Oxo Synth2 recreates Synth1 as a free open-source plugin for macOS, iPad
The recreation reads original Synth1 patches and banks and runs on macOS 14+ and iPadOS 17+.
Oxo Music has released Oxo Synth2, a free recreation of Daichi Laboratory’s Synth1 for macOS and iPad. The code is open source under the MIT license. Developer François Chabloz built it by recording the original synth’s audio output and modeling its parameters one by one, a process he says involved about 3 GB of measurement data.
Synth1 is a virtual analog freeware synth from the early 2000s and has not been updated in recent years. Running it on newer Macs has become a compatibility problem, especially as Apple moves away from older Intel software. Chabloz says Oxo Synth2 keeps the original parameters and interface and does not intentionally change the synthesis engine. It reads Synth1 .sy1 patches and ZIP-format preset banks. The project is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Daichi Laboratory.
The synth has up to 32 voices, two oscillators plus a sub, five filter types (LP12, LP24, HP12, BP12 and LPDL), two LFOs and an arpeggiator that syncs to host tempo. Effects include analog and digital distortion, four phaser types, a tempo-synced delay, chorus and flanger. Unison runs up to eight voices. MIDI Learn, built-in interface themes and a theme editor are included.
The macOS version comes as VST3 and Audio Unit and requires macOS 14 or later. The iPad version is an AUv3 instrument for iPadOS 17 or later. A Windows VST3 build is in development, and Chabloz has invited contributions toward other platform versions, including Linux ports. Downloads are on the official Oxo Synth2 product page.
