A simple AudioUnit instrument based on the PADSynth algorithm. It is intended to sound like the characteristic pad that is all too common in music from Hillsong United and related bands. It is capable of a range of sounds, but the sweet spot is definitely there, and it won't do anything very different from it.

See http://zynaddsubfx.sourceforge.net/doc/PADsynth/PADsynth.htm.

This is effectively a sample-based synth, but the samples are generated on-the-fly. This makes it take relatively small amounts of CPU, relatively large amounts of memory, but the main effect of this is that most parameter changes do not show up immediately. In practise, this means that it's not practical to change the parameters of the synth while playing on it.

To install the synth, download the AudioUnit component, extract the zip file, and put the file in either ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components or /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components, depending on whether you want to install it only for your user or for all users. If you don't know which one to pick, I recommend putting it inside your user directory.

Example one is a recording of the synth with the default settings except that the release time is set to be low, and reverb is used instead. I also used a MIDI compression effect before the synth to make the sound more even.

Example two is the same clip as example one, but with the release time set to 650ms and without reverb or MIDI compression.

Example three is a silly example of what this synth could be used for except for pure pad sounds. I added some reverb.

These settings result in a pad sound that is kind of what I had in mind when creating this synth:

• Volume: 0.0dB
• Harmonics amount: 5.00
• Harmonics curve steepness: 0.85
• Harmonics balance: 0.50
• Lushness: 53ct
• Touch sensitivity: 0.20
• Attack time: 0ms
• Release time: 650ms

The sound will be much improved if the release time is set to zero and a prominent and relatively long reverb effect is used instead.

• Volume sets the output level of the synth. Adjustable between -30dB and +6dB.
• Harmonics amount sets the amount of harmonics. A higher harmonics amount will result in a brighter sound, and will also increase the time required to generate the wavetables, which makes it take longer time before parameter changes take effect. Note that setting this value very low might result in that the synth is completely quiet. This can sometimes be partly compensated by setting a high value on the harmonics curve steepness, but in general it's not recommended to set this below 2.0.
• Harmonics curve steepness sets the shape of the curve that dictates the loudness of each harmonic. A value of 0 will make all harmonics equally loud, usually creating a harsh noisy sound. A high value will make the low harmonics much louder than the high ones, resulting in a soft, warm sound.
• Harmonics balance sets the balance between even-order and odd-order harmonics. This is an effect that is difficult to describe, it changes the character of the sound. A low value will result in that the fundamental will be quiet or inaudible, resulting in an octave effect. 0.5 is a resonable default value.
• Lushness dictates the width of the frequency distribution of each harmonic. It is measured in percents of a semitone. A low value gives static, very regular, "organ-y" sound. A moderate value provides a lush character to the sound. A high value results in a nauseating sound. The lowest possible value gives a quite even sound, increasing it just a little bit will add a slow amplitude-variation, tremolo-like effect.
• Lushness type determines the relative frequency distribution of the harmonics. A low value makes the low harmonics have a wider frequency distribution than the high harmonics. A high value makes the high harmonics have a wider frequency distribution than the low ones. This is a quite subtle effect, and I'm not sure that it's very usable. A value of 1.0 will give a decent sound. Higher values will result in an effect similar to increasing the Lushness parameter.
• Touch sensitivity sets how much the synth should react to differences in note velocity. A high value will make notes with high velocity sound brighter. A value of zero will make all notes be equally bright. Because of how this parameter is implemented, a higher value will result in a brighter sound overall. This can be compensated with the harmonics amount and harmonics curve steepness parameters. Note that this parameter does not influence the loudness of each note. To do that, I recommend the use of a MIDI compression effect before this synth.
• Attack time sets the attack time of the envelope.
• Release time sets the release time of the envelope. I have got beautiful results by setting the release time low and instead have a prominent reverb effect on the synth. This gives a beautiful, lush sound. (If that's what you're after)

Since HSPad is basically a sample based synth, and there has been requests to make samples of the synth, to make it possible to use the sound without using the plug-in, I created a set of samples.

They can be found at http://github.com/downloads/pereckerdal/HSPad/hspad_samples.zip. Note that these are distributed under a different license, the WTFPL. (This is because MIT doesn't seem to make sense for stuff that is not software.)

These files were generated using the wav_dump.cpp program, which is crude but it does its job.

The licenses that this software are distributed under can be found in the LICENSE file. Here's an informal description of them:

The code I have written is released under an MIT style license. The PADsynth code is in the public domain. The kiss_fft library is in an ad hoc but quite permissive license, see the header of the source files for details.

For people who are just interested in using the synth, this means that you can use it in basically any way you want to, including selling it and not giving anyone credit for using it. The restrictions that the licenses talk about are mostly about what you are allowed to do when modifying the source code.