SubSynth

SubSynth is a powerful subtractive synthesizer implemented as a VST3/CLAP plugin, built with NIH-plug. It leverages ADSR envelopes, multiple waveform types, and comprehensive filter controls to produce a wide variety of sounds perfect for electronic music and sound design.

🎵 Listen to demo track

Features

• Multiple Waveform Types: Sine, square, sawtooth, and triangle waves
• Full ADSR Envelope Control: Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release for amplitude
• Comprehensive Filter Section:
  • Filter types: None, Low-pass, High-pass, Band-pass
  • Independent ADSR envelopes for cutoff and resonance
• VST3 and CLAP Support: Works in all major DAWs
• Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, and Linux support

Building from Source

SubSynth is written in Rust and uses Cargo for building. You'll need:

• Rust (latest stable or nightly)
• Platform-specific dependencies (see below)

Platform Dependencies

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

sudo apt-get install -y libasound2-dev libgl-dev libjack-dev \
  libx11-xcb-dev libxcb1-dev libxcb-dri2-0-dev libxcb-icccm4-dev \
  libxcursor-dev libxkbcommon-dev libxcb-shape0-dev libxcb-xfixes0-dev

macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools

xcode-select --install

Windows: No additional dependencies required

Building the Plugin

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/taellinglin/Subsynth3.git
cd Subsynth3

# Build release version
cargo xtask bundle subsynth --release

The compiled plugins will be in target/bundled/:

• SubSynth.vst3 (VST3 plugin)
• SubSynth.clap (CLAP plugin)

Installation

Windows

Copy the .vst3 directory to:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\

Copy the .clap file to:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP\

macOS

Copy the .vst3 bundle to:

~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3

Copy the .clap bundle to:

~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP

Note: You may need to disable Gatekeeper for these plugins. See disable-gatekeeper.github.io for instructions.

Linux

Copy the .vst3 directory to:

~/.vst3

Copy the .clap file to:

~/.clap

Parameters

Amplitude Envelope

• Gain: Master output volume control
• Attack: Time for note to reach peak level after trigger
• Decay: Time to transition from peak to sustain level
• Sustain: Level maintained during note hold
• Release: Time to decay to silence after note release

Oscillator

• Waveform: Select from sine, square, sawtooth, or triangle waves

Filter Section

• Filter Type: Choose between none, low-pass, high-pass, or band-pass
• Filter Cutoff: Frequency where filter takes effect
• Filter Resonance: Emphasis of frequencies near cutoff point

Filter Cutoff Envelope

• Attack: How quickly the filter opens
• Decay: Time from peak to sustain cutoff
• Sustain: Sustained cutoff frequency level
• Release: How quickly the filter closes after release

Filter Resonance Envelope

• Attack: Speed of resonance increase
• Decay: Time from peak to sustain resonance
• Sustain: Sustained resonance level
• Release: Speed of resonance decrease

Development

Running Tests

cargo test --workspace --features "simd,standalone,zstd"

Building Documentation

cargo doc --features docs,simd,standalone,zstd --no-deps --open

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

See LICENSE file for details.

Credits

Built with NIH-plug by Robbert van der Helm.