Developer nakst has introduced that Combine, a digital analog synthesizer for Home windows and Linux, is now out there totally free. The instrument was initially priced at $54.99 when launched in 2022.
Combine takes inspiration from basic digital analog synths however isn’t a straight emulation of any single piece of {hardware}. As a substitute, it seems like a contemporary reinterpretation of a number of synths from that period.
I like how the instrument has a clear interface whereas sporting a deep and characterful sound engine. After spending a while with it, it form of jogs my memory of Charlatan, however with much more choices. You’re by no means digging by menus, but there’s loads to discover when you begin tweaking.
On the core of Combine’s synthesis engine are 4 predominant oscillators, break up throughout Oscillator A and B, plus a devoted sub oscillator.
The primary oscillators supply a beneficiant number of waveforms, together with conventional shapes and a versatile noise generator. I actually like that the basic waveforms aren’t static; every has a devoted parameter you may modulate, which makes it straightforward to create delicate motion or extra excessive evolving sounds.
The noise generator can also be extra fascinating than regular, with adjustable colour and key monitoring that can provide you chiptune-style tones harking back to early online game consoles.
Considered one of Combine’s standout options is the oscillator character part. You possibly can swap between Clear and Digital modes, which has a big effect on the general tone. Clear mode feels extra polished, whereas Digital mode introduces grit, aliasing, and a sharper edge.
It’s nice for pushing a easy patch into extra aggressive territory proper from the beginning and with out including additional processing later within the chain. This jogs my memory of the C64 emulation I purchased from plogue not too long ago, the place selecting the emulated SID chip mannequin makes all of the distinction.
Each predominant oscillators embody a unison part, letting you stack as much as seven voices with adjustable detune and stereo unfold. That is the place Combine actually shines for large, anthemic sounds.
Thick supersaws, large pads, and trance-style leads come collectively in a short time, and the synth clearly encourages you to experiment with a lot of these fats sounds.
On the tone shaping aspect, Combine consists of two versatile filters that may run in break up, serial, or parallel configurations, every with a number of modes and built-in saturation.
The consequences part is equally spectacular for a free synth, with 9 results items, together with delay, reverb, refrain, phaser, trancegate, EQ, multiband distortion, compression, and an arpeggiator. You possibly can allow or disable every impact individually or bypass every little thing with a single click on.
Modulation is dealt with by way of three LFOs, two modulation envelopes, and a modulation matrix, and assigning modulation is refreshingly simple: simply click on a highlighted management and also you’re carried out. The interface additionally makes intelligent use of pop-up visible suggestions, so waveforms, envelopes, and spectra seem solely if you want them.
Combine helps the CLAP plugin format and is free from copy safety, with no activation or on-line checks required. It’s out there as a 64-bit plugin for Home windows and Linux, with CLAP assist and a separate results plugin included.
Obtain: Combine (FREE)
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Final Up to date on December 12, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
