Simple Synth CLAP

A polyphonic synthesizer plugin in CLAP format for macOS, featuring multiple waveforms and ADSR envelope control.

Features

• 5 Waveforms: Sine, Square, Saw, Triangle, Pulse
• ADSR Envelope: Full Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release control
• 16-Voice Polyphony with intelligent voice management
• Real-time Parameter Automation
• MIDI Input Support
• Native macOS Bundle (.clap format)

Parameters

Envelope

• Attack (0.001s - 5s) - Note fade-in time
• Decay (0.001s - 5s) - Time to reach sustain level
• Sustain (0% - 100%) - Held note level
• Release (0.001s - 5s) - Note fade-out time

Oscillator

• Waveform - Choose from 5 different waveforms:
  • Sine - Pure, smooth tone
  • Square - Hollow, woody sound
  • Saw - Bright, buzzy sound
  • Triangle - Softer than square, warmer than sine
  • Pulse - Narrow pulse wave (25% duty cycle)

Main

• Volume (0% - 100%) - Overall output level

Requirements

• macOS 10.15 or later
• CLAP-compatible DAW (Logic Pro, Reaper, Bitwig Studio, etc.)
• Xcode Command Line Tools

Building from Source

Prerequisites

# Install Xcode Command Line Tools
xcode-select --install

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/simple-synth-clap.git
cd simple-synth-clap

Build

# Make build script executable
chmod +x build.sh

# Build the plugin
./build.sh

Install

# Make install script executable
chmod +x install.sh

# Install to system plugin directory
./install.sh

Or manually copy the built plugin:

cp -R build/SimpleSynthCLAP.clap ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP/

Usage

1. Load the plugin in your CLAP-compatible DAW
2. Play MIDI notes to trigger the synthesizer
3. Adjust parameters in real-time:
   • Change waveforms for different tonal characteristics
   • Modify ADSR envelope for different note behaviors
   • Adjust volume for mix balance
4. Automate parameters for dynamic performances

Technical Details

• Format: CLAP (CLever Audio Plugin)
• Polyphony: 16 voices with round-robin voice stealing
• Sample Rate: All standard rates supported
• Bit Depth: 32-bit float internal processing
• Latency: Zero latency
• Voice Management: Intelligent allocation with anti-hanging protection

Project Structure

simple-synth-clap/
├── src/
│   ├── simple_synth.h      # Main synthesizer class
│   ├── simple_synth.cpp    # Synthesizer implementation
│   ├── voice.h             # Voice class definition
│   ├── voice.cpp           # Voice implementation with waveforms
│   └── plugin.cpp          # CLAP plugin interface
├── build.sh                # Build script
├── install.sh              # Installation script
├── Makefile                # Build configuration
├── Info.plist             # macOS bundle info
└── README.md               # This file

Development

Architecture

• SimpleSynth: Main plugin class handling CLAP interface
• Voice: Individual voice with oscillator and envelope
• Plugin Interface: CLAP entry point and factory

Key Components

1. CLAP Integration: Full CLAP specification compliance
2. Voice Management: Polyphonic voice allocation and cleanup
3. Waveform Generation: Multiple oscillator types
4. Envelope Processing: ADSR envelope with proper state management
5. MIDI Handling: Note on/off and parameter automation

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

Acknowledgments

• Built using the CLAP SDK
• Developed as part of the polarity-music-tools collection
• Thanks to the CLAP community for the excellent plugin format

Support

• Issues: Report bugs and feature requests on GitHub Issues
• Discussions: Join conversations in GitHub Discussions
• Documentation: Check the wiki for detailed documentation

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Made with ❤️ for the music production community