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.
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.
In , Image Line licensed Sytrus from Kovári, polished the GUI (adding the iconic orange-and-black theme), optimized it for FL Studio’s internal architecture, and released Sytrus as a native FL Studio plugin . It was also sold separately as a VST for other DAWs, but its heart belonged to FL. fl studio sytrus
Kovári had a vision: What if you could combine the power of FM with the intuitive flexibility of a modern synthesizer?
Sound designers wept with joy. The harmonic editor let you draw the volume of each partial (harmonic) over time—like drawing an envelope for every single frequency. You could make realistic plucked strings, evolving pads, screaming dubstep basses, or alien laser effects. It was a modular monster in a single window. In 2018, Image Line released with a major
This is a detailed, complete story of —from its origins as a mathematical experiment to becoming one of the most feared yet revered synthesizers in digital music production. Part 1: The Hungarian Prodigy (Pre-FL Studio) The story doesn’t start with Image Line (the makers of FL Studio). It starts with a Hungarian programmer and sound designer named Lázsló (Laci) Kovári .
Kovári released Sytrus as a around 2004. It was powerful but niche. Then, a Belgian company took notice. Part 2: Image Line & FL Studio (2005–2008) Image Line Software (now Image Line) was riding high on the success of FL Studio 4 (Fruity Loops) . They had a loyal user base of beatmakers and electronic producers, but their native synths were basic: 3xOSC (simple subtractive), TS404 (a bassline synth), and BeepMap (a novelty image-to-sound tool). It comes bundled with all FL Studio Producer
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.