Current vs Vital
Current
minimal.audio
Vital
vital.audioSide by side
| Figure | Current | Vital |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $15/mo | $5/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 5 |
| Spec score · Sound Design Software | 8.2 (#8) | 8.5 (#3) |
| Commercial use | Included sounds, samples, presets, and wavetables may be used in commercial or non-commercial finished creative productions under the license terms. | The EULA permits commercial and noncommercial music production and creation of commercial samples, but forbids redistribution of unaltered included content. |
| Product | Current is a virtual instrument plug-in with synthesis and sampling methods, an effects rack, MIDI effects, modulation, and the Stream sound platform. | Vital is a spectral warping wavetable synthesizer. |
| Support | Minimal Audio provides online product support and troubleshooting through its support site. | Subscribers receive prioritized support through private Discord channels or the forum. |
Plans
Vital
- BasicFree
- Subscription$5 a month
- Subscription$5 a month
- Plus$25, paid once
- Pro$80, paid once
In their own words
Current
Current is a virtual instrument plug-in for macOS and Windows, designed to run inside a compatible 64-bit DAW. Its sound engine combines wavetable oscillators, an additive sub oscillator, sampler, filters, and FM/AM modulation. An effects rack supports up to nine reorderable effects and saved rack presets. MIDI tools include an arpeggiator and chord generator with key, scale, and voicing controls. The Stream platform lets users browse and download presets and sounds in the plug-in; downloaded content remains searchable offline, while activation and new-content browsing require internet access. Current works with Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, and other major DAWs. Plug-in formats are VST2, VST3, AU on macOS, and AAX for Pro Tools. The All Access plan costs $15 a month and includes Current, released standalone effect plug-ins, and expansion packs with subscribe-to-own credit. The seven-day trial automatically starts that program when it ends.
Vital
Vital is a spectral warping wavetable synthesizer for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its oscillators reshape wavetable harmonics through stretching, shifting, smearing, and skewing to create timbres. Users can make wavetables by converting samples with pitch-splice or vocode, editing tables, or generating them from text. Modulation includes drag-and-drop assignment, audio-rate modulation, stereo-splittable and keytracked LFOs, and custom envelope curves. Sound tools include two routable voice filters, eight routable effects, an oscilloscope, and a spectrum viewer. Vital supports MPE and microtonal tuning files, with VST, VST3, AU, and LV2 plugin formats listed. Requirements include 64-bit operation and OpenGL 3 or higher; the listed systems are Windows 10+, macOS 10.15+, and Ubuntu Linux 18.04+. The free Basic plan costs nothing and includes 75 presets, 25 wavetables, and full synth features. Plus costs $25, paid once and includes 250 presets and 70 wavetables. Text-to-wavetable requests are limited to five per day unless a plan unlocks unlimited requests.