Table of Contents
Software Synth/Sampler, Drumbox, Looper
See also:
Samplers/synths (standalone)
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 | |||||||
| Chionic | Linux sampling software from Juan Linietsky (reduz) | 2005-05-01 | |  | |||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||
| jackMiniSynth | a minimal subtractive synth (with Moog filter) for JACK | ||||||||||
| 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 | | ||||||||
| MSS | GTK Synth. Uses OSS (not ALSA or JACK) | 2002-06-22 | | ||||||||
| Mx44 | synth very good for esoteric pads and ultra electric leads. Uses JACK | 2009-12-24 | | ||||||||
| 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 | | |||||||||
| Slat | Child-like synth works/sounds like a theremin | 2005-09-27 | | ||||||||
| Soundtank | LADSPA host designed for making and playing softsynths | 2004-11-22 | | LP | |||||||
| 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 | | | |||||||
| tapeutape | Sampler that lets you create instruments/kits/setups and is designed for live performance. Uses JACK | 2008-11-16 | | | |||||||
| 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 | | | | | |||||
Samplers/synths (plug-ins)
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 | MIDI synthesis instruments, filters, and effects | 2017-11-04 | | | LV2 | ||||||
| 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 | |||||||||
| Linuxsampler | LV2 sampler supports sample libraries in Sfz, GIG, DLS, and Akai formats. Standalone version also | 2007-12-06 | | | |||||||
| 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 | | ||||||||
| Sineshaper | Monophonic waveshaping DSSI synth | ||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||
| zyn | Port of ZynAddSubFX synth engines to LV2 | ||||||||||
Drum samplers/synths (standalone)
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 | | | ||||||||
| Beats By Design | an "artificially intelligent drum machine", requires jMusic and Java | 2013 | |||||||||
| 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 | | |||||||||
Drum samplers/synths (plug-ins)
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 | |||||||||
Loopers/Arps
| Page | Description | Release Date | Tags | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| beatslash | 2 plugins for live beat repeating and beat slicing. "beat repeater" will repeat the current beat. "beat slicer" will randomly repeat parts of a live sample | 2014 | |||||||||
| ClockLoop | Command-line looper plays audio files in a loop, upon receiving MIDI note messages. Uses JACK for audio, and ALSA Seq for MIDI | | | ||||||||
| Freecycle | Beat slicer, very useful for defining and editing loops, also creates loop MIDI file | 2007-12-10 | | | | LP | |||||
| FreeWheeling | live looping instrument | 2009-01-20 | | | |||||||
| giada | pick up your channel, fill it with samples or MIDI events and start the show by using this tiny piece of software as a loop machine, drum machine, sequencer, live sample | 2014 | |||||||||
| GuitArp | A pitch-tracking VST host and arpeggiator sequencer for use with live guitar. Input from your guitar is converted into MIDI notes and run through the arpeggiator sequencer | 2011-01-16 | |||||||||
| kluppe | "Loop player for files and live input, from d13b | | | ||||||||
| LiveLoop Midi Sequenzer | real-time loop sequenzing - written in java | 2008-07-01 | |||||||||
| LoopDub | Live loop manipulation | ||||||||||
| Luppp | Live looping software for Linux | 2014-08-30 | | | | ||||||
| Smasher | audio loop slicer | 2009-09-29 | | | |||||||
| SooperLooper | live looping sampler capable of immediate loop recording, overdubbing, multiplying, reversing and more. Controllable via OSC and MIDI. Uses JACK | 2013-05-12 | | ||||||||
| Tranches | Beat slicer controlled via ALSA MIDI | 2008-11-16 | | | | | |||||
Plug-in Hosts
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 | ||||||
| Calf Studio Gear | MIDI synthesis instruments, filters, and effects | 2017-11-04 | | | 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 | ||||||