I have this FL21 Harmor preset, and I am looking for a synth that can have it recreated. Harmor is known for its bad spectral quality, and I am a purist looking for a synth with normal - not limited engine.

[.fst LINK]

I am not considering upscalers due to performance reasons.

 

The spectral quality issue, as I have learned in the last 48 hours, can be remedied with those "little knobs in the Image synthesis area". Try setting Image freq pixel scale to Zero, and or setting Image freq mode to Unison (<- bad misnomer till i understand better why they chose). Just try it after you import something.

OK , I have tried your fst. I didn't realize you didn't import audio.

Restate your discrepencay in a new way. (Please.)

OR

Restate your desired final outcome clearly.

Use more words and discriptions than you think are necessary.

ANDDDD NOWWWWW - I realize this is a necro.

 

Last edited: Aug 4, 2025

Spoiler: Source: Grok KI

Adapting a Harmor preset from FL Studio 21 to another synthesizer with a high-quality spectral engine is challenging due to Harmor’s unique additive-subtractive synthesis and resynthesis capabilities. Harmor’s “bad spectral quality” likely refers to its trade-offs in resynthesis mode, where fidelity can be sacrificed for editing flexibility, as noted in its documentation. To recreate a Harmor preset, you need a synth with robust additive synthesis, precise harmonic control, and ideally, audio/image resynthesis capabilities. Below, I’ll outline the process and recommend synths that align with your needs, avoiding upscalers and focusing on performance.

Understanding Harmor’s Capabilities
Harmor is a hybrid additive-subtractive synthesizer with 516 partials, allowing detailed harmonic manipulation. Its key features include:

• Additive Synthesis: Builds sounds from sine waves, with control over amplitude, phase, and frequency of each harmonic.
• Resynthesis: Imports audio or images to recreate sounds using additive synthesis, with modes like resynthesis (high fidelity) and image synthesis (flexible editing).
• Spectral Filters and Effects: Includes custom filter shapes, unison, prism (harmonic detuning), blur, and pluck modules for dynamic sound design.
• Modulation Matrix: Extensive modulation options for evolving sounds.

To adapt a preset, you’ll need to analyze the .fst file’s settings (e.g., harmonic envelopes, filter shapes, modulation routings) and map them to a synth with comparable features. Since you provided a link to an .fst file but I can’t access it, I’ll assume a complex preset leveraging Harmor’s additive engine, resynthesis, or unique effects like prism or pluck. If you can share specific preset details (e.g., is it resynthesis-based, or does it use specific effects?), I can refine the recommendations.

Recommended Synthesizers
Here are synthesizers with high-quality spectral engines capable of approximating Harmor’s functionality, prioritizing performance and avoiding upscalers:

1. Camel Audio Alchemy (Now Apple Logic Pro’s Alchemy)
   • Why It Fits: Alchemy is renowned for its high-fidelity additive and spectral synthesis, often praised for surpassing Harmor’s resynthesis quality. It supports additive synthesis with up to 600 partials, spectral resynthesis, and granular synthesis, making it ideal for recreating complex Harmor presets.
   • Key Features:
     • Additive synthesis with precise harmonic control (amplitude, phase, panning).
     • Spectral resynthesis for importing audio, offering cleaner results than Harmor’s resynthesis mode.
     • Extensive modulation matrix with LFOs, envelopes, and MSEGs (multi-segment envelope generators).
     • High-quality filters and effects (reverb, delay, distortion) to mimic Harmor’s FX section.
   • Recreating a Harmor Preset:
     • Harmonics: Use Alchemy’s additive engine to draw harmonic envelopes similar to Harmor’s Timbre 1/2 settings. Adjust partial amplitudes to match Harmor’s Brownian noise-scaled saw or square waves.
     • Resynthesis: If the preset uses audio resynthesis, import the same audio file into Alchemy’s spectral or additive mode and tweak the analysis settings for clarity.
     • Filters/Effects: Map Harmor’s custom filter shapes to Alchemy’s flexible filters. Replicate prism (harmonic detune) with Alchemy’s detune and spread controls.
     • Modulation: Use Alchemy’s MSEGs to recreate Harmor’s envelope-based modulation for parameters like filter cutoff or harmonic levels.
   • Performance: Alchemy is optimized for modern CPUs, especially in Logic Pro, and avoids the computational overhead of upscalers.
   • Availability: Available in Logic Pro X (macOS only). If you’re not on macOS, consider older standalone versions (less common) or alternatives below.
   • Source: User reviews on KVR Audio praise Alchemy’s spectral mode as superior to Harmor’s for resynthesis.
2. Xfer Records Serum
   • Why It Fits: Serum is a wavetable synthesizer with a high-quality engine and some additive-like capabilities via wavetable editing. While not a pure additive synth, its FFT-based wavetable manipulation can approximate Harmor’s harmonic control, and its CPU efficiency is excellent.
   • Key Features:
     • Wavetable editor with FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) for precise harmonic shaping, mimicking Harmor’s additive synthesis.
     • High-quality unison and detune options to replicate Harmor’s prism and unison effects.
     • Robust filter section with customizable shapes, similar to Harmor’s spectral filters.
     • Extensive modulation matrix with drag-and-drop LFOs and envelopes.
   • Recreating a Harmor Preset:
     • Harmonics: Use Serum’s wavetable editor to draw or import a wavetable that matches the harmonic profile of the Harmor preset (e.g., saw or square wave with modified partials).
     • Resynthesis: Serum doesn’t natively support audio resynthesis, but you can import audio into the wavetable editor to create a wavetable from a sample, approximating Harmor’s resynthesis.
     • Filters/Effects: Use Serum’s filter types (e.g., custom or formant filters) to mimic Harmor’s spectral filters. Add unison detune to emulate prism effects.
     • Modulation: Assign Serum’s LFOs or envelopes to parameters like filter cutoff or wavetable position to replicate Harmor’s modulation.
   • Performance: Serum is highly optimized, often less CPU-intensive than Harmor, making it suitable for your performance concerns.
   • Availability: VST/AU plugin, widely available for Windows and macOS.
   • Source: Serum is noted for its versatility in sound design, used by producers like Dyro for complex basses, similar to Harmor’s capabilities.
3. Vital Audio Vital
   • Why It Fits: Vital is a free (or paid for premium features) wavetable synthesizer with spectral morphing and additive-like capabilities. Its spectral engine is high-quality, and it’s designed to be lightweight, addressing your performance needs.
   • Key Features:
     • Spectral warping and wavetable editing allow precise harmonic control, similar to Harmor’s additive engine.
     • Supports sample import to create wavetables, offering a workaround for Harmor’s resynthesis.
     • Advanced unison and micro-tuning options to emulate Harmor’s prism and harmonic cloning.
     • Flexible modulation system with LFOs, envelopes, and randomizers.
   • Recreating a Harmor Preset:
     • Harmonics: Use Vital’s wavetable editor to shape harmonics or import a sample to create a wavetable that matches the preset’s harmonic content.
     • Resynthesis: Import the same audio file used in Harmor into Vital’s sample-to-wavetable feature. Adjust spectral morphing to refine fidelity.
     • Filters/Effects: Use Vital’s spectral warping (e.g., phase bending or formant shifting) to mimic Harmor’s pluck or blur effects. Add effects like chorus or reverb to match Harmor’s FX chain.
     • Modulation: Map Vital’s LFOs or envelopes to parameters like wavetable position or filter cutoff to replicate Harmor’s dynamic modulation.
   • Performance: Vital is highly optimized, often lighter than Serum, and its free version is robust enough for most tasks.
   • Availability: Free or paid VST/AU plugin for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
   • Source: Users on Reddit suggest Vital’s sampler mode for tasks similar to Harmor’s resynthesis, though it’s less direct.
4. KV331 SynthMaster
   • Why It Fits: SynthMaster combines additive, subtractive, and wavetable synthesis with a high-quality engine. It’s less CPU-intensive than some additive synths and offers flexibility for recreating Harmor presets.
   • Key Features:
     • Additive synthesis with harmonic editing, supporting up to 256 partials.
     • Wavetable and sample-based synthesis to approximate Harmor’s resynthesis.
     • Comprehensive modulation matrix and effects section (filters, distortion, reverb, etc.).
   • Recreating a Harmor Preset:
     • Harmonics: Use SynthMaster’s additive engine to edit partials, matching Harmor’s harmonic envelopes.
     • Resynthesis: Import audio into SynthMaster’s wavetable or sample engine to recreate resynthesized sounds.
     • Filters/Effects: Use custom filter shapes and effects to emulate Harmor’s spectral filters and FX like blur or pluck.
     • Modulation: Assign envelopes or LFOs to replicate Harmor’s modulation routings.
   • Performance: SynthMaster is known for low CPU usage, making it a good fit for your needs.
   • Availability: VST/AU plugin for Windows and macOS.

Steps to Adapt the Preset

1. Analyze the Harmor Preset:
   • Open the .fst file in FL Studio to inspect its settings.
   • Note the harmonic envelopes (Timbre 1/2), filter shapes, modulation routings (LFOs, envelopes), and effects (prism, blur, pluck).
   • If it uses resynthesis, identify the source audio or image and its processing mode (resynthesis vs. image synthesis).
2. Choose a Synth:
   • For purists seeking the highest spectral quality, Alchemy is the best choice due to its superior resynthesis and additive engine.
   • For performance and versatility, Serum or Vital are excellent, with Vital being budget-friendly.
   • SynthMaster is a balanced option for additive synthesis and CPU efficiency.
3. Map Parameters:
   • Harmonics: Replicate Harmor’s harmonic envelopes by editing partials or wavetables in the target synth.
   • Resynthesis: Import the same audio file and adjust analysis settings to match Harmor’s output. For image synthesis, export Harmor’s image and import it into Alchemy or Vital’s wavetable editor.
   • Filters/Effects: Match Harmor’s filter shapes and effects (e.g., prism = detune, pluck = time-based filtering) using the target synth’s tools.
   • Modulation: Recreate Harmor’s modulation matrix by assigning LFOs, envelopes, or MSEGs to similar parameters.
4. Test and Refine:
   • Play the preset in the new synth and compare it to Harmor’s output.
   • Tweak parameters to compensate for differences in engine quality (e.g., Alchemy’s cleaner resynthesis may need less brightness than Harmor’s).

Challenges and Considerations

• Harmor’s Uniqueness: Harmor’s additive-subtractive hybrid and image synthesis are unique. No synth perfectly replicates its workflow, especially for image-based synthesis.
• Spectral Quality: Harmor’s “bad spectral quality” is subjective; its resynthesis mode prioritizes flexibility over fidelity. Alchemy and Vital offer cleaner resynthesis, but Serum and SynthMaster may require more tweaking for complex resynthesized sounds.
• Performance: All recommended synths are optimized for modern CPUs. Vital and Serum are particularly lightweight, while Alchemy may be heavier but manageable in Logic Pro.
• Learning Curve: Alchemy and SynthMaster have steeper learning curves than Serum or Vital, but all require time to master for precise preset recreation.

Recommendation
If you’re a purist seeking the highest spectral quality, Alchemy (in Logic Pro) is the top choice due to its superior additive and resynthesis capabilities. If you’re not on macOS or prefer a standalone plugin, Vital is an excellent free option with high-quality spectral morphing and low CPU usage. Serum is a close second for its wavetable flexibility and performance, while SynthMaster offers a balanced approach for additive synthesis.

To proceed, could you share specific details about the preset (e.g., is it additive-only, resynthesis-based, or using specific effects like prism)? This would help me provide a more tailored mapping. Alternatively, you can start with Alchemy or Vital and follow the steps above, referencing Harmor’s manual for parameter details.

If you need help with a specific synth or parameter mapping, let me know!