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…

From @synthandsoftware - It expands on the Mini 37 and 49 White in the MK4 line, with three or four octaves The choice of keyboard controllers has expanded today. This one has a lot of appealing features, including ready-to-go integration with the major DAWs as well as support for Native Instruments’ NKS standard to control a lot of […] The post Novation’s Launchkey 61 MK4 White Keyboard Controller With Five Octaves appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

Studio Kozak has released FALA, a free vintage-inspired BBD chorus plugin for macOS and Windows. This is another guitar stompbox-style plugin we have covered this week. The last one was GRIM3 Overdrive from Aurora DSP, while FALA is a chorus plugin shaped like a simple guitar pedal. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it [...] View post: Studio Kozak releases FALA, a FREE BBD chorus plugin View the full article

Bedroom Producers Blog is teaming up with Bjango for another giveaway! We are giving away three Robot Rocket licenses and three Chaos Line licenses, so six BPB readers will win in total. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below and tell us your favorite song that uses a talkbox or vocoder. We will randomly [...] View post: GIVEAWAY: Win 3 x Bjango Robot Rocket vocoder and 3 x Chaos Line sequencer View the full article

Fender Studio Pro has received the 8.1 update, offering a brand-new AI assistant (public beta) and Moises Studio integration. As if we haven’t talked about Fender enough recently, here we are again with the legendary manufacturer as the topic of the day. This time, we’re not talking about guitars or lawsuits, well, not directly, anyway. [...] View post: Fender Studio Pro 8.1 puts an AI assistant and Moises stem separation inside the DAW View the full article

Every few weeks, someone asks me some version of the same question. Should I learn Vital or Surge XT? It’s a tough question because these are the two best free synths you can download in 2026, and either one can realistically be called the greatest free synth of all time. So I decided to test [...] View post: Vital vs Surge XT: How To Pick Your Free Synthesizer in 2026 View the full article

Developer ABYZOR Audio has released Genesis, a Windows-only free MIDI generator plugin. MIDI generators are handy tools when you’re struggling to get out of a creative block or need to lay something down as a quick placeholder. Whether you need a helping hand with chord progressions, basslines, or melodies, there’s no shortage of options available. [...] View post: ABYZOR Audio releases Genesis, a FREE MIDI generator plugin for Windows View the full article

From developer M Media Audio comes Volume Dealer, a free mastering limiter with a full BS.1770 LUFS metering suite. Earlier this month, we covered Violet Crown from M Media Audio, a free channel strip plugin for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Violet Crown is the first freebie from M Media Audio, and now we have the [...] View post: M Media Audio releases Volume Dealer, a FREE mastering limiter and metering suite View the full article

Aurora DSP has released GRIM3, a free overdrive plugin based on the feel of a guitar pedal. You can put GRIM3 before an amp or amp sim and use it to tighten the low end, add a bit of midrange overdrive, or push the input stage harder. Aurora DSP optimized it for modern high-gain guitars, [...] View post: Aurora DSP releases GRIM3 FREE overdrive plugin View the full article

Dreeemwave is offering BPB readers 25% off Bassliner, a MIDI bassline generator plugin for macOS and Windows. Bassliner normally costs €24, but you can use the coupon code BPB25 at checkout to reduce the price to €19. This one first caught my attention because of the Cableguys connection. I love Cableguys’ plugins, and Bassliner started [...] View post: BPB readers get 25% OFF Bassliner MIDI bassline generator View the full article

Here's a head-to-head comparison between the Roland Juno-60 and the Behringer JN-80. … Read More How Well Does Behringer JN-80 Copy The Roland Juno-60? (Head-To-Head Comparison)View the full article

The Flexur T2 is a new expressive synthesizer, inspired by the classic Mixture Trautonium. … Read More Flexur T2 Trautonium Synthesizer Available To Pre-OrderView the full article

Can a mini-synth capture the true Minimoog sound? Stranger things have happened.… Read More Behringer D Mini Offers Minimoog-Inspired Sound In A Tiny Form FactorView the full article

The Groov~e Console automatically generates musical “grooves”.… Read More Ellitone Groov~e Console Groove SynthesizerView the full article

From @synthandsoftware - Roma Modulare 2026 announce international synth and pro audio fair. PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT Organizers of Roma Modulare 2026 announce that the international synth and pro audio fair in question is to be held on September 18-19, 2026 as an unmissable two-day expo in central Rome, representing a journey into electronic music devices where creativity, passion, and experimentation meet at a unique […] The post When In Rome… appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

You can now pre-order the Behringer D Mini in the EU for €99, offering you a Minimoog Model D-inspired performance. If you know anything about Behringer in recent years, you’ll know that I’ve made rather casual use of the word inspired in the header. When I say inspired, I mean cloned to within an inch [...] View post: Behringer D Mini is available for pre-order in the EU: Minimoog Model D-inspired performance for €99 View the full article

Developer Jonas Eriksson has released Annulus, a free polyphonic resonator and effects engine for macOS and Windows. You should note that, while Annulus is available for free download, it has not yet undergone a public beta or formal testing phase. The plugin is functional, but may contain bugs, and the developer welcomes reports and feedback [...] View post: Jonas Eriksson releases Annulus, a FREE polyphonic resonator and effects engine View the full article

The Clock Bender is designed to provide extensive possibilities for rhythmic creation.… Read More New Album, Offbeats, Turns Module Tests Into TunesView the full article

Plugin Boutique is offering XLN Audio’s hugely popular RC-20 Retro Color for $39 until June 14, 2026. The regular price is $99, so this is a 60% discount. RC-20 Retro Color has been around for a while, but it remains one of the most recognizable character plugins for lo-fi, vintage, and slightly broken textures. I [...] View post: XLN Audio RC-20 Retro Color is 60% off on Plugin Boutique View the full article

nClear has released Sibalance and VocRide, two pay-what-you-want vocal processing plugins for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Both plugins are available through Ko-fi, and you can optionally enter zero to download them for free. That said, these are full versions of these two plugins, not lite versions or time-limited trials. The tools started as more complex [...] View post: nClear releases FREE Sibalance and VocRide vocal plugins View the full article

ProjectSAM has given us some very good orchestral freebies in the past, including a Lineage Percussion Kit as part of The Free Orchestra 2 collection. This time around, ProjectSAM has released a free version of the full Lineage Percussion Pro library (three versions are available: Pro, Core, and Free). On paper, the gap between the [...] View post: ProjectSAM releases Lineage Percussion FREE for Kontakt Player View the full article

OTODESK has released Quad Morph Filter, a free and open-source VST3 filter plugin for Windows. Quad Morph Filter is built for real-time sound design instead of the more static tone shaping we typically use filters for. It lets you morph between up to four different filter models using an XY pad, with equal-power blending and [...] View post: OTODESK releases FREE open-source Quad Morph Filter plugin View the full article

Plugin Boutique is offering Celemony’s Melodyne 5 Essential for $24 until June 30, 2026. The regular price is $99, so this is a 75% discount. The same promotion also includes Melodyne 5 Assistant for $71 instead of $248. That one is still a bigger purchase, but it is a nice discount if you know you [...] View post: Get Melodyne 5 Essential for $24 on Plugin Boutique View the full article

Sound designer Scott McAuley shared this preview of a new sound library for the Korg Prologue. … Read More New Sounds For The Korg PrologueView the full article

The new firmware should be available soon, once initial beta testing is complete.… Read More Isla Electronics Previews New KordBot FirmwareView the full article

Music Thing Modular’s Tom Whitwell offers a full overview of his Workshop System - a compact, self-contained modular synthesizer in a portable case.… Read More Music Thing Modular Workshop System Overview With Tom WhitwellView the full article

Synthesist and sound designer Julian "J3PO" Pollack talks about his new album, A Brief Odyssey, a new album created using one synth, the Sequential FOURM.… Read More Julian “J3PO” Pollack Makes Entire Album With One SynthView the full article

biyiblip shared this demo of the Blippoo Box Legacy - an official Eurorack version of the original Rob Hordijk design. … Read More Rob Hordijk’s Blippoo Box Synth Comes To EurorackView the full article

Xilentch has released Xhannel S, a free channel strip plugin and the first dedicated mixing tool in the XM family. Until now, the XM Series has mostly focused on mastering tools. The first Xilentch plugin I tried was XMLimiter last year, and it quickly became one of my go-to limiters for use across mixes and [...] View post: Xilentch releases FREE Xhannel S channel strip plugin View the full article

Audio Plugin Deals is offering Ink Vocal by Ink Audio as a free download for a limited time. The Kontakt library normally costs $50. I noticed Ink Audio’s website around Black Friday last year, and I was very tempted to buy the complete bundle. The developer has some really unique instruments on the site, including [...] View post: Get Ink Vocal, a $50 Kontakt vocal library, FREE on Audio Plugin Deals View the full article