Our verdict: Vital's free Basic plan gives you the complete synthesizer, not a cut-down demo. Paid plans only add presets, wavetables, skins and unlimited text-to-wavetable. You need a Vital account to download it.
About Vital
Vital is a wavetable synthesizer by Matt Tytel. Its spectral warping modes change the harmonics of a wavetable to create new timbres, and you can import samples as wavetables, draw your own or generate them from text.
Modulation is drag-and-drop, with animated displays of LFOs, envelopes, filters and oscillators. The Basic plan is free and includes the full synth, 75 presets and 25 wavetables; text-to-wavetable is limited to 5 requests a day. Plus and Pro plans add more presets, wavetables and skins.
What it does well
- Spectral warping. Reshapes a wavetable's harmonics for timbres a basic wavetable synth cannot make.
- Wavetable creation. Import samples, draw wavetables or generate them from text.
- Visual modulation. Drag-and-drop routing with animated LFO, envelope and filter displays.
- MPE and microtuning. Full MPE support and .tun, .scl and .kbd tuning files.
- GPU-accelerated interface. Animations run on the graphics card to leave CPU for audio.
Who it is for
Good fit
Electronic music producers and sound designers who want a modern wavetable synth for free.
Look elsewhere
Users who do not want to create an account, and older PCs without OpenGL 3 support.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Full synth on the free plan
- Clear visual feedback for modulation
- Create wavetables from samples or text
- MPE support
Cons
- Account required to download
- Free plan has only 75 presets and limited text-to-wavetable
- Needs OpenGL 3; can be heavy on weak graphics
How to install Vital
Create a free account on vital.audio, choose the Basic plan and download the Windows installer. Rescan plugins in your DAW after installing. Vital needs a 64-bit system and OpenGL 3 or higher.
Questions about Vital
Is Vital free?
Yes. The Basic plan is free and includes the full synth. Paid plans add presets, wavetables, skins and unlimited text-to-wavetable.
Is Vital open source?
The source code is published under the GNU GPL v3, but the official installers, presets and web services are tied to a Vital account.
What does the paid plan add to Vital?
More presets and wavetables, unlimited text-to-wavetable requests, extra skins and priority support. The synth engine is the same.
