Straightliner is a straight-lined subtractive synthesizer in a modern guise. You will find the well known building blocks of classic analog synthesizers (4 oscillators, a filter, 2 envelope generators) patched together in the traditional way. What sets it apart from the sheer mass of other subtractive (also often called virtual analog) synthesizers is, that it does not attempt to emulate analog synthesizers with all their physically imposed limitations. Instead, Straightliner takes full advantage of the extended possibilities that sofware based synthesis offers: Instead of relying on a set of fixed waveforms, Straightliner's oscillators support loading of arbitrary (single cycle) audio files which may be even stereo. Mono waveforms can be stereoized inside the synth itself by manipulations of the phase spectrum and by detuning left and right channel. In turn, the whole signal path is laid out in stereo. The standard ADSR model for envelopes is replaced by a flexible modulation generator which allows to define an arbitrary number of breakpoints. The heart of subtractive synthesizers is the filter. In this department, Straightliner offers a multimode filter with various modes, among them the usual suspects like lowpass, highpass, bandpass and a sophisticated Moog-filter model but also several other interesting types. The user interface of the synth focuses on visual editors instead of the commonly seen hardware oriented interfaces. These visual editors don't just sketch the resulting curves but exactly represent what is being generated in a what you see is what you get manner.
