Installation

New in v1.6

Update 01Platform

Mac

Native macOS

First-class macOS support on Apple Silicon and Intel. Code-signed VST3 and AU exports, AU validation passing, ships as a single signed .dmg.

Update 02Sound

Wavetable Osc Refresh

Built-in test waveforms (Saw, Sine, Square, Noise, and more), anti-alias mip at the top end, preserved phase for asymmetric shapes, sidebands dropped ~57 dB.

Update 03Plugins

⇲

Resizable Plugin Windows

VST3 and AU plugins now resize cleanly on macOS, with DPI-aware refresh when the host changes scale. WASAPI driver support on Windows.

Update 04Workflow

∿

Live Hoverscopes

Hover any pin or wire to see the signal as a mini live scope. Now works on GUI modules and IO modules, with improved hit-testing on pins and lines.

Update 05Skins

◧

Project-Specific Skins

Drop a sister folder next to your project (e.g. mysynth.skin/) and SynthEdit searches it first for skins and fonts. A _fallback skin holds your custom assets, plus a new “Browse to Project Skin” menu.

See the full changelog for every release in the v1.6 line.

Download

A free 60-day demo is available that lets you explore the full feature set, including exporting your work as VST or AU plugins. After 60 days you’ll need a license to keep using SynthEdit.

macOS

Download for Mac (.dmg)

Open the .dmg file
Drag SynthEdit to your Applications folder
Launch SynthEdit from Applications

Windows

Download for Windows (.exe)

Requires Windows 10 version 1809 (build 17763) or newer, 64-bit.

Download and run SynthEdit-Setup.exe.
The signed installer unpacks the MSIX payload, installs the required Windows framework dependencies, then installs SynthEdit. No administrator prompts; no certificate to trust.
SynthEdit launches automatically when the install finishes. Next time, launch it from the Start menu (search “Synth Edit”).

AI Assistant Support

To drive SynthEdit from Claude Code, Cursor, or any other MCP-compatible AI assistant, you need the headless SynthEditCL command-line tool. The setup differs slightly by platform:

macOS — already done. SynthEditCL ships inside SynthEdit.app. Skip ahead to the MCP connector guide to wire up your AI host.

Windows — install the standalone command-line tool. Works with or without the GUI.

Download SynthEditCL Installer (.exe)

Run the installer
Tick “Add to PATH” if you want SynthEditCL.exe available system-wide (recommended)
Continue to the MCP connector guide to configure your AI host

Recent Releases

Recent changes and fixes. View full changelog

v1.6.109 — 2026-05-25

warn and abort export if VST3 plugins folder is missing
save/load .syntheditprefab in lean prefab format
on first open, app loads a blank project. (win)
on first open, app loads a blank project. (mac)
fix missing Info.plist message on export-as-plugins
fix glitchy resizing of modules
fix double-click insert on panel view
disable scanning of VSTs for now
clicks miss bottom-half of resize-nodes at top row of panel-view
SynthEdit now ships as an exe installer
Save As picker now accepts .syntheditprefab without appending .synthedit

v1.6.108 — 2026-05-22

tear-out tabs via “Open in New Window” (mac)
sostenuto pedal (CC 66) in legacy MIDI-CV module
silence WMC1506 OneWay binding warnings in ParameterDetailsDialog
reject WinUI3 PointerPressed re-dispatch as fake double-click
persist Mac pane widths across launches (mac)
new modules ‘String Concat’
new module ‘String Concat’
more reliable cross-hair when insetting modules
fix for GUI modules with autoduplicating pins
embed version, copyright and website in exported plugin metadata
better feedback during activation (win)
better feedback during activation (mac)
Mute menu now toggles all selected modules
MIDI sostenuto pedal (CC 66)

v1.6.107 — 2026-05-22

pass -ForceApplicationShutdown when installing framework deps
[0005] When creating pre-fab “modules” I give the container is used as the file name for the prefab

v1.6.106 — 2026-05-21

trackpad horizontal scroll ignored in patch view
track installation.mdx heading rename for changelog update
find CI sideload layout by Dependencies/x64 path
explicitly source framework MSIXes for sideload zip
draggable pane dividers with persisted widths

v1.6.105 — 2026-05-21

ship Windows installer as zip with bundled framework deps
fix build number in about box (win)
Wavetable Viewer working on mac
SetRegistrationInfo dropped vendor on empty serial
Mac Preferences orphan General-tab controls (mac)

v1.6.104 — 2026-05-20

snap stroke width to whole pixels
snap node positions to 0.25 DIP grid
odd-width strokes snap to pixel centres, not origins
cubic closing segments + handle z-order fix
add Snap to Pixels pin
add Path Editor + Path Render
accumulate sub-quantum mouse movement during drag
Windows Installer now available
WT Osc - silent mip at top end so above-Nyquist pitches don’t alias
GmpiHelper::getRasterizationScale forwards to drawing host

v1.6.103 — 2026-05-19

copy user resource files to vst3 bundle on export
Wavetable Osc now supports built-in test waveforms [{Saw}, {Ramp}, {Sine}, {Triangle}, {Pulse15}, {Square}, {Pulse85}, {Noise}, {Silence} ,{DC}]
WT Osc - restore grain-phase * 0.5 (drops sidebands ~57 dB)
WT Osc - preserve phase for asymmetric waveforms
Open web page example working again

v1.6.102 — 2026-05-18

snap-to-grid menu always ticked on startup
save-prefab dialog grays out existing .syntheditprefab files
re-copy skins and prefabs on version change
fix seams in background image tiling.
Fix plain image not tiling consistantly on macOS

v1.6.100 — 2026-05-15

properties pane - file browser now working for 8-bit string parameters
fix sliders not adapting to range of destination pin on first connection when range specified as 2 numbers (not 4)
fix properties browser layout

v1.6.101 — 2026-05-15

unregister presenter observer on destruction

v1.6.99 — 2026-05-14

ship pre-built .icns instead of Icon Composer .icon
fixes for hot-reloading modules
Added ‘USE_STAGING’ flag to SDK for enabling hot-reload on module

v1.6.98 — 2026-05-14

un-containerise leaves modules on the panel where they were before
restore SynthEditIcon.icon in Copy Bundle Resources
properties browser layout corrupted in release mode
export prefab working
empty plugin bundles fail codesign due to build race
add factory_modules aggregate to gate plugin-copy steps
Patch Cables working again

v1.6.97 — 2026-05-13

updating pins on property pane propagates to audio processor
new Button now accepts double-clicks (without opening the container)
embedded subview no longer duplicates Cut/Copy/Paste in menu
dragging new modules working (when mouse held down)
New Control prebabs: Slider2, colored LEDs, Button2, Knob2
Better fine control of new sliders

v1.6.96 — 2026-05-13

tweaks to new sub-controls
removed close icon from main view
mac app icon now ships in bundle (was generic placeholder)
Properties Browser now resizes correctly (mac)
‘Additional Files’ dialog layout fixed

v1.6.95 — 2026-05-12

wire up edit > move to front/back menu items
right-click on panel module shows context menu again

Demo vs Full Version

Feature	Demo	Full Version
Build synths	Yes	Yes
All modules	Yes	Yes
Save projects	Yes	Yes
Export VST/AU plugins	Yes	Yes
Time limit	60 days	None

The demo is fully featured — you can build synths, save projects, and export commercial-quality VST or AU plugins for the full 60 days. After that, a license keeps everything working with no further restrictions.

Activation

Licenses are handled through Moonbase, our new licensing partner (the previous provider, ShareIt, has closed down).

To activate your copy:

In SynthEdit, open the registration settings and click the Activate button
This launches the Moonbase website in your browser
Create a Moonbase account using the email address associated with your SynthEdit license

Most existing customers’ email addresses have already been imported into Moonbase, so activation should work straight away. If you hit any trouble, email jef@synthedit.com and Jeff will sort it out.

Next Steps

Once installed, follow the Your First Synth guide to build something right away.