SubForge 1.2.1

A small fix release: no more gliding notes during a pre-roll, and clearer names for the notes that choose pattern slots. CLAP and VST®3 plug-ins for Linux and Windows; copy SubForge.clap and/or the SubForge.vst3 folder from the archive into your plug-in folder, as described in INSTALL.txt.

Downloads

• SubForge-linux-x86_64.tar.gz for Linux (x86-64)
• SubForge-windows-x64.zip for Windows (64-bit)

Changed

• The README now lists a known limitation: switching slots while the DAW records automation also records Steps, Rate, Swing and Gate.
• Pattern-slot notes are now given as MIDI note numbers 0-7 in the README, the slot tooltip and the Settings menu (MIDI notes 0-7 choose pattern), with examples of what DAWs call them: C-2 to G-2 in Bitwig and Ableton Live, C0 to G0 in FL Studio. The name C-2 only fits some DAWs.

Fixed

• No gliding notes during a pre-roll. With a count-in before bar 1 (Bitwig's pre-roll, for example), the sequencer played every note as a slide into the next. It now stays silent before bar 1 and starts there on its first step, as without a pre-roll.

The sound is unchanged: the audio demo renders identically to 1.2.0.

Known issues

• Fuzz: the Tone control changes the output level, and at high Tone settings short peaks can exceed 0 dBFS. Lower Volume if needed. This may be improved in a later version.

See CHANGELOG.md for the full history.

SubForge is developed in my spare time and comes with no support and no warranty.

VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

SubForge 1.2.0

Pattern slots with their own groove, and 20 acid presets. CLAP and VST®3 plug-ins for Linux and Windows; copy SubForge.clap and/or the SubForge.vst3 folder from the archive into your plug-in folder, as described in INSTALL.txt.

Downloads

• SubForge-linux-x86_64.tar.gz for Linux (x86-64)
• SubForge-windows-x64.zip for Windows (64-bit)

Added

• 20 acid presets. "Acid - …" sound presets, from dark and bubbling to sharp and screaming, each with a sequencer pattern of the same name (mostly 16 steps, a few with 12 or 7). They come after the existing presets and patterns, so projects saved with earlier versions load the same presets as before.

Changed

• Each pattern slot has its own Steps, Rate, Swing and Gate. Before, the four were shared by all slots, so loading a 7-step pattern into B made A play only 7 steps too. Now a slot holds everything a pattern file holds. The controls, and automation of them, change the slot that plays. A new slot starts on its first step with its own length and rate, and Export all slots as MIDI gives each clip its own length. Projects from 1.1.0 give every slot the settings they had and play as before, unless they automate one of the four and switch slots: that automation now changes only the slot that plays. The root note is still shared by all slots, and its tooltip now says so.

The sound is unchanged: the audio demo renders identically to 1.1.0.

Known issues

• Fuzz: the Tone control changes the output level, and at high Tone settings short peaks can exceed 0 dBFS. Lower Volume if needed. This may be improved in a later version.

See CHANGELOG.md for the full history.

SubForge is developed in my spare time and comes with no support and no warranty.

VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

SubForge 1.1.0

Pattern slots A-H, MIDI export of patterns, and tooltips. CLAP and VST®3 plug-ins for Linux and Windows; copy SubForge.clap and/or the SubForge.vst3 folder from the archive into your plug-in folder, as described in INSTALL.txt.

Downloads

• SubForge-linux-x86_64.tar.gz for Linux (x86-64)
• SubForge-windows-x64.zip for Windows (64-bit)

Added

• Pattern slots A-H. The sequencer holds eight patterns, saved with the project, and plays one at a time. Choose the slot with the A-H buttons next to the steps, by automating the new Sequencer Pattern parameter, or by playing MIDI notes C-2 to G-2 while the sequencer runs (those notes no longer transpose; Settings > MIDI C-2 to G-2 choose pattern turns this off). A new slot starts when the playing pattern starts over, so a switch always lands on the loop. The steps show and edit the slot that plays. Copy pattern to slot in the pattern menu copies it to another slot. Projects from 1.0.x open with their pattern in slot A and copies of it in B-H, and play as before.
• Export patterns as MIDI clips. Right-click a slot for Export MIDI, or use Export MIDI, Export all slots as MIDI and Open MIDI folder in the pattern menu. A clip is one pass of the pattern and plays as the sequencer does: accents, slides (as overlapping notes), gate and swing. On Windows a slot can also be dragged straight into the DAW.
• Tooltips on all controls. Each one explains in a few words what the control does. Settings > Show tooltips turns them off; the choice is saved for all projects.
• Settings and About show the exact build version (for example 1.0.1-3-g945938c for a build between releases).

Changed

• The settings button is now drawn as a gear. The old icon looked like a sun and could be mistaken for a theme switch.

The sound is unchanged: the audio demo renders identically to 1.0.1.

Known issues

• Fuzz: the Tone control changes the output level, and at high Tone settings short peaks can exceed 0 dBFS. Lower Volume if needed. This may be improved in a later version.

See CHANGELOG.md for the full history.

SubForge is not actively maintained and comes with no warranty.

VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

SubForge 1.0.1

Fixes the level of the distortion stage. CLAP and VST®3 plug-ins for Linux and Windows; copy SubForge.clap and/or the SubForge.vst3 folder from the archive into your plug-in folder, as described in INSTALL.txt.

Downloads

• SubForge-linux-x86_64.tar.gz for Linux (x86-64)
• SubForge-windows-x64.zip for Windows (64-bit)

Fixed

• The distortion stage no longer drops the level when you turn it on. Its automatic level compensation was set for a much quieter signal, so all four types came out quieter than the dry sound as the Gain knob went up: up to about 5 dB in typical playing, and more when played hard. The compensation is now set for typical playing (a held note at medium velocity with the Init patch), where all types stay within 1 dB of the dry sound across the Gain knob. Distortion evens out the dynamics, so with the distortion on, soft playing comes out a little louder than the dry sound (about 2–3 dB at low velocity) and hard playing a little quieter (up to about 4 dB at full velocity and full Sustain).

Changed

• Projects and user presets that use distortion play louder. Projects saved with 1.0.0, and your own saved presets, keep their Volume setting. With the distortion on, they now play up to about 5 dB louder than before (at the default Gain: Overdrive +2.9 dB, Distortion and Fuzz +4.4 dB, Tube Amp +2.2 dB; at very low Gain settings slightly quieter instead), and peaks rise by the same amount. Turn Volume down by that amount, or reselect a factory preset, to get the old level back.
• Factory presets sound exactly as before when you load them. Woolly Fuzz and Parallel Dirt Sub have a lower Mix to keep their old blend. In projects saved with these two, the distortion will be stronger as well as louder, so reload the preset to get the old sound.
• Projects now save a state version, so later releases can adapt older projects when needed.

Known issues

• Fuzz: the Tone control changes the output level, and at high Tone settings short peaks can exceed 0 dBFS. Lower Volume if needed. This may be improved in a later version.

See CHANGELOG.md for the full history.

SubForge is not actively maintained and comes with no warranty.

VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

SubForge 1.0.0

First public release of SubForge, a monophonic bass synth with a built-in 16-step sequencer, as a CLAP and VST®3 plug-in for Linux and Windows. Free software under the GNU AGPLv3.

Downloads

• SubForge-linux-x86_64.tar.gz for Linux (x86-64)
• SubForge-windows-x64.zip for Windows (64-bit)

Each archive contains INSTALL.txt with the install steps. There is no macOS version.

Highlights

• Saw, square, pulse, sine and triangle waveforms with a sub-oscillator
• LP 24, LP 12, BP 12 and diode ladder filter modes with accent sweep
• Pitch envelope, synced LFO, glide, distortion and 4x oversampling
• 16-step sequencer with accent and slide, synced to the host
• 89 sound presets and 42 patterns, plus your own
• Vector interface from 75 % to 200 %, remembered per DAW

See CHANGELOG.md for the full list and the README for known DAW quirks.

SubForge is not actively maintained and comes with no warranty.

VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.