Plucks is the latest release from AmateurTools, and one that delivers a welcome dose of nostalgia for old-school Fruity Loops fans.
Fruity Loops users might recall Image-Line’s Plucked!, a physical modeling synth that utilizes mathematical formulas to simulate the sound of a real string being plucked.
AmateurTools’ take on this Fruity Loops classic is a fork of a previous project, Lucky Plucker by SuperRiley64.
Although AmateurTools Plucks is far from a direct copy of the previous Lucky Plucker project, one aspect of SuperRiley64’s design remains intact. The Damp stage utilizes SuperRiley64’s custom low-pass scheme, rather than typical SVF’s
While it’s not uncharted territory, Plucks aims to get a bit closer to the original sound and behaviour, and introduce a few innovations as well.
My only experience with FL Studio is working on a few things with the Akai Fire pad controller, so I’m not familiar with Image-Line’s Plucked!.
It seems like AmateurTools wants to pay homage to the original while creating a more expressive instrument.
Part of the expressive character comes out via your use of velocity; lower velocities narrow the exciter “pulse width”, allowing you to shape the tone dynamically.
Another interesting element of Plucks is the extra-long decay (up to 60-second release times). The new smart decay parameter provides a smoother, tapering decay and avoids abrupt cutoffs.
The Plucks GitHub page contains all the necessary information and links to a few SoundCloud demos.
It’s an interesting sound with a relatively broad range; it goes from the glassy, harp-like plucks into angry harpsichord territory with plenty in between.
As someone who didn’t experience the original, I’m keen to hear from those who did; how does Plucks compare to, and improve upon, the original?
Plucks is available in AU and VST3 formats for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
If you’re looking for more new and unusual sounds, check out Beatsurfing’s Random (free with any purchase at Plugin Boutique throughout October 2025).
Alternatively, you can opt for Beatsurfing’s 7DeadlySnares through the same offer.
Two great options for Plugin Boutique’s monthly free gift.
Download: Plucks (FREE)
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Last Updated on October 3, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
