The virtual synthesiser as a prescriptive element in musical creation: A digital-organological study of instrumental configurations, control and form

Abstract This article examines the virtual synthesiser as a prescriptive element in contemporary music-making, arguing that compositional tendencies emerge through concrete instrumental configurations. From a digital-organological perspective, it distinguishes analytically between synthesis method, technical implementation and interface prioritisation, and examines how their interaction foregrounds particular modes of control, listening and temporal articulation. The discussion addresses three contrasting configurations, illustrated through u-he Diva as a panel-centric subtractive instrument, two modulation-matrix wavetable instruments (Xfer Serum 2 and Vital), and Korg Modwave Native as a motion-system configuration. It focuses on how control infrastructures, DSP policies and interface organisation shape sound-design practice under comparable working conditions. Sonic fidelity is treated as an aesthetic regime enacted through design choices, encompassing process authenticity, spectral hygiene and curated digital imperfection. Combining technical analysis with two controlled practice-based vignettes, the article examines how instrument-internal control resources support the emergence of musical form under explicitly defined constraints and proposes a transferable framework for relating virtual instrument design to compositional practice within contemporary electroacoustic and studio-based music.