ZYNADDSUBFX(1)

📦
version 3.0.6 · 7 versions
, in debian trixie, ubuntu questing

✨ ZYNADDSUBFX(1) — the manual page, but make it a vibe ✨

okay bestie, sit down, hydrate, because we're about to talk about zynaddsubfx — a whole software synthesizer, section 1 of the manual, and she is that girl. 💖

🌸 NAME 🌸

zynaddsubfx — a software synthesizer. literally that's it, that's the whole name section, but she contains multitudes, fr fr. 🎀

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

zynaddsubfx [OPTIONS]

that's it. that's the whole invocation. run her with options, or run her with nothing and let her cook. no cap. 💅

👑 DESCRIPTION 👑

zynaddsubfx</purl> is a polyphonic multimbral synthesizer — yes, polyphonic AND multitimbral, she's doing both, main character energy honestly — and she supports three synthesis engines plus numerous effects to generate sound. not one engine. not two. three. obsessed. 🔥

so let's meet the engines, because they all ate:

  1. ADsynth generates sounds by adding a number of voices. and each voice?? each voice has filters, envelopes, LFOs, morphing, modulation (Ring Modulation, Phase Modulation... and bestie, the modulators can have any shape), resonance, etc... Each voice includes a waveform generator with up to 128 sine/non-sine harmonics. You can use Fourier synthesis, or if you don't like it you can wave-shaping/filtering of functions. iykyk. ✨
  2. SUBsynth is a simple engine which makes sounds through harmonic filtering of white noise. lowkey the minimal queen of the lineup. simple, but she delivers. 🫶
  3. PADsynth is an engine that makes very beautiful pads and other instruments, which can be exported for use with other programs. the way she's beautiful AND shareable?? generous icon behavior. 🌈

Midi and audio support exists for OSS, ALSA, JACK, and others... so whatever your audio situation is, she probably speaks it. 💜

💅 OPTIONS 💅

every single one, no skips, no shortcuts, we're not summarising the boring parts because none of these are boring:

  • -h, --help — Display command-line help and exit. the "hello, what do you do" button. 🎀
  • -v, --version — Display version and exit. find out which era of her you're running. ⭐
  • -l, --load=FILE — Loads a .xmz file. 💖
  • -L, --load-instrument=FILE — Loads a .xiz file. 🦋
  • -r, --sample-rate=SR — Set the sample rate SR. 🎧
  • -b, --buffer-size=SR — Set the buffer size, which determines the granularity of how often parameter changes can be applied. ngl this one matters if you want your knob-twiddles to feel snappy. 🔥
  • -o, --oscil-size=OS — Set the ADsynth oscillator size. 🌸
  • -S, --swap — Swap Left and Right output channels. for when your ears are built different. 🙈
  • -D, --dump — Dumps midi note ON/OFF commands. 🍓
  • -U, --no-gui — Run ZynAddSubFX without user interface. headless queen. 👑
  • -N, --named=Name — Postfix IO Name when possible. 💜
  • -a, --auto-connect — AutoConnect when using JACK. she'll do the introductions for you. 🫶
  • -O, --output=engine — Set Output Engine. 🌈
  • -I, --input=engine — Set Input Engine. ✨
  • -e, --exec-after-init=command — Run post-initialization script. This script will be run after midi and audio drivers have been initialized. timing is everything bestie. 💅
  • -M, --midi-learn=FILE — Load a midi learn binding (.xlz) file. 🎀

💀 BUGS 💀

found a bug?? not me manifesting that, but okay — please report any bugs to either the mailing list:

zynaddsubfx-user@lists.sourceforge.net

or the bugtracker:

https://sourceforge.net/p/zynaddsubfx/bugs/
please actually report them instead of just being mad in the group chat, bestie. she can't fix what she doesn't know about. 😭

🌟 AUTHOR 🌟

ZynAddSubFX was originally written by Nasca Octavian Paul. It is currently being maintained by Mark McCurry. give them their flowers, they earned them. 💐

and that's the whole page, diva. 💖 this edition of ZYNADDSUBFX(1) is dated 2025-05-03 — so if you're reading this from the future, hi, hope the audio stack is behaving. 🦋✨🎀

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