Vital (Basic) is a free complex spectral warping wavetable synth plugin developed by Matt Tytel, and maybe one of the best releases of this year. Vital is available for Windows and macOS in VST, VST3, AU, and LV2 plugin formats. Mar 08, 2019 A robust pedalboard simulator, Guitar Rig 5 player is one of the best free VST plugins that comes packed with a Shoegazer’s dream effects: heavy reverb, delay, phaser, chorus, flanger, you name it.
Type of plugin: VSTi. What it does: This virtual analog synth was inspired by the Clavia Nord. # 1 – Synth1 by Ichiro Toda If there is one free VST synth that you want to get yourself familiar with, it is the Synth1 by Ichiro Toda. This synthesizer is actually a favorite among many music producers, and is. Scorpius is a great free synth VST plugin that offers you some amazing psychedelic sounds. The interface is not the most intuitive, however it has a vast range of different features for you to explore. It has a ring modulator, flanger, stereo delay, routing options, 2. The structure of this free vst synth is minimal and should be familiar enough to anyone with a basic understanding of subtractive synthesis: There are two tunable oscillators, two ADSR envelopes, a single LFO, a controllable low pass filter, a fixed high pass filter, a chorus effect as well as settings for pitch bend, portamento, “brilliance.
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It’s been a while since I surveyed the market for free software synths, so I thought I’d give it go and see what’s new and what has stood the test of time. Some of these instruments were released as prototypes or were the early experiments of developers just entering the market.
Free stuff is not always actually free. Often you will follow a link only to find out that it’s a free “demo”. Aren’t all demos supposed to be free?? In other cases, free software is dangled like a carrot in order to get your email address or to entice you into buying other products, preset libraries, add-ons, etc.
Well, business is business, and I suppose everyone needs to make a buck. I really don’t mind spending a few dollars for some shareware now and again to support a budding developer. But it behooves even the most experienced consumer to proceed with caution when the word free is thrown around.
What follows are some awesome sounding instruments in no particular order that are indeed free with very few strings attached. And if you can stomach a little extra spam, some of these may prove valuable additions to your stockpile of synths.
1. TyrellN6 by u-he
Virtual analog with classic architecture, plus extras.
Two oscillators, noise, ring modulator.
Two LFOs with eight waveforms that are host-syncable.
Audio source mixer with authentic overdrive and filter feedback.
Twin filter related to Diva (early model).
Unison with up to eight voices.
Analog-type ADSR envelopes, loopable or LFO-triggered.
Small modulation matrix with depth modulation from a second source.
Chorus effect with three modes.
MIDI learn / unlearn for hardware control.
Resizable UI from 70% to 200%.
Skinnable UI.
Over 580 factory presets.
This thing is responsive as hell and sounds sweet! I love the stained and grungy aesthetic of the interface. It’s really hard to believe it’s free. But it serves its purpose I suppose because it truly whets the appetite for more stuff from u-he.
2. Dexed
Dexed is an emulation of the classic FM synth: Yamaha DX7.
From the Github page:
“Dexed is a multi-platform, multi-format plugin synth that is closely modeled on the Yamaha DX7. Dexed is also a midi cartridge librarian/manager for the DX7. Do not expect this to be a perfect clone of a DX7 since this will take years in the open source world and multiple collaborators before getting there … Since Dexed is modeled on the DX7, the Yamaha DX7 Operating Manual can be used as a reference documentation.”
The interface is a little cluttered and is more functional than it is aesthetically pleasing, but there are a ton of sonic possibilities with this for those willing to dig in.
3. MiniSpillage
“MiniSpillage is a free professional quality drum synthesizer plugin featuring high-resolution 64-bit DSP processing. MiniSpillage includes three exclusive drum synthesis algorithms along with distortion effects and resonant filters.”
Bass Drum – Single oscillator bass drum synth with pitch sweep, internal FM and harmonic controls.
Wood Drum – Flexible wooden drum model synthesizes natural and synthetic timbres from log drums to toms.
Hi-Hat – Six oscillators closed and open hi-hat generator with a noise source and dual resonant filters.
This is a great free option for those that want to create their own drum sounds with modulation, filtering and distortion effects.
4. Crystal Synth by Green Oak
This is one is a bit frustrating and takes a while to get anything remotely usable. The interface is on the clunky side. But a little patience can be rewarding.
5. Lokomotiv
Lokomotiv is an analog retro synthesizer that is impressive from the first launch. Its austere interface is surprisingly responsive and sounds immediately great.
Oscillator:
Mathematically generated high definition Oscillator without using wavetable or interpolation.
Silky smooth 9X detuned sawtooth wave.
Pulse wave with self PWM.
Shape morphing sub-oscillator.
Filter:
MG ladder modeling multimode filter featuring Zero Delay Feedback technology.
Routable filter Drive (Pre/Post).
Modulator:
Natural Curved ADSR Envelope generator.
One-shot LFO which can be used as envelope.
Specification:
1X OSC (Saw+ Pulse) + One Sub OSC, Noise Generator.
1X multimode Filter with Drive.
1X LFO, 1X Envelope Generator.
Eight polyphonic voices, Mono and Legato mode supported.
64 Factory presets included.
Native 64-bit, Mac and Windows OS supported.
6. Digits from Extent of the Jam
This one sports a subdued color palette with beefy growls, preset chords and brass sounds. A bit of crackling when parameters are modified, but worth the time to download for sure.
7. Spitfire Audio – LABS
Not long ago, Spitfire Audio released an ongoing series of completely free instruments called LABS. These are very, very simple sampled instruments with just a handful of controls and they sound really, really good. So far the collection includes:
Charango
Electric Piano
Amplified Electric Cello Quartet
Drums
Strings
Soft Piano
If you’ve used any of the Spitfire Sample Libraries before, you know how well they’re recorded, and these instruments are no exception. While you won’t get the flexibility or deep sampled variety of a full-scale library, you will get a great sound that can be slightly varied to taste. While these are sampled instruments as opposed to synths, they’re free and so good that I felt they warranted inclusion.
8. TAL NoiseMaker
Synth 1 Plugin
Best Free Vst Plug-ins
This is one my of favorite choices. The interface is accessible, clean and to the point and thick, beefy sounds are possible from the get-go. Really nice!
From the developer: “TAL NoiseMaker is an improved version of TAL-Elek7ro and has a completely new synth engine and a lot of improvements in sound and usability. The synth also includes a small effect section with a reverb, chorus and a simple bit crusher effect. A display shows the knob and slider values. This allows more control over the synth. A ring modulator and a syncable triangle are also part of this synth.”
TAL NoiseMaker includes new filter types and the self-resonating 6 dB low pass and notch filter. Its improved amplitude ADSR is very suitable for slow pads and for really fast envelopes. 128 factory presets included, 80 made by Frank “Xenox” Neumann.
Features:
Three Oscillators. Osc 1, +/- 24 semitones, fine tune, phase control (saw, pulse, noise). Osc 2, +/- 24 semitones, fine tune, phase control (saw, rectangle, triangle, sine). Sub Osc (rectangle).
Osc 1 PM for pulse waveform.
Osc 2 FM controlled by Osc 1.
Osc 1 & Osc 2 sync to sub osc (saw, pulse, rectangle, triangle (bipolar sync)).
Adjustable master tune and transpose.
Up to six voices.
Portamento in mono and poly mode (off, auto, on).
Ringmod modulates Osc 1 with Osc 2.
Self resonating 4x oversampled filters (24 dB LP, 18 dB LP, 12 dB LP, 6 dB LP, 12 dB HP, 12 dB BP, Notch).
Filter ADSR (negative and positive).
Volume ADSR
Routable ADSR, modulates Filter, Osc 1, Osc 2, PW, FM (negative and positive)
Two LFO’s with different running modes: free, sync to host, triggered by note. Modulates filter, Osc 1, Osc 2, FM, PW, LFO rate, Panorama and Volume. Sine, Triangle, Saw Square, S&H, Noise. Positive and Negative modulation. Phase control.
Adjustable Velocity-dependent control over volume filter contour and cutoff.
Adjustable Pitch Wheel control over Cutoff and Pitch.
One pole HP filter.
Detune, detunes notes randomly.
Juno chorus with different modes.
A built-in reverb and delay.
Adjustable filter drive.
Bitcrusher affects Osc 1 and Osc 2. It’s a pre-filter stage effect.
MIDI Learn for all knobs.
Panic button.
Easy to use, no hidden panels.
256 great presets (Presets by Frank “Xenox” Neumann, The Unshushable Coktor, Alexandra Sendy, TAL, Patrick Kunz).
9. Thump by Metric Halo
Thump is a unique audio processor that allows you to synthesize low-frequency audio to add low end to a track or generate another sound entirely. Thump looks at the pitch and dynamics of its audio input and uses this information to control its oscillators. You can add low end to drums, augment a bass or even create synthetic drones.
Thump is ideal for beefing up a kick drum, adding low end to percussive tracks, recreating classic drum synth sounds and more. You can use Thump’s envelope driven, percussive sub-harmonic synth for the following things (among others):
Build low-octave support for bass drum, tom, snare and other percussive tracks.
Create kettle drum sounds from regular drum tracks.
Recreate the sounds of classic drum synths like the TR-808.
The effect of Thump is similar to generating a sine wave or other waveform on a gated track that is side-chained to a transient on another track such as a kick. But Thump allows more control, two oscillators that can be changed on the fly and more pitch specific envelope control. If you like kicks that are thick as hell and challenge the range of human hearing, you will like Thump a lot.
NOTE: the instrument requires a transient input to be activated so you would use it like an insert rather than a standalone synth.
10. Synth 1 by Daichi Laboratory
While the interface is a bit nasty and pixelated, Synth 1 by Ichiro Toda is modeled after the Nord Lead 2 Red Synth and sounds decent. It doesn’t take long to get a few usable sounds and the onboard arpeggiator is great for experimenting. (Manual)
11. PG-8X by Martin Lüder
“The PG-8X is a virtual synthesizer, inspired by the Roland JX-8P with the PG-800 programmer. The synth architecture is a standard 2-oscillator -> Filter -> VCA design. These elements can be modulated by a common LFO and one of two envelopes. The PG-8X is patch compatible with the JX-8P and can read and write JX-8P Sysex data”. (Manual)
Conclusion
Synth 1 Free Download
While these instruments may not be the best things in life — they are free. And it has been my experience that there is something to be learned from every piece of software, as there is from all types of music. Experimentation and exploration yield untold rewards for the adventurous, and freeware is a great place to start your journey or a means to unshackle yourself, at least temporarily, from the financial constraints that plague us all.
—–
Check out my other articles, reviews, interviews and my video tutorial series, Synthesis 101 available exclusively on The Pro Audio Files.
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It’s been a while since I surveyed the market for free software synths, so I thought I’d give it go and see what’s new and what has stood the test of time. Some of these instruments were released as prototypes or were the early experiments of developers just entering the market. Free stuff is not al
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Asthe name of the site says, you will find here a list mainlydevoted to synthesizers, but you will find also virtual instruments ofother types, much fewer.. Thislist of freeware is not like the others that pullulate on the web andhas something special : it gives to you links for only the best freevirtual instruments(for Windows),and is the result of many and longresearches, after testing around one thousand intruments.My purpose isto avoid you getting stuck with the same job.. Allinstruments are classified, but in an approximative way.. When available, versions for other OS and formats are mentionned. Youwill probably think that some instruments, that you like to use in your music, are missing, but there is a reason for that: the only criterion of this list isthe musical quality, the beauty of sound, and not technical abilitiesor specific uses.Many virtual instruments made by renown developers of free software areappreciated for their usefulness in specific styles of music, but I didnot put them in this list because they do not sound really good bythemselves.. Anyway, this list is the result of my own choice, necessarily subjectice, and open tocriticism, like anyone's list.. But it remains a unique list, because I hope that the level of quality is high..
Inthe left column of each page, by clicking on vignettes, you can see theinterface of the full-scale instruments.
Simply take your laptop with ampLion installed and use it instead. In addition Live mode offers simplified view of presets for live playing. AmpLion can be easily controlled by any MIDI controller. Free bass amp sim vst.
Sometimes,in the right column of the page, you will findlinks to download sound examples which allow you to get a precise ideaaboutqualities and possibilities of these instruments. They are not songsbut sounds made with original presets and patches of theinstruments, without additional effects. These demos were initially made for a rubric on the forumof the siteInstruments Virtuels, there,in Oggaudio format. If you do not know what is neededto play this format, You can do it easily with the very good freeplayers (better than Windows'one), MediaPlayer Classic or VLC.
Forthose who begin with vsti : as most of these instrumentsare not standalone, but require to be opened in a sequencer or a vsthost, I recommend you to download Minihost,by TobyBear, a very complete, stable and easy to use vst host.. It isdonationware. CantabileLite, the free version of Cantabile, is excellent too..
Attention: the number of references (more than 170 !) will get you sick,becausethe world of freeware is very rich in musical instruments, especiallygood quality synths. So, take your time, and come back to thislist, because it is often updated.
Page 1 Monosynths for leads and bass lines Stringsynths for pads Page 2 Analoguesounding polysynths Page 3 Synthswith techno/trance sounds Synthsfor soundesign/ambient/atmosphere Coldand metallic sounding synths FMsynths Hybridsynths that are not in other categories Wavetablesynths Phasedistorsion synths Phase modulation synths Phase morphing synths Physicalmodeling synths Page 5 Stepsequencers Synthsfor noise Workstations
Absurdmachines Page 6 Emulationsof acoustic and electric instruments : - Electronic organ -Electric piano - Theremin Sample based emulations : -Acoustic piano - Mellotron - Traditional instruments -Various intruments Page 7 Bundles - Elektrostudio Page 8 Commercialvirtual instrument bargains -Synthesizers - Soundbanks - Virtual drummers andbassists Magazineware - The CM studio
Synthesizers
Mono synths for leads and basslines
MinimogueLUXUS, by Gunnar Ekornas(Voltkitchen group),is a rather successful emulation of the famous MiniMoog, made withsynthedit. Though it is not as good as Arturia's Minimoog V, nor thealmost perfect GForce Minimonsta, it has an analogicalsound quality that gives big, swinging and juicy leads. With a niceclose-to-the-original instrument interface, it adds to this one astep sequencer, anarpeggiator, independent pan adjustment for eachOsc, and..polyphony (!), but I put it there because of the original machine. Indispensable. http://www.home.no/gunnare/downloads.htm
Rezby Ugohas been updated and got a much nicer GUI, in two flavours (yellow or black), and itis an excellent mono synth that sounds beautiful to my ears. With asimple but very good arpeggiator and nice sounding dual delay, it givesgoodanalogleads and sequences. Easy to use and set, it is one of the very bestsounding free monosynths. Very melodious, it is one of my favourites. Amust-have. http://www.ugoaudio.com/
TriangleI by Rgcaudio,a mono synth with 2 Osc and an efficient delay, is good for clear andmelodious 70's leads. Good looking interface, easy to use andintuitive parameters.. http://lesitedeburnie.free.fr/Host/RGCaudio-triangle1.10.rar
TriangleII by Rgcaudiotoo, better than Triangle I because of its versatility, is a beautifulmono synth, very good for leads, rich in possibilities and parameters,able to sound fat and varied. Forthis must-have, you will find many presets on the web: http://www.cakewalk.com/products/triangle/
AngularMomentum's Analog Warfare 3has a very nice interface, with many components (3 Osc, 3 24 dB VCF, 4LFO, 2 delays, ADSRLenvelopes and many other things, like an arpeggiator, a step sequencer,anda separate chorus for each channel, midi learn).. It sounds very big,fat,granular, cheezy or sweepy, butnot varied (the sound possibilities are not large).. A goodsynth, especially for techno. The demo sounds were made with theprevious version, Analog Warfare 2. http://www.amvst.com/node/15
Pure-Pone by TubeOhmis the mono version of the commercial Pure-Pten. It is a full fetauredanalogue substractive synth, with 3 Osc and 20 waveforms, a bit of FM,1 noise generator, 1 LFO, 1multimodefilter, 1 ring modulator, 2 envelopes, 1 mixer, 1 arpeggiator,2 modulation busses, 1 chorus and 1 delay, 1 distortion, midi learnetc.. The sounding qualities are rich and various, between some clearFM sounds, analogue basses and leads, acid and agressive technosequences.. A very good synth. Do not care about 'buy'button nor 'poly' one, unusable here.. At Plugindex : http://www.tubeohm.com/TubeOhm/FREEWARE.html
Vintager by Togu AudioLine,classic vintage analog mono synth, with 3 Osc, a non linear 24dBlowpass filter (after a moog one), 2 Lfo, 2 envelopes, and midilearn,which is useful for controling the synth with hardware. It sounds good,rather deep, dense, thick. You can try also U-NO-60, an honestemulation of the famous Juno 6. win / mac http://www.kunz.corrupt.ch/?Products:VST_Vintager:Download
Bassline by Togu AudioLinetoo, has the same sound qualities as Vintager and, as its name says, itis made for basses. Simple but efficient, it sounds solid, fat, thick,deep and warm, typically analogue substractive. The interface is clearly inspired by the Roland SH-101. win / mac http://kunz.corrupt.ch/products/tal-bassline
reFXClawis a simple mono synth, with only one Osc,but it sounds punchy, sharp, incisive, and can be agressive, forexpressive leads and basslines. A very good one in this category. Asit will be replaced by a new and better ReFXfreeware, Scout, it is no more available.The direct download link still works : http://www.refx.com/downloads/Claw/Claw_1.0.zip
TheNK 1001 is aversatile 2 oscillators monosynththat sounds clean and fine, not punchy, thick or agressive,butpowerful, varied, nice and elegant. A chorus and a stereo delay make itcomplete.And, like almost GTG products, it has a nice interface.
http://www.gtgsynths.com/plugins.htm
Maestro by Istvan Kaldorwill not please everyone, because of its dirty sound (Kaldor like it,see 'Dirtbag'), and its GUI is something special, but it is a very goodmono synthmade with synthedit. With its 2 Osc, its modulation matrix,andits added effects (delay and autopan), it produces expressive, juicy,fat analogical leads, as good as Minimogue or Claw ones. A very goodinstrument. http://www.ianweb.dial.pipex.com/ikaldor/maestro.htm
Taurus,by Antti for Smartelectronics,is a good bass synth, an emulation of the 'Taurus' bass pedals made byMoog. Simple but good sounding, efficient, it gives deep, fat, analoguebasses. On the same page than the excellent ASynth.Donationware but without limitations.. http://antti.smartelectronix.com/
Iblit by Andreas Erssonis a very good free synth too, which is one of the most renownedanalogical mono synths. With 3 Osc, 2Lfo and 2 ADSR envelopes, but without added effects, it comes raw. Soyou must imagine its sounds in a mix and with externaleffects.There are better free raw analogical synths (Antti's Asynth or JX10)that have a more granular and analogical texture, but this one isreally good. PolyIblitis of course the polyphonic version, and it has more features.. http://www.bostreammail.net/ers/iblit.html
Rogue by Noslogan,is a classic analog mono synth with a rather dirty and nasal sound, asthey say on the site : 'raspy, fried transistor, dropped on the grounda couple of times'. Nice. http://www.noslogan.com/VST/Rogue/Rogue.html
BB303i by Buzzroomis a simple mono synth that is good for clean thick leads and basslines. Its name reminds the famous TB-303, of course.. It is ratherbasic, and is not supposed to produce complex and composite sounds, butit is efficient, and sounds analogical, fat and deep. Easy to use. See 'Download OLD buzzroom VST Plugins Pack' at the bottom of the page : http://www.x-buz.com/Products.html
Alieno by Acrobatics Softwareis a Sci-Fi look-like engine, but this mono synth is not a toy. Itsounds well for leads and sequences with its 16 step pattern Lfo. Ithas 6 Osc divided in 3 modules, 1 multimode filter, effects likereverb,delay, vibrato and pan/tremolo. Last three effects and the Lfo aretempo sync, and all paramaters can be automated. Several useless colorsof skins are available.. http://www.blank-media.it/acrobatics/
String synths for pads
CrazyDiamonds by RumpelrauschTaïps,is a stringsynth that produces string ensemble pads, not varied butefficient and good sounding. To understand why it is called 'CrazyDiamonds', click on the 'warranty void' label and listen theintro pad of 'Shine on you crazy diamond' in'Wishyou were here' (Pink Floyd of course) that this instrument emulatesperfectly. Search by yourself and find better sounds than the factory presets. win / mac http://untermkittel.de/rumpelrausch/?PLUGINS
TAL Reverb-II is the most popular TAL-Reverb. After some user feedbacks had to release TAL-Reverb-II again. It combines the retro sound of TAL-Reverb-I with additional features. Version 1.61 has some small improvements in the internal modulation algorithm. TAL-Reverb II -Reverb Vst Plugin: Price: Free: TAL-Reverb-II is a free stereo plate reverb. TAL-Reverb II is an improved version of the successfully TAL-Reverb I. Improvements in usablity and sound were made. Added a simple subtractive EQ section and a stereo input mode. Each control has its own label that shows the actual value. TAL-Reverb II is an improved version of the successfully TAL-Reverb I. Improvements in usablity and sound were made. Added a simple subtractive EQ section and a stereo input mode. Each control has its own label that shows the actual value. TAL VST, AU, Audio Unit, AAX plug-ins for OSX and Windows. https://lynin.netlify.app/vst-plugin-tal-reverb-2.html.
Stringsynth by Algomusicis a rare emulation of Solina-like string synths. It is an old thingand does not sound the best, but, although its sound is a bit close andthin, it is useful and fine. http://www.algomusic.net/freeware.htm
Orchestral Stringsby Uncuthas not a nice UI, but it is a good stringsynth that sounds rather likeold 70's renowned machines, with its 6 saw Osc, finetuning for 4 of them, mix 1&2, mix 3&4 vol for each pair, 2 12/24 dB multimode filters, 1envelope, and useful effects for phased string pads : a 2 voiceschorus, 1 reverb and a welcome stereo width adjustement. Not versatilebut efficient. The site is down, so take it there : http://lesitedeburnie.free.fr/Host/Uncut-Orch-Strings.zip
S3B by Krakliis my prefered of the S3 series, because of its original sounds and itsability to produce rythmic effects with its pulse module and itsarpeggiator. Good looking, it has one osc with many waveforms (sine, square, triangle, saw, soft ramp, peak ramp, ramp, peak, octava, cluster 1, cluster 2),1 noise, 1 envelope,1 vibrato with delay, 1 phazer (which is necessary and efficientfor that sort of sounds), 1 'ensemble', 1 echo, 1 EQ.. Its sounds areinteresting, not the fatest nor the brightest, a bit nasal, but theyhave a special nice colour.. http://krakli.wordpress.com/krakli-free-synths/
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