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…

Synthesist Hank Mason shared this live performance of his original composition, Prelude and Fugue for the ER-1.… Read More Prelude & Fugue For Korg ER-1 Drum MachineView the full article

The ECHON 6 is the world’s first polyphonic synthesizer based around BBD (Bucket-Brigade Delay) resonators.… Read More Morphor Echon 6 BBD Resonator SynthesizerView the full article

Symphonic Elements CHOOIR is a new virtual instrument plugin featuring phrase-based choir, textures derived from sampled male, female, and boys ensembles for use in cinematic and musical productions.… Read More Hans Zimmer’s CHOOIR Choral Instrument Now AvailableView the full article

From @synthandsoftware - The latest version of the famous modular synth with no patch cables, combining wavetable/additive hybrid oscillators, FM, physical modeling… and that’s for openers 2026 is a good year for amazing new high-end synthesizer software. I could rattle off a list of five or six instruments that have been updated recently, and each of them has […] The post u-he Zebra3 – the Synth and Software Review appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

Polarity is a name that many readers will be very familiar with. The developer has now released Polarity-RES (v0.1.0), a free resonator effect for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It wasn’t too long ago that we covered Polarity-MD, a free multiband dynamics processor (something like a four-band OTT). But many of you will know Polarity best [...] View post: Polarity releases Polarity-RES, a FREE resonator effect View the full article

You can now save 87% on the SSL Native Bus Compressor 2 at Plugin Boutique for a limited time. The offer, which ends on May 20th 2026, means you can grab the plugin for just $19, rather than the regular price of $149. I know when we recently featured Plugin Boutique’s 92% discount on the [...] View post: Get 87% off SSL Native Bus Compressor 2 at Plugin Boutique View the full article

Touched Lite from developer Warmth is a free multi-FX plugin for macOS, Windows, and Linux. aimed at shoegaze producers, but that dreamy character fits a variety of genres. The plugin features Fuzz and Reverb effects at the heart of that dreamy, ethereal shoegaze sound. The Fuzz stage is inspired by the legendary Electro-Harmonix Big Muffin [...] View post: Warmth releases Touched Lite, a FREE shoegaze-inspired multi-FX plugin View the full article

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the only five free plugins a beginner actually needs, and the argument was simple. Stock plugins in modern DAWs are good enough for almost everything, so don’t drown yourself in 50 free downloads on day one. This is the follow-up to that piece. At some point, you do [...] View post: The 3 free plugin bundles I tell every beginner to install View the full article

Purafied Audio is once again offering its Everything Bundle for free with the coupon code MYSHITWASFUCKED at checkout. The Everything Bundle includes every plugin Purafied Audio has released so far: LED Compressor, VU Compressor, Micro Limiter, SLP 538 EQ, The Panda Rooms, DEATHWESTERN Amp, and Liquid Death Snare. The regular price is $238 (down from [...] View post: Purafied Audio Everything Bundle is FREE for a limited time View the full article

Ollie Nicklin has released Void Wave, a free dual-oscillator wavetable synthesizer for macOS and Windows. Void Wave is the first plugin from Ollie Nicklin, a solo developer who learned JUCE and built the synth because he couldn’t find one that nailed the sounds he actually wanted to play. His feature shortlist was pretty specific. The [...] View post: Ollie Nicklin releases Void Wave, a FREE wavetable synthesizer plugin View the full article

Crickets Audio has released Strata, a multi-track frequency spectrum monitoring plugin that displays the spectrum of every track in your project layered into a single graph. Most spectrum analyzers show you one track at a time. Strata flips that and shows everything together, with each track stacked on top of the others. The main idea [...] View post: Crickets Audio Strata: see every track in your mix in a single spectrum view (extra 10% OFF) View the full article

The Analog Sweden Swen 2 is a monosynth, featuring a generative sequencer that offers real-time pattern creation and manipulation.… Read More Analog Sweden Swen 2 Synthesizer Debuts At Superbooth 2026View the full article

The MÕNAI is a portable, battery-powered synthesizer that features a high-resolution display and a combination of keys, encoders, touch strips, and joystick to provide direct control.… Read More Void9 MÕNAI Offers Multi-Engine Architecture In A Compact, Battery-Powered SynthView the full article

ZENOLOGY GX for iPad makes Roland’s powerful ZEN-Core Synthesis System available on the iPad, with a touch-friendly interface and deep sound design tools.… Read More ZENOLOGY GX for iPad Now AvailableView the full article

Akai has released MPC 3.8, a free update that delivers seamless project compatibility and workflow continuity between MPC hardware, desktop software, and MPC Sample.… Read More Akai MPC 3.8 Update Expands The MPC WorkflowView the full article

It's inspired by the Mellotron, but really leans into the melancholic sound. … Read More Melancholytron Synth Available Now, Only Makes Melancholic SoundsView the full article

Reason 14 features an all-new Track Panel, Rack per Track architecture, and the RV-9 Reverb.… Read More Reason 14 Now AvailableView the full article

Hyperfocus DSP has released Niner, a free open-source kick drum synth with a parallel 909-style clap voice for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It’s been a while since I last covered a free drum synth specifically focused on kicks. I recently wrote about Sender Spike’s DR.89, which goes for the full 909 kit experience. Niner is [...] View post: Hyperfocus DSP releases Niner, a FREE open-source 909-style kick drum synth View the full article

At Superbooth 2026, Korg shared a sneak preview of their NTS-4 Mixer kit, the newest member of their nu:tekt line. … Read More Korg NTS-4 Compact Mixer Kit Previewed At Superbooth 2026View the full article

You can now get 30% off the u-he Repro at Plugin Boutique for a limited time. Repro (includes Repro 1 and Repro 5) combines the sound of two legendary synths by Sequential: the Pro-One and the Prophet 5. Plugin Boutique’s 30% discount means you can buy Repro for $104 (usually $149) until the offer ends [...] View post: Get 30% off u-he Repro at Plugin Boutique for a limited time View the full article

From @synthandsoftware - Acacia Fantasy Pack for Chromaphone is a collection of 100 presets by Canadian sound designer and content creator ReSeT Ryan Tram. PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT The pack explores a wide range of evocative environments, from shimmering coastal settings and dense, living forests to resonant underground caverns and frozen mountain landscapes. It also ventures through arid deserts, grand […] The post New AAS Acacia Fantasy Pack appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

From @synthandsoftware - Pink Parrot Studio ships Quadtrack as an innovative computer-based groovebox combining classic Commodore Amiga sonic texture with modern live sequencing. PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT Creatively capturing the sonic texture of the classic Commodore Amiga home computer and combining it with modern Iive sequencing is easier said than done, however — hence Pink Parrot Studio creating Quadtrack in the Scorpion Engine game development platform for Amiga to then […] The post New Quadtrack Computer-Based Groovebox appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

From @synthandsoftware - Rob Papen introduces eXplorer-11 inspirational bundle with 36 plug-ins, augmented with RAW-Kick 2 and FilterField additions. PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT Rob Papen Inspiration Soundware introduces eXplorer-11 as the latest edition of its inspirational bundle — with 36 plug-ins (plus an option to add 11 legacy products), augmented with the addition of RAW-Kick 2 as a three-layer powerhouse […] The post New Explorer-11 From Rob Papen appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

Unusable Engineering has released Cavitation Fractures, a free distortion plugin for macOS inspired by fluid dynamics. I love distortions in general, and I especially enjoy trying new ones that don’t follow the standard overdrive/clipping playbook. Cavitation Fractures is one of those. It’s different but not weird in a way that you don’t know how to [...] View post: Cavitation Fractures is a new FREE fluid-dynamics distortion plugin for macOS View the full article

Japanese indie developer AIDE AUDIO has released VS-1 Versa Synth, a free hybrid synthesizer for Windows with an optional AI-driven patch generator. I’m still divided on AI in music production, and I recently wrote about the topic in the context of AI-assisted plugin development. I’m not a fan of AI being used to crank out [...] View post: AIDE AUDIO releases VS-1 Versa Synth, a FREE hybrid synthesizer with optional AI patch generation View the full article

You can now get 92% off the Solid State Logic Fusion Bundle at Plugin Boutique in a limited-time offer. The Solid State Logic Fusion Bundle delivers the core elements of the SSL Fusion analogue 2U rack processor. SSL Fusion Bundle includes five distinct plugins, each taken from a section of the hardware unit. Fusion HF [...] View post: Get 92% off the Solid State Logic Fusion Bundle at Plugin Boutique (limited-time offer) View the full article

Filtronix is the first release from Takahiro Oishi (Push and Groove), a producer and developer based in Japan. This debut plugin offers four carefully modelled analogue synthesiser filter circuits. The four filter models aren’t from any old synths; they come from the Minimoog Model D, Oberheim SEM, Sequential Prophet 5, and EDP Wasp. Aptly named [...] View post: Takahiro Oishi releases Filtronix, four iconic filter models in one FREE plugin (Windows-only) View the full article

The Outbox 8 will connect to devices like the Digitakt, Digitone and Syntakt and add 8 additional outputs, each of which can be configured for audio or CV/Gate.… Read More Elektron Outbox 8 Promises To Expand Your Synth With 8 Audio Or CV/Gate OutputsView the full article

The patches in the One soundbank include bass, bell, funk, keys, leads, organ, pads, performance, poly, sequence, strings, sweeps, and more.… Read More New Sound Library For The Moog OneView the full article