XenFont2: Hybrid Synthesizer with Microtonal Tuning
Discover new sonic horizons with XenFont2 – a unique hybrid VSTi synthesizer from Xen-Arts, combining the capabilities of SF2 (SoundFont) file loading with powerful subtractive synthesis and full control over microtonal pitch tuning via the MTS (MIDI Tuning Standard). This plugin is designed for musicians and sound designers who want to go beyond the traditional 12-tone scale and explore the limitless world of alternative intonation systems.
Key Features and Advantages
XenFont2 is not just a synthesizer; it’s a tool for deep sound design and education in the field of computer music, sampling and subtractive synthesis, as well as musical intonation (microtonality and xenharmonics). Its intuitive interface, devoid of unnecessary knobs in favor of sliders and input fields, makes the process of creating unique timbres fast and efficient.
Key features:
- Hybrid Architecture: A combination of two stereo oscillators that load their own SF2 files with a subtractive synthesis section for a radical transformation of sounds.
- Full Microtonal Control (MTS): Support for the MTS standard allows you to freely adjust the pitch of any MIDI note, opening the door to creating music in any intonation system. MTS file loading is supported.
- Detailed Sound Design: A wide range of parameters for shaping sound, including microtonal transposition of oscillators, analog pitch drift emulation, and flexible channel routing options.
Synthesis and Modulation Section
The plugin is equipped with advanced features for deep sound synthesis:
- Oscillators: Two stereo oscillators that load SF2, with microtonal transposition and analog drift emulator.
- Modulation Generators: Six specialized MOD-GENs with ADSR, a graphic envelope generator and LFO that can operate at audio frequencies, for modulating amplitude, crossfade, filters, pitch and VCA.
- Oscillator Mixer: Volume adjustment, crossfade modulation (XFM) with six modes and a ring modulator (RM).
- Saturation and Filters: Saturation section with 20 types before filters and two independent filters with six types (LP4, LP2, HPF, BPF, BRF, APF), which can work in series or parallel, with single- and two-cascade mode.
- Modulation Effects: Built-in chorus and two types of phaser.
Advanced Features and MIDI
XenFont2 offers flexible control and full MIDI support:
- Microtonal Pitch Bend: Precise microtonal pitch bend tuning.
- Dynamic Harmonics: Modulation of harmonics using MIDI-CC allows you to dynamically reproduce the harmonics of the fundamental tone.
- MTS Support: Loading and receiving microtunings for both individual notes and in Bulk Dump format.
- Polyphony: 12-voice polyphony, monophonic legato and portamento modes.
- Effects: Built-in stereo delay and ensemble effects.
- Output Amp Section: Three output amplifier models.
Included Content
The plugin comes with a rich set of pre-configured sounds and microtunings:
- 89 factory presets created by Xen-Arts and Sevish.
- 148 microtuning files in MTS format.
- 91 Partials TXT files for audio-frequency oscillator MOD-GEN modulation.
- Detailed user manual.
XenFont2 is a powerful and versatile tool for those who want to expand their sound palette and experiment with alternative intonation systems. It is ideal for creating unique timbres based on both SF2 samples and subtractive synthesis, especially for microtonal music. Available in VST format for the Windows operating system (32-bit).
