West Coast, with penguins: Aaltoverb on Linux; Aalto 2 coming soon

Madrona Labs’ patchable West Coast synth is one of the most playable, exploration-friendly, unique instruments around — a piece of software to last. And it comes with a reverb companion, now on Linux, too as a free demo you can beta-test. The big news: Aalto 2 is coming this fall for macOS, Windows — and Linux, too.

OB-Xf, free and open-source Oberheim-inspired synth, is now in beta

Here’s a good way to start 2026: the folks at Surge Synth Team now have their free and open-source OB-Xf synth in beta status in nightlies, with 1.0 just around the corner. And that means this long-running project is just about ready for primetime, bringing a fully open instrument inspired by the 1979 Oberheim OB-X. […]

Peter Kirn - January 2, 2026

Surge XT hybrid synth is now a free set of modules for VCV Rack

Free meets free: in a labor-of-love community project, soft synth Surge XT is now available as an exquisitely designed set of modules for VCV Rack. It combines two of the best open-source projects for software synthesis lovers, bringing new ways of patching to both. And that means all this power is on macOS, Windows, and Linux, all three.

Peter Kirn - January 27, 2023

Inside MTS-ESP, the new tuning tool from Oddsound and Aphex Twin

Peter Kirn - March 29, 2021

Surge, awesome free soft synth, gets major 1.8 update

Peter Kirn - January 28, 2021

Surge is free, deep synth for every platform, with MPE support

Peter Kirn - April 29, 2019

Powerful SURGE synth for Mac and Windows is now free

Peter Kirn - September 26, 2018

Open-Circuit: Powerful Sound-Design Sampler Now Free (Windows)

CDM Staff - November 8, 2007