Autodafe has released a free and open-source plugin that embeds real MAME emulations of vintage synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, and sound modules directly inside a DAW.
Vintage Emulator Studio (VES) runs the actual emulated hardware architecture, firmware, and internal storage rather than modeling or sampling the instruments, wrapped in a JUCE-based host with modern audio/MIDI routing and a resizable interface. Users must supply their own ROM files for each machine, which VES does not include or distribute.
Instead of dealing with the original MAME interface, VES lets you load these machines from a single application, play them from a MIDI keyboard and use many of them directly inside your DAW.
Vintage Emulator Studio features
- Over 40 emulated machines at launch, including the Akai MPC60, MPC3000, and S3000XL, Casio CZ-101 and CZ-1, Ensoniq ESQ-1 and SD-1, LinnDrum, Oberheim DMX, Roland TR-707 and TR-727, Sequential Prophet-5 and Six-Trak, and multiple Yamaha DX, TX, MU, and PSR/PSS instruments.
- Integrated machine selection and artwork.
- MIDI input from a keyboard or DAW, including retrofitted MIDI support for machines not originally designed for it.
- Resizable interface.
- Standalone application and plugin (AU/VST3, where supported) formats.
- Full source code, including the VES host, JUCE project, and patched MAME 0.289 tree, available on GitHub under AGPL-3.0.
Vintage Emulator Studio is available now as a free download for Windows, macOS and Linux. Optionally, you can pay €5 EUR to support Autodafe’s projects.
More information: Autodafe
