MS-4
MS-4 has been in development for a while and is now available to test on Patreon. Inspired by my 2022 synth MS-2, it started as a project to fully remake the original and improve on all of its limitations and issues, eventually evolving into a completely new synth.
MS-4 is still focused on stereo FM synthesis. The oscillators have been improved and the FM matrix has been expanded for deeper routing and more control over modulation between operators. It also supports MTS-ESP for microtonal tuning, allowing custom scales and alternative temperaments. A sync mode allows oscillator phases to continue instead of resetting on each note, which helps create evolving sounds and wider stereo movement.
A comb filter based on Karplus-Strong design is included and works well with FM as the excitation source for plucked and resonant sounds. The comb filter includes a keytrack toggle and an optional voice mode for polyphonic, per voice processing.
There are two main filters, one per voice and one on the main output. Both include low pass, high pass, and band pass modes. A keytracked filter option lets the cutoff follow the keyboard for more responsive tone shaping.
Modulation is handled by four LFOs, each with trigger modes, one shot mode, free running mode, tempo sync, position sync, and a random option for added movement.
The distortion section includes multiple selectable algorithms and also has a voice mode option. Running distortion per voice allows harmonics to layer more naturally when playing chords. A custom Space effect is included for adding depth and atmosphere.
You can adjust the number of voices to reduce CPU usage when needed. The interface is fully resizable and the preset system supports folders and categories for better organization.
MS-4 was rebuilt in C++ using JUCE instead of SynthEdit. It now has a solid macOS VST3 build and full Linux support.
Development is ongoing. If you would like to try early versions and support development, you can check it out on Patreon.
A 0.9.0 (6/23/26)
- Global Octave & transpose tuning param that controls all operators
- Preset manager fix for alphabetical issues on macOS
- Revised space FX to improve on cpu
- Modulation multiplier (global param that multiplies all PM/FM/AM/PAN modulation amount)
- Changed ADSR behaviour (older patches may have slightly different times)
- LFO modulation added to filter envelope
- Added attack and decay velocity modulation to filter envelope params
- New distortion types (Crunch Overdrive, Normal Overdrive, Gentle Overdrive, Polynomial even harmonics, Chebyshev)
- New themes
- CPU optimization
A 0.8.0 (4/18/26)
- Added operator attack and decay velocity modulation
- Added internal BPM time mode for LFO and Delay
- Fixed MTS to update freq in real time
- Changed comb to use voice keytracking by default
- FX UI Changes
A 0.7.0 (3/17/26)
- Mouse wheel increments by semitone for pitch params
- Improved sine lookup table
- Frequent MTS check to fix using default tuning when mts master exists
- Fixed pan modulation to feedback into pm/fm/am and reduced pan mod static
- Scaled operator params to fit better with higher values
- Added standalone builds
A 0.6.0 (3/3/26)
- New scope mode / better scope colours
- Reworked scope render calls
- Added velocity modulation to all matrix params & filter
- Fixed delay reset
PR 0.5.90 (2/20/26)
- Improved filter keytracking
- Added matrix lfo animations for lfo 3-4
PR 0.5.85 (2/14/26)
- Patreon upload
-Attenzione-
This synth's volume can get loud fast and unexpectedly. Be careful when modulating with feedback (ex. AM/PM/FM from 1-2 + AM/PM/FM 2-1). Consider using a limiter. Protect yo neck!!!
Install
Windows - Copy MS-4.vst3 to - Program Files > Common Files > VST3
macOS - Copy MS-4.component to - Library > Audio > Plug-Ins > Components
macOS - Copy MS-4.vst3 to - Library > Audio > Plug-Ins > VST3
Linux - Copy MS-4.vst3 to - ~/.local/share/vst3 (per-user) or /usr/local/lib/vst3 (system-wide)
Presets
The plugin installs without any presets.
Presets created between updates may sound different due to parameter changes.
Preset location - Documents > VST3 Presets > Angelo Fazari > MS-4 (same on all operating systems)
If this folder doesn't exist on your system, save a preset from within MS-4. This will automatically create the correct directory.
You can create subfolders inside the MS-4 directory to organize your presets into categories.
On some operating systems (Linux!), presets may be saved without the proper file extension and won't appear in the preset browser. Presets must use the .ms4 extension to work correctly.
