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…

The Crow Hill Company is currently running a £25 voucher promotion that you can use to claim the Pocket Strings (£10) library for FREE or get a £4 bargain of your choice. The coupon code crowmas25 knocks £25 off any purchase in the Crow Hill store, with no minimum spend required. The no minimum spend [...] View post: Get the Pocket Strings library for FREE for a limited time View the full article

SoundMorph has launched a time-limited holiday deal that lets you take $49 off anything in their store, with no minimum spending required. If you play it right, that means you can grab select plugins or sound libraries completely free of charge. The discount is applied using the code Christmas49, and it’s valid until December 27 [...] View post: Get a FREE SoundMorph product with $49 OFF coupon (ends December 27) View the full article

The Novation Circuit range looks pretty cool, use Tracks for synth-led sketches and full ideas, use Rhythm for sample-driven beats and performance. Both look fun, immediate, and play nicely with other gear. Circuit Tracks is the all-rounder: two synth tracks, four drum tracks, slick pattern workflow, and great MIDI control. Ideal if you want melodies and beats in one box. Circuit Rhythm is all about sampling and groove: fast recording, slicing, resampling, and hands-on performance. Feels built for beatmakers who like to mangle audio live.

I genuinely can’t get over how mental the Reliq from Reliq Instruments is. Not just in features - physically. This thing is huge. The 16×16 grid dominates the unit and makes everything else look small by comparison. It’s less “desktop groovebox” and more “command bridge of a spaceship.” You’re sequencing, routing, mixing, and launching clips on a surface that looks like it could run an entire studio by itself - because it basically can. Specs aside, the scale alone is wild. It’s clearly designed to be the centre of everything, not something you casually tuck next to a synth. If you want a subtle box, this is not it. If you want a single, imposing brain that screams commit…

This is a fast-paced comparison of a wide range of synths, grooveboxes, drum machines, and oddball gear, covering a lot of modern synths, classic digital gear, pocket operators, grooveboxes, and a dawless jam at the end. Gear covered in the video; Novation Peak ASM Hydrasynth Polyend Tracker Korg Electribe EMX-1 Roland MC-101 Korg opsix Casio CZ-101 Roland S-1 vs 1010music Blackbox Korg Wavestate MK2 Roland TB-3 Roland Cloud Teenage Engineering PO-33 KO! Korg Volca Modular Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator Modular 400 Elektron Digitakt II Korg Minilogue XD Boss DR-5

https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=625544

Black Octopus Sound has released Christmas Gift – Starter Deck Sampler, a huge free sample pack available for a limited time, and a 100% discount for a full Starter Deck of your choice. I downloaded the pack out of curiosity, expecting little more than a generous teaser, but this is a proper sound library. Black [...] View post: Black Octopus Sound releases Christmas Starter Deck Sampler with 3 GB of FREE sounds View the full article

Developer Majetone is offering Pantomime 4, a virtual synthesizer with plenty of character, free for a limited time during the holidays. To download this, head to the Pantomime 4 product page, scroll down, and enter your email address. Once you sign up for the Majetone mailing list, a 100% discount code is automatically applied at [...] View post: Majetone offers Pantomime 4 virtual synth FREE for email subscribers View the full article

HoRNet Plugins has released HoRNet TapeLite, a free tape saturation plugin for macOS and Windows. TapeLite is a straightforward tape machine emulation designed to add non-linear behavior to clean digital recordings. There’s no trial period and no copy protection for this one. You just create a free HoRNet account, download the freebie, and keep it [...] View post: HoRNet Plugins releases FREE HoRNet TapeLite tape saturation plugin View the full article

On Saturday, The Crow Hill Company launched its new Tuned Gongs library for Vaults, which is now available for free download. The Vaults range of plugins runs on macOS and Windows in AU, VST3, VST, and AAX formats. Tuned Gongs features four… wait for it… tuned gongs that the dev suggests were cast for gong [...] View post: Tuned Gongs is a new FREE library for the Vaults plugin View the full article

A few days ago, I mentioned that we hadn’t seen many sample packs on our freebie desk over the last few weeks. Now, a few days later, as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours, and we’re amid a shower of free sample packs with more on the way. The latest offerings are two [...] View post: Sounds of Horror and Junk Store Finds: Get two free and unusual sample packs View the full article

KuramaSound has released AnalogChannel, a free VST3 channel strip plugin for Windows that combines several Airwindows (among others) DSP algorithms into one convenient workflow. AnalogChannel feels like a curated compilation of some of the best free DSP algorithms around, wrapped into a single, practical signal chain. The developer behind KuramaSound has pulled together faithful ports [...] View post: KuramaSound releases FREE AnalogChannel plugin for Windows View the full article

Shattered Glass Audio has released Phoenix LT, a free analog tube preamp simulation plugin for desktop platforms and iOS. This release caught my attention because Phoenix LT is essentially the successor to the discontinued SGA1566 preamp. In my opinion, SGA1566 was one of the best free tube preamp plugins on the market for years, and [...] View post: Shattered Glass Audio releases Phoenix LT, a FREE tube preamp plugin for desktop and iOS View the full article

PSP AudioWare has released PSP stereoAnalyser2, a free stereo metering plugin for macOS and Windows, just in time for the holiday season. This isn’t a “free for a limited time” promo that later turns into a paid product, either. PSP stereoAnalyser2 is a permanently free plugin, and it’s essentially an updated and improved version of [...] View post: PSP AudioWare releases PSP stereoAnalyser2 plugin for FREE View the full article

Fracture Sounds is back with the next addition to the free Blueprint series, Dream Zither. Even though these Blueprint instruments are free, I feel like a salesman because I go on about how good they are so often. But if you haven’t tried them yet, please do, they are epic. Dream Zither is the 25th [...] View post: Fracture Sounds releases Blueprint: Dream Zither, a FREE ethereal plucks library for Kontakt Player View the full article

Edu Prado Sounds has made their Hapi Drum available for free download as a Christmas gift, and you can run the virtual instrument on the free Kontakt Player. Native Instruments’ free Kontakt Player is a sampler for macOS and Windows, available in VST3, AU, and AAX formats. The Hapi Drum (also known as a steel [...] View post: Edu Prado Sounds drops FREE Hapi Drum for Free Kontakt Player View the full article

Soundtrack Loops has launched the SCHAR “Get Ready For Me” Remix Contest, a free-to-enter competition inviting producers worldwide to reimagine the latest track from electronic artist SCHAR (Scharliina). Remix contests don’t always catch my attention, but this one stands out thanks to the quality of the prizes and the clear focus on creativity instead of [...] View post: Soundtrack Loops launches SCHAR “Get Ready For Me” remix contest with impressive prizes View the full article

The OB-1 belongs to the timeless elite of classic mono synthesizers. It ranks among the very best and shares its place in the top 10 with legends such as the… Read More The post Oberheim OB-1 – unique lead-synth with memories appeared first on GreatSynthesizers. View the full article

You finish a mix. Inside the DAW it slaps — punchy, wide, energetic. You export it… and suddenly it sounds flatter, quieter, and less exciting. Good news: you didn’t imagine it, and you didn’t suddenly forget how to mix. This is a very common technical + perceptual problem, and it usually comes down to a few fixable issues. Let’s break down why it happens — and how to prevent it. View the full article

Acustica Audio has released STONE, a free tone-shaping channel strip plugin for macOS and Windows. STONE is an Acqua plugin inspired by rare British broadcast and studio hardware from the 1960s and 1970s, and it’s permanently free with no limitations or demo mode. If you’ve followed Acustica Audio for a while, you’ll know that, coming [...] View post: Acustica Audio releases STONE, a FREE tone-shaping channel strip View the full article

Embertone has released E.L.V.E.S., a free virtual choir instrument for Kontakt, available for a limited time during the holiday season. E.L.V.E.S. stands for “Embertone Lyrical Voice Elevation System, although the name very much serves the purpose of being an acronym for elves. This is a playful holiday sample library designed to sound like a tiny [...] View post: Embertone offers E.L.V.E.S. festive choir instrument for Kontakt FREE for a limited time View the full article

Plugin Boutique is currently offering the ROYAL 2 virtual bass guitar plugin by UJAM for just $9, down from the regular $119 price tag. That’s a massive 92% discount, available until January 4th (and you also get a free gift with your purchase). ROYAL 2 is part of UJAM’s Virtual Bassist series. It shares the [...] View post: ROYAL 2 virtual bassist plugin by UJAM is only $9 at Plugin Boutique View the full article

InnerMost47 shared this video demo of Obsidian Neural, a plugin that brings AI-generated samples to your DAW. … Read More Obsidian Neural Brings AI-Generated Samples To Your DAWView the full article

Acadie is based on the Omnichord OM27, and features a sequencer, arpeggiator and polyphonic synthesizer.… Read More Acadie Automatic Chord Machine For Eurorack, Inspired By Omnichord OM27View the full article

Plugin Boutique is currently offering Wavesfactory Trackspacer for just $29, down from $59 in a 50% off deal. The holiday promo for the dynamic EQ and sidechain compressor plugin will expire on December 31, 2025. Trackspacer is a 64-bit only release for macOS (VST, AU, AAX) and Windows (VST, AAX). Wavesfactory describes Trackspacer as similar [...] View post: Wavesfactory Trackspacer is Now Just $29 in 50% Off Plugin Boutique Deal View the full article

NoirSonance has made its entire plugin catalog available as pay-what-you-want, with a minimum price of zero, meaning you can grab everything completely free if you like. We’ve covered NoirSonance plugins on Bedroom Producers Blog several times in the past, including the free EQ6 and EQ6 (b) equalizers and a trio of compressors released earlier this [...] View post: All 12 plugins by NoirSonance are now FREE with optional donations View the full article

Flame Sound has released Futuristic Textures, a free sample pack designed as a preview of an upcoming Vital soundbank by HydraTek. The pack was created by Fabio Gotti, also known as HydraTek, and it gives us an early taste of the sounds that will appear in his forthcoming Vital Soundbank, due to land on Flame [...] View post: Flame Sound releases free Futuristic Textures sample pack View the full article

Tsuga Audio created Envosound, a free retro-gaming-inspired synth for macOS and Windows with ambient and experimental music producers in mind. The free synth combines the nostalgic sound of 80s gaming hardware with modern features and effects. Envosound isn’t the only retro-gaming-inspired synth we’ve covered recently; check out the free Junior-Lite 4-bit wavetable synth by Fors. [...] View post: Tsuga Audio releases Envosound, a FREE retro-gaming-inspired synth View the full article