In the early 2000s, Kovári was obsessed with a synthesis method known as —made famous by the Yamaha DX7. Unlike subtractive synthesis (filters, envelopes, LFOs), FM uses one waveform to modulate the frequency of another, creating bright, glassy, metallic, and complex timbres. The DX7 dominated the 80s but was notoriously difficult to program.
Beginners looked at the matrix and saw a spreadsheet from hell. The manual was 100+ pages of dense math. Most producers opened Sytrus, clicked a preset, and never touched the knobs. Memes were born: “Sytrus is the synth you open when you want to feel stupid.” fl studio sytrus
They lacked a “flagship” synth—something that could compete with Native Instruments’ FM7 or Absynth. In the early 2000s, Kovári was obsessed with
His creation, Sytrus, sits quietly in every FL Studio user’s plugin list—unassuming, powerful, and waiting for the next brave producer to open its matrix and say, “Let’s see what this can actually do.” The best tools are not always the easiest. Sytrus is proof that deep complexity, married to raw power, can outlast every trend—from dubstep to hyperpop to whatever comes next. Beginners looked at the matrix and saw a
In 2018, Image Line released with a major facelift—cleaner fonts, scalable vectorial UI. Sytrus got a modern makeover but kept its soul. Part 5: Legacy & Today (2021–Present) As of 2025, Sytrus is over 20 years old (if counting Kovári’s original). It comes bundled with all FL Studio Producer Edition and above (and costs $149 as a standalone VST). It has never received a “Sytrus 2”—Image Line instead focused on Harmor (additive/resynthesis) and Sawer (analog modeling). But Sytrus remains installed on millions of computers.