VS-2 Versa Synth Complete Guide: A Free Synth That Builds Patches from Your Words
Based on VS-2 Versa Synth v1.0.0, released October 27, 2026. The weekly allowance for AI patch generation may change. See AI plans for current allowances and pricing.
VS-2 Versa Synth is a free multitimbral synth with 7 synthesis engines. Describe the sound you want, say "warm, evolving pad", press GENERATE, and VS-2 builds the patch.
The AI only sets VS-2's own parameters. It never generates audio. The synth and its presets work offline without signing in; only AI generation needs a connection.
Getting started
Download VS-2 from the product page, install it, and load it on an instrument track. It runs as VST3 on Windows 11 (64-bit), and as VST3 or AU on macOS 13 or later (Apple Silicon and Intel).
AI generation requires an AIDE AUDIO account. A free account comes with a weekly allowance, which at launch covers about 30 GENERATEs.
On the AI tab, click "Sign in" and complete the sign-in in your browser. Type a description into the prompt field and press GENERATE, and the new sound loads into the selected part. You can write in English or Japanese, up to 2,000 characters. Undo brings back the previous sound.
Choosing an engine
GENERATE picks the engine that fits your description and sets everything up, filters and effects included. You can also switch engines yourself with ENGINE on the SYNTH tab.
| Engine | Good for |
|---|---|
| Subtractive | Basses, leads, brassy stabs |
| FM | Electric pianos, bells, metallic tones |
| Karplus-Strong | Plucked and bowed strings |
| Granular | Ambient textures, drones |
| Additive | Organs, choir-like pads |
| Modal | Metal and glass resonances, tuned percussion |
| Wavetable | Evolving pads, digital leads |
GENERATE vs REFINE
GENERATE builds a new sound from scratch and replaces the current one. REFINE keeps the current sound and changes only what you ask for, such as "darker" or "add delay".
Once GENERATE gets you close, keep your MIDI playing, use REFINE to dial it in, and finish with the knobs.
REFINE also costs less. At launch, GENERATE uses 5 credits and REFINE uses 2.
The AI accepts descriptions of sounds and changes to the current one. Anything else, like questions, chat, or requests to write code or text, is declined and doesn't count against your allowance.
Writing prompts
Start with an instrument or genre, then add how it should sound and behave: the attack, how it moves, how much space around it.
gritty FM bass, short punchy attack, tight low end for dubstep
clear ambient pad that fades in slowly, with a shimmer in the highs
glassy bell with a long decay, a little bit of reverb
round, fat sub bass, short attack, just a touch of distortion
If a result misses, describe the behavior ("slow attack", "long release") instead of piling on adjectives.
Multitimbral setup and effects
VS-2 has 16 parts, and each part responds only to the MIDI channel with the same number. Put each DAW track on its own channel and a single instance can play bass, pad and lead together. Turning on MPE in MENU makes Part 1 respond to all channels, and multitimbral mode is off while MPE is on.
You can also send any part to its own output in your DAW. Enable the extra outputs in your DAW, then choose where each part goes with OUT on the MIX tab.
Every part has an eight-slot effects chain, processed left to right: Modulation, Delay, Reverb, Distortion, Compressor, Auto-Wah, EQ and Filter. Drag the cards to reorder them. Distortion before the reverb sounds different from distortion after it.
Presets
VS-2 comes with 116 factory presets in 13 categories. Open them with Load in MENU. Sounds you make with the AI can be saved with Save, just like any other preset.
Coming from VS-1
VS-2 is the successor to VS-1, but it's a separate plugin and can't load VS-1 presets. It adds the Modal and Wavetable engines and 16-part multitimbral playback, and the preset library has grown from VS-1's 105. VS-1 is no longer available for download, and its AI sound generation is scheduled to end at the end of 2026.
FAQ
Is it really free?
Yes. The synth, all engines and all presets are free. Only AI generation has a weekly allowance. The paid plans (AI Pass and Studio Pass) are listed on the AI plans page.
What happens when I run out of allowance?
GENERATE and REFINE are unavailable until your allowance resets, and everything else keeps working. It resets every 7 days, counted from the first time you used the AI.
Create a free account to try GENERATE.