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…

Mach Devices' MD-7 is a compact hardware synthesizer featuring motorized haptic controls, an open-source firmware platform, a subtractive synth engine, sequencer, and drum looper.… Read More MD-7 ‘Pocket Synthesizer’ Combines Open-Source Synthesis With Motorized Touch FeedbackView the full article

Synthesist Tim Exile shared this preview of Karst - a digital modular for composing with systems.… Read More Tim Exile Previews Karst Software Modular SystemView the full article

reFX Rippler is a software synthesizer combining modal synthesis, physically modeled resonators, subtractive synthesis, modulation, effects, and MPE support in a dual-layer architecture.… Read More reFX Intros Rippler Physical Modeling SynthesizerView the full article

Rhodes Clav Pro is a software recreation of the classic electromechanical clavinet, combining detailed sampling with expanded tone-shaping, effects, and performance controls.… Read More Rhodes Expands Software Lineup With Clav ProView the full article

VAPolyEnsemble is a polyphonic synthesizer for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that combines multi-oscillator synthesis, onboard effects, piano-roll sequencing, MIDI support, and AUv3 compatibility.… Read More New VAPolyEnsemble Synth Features Multi-Oscillator ArchitectureView the full article

Waves Atlas Reverb is an algorithmic reverb plugin built using a classic DSP approach, with controls for shaping depth, dimension, movement, and reverb character.… Read More Waves Introduces Atlas Reverb Algorithmic Reverb PluginView the full article

Drift Ritual is a new synth plugin from Manu Riga, and you can download it for free now. The plugin is available in AU and VST formats for macOS and Windows. The developer calls this plugin an organic drift synthesizer, and that about sums up the core character of Drift Ritual. It’s about sounds that [...] View post: Manu Riga releases Drift Ritual, a FREE cinematic synth for macOS and Windows View the full article

The latest release from the Crow Hill Company is the Harmonic Piano, a free experimental piano instrument that is a part of their Vaults series. The Crow Hill Company isn’t opposed to the unconventional when it comes to capturing sound or rethinking how that sound is typically used. We’ve seen it in previous releases like [...] View post: The Crow Hill Company releases Harmonic Piano, a FREE experimental piano instrument from the Vaults series View the full article

FALSE MEMORY is a real-time lo-fi effects plugin that combines analog-style tape degradation and digital corruption processes through a parallel signal architecture.… Read More All the Machines Intros False Memory Real-Time Audio Disintegration EffectView the full article

Flame Sound is offering Analogue Drums, a $39 collection of analog drum machine samples, as a free download for BPB readers until Sunday, August 2nd (23:59 CEST). Yesterday, I released VATRA, the first Flame Sound plugin, and it’s been a huge deal for me after almost two years of development. To celebrate VATRA finally being [...] View post: Flame Sound Analogue Drums ($39 value) is FREE for BPB readers until Sunday View the full article

LØ has released Fragile Violins Free, a free violin sample library for Decent Sampler. This one was released in June, but I somehow missed it, so a big thank you to BPB reader Eat More Candy for sharing it with our community. I would have missed it otherwise, and that would have been a shame [...] View post: LØ releases Fragile Violins Free, a FREE Decent Sampler violin library View the full article

Magical FDS Plug is a free and open source software synthesizer plug-in that reproduces the sound of the Nintendo FDS sound chip.… Read More Free Software Synth Recreates Nintendo FDS Chiptune SoundView the full article

Make Noise has released new firmware for its digital New Universal Synthesizer System modules: MultiWAVE, PoliMATHS and MultiMod. … Read More Make Noise Announces Free Updates For MultiWAVE, PoliMATHS & MultiModView the full article

FAULTLINE is a free glitch effect plugin that combines beat repeat, freeze, shuffle, hit, and bitcrushing processes for rhythmic audio manipulation.… Read More Free Glitch + Beat Repeat + Freeze Effect, FaultlineView the full article

French ?DJ and electropop musician ?Kavinsky has died at the age of 50. … Read More French Synthwave Producer Kavinsky Dead At 50View the full article

Isla Electronics shared this sneak preview of ASICS, an internal engine for their upcoming Caladan hardware synthesizer, inspired by the Alesis Andromeda A6.… Read More Isla Electronics Previews Virtual Alesis Andromeda A6, ASICSView the full article

ArnieWaves has released AudioTeleporter, a DAW plugin for streaming your mix to a remote listener through a browser link. We have covered a few remote collaboration and monitoring tools before, including Ginger Audio Authentic Audio and Audiomovers Omnibus. AudioTeleporter is in a similar world, but the big draw here is the free tier and the [...] View post: ArnieWaves releases AudioTeleporter, a FREE DAW audio streaming plugin View the full article

Musical Entropy has released Voyage Voyage, a free shimmer reverb and drone instrument for macOS, Windows, and Linux. This is another addition to the series of articles where I check out my favorite KVR Developer Challenge 2026 entries. We already covered Sucrose, Chance, and Gneiss, and Voyage Voyage is another one I really liked. I [...] View post: Musical Entropy releases Voyage Voyage, a FREE shimmer reverb View the full article

Flame Sound has released VATRA, a mix finisher and loudness enhancer plugin for Windows and macOS. The intro price of $39 is available until August 16. As many of you already know, Flame Sound is my cinematic sound label. VATRA comes after almost two years of development, with countless iterations in the meantime. I’ll write [...] View post: Flame Sound releases VATRA loudness and tone enhancer plugin ($39 intro price) View the full article

Greer Studios Presents has released Signature Delay, a free delay plugin and standalone app for Windows. We have covered a couple of interesting free delay plugins on BPB lately, including FRCTL Audio DLAY Lite and Trebless Tesseract Echo, so there’s definitely no shortage of freeware delays. Signature Delay is a relatively simpler one (although it [...] View post: Greer Studios Presents releases Signature Delay, a FREE Windows delay plugin View the full article

Patrick Gleeson, a pioneering synthesist, composer, producer and engineer whose work helped establish synthesizers in jazz, experimental music and film, died July 19, 2026, at the age of 91.… Read More Electronic Music Pioneer Patrick Gleeson Has Died At 91View the full article

Remo De Vico has released LOOM, a free browser instrument for extreme time stretching, textures, pads, and drones. Time stretching is a lot of fun. I use it for cinematic sound design all the time, mainly for turning everyday sounds into otherworldly textures and ambient drones. LOOM makes that process even more fun by adding [...] View post: LOOM is a FREE HTML-based instrument for extreme time stretching View the full article

Acon Digital has released Multiply 2, a major update to its free chorus effect plugin for macOS and Windows. Acon Digital shipped the update earlier today, and I checked it out right away. Multiply has long been one of my favorite free chorus plugins, and this new version is even better than before. If you [...] View post: Acon Digital releases Multiply 2, latest update to its FREE chorus plugin View the full article

Boomer Hotel has released NULLIFY, a codec audition and null-test plugin that is free with a coupon code until August 31st, 2026. NULLIFY normally costs $19, but you can get it for free at checkout with the coupon code BHPLUGINS2026. The checkout runs through Lemon Squeezy, and your email address is required at checkout, but [...] View post: NULLIFY is a new Spotify streaming quality checker plugin, FREE until August 31 View the full article

Dusk Audio has released TapeMachine 2, a free tape emulation plugin for macOS, Windows, and Linux. We featured Dusk Audio’s original Tape Machine plugin earlier this year, when it arrived alongside 4K EQ and MultiComp. TapeMachine 2 is a new version with a redesigned interface and a new tape engine. The main point is that [...] View post: Dusk Audio releases TapeMachine 2, a FREE tape plugin with a new interface View the full article

It’s always cool to see a free and open-source tool that offers a more comprehensive feature set than some paid alternatives, and that seems to be what we have with AudioAuditor. The desktop and Command Line Interface app offers an all-in-one toolkit for analyzing and listening to music. What is AudioAuditor? AudioAuditor is a free, [...] View post: AudioAuditor is a FREE and open-source audio analysis/player toolkit (including AI music detection) View the full article

DEVPROAUDIO has released REVERSIDE 1.0.0, a new reverb for macOS and Windows in VST3, CLAP, and AudioUnit v2 formats.… Read More New Reverb Effect, REVERSIDE, For Mac & WindowsView the full article

Audio Brewers has introduced ab Recorder, a new app that turns your iPhone into an Ambisonics field recorder and audiovisual capture device. … Read More New App, ab Recorder, Lets You Create Ambisonics Recordings On Your iPhoneView the full article

Tweakbench has released Jigsaw, a free pedal board effect plugin for macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS. This one is not groundbreaking, but it is still a reason to celebrate for me. Tweakbench is an old-school indie developer, and seeing that name in the news takes me back to the old days, when there were only [...] View post: Tweakbench releases Jigsaw, a FREE pedal board effect plugin View the full article