Realistically.... (Building Synth Question)

flyswatter

How long would it take to build a very basic vst synth from scratch?

Have to do it for a project and really only have the rest of the week and weekend to do it, have a load of other work to do with it too. Time is limited in other words.

I have Synthmaker (it comes with FL Studio, it does everything except allowing you to save it as a VST to use in other programs I think, or maybe not even in FL, but this is just to show as a project anyway)

Synthmaker comes with a nice visual interface and is more user friendly, I don't have the time to be messing around in PD or C Sound and all that pure code.

I have a basic understanding of how synths work (oscs, filters) but no practical experience except copying a few tutorials and building patches from youtube and magazines.

To be honest, it would be nice if I could add flangers/chorus and all sorts of fancy shit but I don't think it's even necessary for this. Just want something half usable and basic.

So is it possible?

franktheplank

From what i know building a vst synth from scratch is not at all easy. You're not talking C sound or pure data, you're talking about using a more advanced programming language like Java or C#.

There might be some youtube tutorials that would take you through the whole process step by step but it's still gonna be quite difficult if you're a noob to programming.

Making a synth in puredata is pretty straightforward, i haven't used Synthmaker so I can't say for that.

What exactly are the requirements of your project?

franktheplank

Ok just reread you're post and it's still not clear.

Do you have to make an actual VST synth or just a digital synth, using pd or whatever else?

Making an actual VST synth is quite difficult especially from scratch.

Making a synth in PD or something similar is much, much easier in comparison.

flyswatter

franktheplank wrote: »

Ok just reread you're post and it's still not clear.

Do you have to make an actual VST synth or just a digital synth, using pd or whatever else?

Making an actual VST synth is quite difficult especially from scratch.

Making a synth in PD or something similar is much, much easier in comparison.

It's a digital synth. Synthmaker then easily exports it to FL after made. In VST mode so to speak but only made to run in FL. Don't have the full version where you can export to Cubase, Live etc.

I've realised it's probably easier than PD, as the graphics are a great help, instead of just code, it's a nice program. You can use code too.

franktheplank

Sounds pretty cool I haven't used synthedit but i've built a few things in pure data.

What are you going for fm, subtractive, monophonic or poly?

flyswatter

franktheplank wrote: »

Sounds pretty cool I haven't used synthedit but i've built a few things in pure data.

What are you going for fm, subtractive, monophonic or poly?

Probably basic subtractive. I think that's what it will be. It will have polyphony by the looks of things. I wonder how hard it would be to add in granular synthesis. The program is great, makes something very complicated way less so. Still not easy but doable.

studiorat

Probably a bit late in the day but the VST software developer kit (SDK) has a a couple of examples you can download which you can modify and add your own code, it's in C++. It's handy because the examples have all the donkey work done like the calls to the host and all that computery stuff. Took me about two weeks to get it together.

Synthedit also has a system you can use to make a VST.

Anima

I think Faust is a good option: http://faust.grame.fr/

It can generate plugins from it's own scripting language. So you basically just program in the algorithms to do your signal processing and it generates the plugin in a variety of formats.

eddyc

Its a pity you say you aren't interested in Csound, because there is a program for Csound called Cabbage by Rory Walsh in DKIT that can create full VST/i synths using Csound with GUI.
I get that Csound has a steep learning curve but by looking around at some of his examples and tweaking them, building a full subtractive synth is definitely doable. There are a crap load of Csound tutorials online as well.

Heres the link for Cabbage: http://code.google.com/p/cabbage/
And some Csound tutorials: http://en.flossmanuals.net/csound/

shed head

not java, the jre is too slow but i'm sure in the coming years it will be up to scratch, c++ is the language of choice for most, building from scratch scratch i.e. no synthmaker etc etc

studiorat

shed head wrote: »

not java, the jre is too slow but i'm sure in the coming years it will be up to scratch, c++ is the language of choice for most, building from scratch scratch i.e. no synthmaker etc etc

Tis true, but doable. I've done stuff making the UI in Java and the number crunching in C++.

It also seems that you can use the Pure Data libraries in Processing. So you can design your synth in pd and save it. Then build the front end in Processing; a bit like Java (high level with lots of support). Then bundle the patch and sketch together for an OS of your choice. Then you don't need either environment installed to run the finished product. Which of course has nothing to do with building VST's.

eddyc

Not that you would use it or anything, Java is plenty fast to do a synth. I made a synth for my final year project in college that used digital waveguide synthesis, a couple of filters, ADSR and a few effects all in native java. It ran fine on a 2.3 Ghz core2duo. That said you would be mad to do all your DSP in Java if you have the option of using C/C++.