Soonth Blocks is a free straightforward modular Synthesizer plugin focusing on the essentials without cables and huge module masses.
Update: Soonth Blocks is now open-source and you can find it on GitHub. Excellent news.
In 2021, I reported on Blocks, a very unique free modular Synthesizer plugin from the developer Soonth. This is modular but does not use virtual cables. With the help of blocks, you can put together a modular synth.
Just recently, the developer released a free update with new features.
Update 0.0.4
The development progressed in very small steps. With the update 0.0.4 there is now a free update for the synth. It introduces a new modulator menu on the right giving you an overview of all active modulations, including envelopes, LFOs, and more.
Besides the regular black UI finish, you can also get new themes like the grey one in the picture. It also comes with new tabs in the update 0.04.
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Article From August 31, 2021
Modular synthesis is more accessible than ever. Free software products such as VCV Rack have given every musician the opportunity to experiment with modular synthesis. And it’s definitely not a free soft gimmick. It is a complete synthesis environment that is supported by a huge wonderful community of developers and users.
Today, South, a new developer, has released a free modular synthesizer that is much more classic and straightforward
Soonth Blocks
Blocks is a free modular synth without modules and cables. Instead, it uses tiny blocks that clip together and that you can arrange in a modular way. But you have to follow three rules:
- the audio flows down: similar to the data in a track
- drag & drop to add modulations
- stretch effects across channels
Everything is kept very simple and unspectacular. Not colorful but with an industrial look with black, gray, and white. Clicking on the module opens an integrated menu with which you can set the modules, eh blocks. And in the tab on the left, you get more information about the active modulations and rates.
Compared to VCV Rack, the range of functions is very minimal. However, you have everything you need to take your first steps in modular synthesis: sources (saw, sine, square, triangle & noise), modulators (LFO, ADSR envelope), and effects (filter, mixer, delay, reverb). Hopefully, there will be more functions in the future.
Blocks is certainly not a big competitor for VCV Rack. However, it’s a neat contrast to the super-deep VCV environment with fewer features and with a more simple user interface. This can be an advantage, especially for beginners. You can focus on the essentials without being distracted by too many features and modules. And yes, it’s a plugin.
Sonnth Blocks is available now as a free download for macOS and Windows and runs as a VST and AU plugin. It is also available as a standalone version.
More information here: Sonnth
WOW THATS AMAZING!@!!
looks good ,but quite unstable and resource hungry. i guess its still alpha version
optimizations will take place. you mind elaborating on unstable? did it crash?
I will try home again.basically was using it in Ableton 11 and it crashed the whole thing for mw
Hasnt crashed for me… in Bitwig.
Everything crashes Ableton. I’m a bitwig/ableton user and im always surprised at the amount of times Ableton will crash, grant it, with third party plugins. I honestly cant remember Bitwig crashing. The plugin will become unresponsive and since its sandboxed, I just delete it from the track and all is well. But ableton just disappears/crashes when there is a problem and sometimes its so fast I forget what plugin I was even messing around with. So you might just have an ableton problem and strange you didnt instantly label it an ableton problem since its very well known that Ableton likes to crash…a lot. You’re only luck if it doesnt or only using native plugins, lightly.
ok fair enough. ableton is quite stable for me otherwise, but understand that it can be ableton issue
is this really iOS?
it’s a free plugin (macOS/Windows) but it’s in the category of free plugin/free iOS. This is, however, it’s not a must to be both. It can be a free plugin, a free iOS or both. The best is reading the article and you will find out if its for iOS or mac/pc. Cheers
I’ve always found the “Free Plugin/IOS” label a bit confusing as well.
It’s like a sign that says “For Sale: Car/Motorcycle”.
The best is reading the article, you will find out if its for iOS or macOS/Win/Linux 🙂
I will change it in the near future
hey! i released a new version!
its now based on vital’s sound engine and contains some cool stock presets!
https://www.soonth.com/