This review is part of our series highlighting some of the most intriguing recent free plugins and libraries. Each was released last year and voted among our readers’ choices for Best Freebies of 2025. Today’s plugin is the sample-based synth Zyklop by Dawesome. If you’re familiar with the work of Peter Vorländer, founder and programmer of Dawesome plugins, you know you’re in for a sleek interface, unique modes of sonic production, and flexibility and options galore.
If you’re familiar with Dawesome’s paid synth Myth, you may know that Zyklop is essentially Myth with one “eye” – or less disturbingly, per Dawesome’s Zyklop description: “MYTH’s fun, free-spirited little sister”. (With one eye. I’m just saying.) If you’d like the scoop on Myth, we reviewed the synth right here back in 2024.
If you aren’t familiar with any of that, here’s what Zyklop is all about. The central iris (or “eye”) represents the resynthesised profile of a sample, either included in one of Zyklop’s many presets or dropped in by the user. Two resynthesis algorithms are included — the original V1 that faithfully extracts timbral changes, but not necessarily the precise original timbre; and V2, “optimized to preserve the characteristics of the source material”.
Zyklop provides detailed controls for scanning through the sample content, so all manner of inputs from one shots to pads to loops can be sculpted and shaped. Some of that shaping is accomplished by manipulating the Transformers below the iris, which dial in characteristics from Playhead Position to FM Amount to resynthesis Smooth(ing) to Dirt. The second row of Transformers are mostly dedicated to adding specific aspects to the sound, like String, Brass, or Sq(uare wave) characteristics. If the V2 resynthesis algo was used, four playback modes (Wave, Soft, Grain, and Flat) are available for further experimentation.
Beyond the Transformers, effect modules can be added and configured, pedal board-style, to great and varied effect. Choose, chain, and configure modules including a Comb filter, Resonator, Saturator, (bit)Crush(er), amplitude mod (AM), ring mod (RM), and more. You’ll also encounter highly flexible and tweakable onboard filters, an arpeggiator, step sequencer, and more. Want to modulate those? In our review of Myth, which shares the same functionality, we described the modulation options as “numerous, varied, and relatively bonkers”.
The resynthesis algorithms don’t produce exact copies of imported audio (though V2 gets much closer), but they were never meant to. The samples fed into Zyklop are merely starting points for sonic exploration. Speaking of starting points, if you’re the sort who likes to have a few clever factory presets to show you the way, Zyklop shines in that department. Dozens of presets are included, including many from talented sound designers like Databroth, Hydratek, and Simon Stockhausen. And if you’re also (or instead) someone who prefers inspirations of a more probabilistic nature, randomizer options at top right allow you to select random presets or to randomize all of Zyklop’s parameters in one go.
Overall, Zyklop is a creative playground for transforming the character of one sound into another – or many, many others – in strange and unusual ways. The synth encourages experimentation, rewards playing with random functions, and can lead sound design down new and unexpected paths in a hurry. Myth’s “little sister” is indeed fun, free-spirited, playful, and adventurous. You can almost feel her winking at you as you work.
You know. If she could.
Grab Dawesome ZYCLOP for FREE
