CERNION by quietformat: wavetable synth with full MPE, GILLA and CLASSIC arpeggiators, 11 effects, CERNION FX and 498 presets. $99.99 intro until 9 Dec 2026.
Plugin comparison
CERNION vs Vital
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
9.0Essential
Vital is a spectral warping wavetable synthesizer by Matt Tytel for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | CERNION | Vital |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99.99 | $0 to $80 |
| Dubspot Score | — | 9.0 |
| Formats | VST3, AU, macOS, Windows | VST, VST3, AU (Audio Units), LV2, Standalone |
| Type | Wavetable synthesizer, plus CERNION FX effects plug-in | — |
| Sources | 2 main oscillators, SUB, NOISE; waveform drawing, harmonic editing, custom wavetables up to 256 frames | — |
| Modulation | 4 custom LFOs, 4 envelopes, 8 macros, XY pad, modulation matrix | LFOs, envelopes and randomized sources with stereo modulation, remappable curves, audio-rate modulation, and keytracked LFOs |
| Arpeggiators | GILLA ARP; CLASSIC ARP with 32 steps and Latch | — |
| MPE | Pitch (±48 semitones), Slide, Press | — |
| Effects | 11 types; serial, or 2 parallel lanes of up to 8 | — |
| Presets | 498 (417 factory, 81 in four artist packs) | — |
| Systems | macOS 11+ Universal (AU, VST3); Windows 10+ (VST3) | — |
| Licensing | Perpetual or Subscribe to Own ($6.99/month, owned after 26 payments); 3 computers; 14-day trial | — |
| Synthesis type | — | Spectral warping wavetable synthesis |
| Operating systems | — | Windows 10+, macOS 10.15+ (Intel or Apple Silicon), Ubuntu Linux 18.04+; 64-bit only, OpenGL 3+ |
| Wavetable tools | — | Pitch-splice and vocode wavetable converters, plus text-to-wavetable generation |
| Tuning and MPE | — | Microtonal support (.tun, .scl, .kbd files) and full MPE support |
| Included content | — | Basic: 75 presets / 25 wavetables; Plus: 250 / 70; Pro: 400+ / 150 |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.