Sonatura has released Superhet, a freeware experimental heterodyning synthesizer for digital audio workstations on Windows and macOS.
There are probably thousands of plugins being developed every year, and most of them are reskinned, rehashed, and recycled versions of things we already have more than enough of—obviously, with a fair share of honorable exceptions.
Today, we’ll take a look at something that breaks the mold: the Superhet by Sonatura.
This thing is brainy, so I really recommend checking out the demo and walkthrough videos on Sonatura´s YouTube channel:
Superhet is a plugin synthesizer that utilizes the concept of heterodyning (apparently, for the first time in a plugin) to extend your harmonic sound palette far into experimental territory.
I’m unfortunately not a natural sciences guy, so I’ll take the liberty of quoting the developer himself in describing how this thing works:
Originally invented by Reginald Fessenden in 1901 as a means to assist in hearing certain radio transmissions, Heterodyning involves creating two new frequencies from two input frequencies. One of the new frequencies is the sum of the two inputs, and the other is the difference. So, for example, if you have one input tone of 440 Hertz, and another of 643 Hertz, the resulting heterodyned frequencies will be 1,083 Hz (the sum), and 203 Hertz (the difference). The original signals are no longer present.
Pretty neat, in my opinion!
You can input these frequencies with your MIDI keyboard and discover a world of new intervals and chords, which I bet you wouldn’t dare to try in a normal session.
Your keyboard inputs might be musically related, but the resulting output will always be mathematically related instead.
For some of us, that’s a very positive feature.
I can see Superhet being a breeding ground for new sonic ideas and approaches: Sound design, atmospheric scenes, contemporary classical plink plonk-music, microtonal madness, and more!
Why not feed this thing a MIDI roll with your newest piano composition? The layout is pretty simple.
At the top, you get a very cool visualizer that maps out the different frequencies in real-time: white bars are the input notes, while blue and orange bars are the resulting frequencies.
Next, we have volume knobs for the heterodyned sum and difference frequencies, respectively, as well as a pan knob. To the right, you’ll find a waveform control with several different sound profiles.
You can actually upload your own JSON samples into this thing, which is another feature that sounds cool. Check the manual for more.
Then we get basic ADSR and pitch envelope controls, followed by three internal effects: Ring modulator, frequency shifter, and chorus to further shape timbre and movement.
This is for people who like uncharted territory and unexpected sounds!
Download: Superhet (FREE – email required)
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Last Updated on October 24, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
