Surge XT

Even in the virtual world, synths come in all shapes and sizes. Some are complex super-synths, others are simple tools that can only generate a handful of sounds. Some are emulations of hardware instruments, others are completely original apps. Some produce classic analog sounds, others focus on the future, and there are also some that can do both. Some of these instruments may cost a small fortune, while others come for free.

Surge falls into the latter category and can be considered a fairly unusual (if not unique) application when it comes to design.

When you first open Surge, chances are that not much will seem familiar. While this is still a subtractive synth (subtractive hybrid, to be precise), the layout of the parameters doesn’t necessarily resemble that of the classic virtual analogs. Nevertheless, this a free open-source instrument with a very impressive sound and you can find a detailed and helpful manual on its website.

The sound comes from as many as three oscillators, where you can choose from an insane amount of wavetables, as well as the classic waveforms. Sound is further modulated with the help of two filters, a waveshaper, and two envelope generators. There is also an effects section that allows you to send the sound to six effects; the result can be then sent to the master, where two more effects are available.

Even as you start learning its ins and outs, you may still have a bit of trouble integrating Surge into your workflow. For example, there are no knobs, only gliders that don’t respond that well to your mouse movements. In the modulation section you will find a series of LFOs that don’t really act as LFOs (in the classical sense), but as modulators for other parameters.

While there are many peculiarities that I didn’t have time to observe or resolve, browsing through the presets proved that this is a very versatile instrument that can generate a wide variety of sounds. I can only conclude that the time invested in learning how to use Surge properly is absolutely worth it.