Vember Audio’s Surge synth plugin is now free and open-source

By Ben Rogerson
published

Originally retailing for €180, you can now download it for nothing

Reviewing Vember Audio’s Surge synth over a decade ago, we said: “This is a big, beautiful-sounding instrument. It's not cheap, but few plugins of this quality are.” Well, the sound hasn’t changed, but the price has; in fact, Surge has just been made free and open-source.  

Thanks to its wavetable oscillators and FM-style algorithms, Surge is capable of creating some pretty sparkling sounds, but it also has analogue-style functions that make it suitable for producing vintage keyboard tones.

Vember Audio says that it’s been set free so that it can continue to be developed by the community and remain compatible with current standards and operating systems.  

You can download Surge for PC and Mac from the Vember Audio website. It runs as a VST and AU plugin.

Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.