TugImgSynth is a new, free, experimental wavetable Synthesizer plugin for macOS and Windows that turns images into wavetables.
Developer tugrulakyuz has released exciting free plugins with an experimental touch over the past few years. TugGlicento is a free glitch multi-FX processor, TugMultiEffect is a modular FX, and TugSpect is a spectral filter effect based on photos. These are three beautiful free plugin gems you shouldn’t miss.
Now, his photography journey continues. Tugrulakyuz has released TugImgSynth, a new free experimental wavetable synth that uses pictures as a sound source.
TugImgSynth
In the TugSpect plugin, the engine used photos to generate crazy spectral filter effects. It’s a lot of fun. The new TugImgSynth lets you convert images into wavetables and a playable synth instrument.
This process is fully customizable using the horizontal and circular scan modes. The horizontal mode converts each horizontal line of the image into a wavetable, allowing for sharp edge waves. The circular scan option reads pixels in a circular path, creating seamless, smooth, continuous type waveforms.
That’s not all on the image front. It also comes with advanced image manipulation controls called the “Affines” section. You can zoon, rotate, translate, and skew the image in real-time to morph the wavetable structure. Plus, pixel interpolation modes offer different levels of waveform fidelity.
By experimenting with these parameters, you can create various wavetables from a single photo. Since you can import any image, you can generate infinite wavetables.
That sounds very nerdy and experimental. Don’t fear; you don’t have to understand what’s happening here. The plugin invites experimentation and yes TugImgSynth also has traditional synthesis features.
In addition to this wild, unique image wavetable oscillator, it includes a classic oscillator with saw, sine, square, and noise options to layer and thicken the sound.
Modulation is also onboard and pretty comprehensive. Four syncable multi-wave LFOs and four ADSR envelopes can be used to animate parameters. Plus, you have dedicated amp and filter ADSR envelopes, giving you six to work with.
Alongside the LFOs and ADSR, you also get four MIDI modulation sources: velocity, aftertouch, mod wheel, and random.
First Impression
The developer warns that macOS users may have problems using the plugin in Ableton Live. I can confirm this. With tweaks, which the developer mentions in his Gumroad Store, it will work then.
An exciting free wavetable Synthesizer, TugImgSynth is certainly not the best sounding out there, but it is one of the most original and experimental.
TugImgSynth is now available as a free download (donationware). It runs as a VST3 and AU plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel) and Windows.
More information here: Gumroad
