SYNTH SHAPER ALTERNATIVE · VST3 / AU
A Synth Shaper alternative you can play, not just roll.
Synth Shaper by Synth Palace is a great free idea machine: three layers of real synth phrases, textures and melodies, a dice to reroll, delay, reverb, tape and filter. MUTANT. covers the same layered-phrase feel and goes further: four layers instead of three, played arps and phrases in time, 808s and bass too, your own one-shots rebuilt as synths, and a Rubik's cube that mutates the whole thing.
Hear it.
Straight from the MUTANT. library, nothing added. Tap a sound.
More sounds, the stacks and the cube on the MUTANT. page.
Synth Shaper vs MUTANT.
| SYNTH SHAPER | MUTANT. | |
|---|---|---|
| Layers | 3 (phrase, texture, melody) | 4 per stack |
| Reroll / randomize | ✓ dice | ✓ MAKE 5 + cube |
| Delay, reverb, tape, filter | ✓ | ✓ plus cube FX + 6 pocket FX |
| 808s, bass, leads in the same plugin | – | ✓ |
| Play it from MIDI in any key | Pitch per clip | ✓ |
| Drag in your own one-shot, play it as a synth | – | ✓ up to 4 at once |
| Rubik's cube FX (43 quintillion chains) | – | ✓ |
| Price | Free (Pro was $50) | $39 pre-order · $69 after Dec 15 |
Synth Shaper and Synth Palace are trademarks of their owner. SCRAMBLE isn't made by or affiliated with Synth Palace. Facts from synth-palace.com, Nov 2026. MUTANT. facts are for the Dec 15 release.
The phrase-layer vibe, with more under it.
Phrases + arps
Melodic phrases and played arps that loop in time, made to sit in each other's gaps.
Textures + beds
Keys, tape and pad beds under the arps, the way the best stacks are built.
Four layers
One more than three, with level, tune, low and high on each.
Mutate
The cube twists the stack through delay, reverb, tape and dozens more FX.
When Synth Shaper is the better pick
- You want something free right now. Synth Shaper's Lite version is free; MUTANT. is a paid synth.
- You want real vintage, modular and pedal synth recordings as the source sound.
- You like dragging the finished stems straight into your DAW (Synth Shaper Pro).
We'd rather you buy the right synth. If that's Synth Shaper, go for it.
No two stacks the same.
43,252,003,274,489,856,000
Built on a real Rubik's cube, MUTANT.'s FX engine has 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 positions, and each one is a different FX chain. To get through just 1% of them you'd have to make 10,000 presets a day for 118 billion years. That's over 8 times the age of the universe.
MUTANT. is out December 15. Pre-order it for $39.
$69 after launch. Own the SCRAMBLE. Bundle? Yours is $29. One-time payment, key and download emailed on launch day.
Questions
Is MUTANT. like Synth Shaper?
In spirit, yes: stacked layers that make instant ideas. The difference is MUTANT. is a full synth you play from MIDI, with 808s and bass as well as phrases, four layers, your own one-shots, and the cube FX.
Is MUTANT. free?
No. It's $39 on pre-order, then $69. SCRAMBLE., our cube FX plugin, is free.
Can I use both?
Yes. Run Synth Shaper for a texture and MUTANT. for the bass and lead in the same session.
When does MUTANT. come out?
Tuesday, December 15. Pre-order now for $39 (it goes to $69 at launch) and you get your key and download by email that day. Bundle owners pay $29.
What does it run on?
VST3 and AU on Mac, VST3 on Windows, in any DAW that loads them: FL Studio, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Studio One, Reaper and the rest. It plays from MIDI like any synth.