8.5Great
reFX Rippler is a dual-layer physical modeling synthesizer with 12 acoustic models, bi-directional energy coupling, and subtractive shaping.
Plugin comparison
reFX Rippler 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.
Score verdict
Which should you buy?
On the Dubspot Score, Vital comes out ahead (9.0). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | reFX Rippler | Vital |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €99 intro (regular €129) | $25 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.5 | 9.0 |
| Formats | VST3, AU, AAX | VST, VST3, AU (Audio Units), LV2, Standalone |
| Type | Dual-layer physical modeling + subtractive synthesizer | — |
| Acoustic models | 12 (String, Drumhead, Beam, Djembe, Squared, Vibraphone, Bell, Marimba, Membrane, Open Tube, Plate, Closed Tube) | — |
| Layer routing | Parallel or serial, with bi-directional energy coupling | — |
| Sound sources | 2 oscillators, 2 filters, 32 exciter samples | — |
| Modulation | Envelopes, LFOs (64 shapes), Mod Mapping curves, MPE, aftertouch, microtuning (Scala/MTS) | LFOs, envelopes and randomized sources with stereo modulation, remappable curves, audio-rate modulation, and keytracked LFOs |
| Effects | 13 on master bus, 12 per layer, modular chain | — |
| Presets | 441 factory presets, 10 arpeggiator presets | — |
| Formats | AU, VST3, AAX | — |
| Platforms | Windows 10/11; macOS 10.13+ (Intel or Apple Silicon), 8GB RAM | — |
| 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.