What GForce Software does

GForce Software Ltd. is a UK-based software company founded in 2003 and headquartered in Reading, England. The company develops virtual instrument plugins that emulate classic analog synthesizers and drum machines, delivered as AU, AAX, VST2, and VST3 plugins for macOS and Windows. Its core technology is DSP-based modeling of vintage hardware combined with proprietary X-Modifier per-parameter modulation architecture. The portfolio covers officially licensed emulations of Oberheim instruments (OB-1, OB-X, OB-E, OB-EZ, SEM, TVS Pro, DMX), Sequential's Prophet-5, Novation's Bass Station, Oxford Synthesiser Company's OSCar, and Mellotron's M-Tron, alongside original designs such as Halogen FM and GForce MAP. Many products feature endorsements from original manufacturers and engineers, including Tom Oberheim and Marcus Ryle.

The company serves professional and semi-professional music producers, electronic artists, and media composers seeking authentic vintage analog sounds without the cost and maintenance burden of original hardware. Endorsers and users include Flying Lotus, Drew Neumann, Zardonic, Neil Arthur (Blancmange), and I Monster. GForce distributes exclusively via its own e-commerce storefront at gforcesoftware.com with direct digital downloads, supplemented by a channel partnership with Novation that distributes the Bass Station plugin to registered hardware customers. All products are sold as one-time perpetual licenses, individually priced $29.99 to $169.99, with bundles up to $1,139 (Ultimate Bundle V2). The business is privately held, bootstrapped, and operates with a 1-10 employee headcount, sustained by ongoing new releases and a catalog of 13,000+ factory patches.

Name

GForce Software

Legal name

GForce Software Ltd.

Website

https://gforcesoftware.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GForce Software is a UK-based developer of virtual instrument plugins that emulate classic analog synthesizers and drum machines. It serves music producers, electronic artists, and media composers through direct digital sales and licensed partnerships with Oberheim, Sequential, and Novation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Virtual Instrument Plugins

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Plugins & Virtual Instruments (VST/AU/AAX) (MPAIAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Music Production Workflow & Project Management Tools (Session management, asset/versioning) (MPAIAIAK)

Keywords

• Virtual instrument plugins
• Synthesizer emulations
• Analog synth plugins
• Drum machine plugins
• Mellotron emulations

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software License Sales: GForce generates revenue through the sale of perpetual software licenses for virtual instruments including synthesizers and drum machines. Customers purchase a license once and receive lifetime access to the software with updates. The company also offers bundle packages that provide discounted access to multiple instruments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GForce Software develops and sells software emulations (virtual instrument plugins) of classic analog synthesizers and drum machines from brands such as Oberheim, Mellotron, OSCar, Minimoog, and Novation. Products are sold as perpetual software licenses, individually or in bundles, supporting AU, AAX, VST2, and VST3 plugin formats on macOS and Windows, with trial versions available.

Product overview

GForce Software develops virtual instrument plugins that emulate classic analog synthesizers and drum machines from brands including Oberheim, Mellotron/M-Tron, OSCar, and Minimoog. The product portfolio consists of standalone virtual instruments (plugins available in AU, AAX, VST2, VST3 formats for macOS and Windows) organized into three main bundles (Ultimate Bundle V2, Analogue Series Bundle V2, Oberheim Bundle) plus the M-Tron Pro line for Mellotron emulations. Individual products include Oberheim synthesizers (OB-1, OB-X, OB-E, OB-EZ, SEM, TVS Pro), drum machines (DMX, IconDrum), string machines (VSM IV, M-Tron Pro IV), and original synth designs (impOSCar3, Axxess, Oddity3, Minimonsta2, Halogen FM, GForce MAP, Novation Bass Station). Many products feature X-Modifier technology for advanced modulation, scalable UIs, preset browsers, and modern enhancements to vintage designs. Products are sold individually or as bundles; M-Tron Pro Complete includes 16 expansion packs. Several products are officially endorsed by original manufacturers (Oberheim, Sequential). The company also offers preset expansion packs from artists and sound designers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sequential Prophet~5 Plugin Officially endorsed Prophet-5 synthesizer emulation with dual-layer architecture, MPE support, and redesigned X-Modifiers, for music producers and sound designers.
• Oberheim DMX Drum machine virtual instrument emulating the 1981 Oberheim DMX with 288 authentic sounds, 60+ preset kits, multi-output routing, and master effects, for producers needing classic drum machine character.
• Oberheim OB-1 Officially endorsed monophonic synthesizer emulation of the 1978 Oberheim OB-1 with X-Modifiers, 16-step sequencer, and arpeggiator, for analog sound design.
• impOSCar3 Emulation of the British OSCar synthesizer featuring hybrid digital/analog architecture, 256-step wavetable editor, 1800+ presets, user LFO editor, and 9 filter modes with drive.
• IconDrum Drum machine virtual instrument emulating classic Linn drum machines with 12 tracks, 24 sounds per track, 100 authentic sounds, 70+ preset kits, and master effects chain.
• Oberheim OB-X World's first officially endorsed emulation of the 1980s Oberheim OB-X with X-Modifiers, up to 16 voice polyphony, 400+ presets, arpeggiator, chord mode, and built-in effects.
• Oberheim TVS Pro Officially endorsed duophonic synthesizer recreation combining two SEMs with a third VCO, featuring dual 16-step sequencer, built-in effects, and over 635 patches.
• Oberheim OB-E Octaphonic synthesizer emulation of the Oberheim 8-Voice featuring 8 independent SEMs, 700+ factory patches, vintage control, drum mode, and includes complimentary OB-EZ license.
• Oberheim SEM Monophonic synthesizer module emulation of the 1974 Oberheim SEM-1 with 2 oscillators, multimode filter, arpeggiator, sequencer, stereo delay, and reverb with 400+ patches.
• Oberheim OB-EZ Simplified interface version of OB-E delivering the same Oberheim 8-Voice sound with 260+ patches, state variable filter, reverb, and poly/mono/unison modes for fast sound design.
• M-Tron Pro IV Software emulation of the Mellotron M400 tape-based keyboard featuring a 3.5GB sound library with 200+ tape banks, 800+ presets, scalable UI, wow/flutter controls, amp simulation, and matrix reverb.
• Halogen FM FM synthesizer engine designed for creating unique frequency-modulation-based sounds.
• GForce MAP Era-spanning sound design playground enabling exploratory sound creation across multiple synthesizer generations and design philosophies.
• Novation Bass Station Modern revisit of the iconic 1993 Novation Bass Station synthesizer, a bass-focused emulation with authentic analog character developed for Novation.
• Ultimate Bundle V2 Flagship bundle of all GForce synthesizers, drum machines, and expansion packs offering over 14,295 patches at a discounted package price.
• Analogue Series Bundle V2 Bundle of 13 classic synthesizers and drum machines including Oberheim, OSCar, Minimoog, and Novation emulations with over 7,000 patches.
• Oberheim - The Bundle Bundled collection of seven Oberheim synthesizer and drum machine emulations (OB-1, OB-X, OB-E, OB-EZ, SEM, TVS Pro, DMX), all officially endorsed by Oberheim.
• M-Tron Pro Complete Bundled package of M-Tron Pro IV plus 16 expansion packs featuring 13.4GB sound library, 560+ tape banks, and 3700+ presets.
• GForce Select Suite Novation partnership bundle containing Axxess, Oberheim SEM, and Oberheim OB-EZ, offered free for registered Launchkey Mk4, FL Keys, and SL Mk3 users.
• Dust-O-Tron Artist Expansion Expansion pack for M-Tron Pro IV by Sound Dust featuring 200+ presets and 29 tape banks of organic textures from acoustic instruments processed through Mellotron tape.
• Classic Synth Pop by K/V Preset pack for Oberheim OB-X with 50 crafted patches including arpeggios, basses, keys, leads, pads, and effects inspired by 80s synth-pop artists.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 14,295 patches available across Ultimate Bundle V2
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• SequentialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Announced official Prophet~5 Plugin developed in partnership with Sequential, representing a significant expansion of GForce's licensed instrument portfolio to include another iconic synthesizer brand.
• NovationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 21 January 2025GForce partnered with Novation to offer the Novation Bass Station plugin by GForce as a complimentary download for registered users of Novation Launchkey Mk4, FL Keys, and SL Mk3 hardware. This partnership provides GForce with access to Novation's customer base for distribution of their software.
• OberheimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGForce Software has an official licensing and co-development partnership with Oberheim for emulations of their classic synthesizers including OB-X, OB-E, OB-EZ, SEM, OB-1, TVS Pro, and DMX. Tom Oberheim has provided personal endorsement and Marcus Ryle (former Oberheim engineer) collaborated on refinements. The partnership includes official endorsement of GForce's instruments as authentic recreations.
• Sound DustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Sound Dust (Pendle Poucher) to create the Dust-O-Tron Artist Expansion pack for M-Tron Pro IV. Sound Dust recorded acoustic instruments and processed them through Streetly Electronics' Skeletron Mellotron M400 to create authentic tape-based sounds.
• Streetly ElectronicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Streetly Electronics for M-Tron Pro expansion packs. Streetly Electronics has direct lineage to original Mellotron manufacturers, providing original master tapes for sampling. Their Skeletron (bare-bones Mellotron M400) is used for authentic tape processing of new sounds.
• Marcus RyleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarcus Ryle, an Oberheim engineer in the 1980s, collaborated with GForce to refine the OB-E and release the v2 update with full endorsement from Tom Oberheim. He helped refine the Detune feature and add the new Vintage control.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• u-he: German developer of acclaimed virtual instruments and effects (Diva, Repro, Hive, Zebra) used in professional music production. Closely matches GForce's profile of boutique, deeply engineered synth plugins targeted at producers seeking authentic analog character.
• Cherry Audio: Developer of vintage synthesizer and drum machine emulations (Polysynth, Mercury-6, Elka-X, CA2600). Competes head-to-head with GForce in the classic-hardware-software emulation category, particularly with affordable instruments and frequent bundle releases.
• XLN Audio: Developer of drum, instrument, and effects plugins including XO, RC-20 Retro Color, and Addictive Keys. Comparable boutique VST maker with similar product-led growth, digital distribution, and producer-focused marketing.
• Spectrasonics: Long-established premium virtual instrument maker (Omnisphere, Keyscape, Stylus RMX). Comparable in its focus on deeply modeled, content-rich instruments with massive preset libraries, and competes for the same high-end producer budget.
• Arturia: French company developing virtual analog synthesizers, drum machines, and effects plugins (e.g., V Collection, Analog Lab, Pigments). Directly competes with GForce in vintage synth emulation and is a similarly established specialist with hardware-software integration.
• Applied Acoustics Systems (AAS): Developer of physical modeling synthesizers and effects (Chromaphone, Lounge Lizard, Ultra Analog). Closely comparable boutique plugin maker focused on expressive, modeled sound engines for professional composers and producers.

Broad incumbents

• Steinberg: Developer of Cubase DAW and HALion-based virtual instruments, owned by Yamaha. Competes with GForce as a broad music software incumbent with deep integration into the production workflow and substantially larger R&D resources.
• Roland: Iconic hardware synth and drum machine manufacturer (TR-808, TB-303, Juno) with growing software division (Roland Cloud, Zenology). Competes with GForce in vintage emulation while owning the underlying hardware IP that GForce licenses third-party equivalents of.
• Native Instruments: Large music technology company with broad portfolio of virtual instruments, effects, and production platforms (Komplete, Massive, Kontakt). Competes broadly with GForce across vintage emulation (e.g., Kontakt libraries, Reaktor emulations) at much greater scale and budget.
• Korg: Major Japanese instrument manufacturer producing both hardware synthesizers (MS-20, Minilogue) and software (KORG Collection). Comparable broad incumbent with overlapping vintage emulation products and licensed IP leverage that GForce partially competes against.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubesoundcloud.com/gforce-software
• Facebookfacebook.com/gforcesoftware
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gforce-software-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GForce Software