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…

Developer Sender Spike has released filter.tank, a free, modulated dual-filter plugin inspired by the Sherman Filterbank 2, the iconic Belgian analog filter unit from Sherman Audio. It is available as a 64-bit VST plugin for Windows. The Sherman Filterbank is known for its extreme resonance and nonlinear saturation. Many people claim the sound can’t be [...] View post: Sender Spike releases filter.tank, a FREE plugin inspired by the Sherman Filterbank (Windows) View the full article

UnitedPlugins is offering BPB readers an exclusive discount on MasterMind, a mastering channel strip developed by Soundevice Digital. The plugin normally costs €129, but you can get it for €19 by applying the coupon code BPBMM110 at checkout. BPB readers can use this discount until March 28, 2026. MasterMind is basically an all-in-one tool for [...] View post: BPB Deal: Get the UnitedPlugins MasterMind mastering plugin for €19 (normally €129) View the full article

GrabTone from Kobito is an experimental synthesizer plugin that lets you turn any sound into a playable instrument with MIDI, and it is free for a limited time. It uses two audio files, A (Shape) and B (Tone), to create a new synthesizer voice. Sound A provides the movement, articulation, and rhythm, while Sound B [...] View post: Kobito just released GrabTone, an experimental synth, for FREE for a limited time View the full article

SoundID Reference headphone calibration by Sonarworks is now 50% off at Plugin Boutique until March 15th. For a limited time, you can get the plugin for €51.04 at Plugin Boutique. It comes with over 500 calibration profiles to balance out your headset’s natural sound. This helps make your listening experience flatter and more accurate across [...] View post: Get SoundID Reference for Headphones by Sonarworks at 50% OFF View the full article

Diginoiz has released Layer It Lite, a free version of its Layer It drum layering plugin for Windows and macOS. Layer It is a sampler built specifically for layering drum sounds. It lets you load samples as stacked waveforms and trigger them all with a single MIDI note. You can offset the timing of each [...] View post: Diginoiz releases Layer It Lite, a FREE drum layering plugin with one big limitation View the full article

Lunacy Audio is once again offering CUBE Mini for free. The plugin normally costs $49, and I don’t know when this offer ends, so grab it while you can. We covered this as a limited-time freebie back in October 2025, so if you missed that window, here’s another chance. CUBE Mini is a scaled-down version [...] View post: Lunacy Audio’s CUBE Mini synth plugin is FREE again (normally $49) View the full article

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual international song competition held since 1956, organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).… Read More Look Mum No Computer – Eins, Zwei, DreiView the full article

Here's an in-depth look at Elektron Syntakt OS 1.40. … Read More Elektron Syntakt OS 1.40 In-Depth DemoView the full article

The MacBook Neo is the most consequential computer that Apple has release since the original iMac, more than 25 years ago.… Read More Apple’s Macbook Neo Is The Most Consequential Computer Introduction Since The Original iMacView the full article

The app features a database of 200+ synths, samplers and drum machines, and turns your device into a hands-on interface for your hardware synthesizers.… Read More New App, Condukt, Gives Your Synths New SuperpowersView the full article

Composer Ryan discusses how he is using vocal samples, prepared piano and the Expressive E Osmose in creating the soundtrack.… Read More Behind The Scenes With The Music Of MarathonView the full article

The Crow Hill Company has added Icky Bass to its free Vaults collection. Icky Bass is more than just a cool name for a bass instrument. It’s actually named after the White Stripes album “Icky Thump.” The instrument uses recordings of a rare Fender Rhodes Piano Bass run through Jack White’s signature Knife Drop fuzz [...] View post: The Crow Hill Company releases Icky Bass, a free Fender Rhodes Bass fuzz library View the full article

Audio Plugin Deals is offering Ink Slide by Ink Audio for free for the next two weeks. The library normally costs $60 and requires the full version of Native Instruments Kontakt. This is one of the better Audio Plugin Deals freebies I’ve seen in a while. They sometimes give away stuff that I wouldn’t necessarily [...] View post: Get Ink Slide, a $60 Kontakt slide guitar library, FREE on Audio Plugin Deals View the full article

You can now get Gait Runner, a rhythmic gate galloper for macOS from the planet Symphagos, for free! Using a noise gate to create interesting rhythms from a sustained sound, like a synth pad, is nothing new, but I can promise you, this one is something different. We know how much it means for our [...] View post: Gait Runner, a rhythmic gate galloper from the planet Symphagos, is FREE for macOS View the full article

Waldorf has officially introduced the Iridium Desktop MK2, a new generation that features a new design, an improved CPU board with more RAM and flash storage, and feature created in collaboration with Aphex Twin, Per-Note-Parameter-Locks. … Read More Waldorf Iridium MK2 Features More Ram, Storage & Aphex Twin’s Parameter LocksView the full article

Isla Instruments LLC - makers of the S2400 sampling workstation - have announced that they have permanently ceased operations.… Read More Isla Instruments Ceases OperationsView the full article

Here's a look at how you can do PPG-style wavetable synthesis on the new Syntakt OS 1.40. … Read More PPG-Style Wavetable Synthesis With Elektron Syntakt OS 1.40View the full article

Elektron has released Syntakt OS 1.40, an update that introduces the Twinshot dual sample player machine and more. … Read More Elektron Syntakt 1.40 Update Adds New Dual Sample Player & MoreView the full article

Morphulus has released Spectrus, a modular multi-effect plugin with a permanently free tier and a paid Pro version. Let’s cover the differences between the two versions first. The free version of Spectrus includes seven effects with no time limit. The Pro version, which unlocks all 21 effects, is priced at $49 as a one-time purchase [...] View post: Morphulus releases Spectrus, a modular multi-effect plugin with 7 free effects View the full article

Elegante is a new plugin by FedDSP, and you can grab it for free for a limited time. The plugin usually costs £30, but the developer has reduced the price to £ 0 for anyone who downloads it before March 10, 2026. We’re already getting close to that cut-off date, so grab it fast. FedDSP [...] View post: FedDSP offers Elegante overdrive plugin for FREE for a limited time View the full article

Baby Audio is one of my favourite developers, in large part because they have a knack for creating quirky, fun tools that deliver serious results. Now, you can get 69% off Baby Audio’s Spaced Out at Plugin Boutique for a limited time. Because of the quirky nature of some products, especially plugin names like I [...] View post: Get 69% OFF Baby Audio Spaced Out at Plugin Boutique for a limited time View the full article

WaveShaper has released Nya8 (Not Yet Another 808), an 808 sample pack with a heavily character-driven approach to the classic drum machine we all know and love. The full pack costs $5.90, and a free version containing 25 samples is available on the product page. It’s 2026, and I’m covering the second free WAV sample [...] View post: WaveShaper releases Nya8 808 sample pack (free version available) View the full article

SampleScience is offering Da Vinyl Box for free for a limited time. The pack normally costs $10, but you can grab it for free using the code 10THANNIVERSARY at checkout on Gumroad. At the time of writing, the offer expires in under two days, so you’ll need to act fast. Da Vinyl Box is a [...] View post: SampleScience offers Da Vinyl Box for FREE (plus free VHS Waves plugin) View the full article

Love 2 combines a musically-tuned granular engine with six effect slots and 20+ curated processors for shaping texture, color and space.… Read More Dawesome Music Intros Love 2 Granular Multi FXView the full article

Plugin Boutique’s monthly free gifts have provided some of my favorite deals over the last few years, and they are now back with their March Gifts available with any purchase at Plugin Boutique. This month, we have a choice of three plugins: Diginoiz Distiller Audiomodern Riffer Celemony Melodyne 5 Essential There’s been a change to [...] View post: March Gifts: choose one of three FREE plugins with any purchase at Plugin Boutique View the full article

You can now get W.A. Production’s Zqueezer adaptive filter/frequency shifter for free! Zqueezer is one of those plugins that has more going on than meets the eye. The plugin has just three controls: Gain, Overtone, and Dry/Wet, with Overtone being the foundation of the effect. W.A. Production suggests it’s best to forget about the science [...] View post: Get W.A. Production’s Zqueezer adaptive filter/frequency shifter for FREE View the full article

You can now get Excite Audio’s Evolve Air Lite for less than $1 at Plugin Boutique by entering the code a64dbdiq at checkout. This deal is a no-brainer for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Evolve Air Lite, priced under a dollar, is already an absolute steal. Secondly, you’ll also get Distiller by Diginoize as a [...] View post: Get Excite Audio Evolve Air Lite for less than $1 at Plugin Boutique View the full article

If you’ve ever struggled to make a vocal sit cleanly on top of a busy instrumental, you’ve probably wished for a smarter alternative to sidechain compression. That’s exactly the problem spectral ducking solves, and for years, Wavesfactory’s TrackSpacer has been the go-to tool for the job. But TrackSpacer costs $59. And until recently, there wasn’t [...] View post: TrackSpacer Finally Has a Free Rival (Actually, Two of Them) View the full article

Developer Sugoi Audio has released AirCheck, a utility plugin for routing your DAW’s audio to AirPods and other devices without changing your DAW settings, along with BlindCard, a free blind A/B testing plugin. BPB readers can get 20% off AirCheck with the coupon code bpb20 at checkout, valid until April 5th, 2026. AirCheck I’ve been [...] View post: Sugoi Audio releases AirCheck mixing utility and BlindCard A/B testing plugin View the full article