Samurai by TA Programming: A true additive synthesizer
Immerse yourself in the world of pure sound design with Samurai, a virtual instrument from TA Programming that embodies true additive synthesis. This VST plugin for Windows opens up endless possibilities for creating unique tones based on the fundamental principles of sound formation.
Unlike subtractive synthesis, which starts with a harmonic-rich signal and cuts off the excess, additive synthesis builds a sound from scratch by adding and controlling individual sinusoidal waves (partials). Samurai masterfully implements this approach, giving you complete control over every harmonic component of your sound.
Key Features and Innovations
Samurai is equipped with an arsenal of powerful tools for accurate sound modeling:
- Dual 50-part Oscillators: Each of the plugin’s oscillators consists of a bank of 50 individual sine wave oscillators. These oscillators are mathematically precisely tuned to reproduce the harmonic series, ensuring a clear and rich sound from the start.
- Harmonic Preservation Algorithms: Unique algorithms ensure that the harmonic structure of the sound remains intact and musical even with deep modifications.
- 10x Partial Multiplier: This tool allows you to expand the harmonic spectrum by adding up to 10 times more partials to each oscillator. Controlling the detune, phase, and stereo pan for each multiplier opens the door to creating complex, moving, and wide-ranging sounds.
- Polyphonic Independent Oscillators: One of the most impressive features of the Samurai. This feature allows the user to control multiple tones simultaneously. For example, you can hold down a long pad and play an overdubbed lead sound at the same time, each with its own unique oscillator settings. This greatly expands your performance and compositional possibilities.
- Complex Multilinked Subtractive Controls: Despite being an additive synthesizer, the Samurai also includes integrated subtractive controls. This allows you to shape the sound by filtering or otherwise processing the additive signal, combining the benefits of both approaches.
- Powerful Amplifier Section: The final stage of sound shaping takes place in the amplifier section, which includes control over distortion and overall tone. This allows you to add richness, warmth, or aggressiveness to your sound as needed.
- 64-voice Polyphony and Portamento: With support for up to 64 simultaneous voices, the Samurai is ideal for creating dense chords, rich textures, and complex melodic lines. The portamento function allows you to seamlessly transition between notes.
- Waveform Preview: Before applying modulations, you can visually evaluate the waveform for each oscillator bank, which simplifies the process of sound design and predicting the result.
- 100 Presets Included: For a quick start and to demonstrate the synth’s capabilities, Samurai comes with 100 ready-to-use presets covering a wide range of tones.
Who is this synth for?
Samurai is a valuable addition to the arsenal of any musician, sound designer, or producer looking for a tool to create unique, detailed, and expressive sounds. Its deep additive synthesis capabilities, combined with an intuitive interface, make sound exploration fun and productive.
Whether you need clean, crystalline pads, complex alien textures, sharp leads, or unusual sound effects, Samurai gives you the tools to realize them with high fidelity.
System Requirements and Format
Samurai by TA Programming is available in VST format for the Windows (32-bit) operating system.
Discover the potential of additive synthesis with Samurai and expand your sound horizons!
