Could Socalabs’ free Wavetable synth plugin be the open-source alternative to Serum?
New MPE instrument might be a good option for cash-strapped producers seeking cutting-edge sounds
You no longer need to spend big bucks to get your hands on a wavetable synth plugin. In fact, you can download Socalabs’ Wavetable - a new open-source option - for free.
Offering a refreshingly unfussy, dignified interface, Wavetable presents you with two wavetable oscillators plus a noise oscillator and a sub oscillator. These are followed by a filter, three mono and three poly LFOs (with a choice of 17 LFO shapes), three envelopes and five effects (gate, chorus, distortion, delay and reverb).
Socalabs has been good enough to include 100 wavetables with the synth, along with 100 presets to show off their potential. You even get MPE support, opening up an extra avenue of expression.
Wavetable might not have enough bells and whistles to make you ditch your copy of Serum, but as free synths go, it looks pretty impressive. And because it’s open-source, you can just download, install and go (or even dive into the guts of it via Github).
You can download Wavetable for Windows, Mac and Linux and it runs in VST/AU/LV formats. Find out more on the Socalabs website.
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I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.