Soonth releases Blocks, a fun and quirky modular synth plugin for macOS and Windows.
Blocks functions as an AU/VST plugin or as a standalone application.
Modular synthesis is the ultimate way to build your dream synth. It’s kind of like Lego for sound designers, piecing together modules (Oscillators, Modulators, Effects, Utilities, etc.) from various manufacturers and patching them however you see fit.
The trouble is that it can be a little intimidating for beginners, to say the least. To a beginner, a modular setup can look like a spaghetti junction of patch cables, akin to a 1940s telephone exchange.
There are some great free modular synth plugins, like ModulAir and VCV Rack, that also serve as educational tools. While Blocks isn’t going to replace advanced modular synth plugins, it takes keeping it simple to another level.
You start with a blank canvas of seven channels, each with seven module slots. Clicking on an empty slot will bring up the Block selection menu, including Sources, Modulators, and Effects.
You can add up to six Sources (oscillators), including Saw, Sine, Square, Triangle, and Noise. Once you have your Sources, you can start adding modulators (LFO, ADSR Envelope) and Effects. In the Effects list, you’ll find Filter, Reverb, Delay, and Mixer.
A source sits at the top of a channel, and the audio flows down, making it really easy to follow the signal path through your chosen effects.
When you click on an active block, you’ll see the individual controls for that block appear. To add modulations, it’s a simple drag and drop. For example, if you drag and drop LFO1 to OSC1, you’ll see a menu to select the parameter you want to modulate.
Active modulations are shown in the Modulations tab on the left and can be adjusted there.
You can also stretch Effects across multiple channels.
With Blocks, Soonth has pulled back the covers and left nothing but the essentials, and it’s a lot of fun. Everything is highly visual and intuitive, which is a fantastic way to highlight different module types and their functions.
It’s not feature-packed, but it’s quirky, great for learners, and fun for anyone – pretty cool.
Blocks is in its early beta stage, so stability isn’t where it needs to be yet, and I did experience a few random crashes in standalone mode. Soonth encourages users to reach out with any issues or suggestions.
Download: Soonth Blocks (4.39 MB download size, EXE installer, 64-bit VST/AU plugin format for Windows & macOS)
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15 Comments
Tomislav Zlatic
onThanks to BPB reader Wing Yee for letting us know about Soonth Blocks.
Jamie M.
oni tried it out the other day, a really fun modular approach. but very unstable in fl studio on mac. crashed multiple times and refused to open after. look forward to see what they do with it tho
Igor
onLooks like the first soft synth I got from Computer Music magazine in 1998
Aris
onFreak by Native Instruments is free with any purchase at plugin boutique.
Brenny C
onFreak is an excellent plug, but tbh I wouldn’t want it without the other 2 plugs in the Crush Pack. I bought the Crush pack a year or more ago and the trio is some of the best distortion plugs in my VST arsenal. Highly recommend!
Mike
onI’d like to add that having the Mod FX pack as well is fantastic. Komplete 13 is an incredible deal, especially if you wait for a sale. If you get an individual upgradable product during a sale, wait for another sale, then crossgrade to Komplete 13, you’re likely saving even more money. I got Komplete 9 back in the day for $330 by getting Elements for $30, Crossgrading to Reaktor 5 during a sale for $100, then upgrading to Komplete 9 during another sale for $200. Good luck all.
Jacob
onThe installer took 21 minutes to arrive via email and it put two copies of the VST3 plugin on my computer, one in the right place, and one in the default VST directory where it doesn’t belong at all. It also wrote all this uninstall crap to my computer for the standalone program, but frankly I’ve never heard of anyone needing one. It functions just fine on its own as a single VST3 plugin file. Regardless of the unnecessary installer that wasted my time cleaning up after it, it straight up doesn’t work well for me. I tried to do the simplest task of adding an envelope modulator to control the amplitude of the default saw oscillator, and it caused notes to sustain forever alongside properly modulated notes, and when I pressed play in FL, the entire DAW crashed. Not just the plugin, the entire DAW.
This plugin was released a year or so too early and did nothing but waste my time and annoy me after I went out of my way to report the issue with the the dual VST3 install to the dev only to discover it’s unusable.
Cool UI concept though, that’s what drew me in and had me really interested.
ConsUme
onIt’s really early, I’ve had a couple of crashes, and I hope while this should be simple some more features should be included like some chorus, and basic FM support. but I have also gotten some glitchy (intentional) sounding stuff easily.
Also Last Day to sign on Slate Digital Midnight Synthwave Waitlist. I hope I got signed on but I never got the confirmation email this time.
Michal Ochedowski
onThese confirmations tend not to arrive, ever. At least in my case. Still, when the time is right I log into my account and the sample packs are always there. So far this scenario repeated three times I think. This would be the fourth. So I’m not concerned by the lack of confirmation. And yes, I monitor my spam folder.
ConsUme
onOkay, funnily it’s the exact opposite for me.
rex roll
onGreat tool to get start with synths
Aris
onVinyl Guitar by Echo Sound Works is free.
Dart
onSmooth Blocks: 4th attempt in 2 days and still no reply.
Aris
onFree until 30th of September.
h ttps://www.magix.com/us/music-editing/audio-plugin-union/exclusively-for-tunecore-customers-corefx-volumeformer/
Michal Ochedowski
onGlitchedtones – Future Urban pack is free at Audio Plugin dot Deals.