Additive Synthesizer With Audio & Bitmap Resynthesis Capabilities
With high sound quality and built-in effects, the standout features of “Vertigo” include:
- 64-bit AAX / Audio Units / VST / VST3 / Standalone
- Scalable HiDPI Retina GUI
- 256 oscillators
- 2 morphable layers
- Dual filters / serial / parallel
- Formant filter
- Fast Fourier Transform audio view
- 8 effects
78% off “Vertigo” by discoDSP
What Is Additive Synthesis?
Additive Synthesis (also called Fourier Synthesis) is a type of synthesis, which produces a new sound by adding together two or more audio signals. The “classical” form of additive synthesis still used on some synthesizers may be called “harmonic synthesis.”
A method of sound synthesis based on adding sine waves in a harmonic series (e.g., 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 300 Hz, etc.) The Hammond B3 organ implemented additive synthesis by allowing the user to adjust “draw bars.”
In practice however the approach can be extremely time-consuming since often hundreds of harmonics may be used to create a complex sound. Additive synthesis refers to a number of related synthesis techniques, all based on the idea that complex tones can be created by the summation, or addition, of simpler ones.
Understanding Vertigo
“Vertigo” is built on a number of interlocking synthesis options and functions that are presented in an easy to understand user interface.
General Options & Information
- Program name: Displays current program.
- Zoom: Change the program envelopes or operators sizes.
- Voice Gain: Positive or negative amount in decibels for the current program.
- Polyphony: Simultaneous voices able to be played at one for the current program.
- Pitch Envelope Range: Amount of semitones to be applied in the Pitch Envelope.
- Pitch Bend Range: Amount of Semitones to be applied when using Pitch Bend.
- Open: Opens a dialog window pointed to Vertigo patches folder.
- Save: Allows overwriting current program with the changes made or by saving it under other filename.
- Reset: Resets current program to initial state.
- HQ button: Quickly limits oscillator numbers (partials) once it is turned off.
Partials
Programs can use up to 256 operators. Each operator is a sine wave and there are two groups of operator states: A and B. You can copy and paste A to B states by using the Copy/Paste button located under Partial menus.
The Link button will make a linking of both of A and B for any Operator related function (in Partials and Spectral views). You can morph between 2 states by using modulation wheel, velocity modulation or VST automation.
Each partial here is composed of:
- Phase (A/B): Initial phase of the operator.
- Amplitude (A/B): Amplitude of the operator.
- Frequency multiply of fundamental (A/B): Ratio relative to note frequency.
- Panning (A/B): Panning relative to each partial.
A Solo button mutes the rest of the operators.
Synthesis Options
Several global synthesis and program options are covered:
- Operators: Number of operators (sine wave waveforms) to use. Use a low number of operators if you’re low on CPU. But of course, complex resynthesized waves will need more operators to get a more faithful sound.
- Dephase: Amount of “randomicity” applied to initial phase state of operators, you can use it to add blurriness to the sound.
- Ensemble: Amount of random frequency detuning for each operator.
- Tune: Default value is 440 Hz. Used to fine-tune.
Envelopes
You can switch between:
- Amplitude envelope: Operator amplitude.
- Morph envelope: A/B morphing envelope.
- Stretch envelope: Increase or decrease operators playing speed. (bipolar)
- Filter 1 cutoff frequency envelope. (bipolar)
- Filter 2 cutoff frequency envelope. (bipolar)
- Voice pitch envelope. (bipolar)
Envelope Points
Envelope Points cover precise editing for every envelope point.
- Index: current active/editing envelope breakpoint index.
- Delta: distance in seconds from previous point.
- Value: level of the current breakpoint.
- Slope: curvature of the current envelope breakpoint stage parabola.
- Loop Start: breakpoint index for the sustain start of the envelope.
- Loop End: breakpoint index for the sustain end of the envelope.
- Total Point: total number of breakpoints for the selected envelope.
Formant Filter
Vertigo includes a 128 band filter, able to apply formant filtering. You can copy and paste the values between Operators, or do a reset of the curve.
In order to edit the curve, simply focus the mouse to the big LCD and left click the mouse. Points can be edited individually by single clicking or like a curve, by holding click and dragging the mouse.
FFT Edition
Vertigo allows an alternative synthesis edition, based in the spectral view of the imported or generated samples. The following operations are applied to Amplitude or Frequency, which you can select at the top of the big LCD once you switch to this spectral editing mode:
- HFade In: Horizontally fades in the active spectra (amplitude or frequency) of the selected Spectral range.
- HFade Out: Horizontally fades in the active spectra (amplitude or frequency) of the selected Spectral range.
- VFade In: Vertically fades out the active spectra (amplitude or frequency) of the selected Spectral range.
- VFade Out: Vertically fades out the active spectra (amplitude or frequency) of the selected Spectral range.
- Boost: Applies +6dB boost to the active spectra (amplitude or frequency) of the selected Spectral range.
- Cut: Applies +6dB cut the active spectra (amplitude or frequency) of the selected Spectral range.
Harmonize
Harmonizing is an alternative way to interpolate between A/B operators.
- Off: Disables harmonizing.
- On: Ignores operator frequencies and makes a sound based in harmonics, that is, root frequency plus frequency integers multipliers (1, 2, 3, 4 and so on).
- Odd: Operates in the same way as On but only on pair harmonics.
- 1-2: Generates serial partials, whose difference is proportional to the frequency difference between the first and the second operator.
In case of Operator 1 results in x1.0 and Operator 2 in x1.5, once this option is enabled, Operator 3 will result in x2.0, Operator 4 in x2.5 and so on.
For more in-depth information read the user manual HERE.
Filters, Morphing & Effects
Filters
“Vertigo” uses 2 filters, which can be used in serial or parallel to shape the operator bank sound. Each filter has 6 filter types:
- LPF 4 Pole Low pass filter, HPF 4 Pole High pass filter
- BP1 2 Pole Band pass filter, BP2 4 Pole Band pass filter
- NTF 4 Pole Notch filter, PKF 4 Pole Peak filter
Additional controls are also provided:
- Cutoff: Cutoff frequency of the filter.
- Q: Feedback or gain around cutoff frequency. Also know as Resonance. Below Cutoff and Q you can setup the amount of every labeled value.
- Velocity: Amount of key velocity tracking to Cutoff frequency or Q.
- Mod Wheel: Amount of modulation wheel tracking to Cutoff or Q.
- Keyboard: Amount of keyboard tracking to Cutoff frequency.
Morphing
Below Filter Routing you will find the Morphing configuration, which are automatable as well.
- Velocity: Amount of key velocity tracking to operators group (A/B) morphing.
- Mod Wheel: Amount of mod wheel velocity tracking to operators group (A/B) morphing.
- Voice Gain: Overall voice amplitude gain.
Effects
Vertigo features a multi effects unit for each program, divided by category:
- 5 Mono Effects – Distortion, Phaser, Flanger, 3 band EQ, Compressor
- 3 Stereo Effects – Chorus, Delay, Reverb
You can bypass the effect chain by clicking the FX button. To enable and disable each effect you must click the radio area where the green leds appear.
If you want to edit the parameters of a particular effect you can do it by clicking the blue buttons next to each label.
Resynthesis & Oscillators
Resynthesis
Vertigo was the first instrument able to analyze a WAV PCM file and extract all the partials (Resynthesis).
- Import: Analyzes a bitmap (.BMP) or audio file (.WAV). Using FFT analysis and a few psychoacoustics model algorithms, it decomposes the audio in partials, and tracks their frequency and amplitude envelopes, applying a model approximation for the current vertigo program. This operation can be done in both A and B operators when they are selected. The PCM data is discarded after analysis.
- Freq Pairing: Frequency Pairing reorders frequencies in operators’ status to make a smoother transition between frequencies when morphing is used.
- FFT: Window and FFT size to shape the overlapped audio chunks used to analyze the PCM/wave audio.
Oscillator
The Oscillator can synthesize classic waveforms for the selected operator bank group. This operation can be done in both A and B operators when they are selected.
- Waveform: You can synthesize – Saw, Square, Triangle, 2X Saw, 2X Square, 2X Triangle
- 2x detune: 2X Versions are 2 mixed waveforms with a detuning parameter, which is defined here.
For more in-depth information read the user manual HERE.
78% off “Vertigo” by discoDSP
So What Can I Do With “Vertigo“?
“Vertigo” is an additive synthesizer for VST/VST3/AAX/Audio Units hosts featuring 256 partials, re-synthesis and morphing with very high sound quality and built-in effects.
With a wide range of sound design possibilities “Vertigo” is ideal for:
- Underscore
- Pop
- Disco
- Funk
- EDM
… and much more!
Try the DEMO before you buy!
Note: Please be aware you will be required to visit an external website in order to redeem your coupon code and download your product. We do not host the download at VSTBuzz.
Normally €69 – get it at 78% off before it’s gone!
- 78% off the normal price (normally €69)!
- OVERVIEW
- Native Apple Silicon Universal 2 Binary build
- Up to 16 voices polyphony
- WAV PCM analysis and bitmap import
- 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192 FFT frame sizes
- 4 Windows: Bartlett, Hamming, Hanning and Blackman
- OSCILLATORS
- Euler generated (Max: -120dB s/noise ratio) (no wavetables used).
- Up to 256 per voice
- 2 Modulation sources with morphing
- Phase
- Amplitude
- Note pitch shift amount
- Frequency ratio
- Freq./amp envelope
- SYNTHESIS OPTIONS
- Harmonize (Harmonic/Odd Harmonic vocoder)
- Phase smearing
- Frequency smearing (ensemble)
- Classic waveform generator assistant (Saw / Square / Triangle / 2X Saw/ Square / Triangle)
- FILTER
- Filters – Low Pass/High Pass/Band Pass 12/Band Pass 24/Notch/Peak.
- Cutoff envelope
- Wheel/Key/Velocity modulation amounts for cutoff
- Wheel/Velocity modulation amounts for resonance
- VOICES
- Two resonant filters (serial/parallel mode)
- Pitch envelope
- Amplitude envelope
- Pitch Bend control
- EFFECTS
- Distortion (8x oversampled overdrive with soft clip)
- Phaser (up to 128 taps)
- Flanger
- Compressor
- Equalizer (8 bands)
- Chorus
- Delay
- Reverb
- Note: Please be aware you will be required to visit an external website in order to redeem your coupon code and download your product. We do not host the download at VSTBuzz.
- Try the DEMO before you buy!
- Perfect for Underscore, Pop, Disco, Funk, EDM and much more!
Dawoud – :
I find this instrument to be very unique and useful. It has a combination of analog flavor combined with digital clarity. The editing capabilities are quite impressive. A good all around addition to my additive synth arsenal.
Meru – :
What a great deal. Vertigo is an absolute beast in terms of sound design, very flexible and you can go crazy with it.
I’m having a lot of fun resampling my audio clips, you can warp them beyond recognition! Very happy with my purchase :):):):)
Andy – :
This is a modern classic synth, a must-have for everyone who wants to learn and explore additive synthesis in its most basic form.
Chris – :
Although neither marketing material nor the User Guide explain the “why” of additive synthesis and resynthesis, this very well laid-out plugin is incredible sounding and very easy to navigate. This synth is excellent for learning, considering you find some excellent tutorials and/or explanations, due to the simple design (no shortage of features!). At this price, resynthesis alone is a deal maker. Not my first, or only, additive, but an awesome addition to my plugin collection.
TOSHIO – :
The operation is very light and seems to become ready fighting power.
I now think that it wants to challenge music making while enjoying with the variety.
Jamie – :
Vertigo is a hugely impressive Synth! Even before you start to use Images of your Dog or Girlfriend for creating sound/Design!
78% discount, no Brainer!
Colin – :
An impressively comprehensive additive synth which echoes classic hardware such as the Casio FZ-1 but with much more depth, resolution and flexibility. It sounds great and includes a variety of inbuilt effects. It’s absolutely wonderful that this is available for Linux as well as Windows and Mac too, which shows forward-thinking on the part of the developers. One small criticism – I do feel that it could do with at least one LFO which could be routed (via the mod wheel) anywhere (for classic vibrato, etc.).
wesley – :
Solid 8. This has an intuitive nature and you will be designing clean refreshingly NU sounds from the early days of VSTs. Exciting and fun.
Paul – :
Although an older synth now and not as flexible as synths like Harmor or Morphine it is still a great option and great VFM. maybe time for an update to the GUI though?
FRANCK – :
Good product for the price but a little outdated for the sound presets, but for the price of VSTBUZZ a good deal as usual.
Wayne – :
The UI looks pretty dated, but the sounds from this are awesome and great for making EDM/Jungle/D&B. Great little synth
ichi – :
Useful as it is easy to use for EDM and Eurobeat production
There are sounds that you are good at and sounds that you are not good at, so you should identify and use them.
gary – :
Lovely sounding VSTi, crisp yet organic. Easy to use but some amazingly out there results. Nicely implemented too, simple gui resize, most formats supported including linux etc.
Edilberto – :
Excellent VST plugin.
DiscoDSP has excellent music plugin!!
Vertigo has incredible ways to use.
I enjoy so much playing with it.
Andrew – :
Nice product with brilliant sound. Only issue I found was that some of the labels are a bit small even when enlarging the GUI.
Dan – :
“Vertigo” by discoDSP has the look of something from the past, but able to produce sounds you’d expect from any of today’s synths..and beyond. By that I mean you are limited only by your own imagination in the sounds you can produce with this classic. It’s UI is clear and easy for someone starting out to follow and learn, while offering more than enough to enable a pro to get the job done.
Satoshi – :
I think that it is sufficient performance considering the price .
I was able to do a good shopping.
neil – :
price + features = 10/10
can’t complain at all
hopefully updates will come in the future .. if so i give it an 11/10 ..haha!