How to make your own synth VST
Writing a synth from scratch means learning C++ and digital signal processing and then building its screen and its presets. Studio 56 lets you describe the synth instead and builds it as an instrument you play in your DAW.
Start with a description
Say what kind of sound it is and where it sits in a track, then how it should move and feel. Descriptions like these work well:
- A round sub bass that glides between notes
- A wide pad that slowly opens up over each chord
- A glassy bell pluck with a short delay
- A 70s string machine with a little chorus
- A bright supersaw lead for a drop
What Studio 56 builds
Each synth gets its own controls and a bank of presets named for their sound. The AI picks from more than a hundred verified DSP blocks, such as oscillators, filters, envelopes and effects, and then sets and wires them together.
The build runs in the cloud and usually takes about 5 minutes. Then the synth opens in Studio 56, ready to play from your keyboard or your piano roll.
Shape it after it’s built
Every knob stays yours to change. You can ask for new presets or for a new part like an arpeggiator or a chorus, and it gets added without changing the version your song already uses.
Synths it does best
Basses, leads, pads, plucks, keys and bells come out best, along with organ and string-machine textures, vocal-like tones and kicks. Studio 56 runs in Ableton Live, Logic Pro, GarageBand, FL Studio and most other DAWs except Pro Tools, and the guide to making a VST plugin with AI walks through setting it up.
What it costs
Making instruments and effects takes Pro, which makes about 20 instruments or effects a month. You can use what you make in songs, videos, live shows and commercial releases. The one thing you can’t do is sell the instruments themselves.