Music Production Forum

Below is a list of some of the best software synths & virtual pianos (free & paid). Please reply to this post if you recommended any others There are a huge number of plugins available, here are some other lists I've created for products I recommend https://jamesm.blog/music-production/my-hardware-software/ https://jamesm.blog/music-production/my-hardware-software-wishlist/ https://jamesm.blog/music-production/physical-modeling-synths/ Synths (Free) Vendor Plugin Name Key Features Blamsoft VK-1 Viking Synthesizer Moog Voyager emulation, strong basses Digital Suburban Dexed Yamaha DX7 emulation, FM synthesis discoDSP OB-Xd Oberheim OB-X emulation, analog sounds M…

Analogue Solutions shared this preview of their new Filtopia synthesizer, a stereo monosynth that features a unique 5 filter filterbank. … Read More New Analogue Solutions Filtopia Synthesizer Features Unique Filtering CapabilitiesView the full article

The FM-1 is a portable digital FM synthesizer built around a six-operator FM synthesis engine with 32 algorithms.… Read More M-VAVE Introduces FM-1 FM ‘Pocket Synthesizer’View the full article

Bjango has released Double Freak, a free dual oscillator frequency follower plugin for macOS and Windows. Double Freak is one of the several entries I really liked in this year’s KVR Developer Challenge. I will cover a few more challenge entries separately (James also checked some of them out here and here), but this one [...] View post: Bjango releases FREE Double Freak frequency follower plugin View the full article

Plugin Boutique is offering Universal Audio’s Moog Minimoog virtual instrument for €29.25 until July 31, down from €150.25. The offer also includes Plugin Boutique’s current free gift promotion with every purchase, with options like Celemony Melodyne 5 Essential, GForce AXXESS, Audified Toneknob Stargazer, and the W.A. Production, MeldaProduction & United Plugins Gift Bundle showing on [...] View post: Universal Audio Moog Minimoog drops to €29 at Plugin Boutique View the full article

HoRNet Plugins is offering HoRNet Spikes, a transient shaper/processor for macOS and Windows, as a free download for a limited time. The offer ends on July 16, 2026. To get Spikes for free, add them to your cart on the HoRNet website and use the coupon code SPIKESFREE at checkout. The plugin is usually priced [...] View post: HoRNet Spikes transient shaper plugin is FREE for a limited time View the full article

UJAM is offering UFX DELAY as a free download for anyone who signs up for the company’s summer sale mailing list. To get it for free, you’ll need to visit the signup page and enter your email. I tested the process yesterday, and the email arrived right away. Clicking the button in the email opened [...] View post: UJAM offers UFX DELAY plugin as a FREE summer sale signup bonus View the full article

As AI-generated music continues to flood streaming platforms, some of the music industry’s biggest organisations are launching a new labelling system aimed at giving listeners a clearer picture of how the songs they hear were made... The post Music industry proposes new system to tag AI-generated songs: “Fans want to know whether and how generative AI has been used in the music they listen to” appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

Eldoraudio has launched Guitar Audio to MIDI Converter, a browser-based tool that transcribes guitar recordings into standard MIDI files. The new guitar converter joins Eldoraudio’s existing Piano Audio to MIDI Converter. You upload an audio file, set the BPM if needed, and get back a MIDI transcription for editing in your DAW. For anyone who [...] View post: Eldoraudio launches Guitar Audio to MIDI Converter for turning guitar recordings into MIDI View the full article

45 Years of Yamaha Entertainer Keyboards - great retrospective video Just watched this one and thought it was worth sharing here: "How Yamaha Entertainer Keyboards Evolved: From First Models to Modern Legends" (Bonedo Synthesizer Channel). It traces the whole PSR-to-Genos lineage - basically the full 45-year arc of Yamaha's arranger/entertainer line, from the early PortaTone-era instruments right through to the current Genos2 flagship. What I liked is that it's not just a spec-sheet run-through - it actually shows how each generation nudged the category forward: bigger sample sets, smarter articulation switching, the jump to touch-screens and live control knobs, and the s…

This masterclass explores the sonic capabilities of Arturia's Polybrute 12, covering everything from its core signal flow and expressive controls to in-depth sound design and patch creation.… Read More Arturia Polybrute 12 Sound Design MasterclassView the full article

Tasty Chips has released firmware version 1.7.0 for the GR-MEGA, introducing a redesigned granular engine, major file management changes, new effects, interface updates, and expanded workflow features.… Read More Tasty Chips Updates GR-MEGA With New Granular Controls, Effects, and Workflow ImprovementsGR-MEGAView the full article

Four days ahead of his 90th birthday, Tom Oberheim can still remember that night in 1979. He was in bed in his hotel room at The NAMM Show in Atlanta fretting about the debut of his new synth, the Oberheim OB-X. “I couldn’t sleep,” he tells me from his Northern California home. “In 1978 my sales were falling very fast…So I got up, went down to the hotel lobby, and wrote the owner’s manuals for the OB-X. The next day, when the show opens, me and my engineer and my sales guy were wondering, ‘Will we still have a company by the end of the day?’” The show started at 10am. By noon, team Oberheim had landed half a million dollars in business. 47 years later, Tom is less concern…

Developer XNULLX has released five free donationware plugins covering granular processing, saturation, wavefolding, spectral smear, and beat slicing. I will be honest right away. I like the tools themselves, but I am getting tired of the current wave of AI-generated plugin websites, where everything starts to feel like the same blocks of text in the [...] View post: XNULLX releases five FREE plugins for sound design and sound mangling View the full article

Korg’s NTS-4 is a compact six-channel performance mixer kit with built-in effects, USB audio/MIDI connectivity, and support for synthesizers, modular systems, and desktop hardware.… Read More Korg Intros NTS-4 Performance Mixer Kit For Compact Hardware SetupsView the full article

Developer Vlastimil Cerveny has released a free browser-based patch editor for the Behringer Phara-O Mini synthesizer. … Read More Free Browser-Based Patch Editor For The Behringer Phara-O MiniView the full article

Developer Angelic Vibes has released Spread, a free stereo widening plugin for macOS and Windows. Spread is the second installment in the developer’s AV Essentials FX series (which I think also includes the free Pitchshifter that we recently featured). It is designed for vocals, samples, melodies, bass, drums, synths, and just about anything that needs [...] View post: Angelic Vibes releases Spread, a FREE stereo widening plugin View the full article

Developer Schulz Audio is offering Portacrunch 424, a cassette four-track gain-stage effect for macOS and Windows, as a free download. There’s no expiry date listed on the Portacrunch 424 product page, and the summer sale had around 15 hours remaining at the time of writing, but it is unclear whether the giveaway ends with it. [...] View post: Schulz Audio offers Portacrunch 424 cassette gain-stage plugin for FREE View the full article

It offers a drum machine, pad-based triggering, step sequencing, a wide range of effects and more. … Read More Free, Browser-Based Drum Machine, Shuffle DrummerView the full article

The KVR Developer Challenge 26 not only provides a platform for existing and aspiring developers to showcase their creativity but also offers us an opportunity to stock up on new tools that enhance our workflow for free. And show our appreciation, of course. But, seriously, it’s one of the highlights of the year, and, competition [...] View post: FREE FX plugins aplenty with the KVR Developer Challenge 2026 View the full article

Synthesist Jack Hertz let us know about his latest release, Astral Sound Matrix, and shared a big batch of free download codes for Synthtopia readers.… Read More Free Music Friday: Astral Sound Matrix By Jack HertzView the full article

Almudio has released 3D Panner, a free early access spatial audio plugin for macOS and Windows. Developer Almog reached out about the release and shared some very interesting details about the project. 3D Panner was developed over seven months as his final project at BIMM University Manchester, with beta testing from lecturers and fellow students [...] View post: Almudio releases 3D Panner, a FREE binaural spatial audio plugin View the full article

More than 55 years later, the Minimoog is still one of the most desired synths ever made, and as relevant as ever. … Read More Vintage Synth Review: The Moog Minimoog SynthesizerView the full article

Nord shared this behind-the-scenes documentary, looking at how their iconic red keyboards are made.… Read More The Making Of Nord Red KeyboardsView the full article

The Composer's Desktop Project (CDP) is a free collection of hundreds of sound design programs.… Read More Composer’s Desktop Project (CDP) Features Hundreds Of Free Sound Design ToolsView the full article

RESTRUKT is designed to surgically extract unwanted room bleed, ring, and muddy sustain from the input signal, without destroying transient punch.… Read More Free Ambience Reducer Plugin, RESTRUKTView the full article

Tonal Forms has released DADO – Lilac Alloy, a free Kontakt Player instrument available through Native Instruments. Developer Francesco Sabatini reached out about this one via email, and it was one of the best emails I received in a while. Francesco is a lead product designer at Native Instruments, where he works on Kontakt instruments, [...] View post: Tonal Forms releases DADO – Lilac Alloy, a FREE Kontakt Player instrument View the full article

The KVR Developer Challenge 2026 is underway, and with over 50 freebies on offer, we’ve got lots to choose from. We’re taking a quick look at some of the synths from this year’s contest, and it’s a pretty impressive lineup. We have almost a month before the winners are announced on August 4, 2026, but [...] View post: Check out some FREE synths from the KVR Developer Challenge 2026 View the full article

NoizLabs has released Beheader, a free-for-a-limited-time clipper and saturation plugin for macOS and Windows. Beheader is a surgical clipper with a simple interface. Like any clipper, instead of pulling the whole signal down to avoid a ceiling, it clips only the peaks that exceed it, so you can control loud transients while keeping more of [...] View post: NoizLabs offers the Beheader clipper plugin FREE for a limited time View the full article

Pitch Innovations has released Loop2Kit, an intelligent sampler instrument that turns audio loops into playable kits. The developer is offering Loop2Kit for $69 during the intro sale, down from the regular $129 price. BPB readers can use the coupon code BPB10 for an extra 10% discount during the intro period, bringing the price down to [...] View post: Pitch Innovations launches Loop2Kit with an exclusive BPB discount View the full article