AVLinux is better, but I don't know, since FeSTige should be the same in either distro.

So there must be something in other VSTs that make it more compatible, that is missing in Synth1.

Again, it's not that I can't get Synth1 to work at all. It works. But the arpeggiator doesn't, and the mono/poly control is a bit confusing, since sometimes it indicates "poly" but I can't get more than one note at a time. Finally, some sounds cause it to crash entirely.

The people at KXStudio are currently working on the issue, so hopefully we'll see things change soon. Especially since I'd really like to be able to use this synth to its fullest. :)

brian

juandaco
juandaco
13 September 2012 at 4:15pm

Hi briandc. I have Synth1 running perfectly smooth with a configuration similar to yours, but with Reaper and wineasio. I know that Reaper is propietary software, but in not expensive, plus it has really good VSTis support under Linux. I have regular Ubuntu 12.04 with KXStudio repositories. You just need to install "wineasio" (should be installed with KXStudio) and install Reaper. Mine works flawlessly. Hope this helps.

juandaco
juandaco
13 September 2012 at 6:28pm

Hello again brian. I managed to run Synth1 also with dssi-vst. Just type in a terminal vsthost followed by the path of the dll for Synth1.

briandc
briandc
14 September 2012 at 8:43am

Hi juandaco,

thank you for taking the time to help me out. :)

I have tried dssi-vst, but it didn't behave any better than FeSTige (still had no luck with arpeggiators, mono/poly, etc). But I will certainly take a look at Reaper.

I have wineasio installed in my KXStudio installation, and the people behind the project are working on integrating Synth1 into the Carla host. If that succeeds it'll be a great step ahead for the entire community, imo..

brian

briandc
briandc
15 September 2012 at 4:18pm

Silly me! I already had a Reaper demo in KXStudio!! (insert facepalm here)

So anyway, a very happy ending. Synth1 is now working just fine, arps, polyphony and all. And no presets cause crashes. ;) Lots of neat effects and things, too.

I don't know if it's my favorite yet, but I certainly give it an 8. The controls are clear and responsive. Very nice! :)

brian

steven96663
steven96663
29 October 2012 at 12:40am

New to this. My first post. Have to contribute 10 posts before I can rate and review this truly excellent free 10 out of 10 gem. Been loving this one for simply ages. It's the cats pyjamas. Oops, I guess I just reviewed and rated it ;o) Only another 9 posts to go, then I'll give this Synthesiser the proper review I feel it deserves.

arkmabat
arkmabat
19 February 2013 at 6:59am

The website in English... yay!

godly
godly
4 June 2013 at 10:49am

Damn, I need it in Dutch! LOL.

godly
godly
3 June 2013 at 12:46pm

I'm having troubles editing the synth knobs from Intone Keys host. Every time I touch a knob, the CPU goes to 50% and the plugin is freezed for a sec. I don't have any probs with other synths...

Could it be because of the 9000+ presets loaded? Removing them didn't make any difference, because the banks associations are still there and loaded in the VST host.

golemus
golemus
3 August 2013 at 10:44am

This tune is made solely by synth 1 (at least 95% of sounds): https://soundcloud.com/dreaml4nd/dreaml4nd-synth1-draft1.

oskroskroskr
oskroskroskr
15 August 2013 at 10:42am

Hey what does the "det" knob do on osc1 (I'm using current version of mac synth1). Certainly doesn't just simply adjust pitch. Usually detune would require more than one voice. It makes it sound quieter like a super weak sounding hoover. It's totally rubbish. Is it a mistake?

shradenlüben
shradenlüben
3 November 2013 at 1:56am

9/10 because it needs to become an AU instrument.

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Audio Freak
Audio Freak
18 May 2014 at 10:54pm

Is the current version 1.12 Windows download set up to work in 64-bit Windows7 ??? If so, is the install pretty straight forward and does it include some presets (how many?) thanks in advance...

colossus21
colossus21
30 August 2014 at 6:46am

I don't get this working on mac (10.8.4). I install it but logic wont recognize it, and wont appear in au list. what to do? it says not apple supported au or something.

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markcarr
markcarr
28 November 2014 at 5:37am

I just loaded synth 1 and five banks of presets to get started. Call me silly? I'm sure someone will. I cant seem to get any of the banks to load. Can someone give me advice on how to load presets into this thing? Is it supposed to come with initial presets? It seems make one sound on all the preset choices.

rooter0442
rooter0442
25 December 2014 at 6:30pm

how do you download one of these lol.

BlackWinny
BlackWinny
26 January 2015 at 1:10am

I've just found a very nice tool to manage the banks of Synth1. It's a quite old tool but it could still interest probably all the Synth1 users. It is very simple to use... and of course it is free:

http://designermonkey.rekkerd.org/dl.php#footer

viceverser
viceverser
3 July 2016 at 1:17pm

Win only : (.

BlackWinny
BlackWinny
3 July 2016 at 1:48pm

Are you joking !?

Beside the picture at the top of this present page you have two links "Download". One is for Mac ! And where does it drive you ? To the links for MAC ! And not only in 32-bit but also in 64-bit .

BlackWinny
BlackWinny
3 July 2016 at 1:55pm

Ah yes... I understand now... you were talking about Designermonkey, not about Synth1 itself.

I'm pretty sure that there is somewhere an equivalent for OS X.

But in fact it is a management tool which makes a bit easier the management of the banks, and if you use the zip format (which is perfectly managed by Synth1) you could certainly make your own equivalent using a script language.

But I'm pretty sure that there is somewhere an equivalent of Designermonkey for OS X.

kobraaji
kobraaji
21 May 2015 at 1:50am

please a Linux version.
Linux users would be very grateful.

thanks.

rasputin
rasputin
9 June 2015 at 12:46pm

On a completely different note:

1. Newer versions, with whatever other bug fixes and enhancements may be included, is essential due to the new patch-maintaining system.

2. As someone pointed out, google translate does a nice job, at least in English, of translating Toda-san's website. Give it a try.

3. His operation guide is concise and useful, but there are a couple controls that don't seem to be documented labeled "det". Does anyone know what they do?

Thanks for your help, .

GY Rasputin.

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sjm
sjm
9 June 2015 at 1:27pm

det - osc/unison detune.

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ocmtime
ocmtime
15 June 2015 at 9:52am

the new LPLD filter in 1.13 beta 3 2014.7 has a bug that generates a CPU load of 100% when the amplitude release is maximum and the cutoff is modified in real time or with recorded automation immediately after altering the resonance and while playing fast alternating MIDI notes.

Jesus C
Jesus C
29 July 2015 at 5:34am

There is another bug when you link the saw LFO to the filter and automate the freq... the LFO sounds weird! and I notice a strange behavior on certain point when I'm linking to LFO the PWM and the FM using square oscillators, it's been a while... like one year, since Ichiro Toda made the last update... the past time was like 4 years waiting from 1.12 to 1.13 beta so, someday he will fix it.

(Ichiro Toda from Daichi Labs, The Synth1 Creator, if you read this, please make the program "Open Source" so we, the users, can improve the program and fix bugs... oh, and change the GUI for sure! I absolutely love this synth, I'm not using anymore Massive neither Sylenth1 or something else, this is incredible and I never imaginated that this would replace forever my commercial plugins, if you could hear what I've done with your Synth1... woah)

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Jesus C
Jesus C
6 August 2015 at 4:17pm

Bugs found in Synth1 1.13 beta 3 until now:

>When you automate the LFO depth linked to the filter in saw wave using the mod wheel, it sounds strange.
>The Ping Pong delay sometimes acts like a normal delay and it doesn't pan around the stereo field
>Strange behavior in FM at certain points
>Sometimes the pitch bends triggers itself.

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Jesus C
Jesus C
8 August 2015 at 9:27pm

I've found another bug on Synth1 1.13 beta 3:
>When you use the LFO in Saw linked to Amp, it sounds some strange clicks and pops, for example, you make a sound using det 40 FM 77m 2 osc +15 tune +51 ADSR 0-127-127-77 2 (same with filter) frq 33 res and sat 0 trk 127 Unison 4 det 96 pitch -12 with nothing above 2.5kHz and you add 2 LFO's linked to Amp in key, first at (1) and amt 100, second at (4) and amt 55; you will notice a strange behavior, that's really sad because I don't like those "clicks and pops" in a dark sound. It would be easier if I could upload a picture and show you guys : (.

SynthMastah
SynthMastah
30 August 2015 at 5:06pm

My banks are not displayed in alphabetical order. They are displayed by the number of characters in the filename. See this image below. How do I get them to display in alphabetical order? This is weird, Synth1 has never given such a strange thing before.

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/download/file.php?id=4684

XFX
XFX
30 August 2015 at 5:36pm

Hoiwz about saving them individual patches into a new bank in the order you prefer? Alphabetically? Most of the performers might save them in order of sequence for songs in a set. Then reload them for a particular performance program. Yet some of us save them by genre or sound type or by purpose, like FX and solo melody, monophonic, etc..

It's a cool synth. Programming it takes time. Try to find a work around solution. I think the idea behind it besides the obvious emulation of our favourite synth is being lightweight.

SynthMastah
SynthMastah
30 August 2015 at 8:46pm

I could go one by one and sort them myself but there's no guarantee that will work. And there's hundreds of them. Too labor intensive. And Synth1 does sort them right on my other two PCs. It's only my new laptop with a clean install that gets it wrong. Here's my other computer that gets it right (picture on link).

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/download/file.php?id=4685

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kobraaji
kobraaji
16 November 2015 at 2:10am

Too bad that the best free softsynth (Synth1), does not support the best free OS (Linux) ...

MarlaPodolski
MarlaPodolski
17 November 2015 at 8:18pm

First of all, I have never seen that sort of non-alphabetical behaviour in Synth1. Very strange, indeed. You might have been good enough to list your OS when posting the issue, as I very much think it is a setting within your PC that is causing this. This is because you say only that one machine does this. That's the culprit if using same version synth and same OS on each PC. Can't help you if we don't know anything at all about your actual hardware. Next, let me tell you about Synth1 patches, banks and what I, personally, did about them: I have salted away every bank I think was ever released for this wonderful synth. One week a couple of years ago I was asked to 'babysit' some friends' recording studio while the owners were on a brief 1-week convention trip. The place was only open for a few of their friends to drop by, do a bit of independent work, etc., and I was there just to watch over things. I spent several days auditioning just about EVERY Synth1 patch from every bank, re-arranged them into more logical banks, by type and quality, and tossed out perhaps a THIRD of all patches, as they were clearly complete rubbish made by idiots. But in some cases I found the very best patches in banks that were 50/50 in usability. Even though I mainly play the best commercial synths, I love Synth1 so much and so respect its creator, Mr Toda, that I will always be using it when I can. The effort was great but well worth, and I have all patches just where I can access now in mere second or two. Consider doing patch re-banking to solve your issue, consider putting in some 'sweat equity' of your own for being given such a respected AND free gift.

I hope the lot of you complainers are aware that the latest couple of releases of Synth1 are BETA releases, and as such are not finished works and should be expected to have issues. If you can't handle this, why don't you simply install older versions and be done with all your grief?!?! I use version 12 still and have never had an issue - NO BUGS, NO COMPLAINTS. I am a working musician and simply have no time or tolerance for such nonsense. Why are you messing with betas, then having fits when you encounter trouble?

Regarding kobraaji's LINUX issue, DO note that almost NONE of the commercial plugins that cost real money are available for LINUX, so why would you think that a softsynth of the quality of Synth1 that is not only free but also took many years of unpaid labour to reach its current state would come in a LINUX version, which would take many more hours of free labour and testing to port into that Operating System format? I think the burden should be on the one receiving the gift of this synth, to install an OS on his/her machine that is more generally accepted for making music. Or use Wine wrapper and just stop complaining. Next, you kiddies will demand that someone appear at your door and play the synth FOR you! Why don't you all take on some RESPONSIBILITY for yourselves to make Mr Toda's gift work on compatible systems and stop all this ridiculous whining. Spoiled children you most certainly are.

kobraaji
kobraaji
18 November 2015 at 12:41am

MarlaPodolski
"I'm a working musician and simply have no time or tolerance for nonsense"

very good; but usually the professional musicians really did not bother to discuss in forums free software (in this forum I could be tiesto :)

"Almost none of the commercial plugins that cost real money are available for Linux"

this is true, but more and more
u-he plugins (beta);
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=424953.

"Why do you think a software synthesizer Synth1 quality that is not only free but also took many years of work paid not to reach its current state would come in a version for Linux?"

the quality of linux (not forget that it is linux and manages servers social networking and web browser you use every day)
just the fact opensource would do the job again as happened with oxefmsynth.

"Stop all this whining ridiculous. You certainly spoiled children are."

yeah, I'm a spoiled, and true artists too :)

You may never come to linux, but this is the forum to share thoughts respectfully.

Ichiro Toda, you have the best free softsynth the world, and although I can not enjoy it, thank you from the community. Linux once again in the wait :)
health and life...

MarlaPodolski
MarlaPodolski
18 November 2015 at 6:25pm

"yeah, I'm a spoiled, and true artists too :)" ... well, at least you are honest.

So ... didn't have time to cover all in my effort to defend Synth1, but I use LINUX Ubuntu everyday but mostly just to connect to the internet. I've toyed with doing audio/music and wasn't pleased with much of anything -- latency, behaviour in general, compat, you name it. Still have Audacity install, just in case must edit or playback and 'see' files, you know? Suggested Wine to you but actually I hate it, tho others love it.

Only use LINUX to be more web-safe. Otherwise, I think it is clunky and stupid. Devs calling their software "canonical" and other stupid terminology. It is no wonde to me that LINUX never really made the big leagues and never will, considering the goofs in charge of it all. They offer software that is compat, you go to all this extra trouble to download and install, and the stuff is crap or doesn't work at all -- like they NEVER test any LINUX software, free or commercial. Everyone running LINUX is a bunch of Ibiza fruits. Screw them.

Yes, I know, 'cause Synth1 is a freebie I am supposed to be too good to play it. Screw people who think that way, too. They aren't rich, famous and likely don't even have pot to pee in. Let them be losers and snobs and blind to good sounds and getting anywhere in music. I know a fantastic synth instantly when I heard this one. Mr Toda is a blessing to us all, even the dummies on snob sites. Let them waste their money on synths that have 300-page guides take two years to learn and four to get a decent sound! Meanwhile, some of us are livin' the high life, good lots of aclaim and don't associate with twisted wannabees.

Enjoy your Synth1. Some amazing presets if you hunt, and programming easier than on most synths and with few limitations.

Äxxl Force
Äxxl Force
16 December 2015 at 2:04am

Hello everyone, .

I'm having some problems using this great sounding plugin. For me Synth1 seems to introduce latency when playing back. My MIDI notes are aligned to the grid but I can clearly hear, that the sounds from Synth1 are too late compared to the metronome. I used a negative delay to compensate and it was something between 30-40ms. It's not system latency because that way metronome and Synth1 would be delayed the same amount of time, right? It seems to affect all presets I tried so far. Any ideas?

best regards.

alex.

MarlaPodolski
MarlaPodolski
16 December 2015 at 8:27am

Axxl, Synth1 introduces no -- that is, zero -- latency. It must be something in your setup. What interface, what soundcard, how powerful is your computer? You did not spec any of these. The average cheapest interface these days should get you no more than about 6-7 ms roundtrip latency. Whatever the cause, Synth1 (or any other synth) has nothing to do with it. Latency is a system thing. Have compensation for latency in other plugins in your DAW? If not, why not. Good luck.

--Marla.

Äxxl Force
Äxxl Force
16 December 2015 at 3:07pm

Marla thanks for you help.

I checked back and you're right, there are some presets like a kick drum for example that don't have "latency". So it must be the presets I've been testing. Is it normal that e.g. synth strings need 30-40ms to actually "be there"? If yes how can I tweak the settings so they are tighter, means need less time to build up the tone. At the moment when I align my synth strings to the grid they are too late.

I never played keyboards before. Maybe if a human is playing that synth he would correct that already in his playing if that's a typical behavior for synths?

thanks & best regards.

alex.

MarlaPodolski
MarlaPodolski
16 December 2015 at 4:44pm

Oh ...! That explains so much, believe it or not. I can tell you are a little new to softsynths and their behaviour, but that's fine. I think you explained the whole thing without us needing to talk gear and numbers for 15 minutes before solving.

Yes, indeed, it can take quite a few milliseconds for the strings to "be there"? Great way of putting it, by the way. Most folks will immediately just assume you had a setup/interface/line/DAW issue the minute anyone says "latency" because 99 times out of 100 ...

Okay, so ... some sounds and instruments, maybe most of all bowed-sounding strings, have very laid-back attacks when activated by a key on a controller keyboard, whereas most drum/percussion items have ultra-fast attack times. BANG, there's the snare or kick! A bowed note may go an entire measure before even reaching its full intended volume, almost like a true fade-in. Having little or no audible attack is a part of what can make stringed instruments sound so sweet, too.

Still need to guess, but I think this explains all about what you are hearing. Some FX plugins, limiters, compressors can have significant latency, with hope made up for by the workstation's Latency Comp settings, but almost no VSTI (plugin instruments) cause any latency in the first place (unless they employ their own on-board FX set heavy, etc.) That's what was puzzling when you mentioned latency and Synth1 in the same sentence.

So, what you are hearing with various soft-sounding string patches/presets and many other nice pad sounds is not actually latency but is instead a soft, slow volume increase happening along with a long and drawn out attack, the onset of the note. I'll admit, they can sound like true latency at times. Latency= nothing, no sound for X ms, then suddenly the overdue note. A swell with very soft attack=no sound, then gradually you begin to hear a little of the note, growing louder until it peaks. That's key: listening carefully, you should hear a little something albeit faintly with a swell. Put a graphic analyser plugin on there right after the instrument, and you should see at least a tiny rise of activity in some frequency (ies), even if very low dB. With true latency you see nothing, until note.

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chtiviwonder29
chtiviwonder29
4 January 2016 at 10:28pm

Does someone already have a problem with Logic Pro X ? I have to click 1 cm under a key to active it .

hoshino
hoshino
13 January 2016 at 10:30am

Button sliders don't really work in Mac OS El Capitan. As soon as you click on any parameter, the mouse flies off to the other corner of the screen. Unusable.

outring
outring
2 March 2018 at 11:07pm

Hi, hoshino and everybody who has the mouse problem with latest macOS versions. There are 2 solutions:

1. Run 32-bit host. Not the best option, but it works.

2. Disable slider window in Synth1 options. Yes it has options! Press "opt" button at the bottom and uncheck "Slider Window" box.

chtiviwonder29
chtiviwonder29
6 February 2016 at 8:27am

Completely right with you hoshino .

musicalmemoriesuk
musicalmemoriesuk
5 March 2016 at 4:00pm

Any beginners tutorials for synth1?

chk071
chk071
5 March 2016 at 6:12pm

Check Youtube. Loads of those there. :)

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musicalmemoriesuk
musicalmemoriesuk
12 March 2016 at 1:10am

What is a good patch to start with from a beginners point of view?

Jesus C
Jesus C
12 March 2016 at 6:09pm

https://soundcloud.com/bedroomproducersblog/bigtone-synth1-sound-bank-demo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y9WpPQXIII.

musicalmemoriesuk
musicalmemoriesuk
12 March 2016 at 8:33pm

They sound good the pads.

musicalmemoriesuk
musicalmemoriesuk
13 March 2016 at 8:17pm

Sorry for the newbie question but am I right in thinking to create a pad sound you use 2 sawtooth waveforms in both oscilators?

chtiviwonder29
chtiviwonder29
27 March 2016 at 9:07am

Hello .

I have a mistake with synth 1.

I load a MIDI track in Logic. I load a sound a sound from a soudbank. When i press play, the sound return on init sound .

Impossible to save the sound from synth 1.

Can someone help me ?

Thanks.

LimeflashlightL
LimeflashlightL
8 December 2019 at 10:35pm

i'm having the same problem byt i just remind myself not to press space.

borges
borges
3 April 2016 at 1:21pm

Hi, .

Synth1 is awesome, the sound is very versatile.

But I have a problem of "shadow bank window" (stay in screen) ableton running in McOS platform.

Sometimes the window does not disappear, it does not react to mouse click.

I have to close abletonv in order to make it disappear.

Anyone have this problem? help.

Thank in advance.

Tuğrul.

blakecasimir
blakecasimir
4 April 2016 at 5:47pm

Borges: I can confirm the same happens under OS X Yosemite (various versions), with Synth1 1.13beta8 64-bit 2015.5.

I find that clicking on "List/Info" twice will hide this "shadow bank window".

louderr
louderr
4 May 2016 at 3:56am

WOW this synth sounds great! getting stable results with ableton/el capitan. so far, no issues at all. but the ugliness of the GUI was bothering me and i didn't like any of the skins i have seen on the web. so here's a very pretty skin i made by total random happy accident. it's called "plum", let me know if you like it! I think its very nice on the eyes :)

#50283c.

#c8c8c8.

atown0123
atown0123
6 June 2016 at 11:34pm

Guys, how do i load a specific preset on Ichiro's Synth 1 V1.13 beta (AU 64) 2015.5 on Logic pro x on my mac, i can't seem to find a way to open the .fxp preset i have in synth 1, i tried everything. Sorry for the possibly noobish question, thanks let me know :). Have a good one guys! Where do i put to .fxp file? When i click the opt button, these is no browse option in the mac beta version of synth 1.

tripleflows
tripleflows
25 October 2016 at 3:40pm
neonliston
neonliston
1 November 2016 at 8:52am

Hi, Im having trouble using Synth1 with logic x mac.

Seems to crash once, then crashes again while re opening logic.

Can anyone give me some advice? is the latest version ok with mac?

Seems like a great synth with lots of 3rd party presets so id love to use it regularly.

tripleflows
tripleflows
1 November 2016 at 9:29am

Hi, if you read my review (Blessing or Curse? A Synth1 Review) above you'll see that Synth1 has issues on Mac OS, while the Windows version is very stable.

Mac OS version has more updates than Windows, but still not functioning properly, I tested it in Cubase 8.5 and Logic 9 and had the same experience.

Hudeenee
Hudeenee
4 November 2016 at 2:48pm

I have two major problems with the MAC AU version on 10.6.8 (32-bit):

-Logic/MainStage won't validate it, which is no biggie, if you bypass it.

-While switching presets sometimes it just makes a loud click (or a periodic clicking sound) and then becomes unresponsive. This can be handled with sending a MIDI panic message, but can be a serious PITA when you're using it live.

Does anyone know of a solution to these?

lucknow13
lucknow13
2 January 2017 at 6:26pm

The Download page for this received a Page cannot be displayed? geocities.jp. Not working. Available anywhere else?

BlackWinny
BlackWinny
2 January 2017 at 6:44pm

http://www.geocities.jp/daichi1969/softsynth/#down

Then you choose the first link which appears bellow the blue title.

Or directly for the current 1.13 beta3 : http://www.geocities.jp/daichi1969/softsynth/Synth1V113beta3.zip

THIS POST HAS BEEN REMOVED

pcf
pcf
9 March 2017 at 9:40pm

I have collected 173 free sound banks with over 14.000 sounds for Synth1 here: https://goo.gl/n8Jf7d

It's just one small ZIP file, with instructions on how to extract it and configure Synth1.

If you should know about other banks that I have missed, PLEASE email them to me at pc@frankplads.com and I'll include them in the next update. Thanks.

Hope it's OK to post this here, just wanted to make life easier for all us Synth1 fans. :)

mesuma
mesuma
29 April 2017 at 3:12pm

Hi, folks. I wonder if anyone has issues with Ableton, most recent Mac OS and Synth 1. I can't seem to get it to appear in either my VSTs or AUs. It used to, so I don't understand what has changed. Can anyone give me some pointers on getting my mac to recognize it again? Any help would be very much appreciated. Cheers!!.

blortblort
blortblort
30 April 2017 at 1:44am

Hi mesuma, I know it is sort of a nuisance to rescan your entire VST library, but that may help if you have not done so? Options>File folder>Plugin sources... hold down the Alt key when you hit the "rescan plugins" and that will start the ball rolling. Hope this helps.

mesuma
mesuma
30 April 2017 at 9:44pm

Yep, I tried that every few weeks for the Iast year in the hope it would somehow recognize it. eventually got it working as an AU yesterday but it doesn't open in my saved sets as the original VST. So I need to open my old PC and see what the sound was originally then re-program the VST. It's a pain and a bit risky as I'm sure my old lappy is ready to burst in to flames. Glad I got it back but it doesn't really solve the problem, just adds more work on. Thanks for your reply anyway, man. Much appreciated.

blortblort
blortblort
1 May 2017 at 1:59am

while I've not had THAT particular set of issues...esp with synth1, I am well familiar with the famous "I am now reaching around my butt to get to my other elbow" scenario. No fun any way you cut it. For what little it's worth in THIS case, I have noticed that over the versions (from about 7 to 9...) Live has gotten increasingly better about the total rescan... I own an embarrassing amount of plugs as I've been at this since God was a wee lad...and doing a total rescan in Live used to require several hours and moving shortcut alias's, etc etc... but now Live DOES seem to be able to 'pick up where you left off' in some instances when a scan crashes out...

That said- you MAY want to try installing synth1 to another location and then creating a shortcut to that location and pulling that shortcut into your Live VST library? may be worth a go? Hope this helps too?

tripleflows
tripleflows
1 May 2017 at 7:02am

Although Synth1 has many some issues, especially on Mac it is still a great synth.

A review comparing the goods and bads: https://synthmorph.com/blogs/news/synth1-ichiro-toda-review-blessing-curse.

And a free Synth1 bank with some additional twist: https://synthmorph.com/collections/all.

savage808
savage808
4 May 2017 at 7:00am

this synth is absolutely amazing for a free plugin, but i am way bummed by its stability running logic 10.3.1 on OS Sierra 10.12.4 it will sometimes crash the whole program or it will make an extremely loud distorted noise randomly. logic is my only daw and i am dying to use this more stably. does anyone have any tips or suggestions?

outring
outring
17 January 2018 at 9:48pm

It's known to have some issues when running inside 64-bit host, if it's not critical (and usually it's not) — run its 32-bit version.

neutrino.sky
neutrino.sky
31 January 2018 at 2:16pm

[Self promotion warning ;) ].

If you're having difficulty navigating around your massive patch collections, you might find this useful: http://www.kvraudio.com/product/synth1-librarian-by-neutrino-sky

BlackWinny
BlackWinny
31 January 2018 at 2:44pm

Nice tool to use as complement to Synth1. Thank you.

bulevardi
bulevardi
12 June 2018 at 7:14am

It's an awesome synth!!

I created a preset bank to download and share for free, with a few of my favourite presets I selected from the nearly 10.000
available online, tweaked to create some nice acid house tracks for the LemonLife project, you can listen right here:
https://soundcloud.com/bulevardi/sets/corrosive-motions-on-acid
or
Download the presets right here:
http://users.telenet.be/bulevardi/musicsetup.html

Enjoy!.

Dirk.

HDDigitizerMusic
HDDigitizerMusic
3 July 2018 at 4:58am

Hello, .

I have been looking all over their website: http://www.geocities.jp/daichi1969/softsynth/ in search for licensing information and I have found that the software labeled as "freeware". Which is good, but I still need to see a license file or something that tells me whether or not I can use the Synth1 synthesizer for commercial purposes.

I haven't been able to track the developers down (sent an email to the only address I could find, but have not got a reply.) Do you know where I can find this information or a better place to contact the devs?

Thank you.

sjm
sjm
3 July 2018 at 11:20am

Of course you can use it for commercial purposes. You aren't using anyone's copyrighted material in your song to start off with (Synth1 is not a sampler).

It also is clearly understood that the purpose of a synth is to make music, so any restrictions on the use for that prpose would need to be explicit. This is because there is a reasonable expectation (or whatever the legal term is) that an instrument is intended to make music.

VELLTONE MUSIC
VELLTONE MUSIC
29 September 2018 at 10:38am

Synth1 is Virus and Nord Lead software baby, cool definition - if use fx on it becomes Steroid baby :):):).

Tsubasai
Tsubasai
31 March 2019 at 8:03pm

The official website has been shutdown for good from today. RIP.

blortblort
blortblort
31 March 2019 at 8:12pm
Hans45
Hans45
2 May 2019 at 8:33am

Confirmed RIP of website : "As of March 31, 2019, Yahoo! Geocity's service has ended. Thank you for your continued patronage."

Hoping there will be another one to continue the adventure... ?

sagamusix
sagamusix
24 July 2019 at 8:12pm
Paljas
Paljas
6 March 2020 at 2:36pm

Sometimes it takes forever to load Synth1 (~1 minute), Windows Task Manager tells me that Antimalware Service Executable is taking its time. It seems that at random points in time ASE is triggered by loading Synth1, stalling the latter until it is done scanning.

Rog567
Rog567
10 March 2020 at 12:33pm

Hello good people, .

I'd really like to use Synth1 again but Logic Pro X simply won't let me. Pressing 1 button wihtin the interface causes an immediate LPX-crash. I'm on OS Catalina and I'm using the 64-bit version of Synth1. This Synth1/Logic Pro X - issue has been known for a very long time. Is there ANYONE who has been able to find a workaround /trick or whatever to make it work? I'd be VERY VERY happy if someone could help me with this issue !!!.

Greetings, Rogier.

Rog567
Rog567
25 March 2021 at 4:16pm

A year later...the same wish. How I would love to use this synth again in Logic on a Mac. It really is a bummer this beautiful sounding synth will be forgotten in a few years from now.

AGAIN: IF THERE IS ANYONE WHO HAS MANAGED TO GET SYNTH1 TO WORK ON AN UP-TO-DATE- MAC WITH LOGIC PRO X I WOULD BE AMAZING!!!!!.

dawzilla
dawzilla
23 August 2020 at 2:04pm

Personally I downgraded to "Sierra". Not High Sierra, not Mojave, but plain ol Sierra. Think Apple moves way to fast for my liking. I think I'll be sticking to old hardware and old setups for music on Apple. Time to get an iLok it seems too (never in my life did i think id say that) as software will most likely break and authentication will only work this way I'm sure. Wish I could enjoy Reapers MIDI transport and editor, but I can't. Think you'll have better luck on Sierra with the best compromise for 32-bit and 64 living together. Now if anyone can actually help me get fxp files to load into synth1 that would be great, or sadly it'll suck (seems that it doesnt like any of the files listed here for mac, or im doing something wrong).

gearlegend
gearlegend
15 January 2021 at 1:12am

I don't get it, the old daichilab geocities link is obviously dead, the current mentioned here brings to a potential scam page (viral alert), so here is what seems to be the official website to download synth1. This page really should update it's sources.

rasputin
rasputin
15 January 2021 at 3:37pm

I think it's good that gearlegend located another download site. The old sakura one seems to still be there (and in Japanese; Google Translate does a pretty good job on web pages if you don't read that language). Both it at the new daichilab.com site have the "flavor" of legitimate sites -- that is, scammers would not usually put that kind of effort into a fake site.

just be careful and make sure you take normal precautions on anything you download. It would be valuable if someone who has downloaded the latest version and are satisfied it is clean could post the size and checksum on kvraudio.

still at this late date I use synth1 frequently, and I just gave a copy to a friend who makes music on a Windows 8.1 system--he has found it very inspiring. Do note that there are some unfortunate bugs in the most recent version (see messages above) at least the Windows version) but the program seems stable overall.

kthordar
kthordar
19 June 2021 at 8:04am

I just got the synth, its apparently updated june 2021 version, Japanese site. I'm running Catalina and I use Logic, it does not want to open and fails to validate the plug in.
But then it works perfectly in Garage Band.

Error code in Logic Pro:
Test MIDI
ERROR: 1 IN CALL MusicDeviceMIDIEvent


Synth download:
https://daichilab.sakura.ne.jp/softsynth/#down

empty.eye
empty.eye
3 July 2021 at 4:51am

I use the beta11 (6/19/2021) version AU file with Catalina (10.15.7) and Ableton Live 11 and it works perfect for me.

kthordar
kthordar
3 July 2021 at 5:32am

Nice, it's been updated! I did not know that. It's also fully validated in my mac now

"2021/06/19 Fixed validation error in V1.13 beta11 Logic."

soaper6206
soaper6206
24 February 2023 at 10:26pm

Mac Users: If you find Synth1's sliders / dials are getting permanently stuck on '0' on the AU version, enter the 'Opt' panel of the synth (button at the middle-bottom of the GUI) and tick the 'Slider Window' box.

sl23
sl23
5 November 2023 at 10:03pm

Here's a link to download 22,000 Patches.

There's a readme in the download, so check that first. I'm assuming people know how to use these patches so there's no description about installation, but Synth1 has this info in it's manual, so read that if you need to know.

Also, if this is against any licensing and there are any objections please PM me here on KVR and I'll remove the link.

Enjoy.

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