SX1000

Name: SX1000
Price: 64.91 USD
Author: AudioThing

by AudioThing · Synth · Vintage monosynth emulation

Not rated yet

SX1000 emulates the JEN SX1000, an Italian analog monosynth from 1978, with one oscillator, a sub-oscillator, a noise generator and a self-oscillating 24 dB low-pass filter.

It adds a poly mode, a Juno-style arpeggiator and four effects, for $69.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Bass, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Lo-Fi, Pop.

Keywords: hardware emulation, monophonic, vintage, analog, 70s, arpeggiator, polyphonic, aggressive, basses, inspired by, leads, simple, randomize, sequencer, 80s, BBD, bright, chord generator, classic, lo-fi, oversampling, pads, resizable UI, sound design, subtractive.

What it does

SX1000 is AudioThing's "Vintage Analogue Synth", a model of the JEN SX1000 Synthetone, a 1978 Italian monosynth that was one of the first affordable synths widely sold in Europe. AudioThing keeps the simple original panel, including the sub-oscillator mod many owners added, and adds polyphony, an arpeggiator and effects.

Oscillators: one oscillator with saw, square and pulse waves, plus a flip-flop sub-oscillator that reaches down to -3 octaves.
Noise: white or pink noise modeled on the MM5837 chip; since its 17-bit generator repeats audibly, the emulation can be switched off.
Filter: a 24 dB/octave resonant low-pass that self-oscillates and turns aggressive at high resonance, with key tracking.
Modulation: two ADSR envelopes (volume and filter) and one LFO with several waveforms and sync, routable to vibrato, filter and pulse width.
Voicing: mono or poly operation, legato modes, velocity control and sustain pedal support.
Arpeggiator: inspired by the Juno-60, with up, up/down, down and random modes over 4 octaves, rate and sync, hold/latch, note ordering by pitch or key order, and a chord mode.
Effects: tape echo (based on AudioThing's Space Echo model), spring reverb, wave folder and BBD flanger, reordered by drag and drop.
Extras: oversampling, MIDI Learn, a preset system with randomizer, and a resizable window with brightness and contrast settings.

Version 1.1 (January 2026; first released January 2025). The demo inserts 3 seconds of silence every 45 seconds and can't save.

Source: AudioThing product page

When to use it

Compared with the rated synths such as Diva, Vital and Hive 2, SX1000 is small and characterful: one oscillator, one filter, two envelopes and a set of vintage effects. SX1000 recreates one simple, little-known Italian monosynth, where Diva models several classic analog synths with far more oscillators and modulation. That limit is part of the appeal: patches come together fast, and the arpeggiator and effects chain make a single oscillator sound finished. Poly mode stretches it to simple pads and keys, though it is still at heart a bass and lead box.

Best for: mono basses, squelchy resonant leads, arpeggios, sequences and vintage bleeps.
Genres: electronic, synth-pop, italo disco and lo-fi.
Look elsewhere if: you need multiple oscillators or deep modulation; Diva gives classic analog sound with much more depth, and Vital is free and far broader.
Tip: use the randomizer for quick starting points, then shape the result with the filter and envelopes.

What producers say

Reviewers see it as a capable, easy synth whose filter and extras make a lot from one oscillator.

Andrulian review called it "a very capable synth and a great addition to any collection", praising the aggressive filter at high resonance, the easy interface true to the original, and the range of presets across six banks (basses, FX, keys, leads, pads and sequences).
Modern additions: the same review found that polyphony and the sub-oscillator add to the vintage character rather than diluting it.

Andrulian review

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

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