Software Synth/Sampler, Drumbox, Looper

See also:

• Synthesis/Composition Tools

If described as a “sampler”, this means the app loads/plays sampled waveforms. If described as a “synth”, this means the app's sounds are synthesized via oscillators, or physical modeling.

Page	Description	Release Date	Tags
Aeolus	Pipe organ synth with 3 manuals and 1 pedal, 5 different temperaments, variable tuning, stereo, surround or Ambisonics output, flexible audio controls including a large church reverb. Uses JACK	2013
ALSA Modular Synth	Complex modular synth. Uses JACK	2014-04-01
amSynth	Modelling synth. Uses JACK	2017-06-25								DS JS
AZR-3 [JACK]	A tonewheel organ with drawbars, distortion and rotating speakers. Uses JACK audio and MIDI. Based upon the AZR3 VST plugin by Rumpelrausch Täips	2010-03-12
Beatrix	Command-line hammond-style drawbar organ app with overdrive, leslie sim, and reverb. Uses OSS (not ALSA or JACK)	2006
bristol	Classic synth emulations. Uses JACK	2012-04-27								JS
connie	Simulation of an electronic organ like Vox Continental. A second model features a "poor man's hammond". Uses JACK for audio and MIDI	2009								JS
ct-synth	Polyphonic synthesizer, built with custom GUI toolkit, for Linux and Android	2016-4-20
Cumulus	real-time granular synth. Uses OSS	2001-02-12
cursynth	Command-line 32 voice polyphonic synth. 2 osc's with 15 anti-aliased waveforms. Low/high pass resonant filter. Routable modulation matrix with MIDI learn	2014
Delfin	a realtime software sampler	2003-02-16
RTSynth	Voice controlled resonance instrument. Requires JACK and a microphone
din	Synth that lets you draw your own oscillator waveform using Bezier curves. Uses JACK for audio and MIDI	2017-03-26
Elara	Old MIDI-controlled synth	2001-03-04
FluidGUI	GUI for FluidSynth written in Java / Swing	2004-06-18
FluidSynth	MIDI synthesizer using SF2 soundfonts. Uses JACK and/or ALSA directly	2014-06-07								LP
fsthost	App that runs Windows VSTs via WINE libs	2016-05-31								JS
GENPO	Replicates the essential features of any pipe, theatre, or reed organ. GENPO reads a description of an organ (from a XML file) and presents a GUI for operating that organ. You must supply your own organ waveforms	2008-11-26
GrandOrgue	sample based pipe organ
gsynth	Old Roland TB-303 emulator synth. Plays programmed bass line	2001-07-30
horgand	FM-synthesis organ, JACK-aware, with DSP effects and programmable accompaniment	2008
Ingen	modular synthesizer that runs under JACK and uses LADSPA andor DSSI plugins (formerly known as Om)									JS LP LV2
Internet Synth	Web-based synth (source available by request)
JSampler	Java GUI for "Linuxsampler"	2009-08-03
Minicomputer	Synth for creating experimental electronic sounds. Uses JACK	2010-01-31
Mono	mono synth	2000-04-14
obx	Oberheim OBX synth emulation	2016-10-1
Octavian	Modular MIDI-controlled synth. Uses JACK	2005-02-09
Petri-Foo	Petri-Foo is a contemporary fork of the Specimen sampler	2012-08-06								JS
PHASEX	GTK Synth built around flexible phase modulation and flexible oscillator/LFO sources. Modulations include AM, FM, offset PM, and wave select. PHASEX comes equipped with multiple filter types and modes, a stereo crossover delay and chorus with phaser, ADSR envelopes, etc. Uses JACK	2013
pleiad maia	simple GTK 2 osc substractive synth. Uses ALSA
QSampler	Qt GUI for LinuxSampler	2017-04-27
QSynth	Qt GUI Interface for FluidSynth	2017-04-27
RTSynth	midi-controlled synth. Uses ALSA or JACK	2006-12-24
San Dysth	Synth that generates various sounds inbetween white noise and pure tone	2008-03-06								LP
simsam	Software sampler maps multiple wave files to "key ranges". Uses JACK
Sineshaper	Monophonic waveshaping DSSI synth
Slat	Child-like synth works/sounds like a theremin	2005-09-27
Specimen	a MIDI-controllable sampler. Uses JACK	2007-03-12
SpiralLoops	a loop-based sampler with plugin support	2001-05-07
Spiral Synth	synth
Spiral Synth Modular	modular software synth, augment it with LADSPA plugins	2004-03-20								LP
Swami	SoundFont editor and management software.	2014-04-25
SynthForge	A modular sound synthesiser, for creating audio synths and effects for Linux.	2009-08-17
The Linux Softsynth Roundup	the shape of things in May 2003	2003-05-01
TiMidity++	greatly extended and enhanced version of TiMidity	2004-10-04
Ultramaster Juno-6	software emulation of the classic Roland analog synth	2006-06-16
Xsynth	MIDI-controlled analog-style realtime synthesizer	1999-08-06								DS
Yoshimi	A Software Synthesizer forked from ZynAddSubFX	2017-06-24								JS
ZynAddSubFX	Impressive FLTK-based realtime softsynth with multiple synthesis algorithms and FX	2016-11-28

The following software are plug-ins, designed to be used with apps that load plug-ins.

Page	Description	Release Date	Tags
ams	LV2 plugins derived from "Alsa Modular Synth". These plugins are used to create modular synths and contain a VCO, VCF, VCA, LFO, Slew Limiter, Envelop, and Sample+Hold	2017-01-21
BLOP	band-limited oscillator LADSPA plugins	2004-06-20
Calf Studio Gear plugins	Large collection of synths and effect LV2 plugins
Chainsaw synth	Basic subtractive synth with supersaw oscillator. Linux VST plugin	2010-11-17
DISTRHO Project	Large collection of synths and effect LV2 plugins	2014
FluidSynth-DSSI	Turns "FluidSynth" into a DSSI plugin	2009-01-05
foo-yc20	YC20 organ emulation	2011-01-28
hexter	Yamaha DX7 modeling DSSI plugin	2014-06-11
newtonator	LV2 synth that uses a unique algorithm based on simple ideas of velocity and acceleration to produce some unpredictable sounds	2012-08-26
samplv1	MIDI-controlled LV2 sampler. Standalone version also	2017-06-21								JS
setbfree	hammond-style drawbar organ	2017-01-04
synthv1	LV2 polyphonic synth. Standalone version also	2016-02-22								JS
Triceratops LV2 Synth	Substractive Poly LV2 Synth	2016-11-28
VCO-Plugins	Three anti-aliased oscillators as LADSPA plugins
WhySynth	A DSSI Softsynth Plugin	2012-09-03
zyn	Port of ZynAddSubFX synth engines to LV2

These apps mimic “drum machines”. If described as a “sampler”, this means the sounds are sampled waveforms of real drums. If described as a “synth”, this means the sounds are synthesized via oscillators (like the analog Roland TR-808), or physical modeling.

If described as “MIDI-controlled”, this means the sounds are playable in real-time via a MIDI controller such as drum pads or a keyboard (or another MIDI app if the ALSA Sequencer interface is supported). If “Pattern-controlled”, then the app requires you to program “beat patterns”, and the app plays these patterns at whatever tempo you set.

Recommended: Hydrogen

Page	Description	Release Date	Tags
Beatfish	Pattern-controlled drum sampler. Uses JACK for audio. Enlightenment for its GUI
Drumpiler	Write or generate drum and tone patterns in a simple programming language. Mix it using the sample assembler (asampler). Renders to files or plays real-time
Fultron 2002	Old Pattern-controlled drum sampler. Uses SDL	2002
Gneutronica	GTK Pattern-or-MIDI-controlled drum sampler, step-based like Hydrogen. Uses JACK for audio, and ALSA sequencer for MIDI	2006-07-03
Groovit	Old command-line Pattern-controlled drum synth. Uses OSS	1999
Hydrogen	Pattern-controlled drum sampler. Uses JACK or ALSA for audio, and ALSA sequencer for MIDI	2016-11-13								LP
Jackbeat	Pattern-controlled drum sampler. Uses JACK or PulseAudio	2012-02-08
orDrumbox	drum-machine in Java	2016-11-06
PSIndustrializer	Physical modeling synth for generating percussion sounds. It also can produce chimes, bubbles, gongs, hammer hits on different materials and so on. With OpenGL GUI	2005-10-03
pyTrommler	GTK Pattern-controlled drum sampler written in Python	2006
Slag	Pattern-controlled drum synth. Uses JACK	2006
Smack	MIDI-controlled drum synth. Uses JACK
TK-707	Pattern-controlled drum synth. Emulation of the Roland TR-707 drum machine. Uses ALSA
Virtual Drum Machine	Old command-line Pattern-controlled drum sampler. Uses OSS
Xdrum	Old Pattern-controlled drum sampler for X and the Athena widget set

The following software are plug-ins, designed to be used with apps that load plug-ins.

Page	Description	Release Date	Tags
drmr lv2 drums	lv2 MIDI-controlled drum sampler that uses hydrogen drumkits	2012
drumkv1	LV2 MIDI-controlled drum sampler. Standalone version also	2016-02-22								JS
eDrummer	Turns your computer into a drum kit you play live with MIDI drum pads.	2016/05
Fabla	LV2 MIDI-controlled drum sampler	2012-01-07

The following software load and operate plug-ins.

Page	Description	Release Date	Tags
ags	GTK audio sequencer with a piano roll, synth, matrix editor, drum machine, soundfont2 player, mixer and an output panel. Uses ALSA	2018								DS LP LV2
Ardour	Professional-grade multitrack/multichannel hard-disk recording	2017-08-16								JS LP LV2
Bipscript	a simple programming environment for creating music.									LV2
carla	A host for LADSPA+LRDF, DSSI, LV2, VST2/3 and AU plugins plus GIG, SF2 and SFZ support.									DS LV2
guitarix	rock guitar effects	2017-08-11								JS LP LV2
Ingen	modular synthesizer that runs under JACK and uses LADSPA andor DSSI plugins (formerly known as Om)									JS LP LV2
jalv.select	A little gtkmm GUI to select lv2 plugs from a list and run them with jalv	2016-04-01								LV2
MusE	MusE is a MIDI/Audio sequencer with recording and editing capabilities written originally by Werner Schweer now developed and maintained by the MusE development team. MusE aims to be a complete multitrack virtual studio for Linux. MusE supports VST-, LV2-, DSSI- and LADSPA-plugins and uses Jack for audio and midi as well as alsa-sequencer for midi.	2015-01-28								DS LP LV2
Nama	DAW with a command language and terminal mode	2016-01-10								LP LV2
Qtractor	Advanced Qt-based audio/MIDI sequencer supporting plugins (softsynths/effects). Uses JACK for audio, and ALSA sequencer interface for MIDI	2016-11-21								DS JS LP LV2
Synthpod	A lightweight non-linear LV2 plugin container	2015-04-02								JS LV2
Traverso	multitrack audio recording and editing program	2010-10-08								LV2
zynjacku	JACK based, GTK (2.x) host for LV2 synths	2009-01-21								LV2