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…

Arturia has released Pigments Play, a free software synthesizer powered by its flagship Pigments instrument. Pigments Play is not the full version of Pigments, but it gives you a free and approachable way to use some of its sound engine and preset content. It feels like Arturia’s Pigments equivalent of Analog Lab Play, which we [...] View post: Arturia releases Pigments Play, a FREE Pigments-powered synth View the full article

30 years ago, Steinberg changed the landscape of music production forever when it introduced VST, a groundbreaking format allowing the seamless integration of virtual instruments, effects and processing tools into any compatible host application... The post Steinberg is celebrating 30 years of VST and 25 years of HALion with a raft of massive discounts and free updates appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

What is Mastering?Mastering is the final stage of polish for your music. While mixing is about balancing multiple parts, mastering focuses on refining the stereo file so that it translates across different systems and sounds competitive with other professional tracks. It can’t fix a broken mix, but it can add that final shine; correcting the tonal balance if it’s too dark or bright, crafting consistent and punchy dynamics, and setting the loudness for streaming and other formats. It can also be the last chance to check for clicks, overly hot peaks and mono-compatibility... The post A quick guide to mastering your own music appeared first on MusicTech. View the full articl…

Roland opens this week’s software deals with the Cloud version of the TR-808, the definitive emulation of arguably the most influential drum machine in music history. You can grab it for a solid 55 Euro. Next up is Eventide with SplitEQ, a parametric EQ that processes transients and tonal content separately. Genuinely interesting stuff. Rounding things out is UVI Drum Replacer, an intelligent drum replacement tool built on machine learning, now 59 Euro instead of 299 Euro. The TR-808 is one of those instruments that got its own documentary, that’s how deep its influence runs across hip-hop, pop, and electronic music over the last four decades. Roland rebuilt its own legen…

Analog Obsession has released THEDI, a free coloration plugin inspired by a famous colored DI box. The developer describes THEDI as a “colored DI box in the box” that tightens the low end, enhances the mids, and adds sparkle to the high end. Analog Obsession doesn’t name the exact hardware unit, but my guess is [...] View post: Analog Obsession releases THEDI, a FREE colored DI box plugin View the full article

Jesus Oyola has released The Bass Particle, a free bass saturation and sub-resonator plugin for Windows, macOS, and Linux. This is a cool little plugin for saturating and thickening bass frequencies. To some extent, it reminds me of our own free BPB Bassaturator plugin, although the control setup is very different. The Bass Particle is [...] View post: The Bass Particle is a FREE bass saturation plugin for Windows, macOS, and Linux View the full article

Steinberg has re-released five of its classic VST plugins in the free Steinberg Classic Collection, available now at Plugin Boutique. The bundle includes Neon, CS-40, Karlette, VB-1, and LM7. These are some of the plugins that helped define the early days of computer-based music production, going back to the time after Steinberg introduced VST in [...] View post: Steinberg re-releases five classic VST plugins for FREE View the full article

Mastering The Mix has released MIXVAULT, a new immersive EQ plugin for macOS and Windows. The launch follows several recent Mastering The Mix releases we covered on BPB, including REFERENCE 3 and STEREOVAULT. MIXVAULT also connects naturally to the developer’s earlier EQ tools, especially MIXROOM and BASSROOM. The idea behind MIXVAULT is to make EQ [...] View post: Mastering The Mix launches MIXVAULT immersive EQ plugin View the full article

The Lifeforms SV-2 is "perfect for complex tones or lo-fi noise'.… Read More Pittsburgh Modular Lifeforms SV-2 Sneak PreviewView the full article

From @synthandsoftware - No tweaking – record parts using one MIDI piano, play them back on another Everyone who’s ever recorded MIDI piano parts using one sampled or modeled piano, then switched the same MIDI over to another one to try out another sound, knows that it’s not that simple. They all respond differently, and given how subtle […] The post The MIDI Piano Profiles Standard Is Here appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

The Ableton origin story is such a good reminder that the best tools often come from someone scratching their own itch rather than a market-research exercise - Behles and Henke built the core of Live because they needed it for their own performances, not because they'd spotted a gap in the DAW market ...

JADE from The Usual Suspects is a Roland JD-990 simulator currently in alpha, and it’s available for free. You can download this alpha version from the developers’ Discord channel in AU, VST2, VST3, LV2, and CLAP formats for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Once an official release is announced, you’ll be able to download it directly [...] View post: The Usual Suspects JADE: a FREE Roland JD-990 simulator (alpha) View the full article

Plugin Boutique is offering Native Instruments FM8 for $10 until August 16th. This is the lowest price I have ever seen for FM8. We have covered some great Native Instruments deals on BPB before, including FM8 at $24.50 last year, but I don’t remember seeing it drop below $10. If you have been waiting to [...] View post: Native Instruments FM8 drops to its lowest-ever $10 price at Plugin Boutique View the full article

From developer Tomasz Głuc comes the alpha version OMNi, a free Rust-based DAW. While our favourite plugins may change over time, it’s not uncommon to stick with the same DAW for the entirety of our musical lives. After a brief spell with Cubase, I made an early jump to Logic Pro, and other than making [...] View post: OMNi (alpha v0.1), a FREE Rust-based DAW with native AI sample generation View the full article

The video covers a quick overview of the project, how to get access to the current alpha, and a preview of the sound.… Read More Roland JD-990 Emulator, JADE, Now In Development (Sneak Preview)View the full article

Shadaloo Audio DSP has released APD Compressor, a free/pay-what-you-want vocal compressor plugin for macOS and Windows. We recently covered several plugins from Fabio “Shadaloo” Caterino, including the free H tone and loudness enhancer, the Wide spatial enhancement plugin, and the excellent Vinland Drive tape emulator. APD Compressor continues the developer’s pay-what-you-want approach. You can enter [...] View post: Shadaloo Audio DSP releases APD Compressor vocal compressor for FREE View the full article

ZL Audio has released ZL Spectrum Equalizer, a free and open-source dynamic spectrum equalizer plugin for Windows, macOS, and Linux. I already expected something like this coming from ZL Audio at some point. The developer is behind the excellent ZL Equalizer 2 and ZL Compressor, both of which received some fantastic feedback from the BPB [...] View post: ZL Audio releases ZL Spectrum Equalizer, a FREE dynamic spectrum EQ View the full article

The guide covers an introduction to chiptune, using LSDJ on the Game Boy to make music, hardware, syncing with other gear and more. … Read More The Beginner’s Guide To Game Boy ChiptuneView the full article

Plugin Boutique is offering the Native Instruments Reaktor Synthesizer Bundle for $99 until August 16th. Reaktor Synthesizer Bundle normally lists for $1,109, so this is a pretty heavy discount if you want a lot of Reaktor-based instruments in one purchase. Native Instruments has had a complicated year, as James recently covered in our articles, including [...] View post: Get Native Instruments Reaktor Synthesizer Bundle for $99 at Plugin Boutique View the full article

Auburn Sounds has released Psypan 2 Free Edition, a free stereo multi-effect plugin for Windows, macOS, and Linux. We have covered several Auburn Sounds plugins on BPB over the years, including Panagement, Lens, and Inner Pitch. Psypan 2 follows the same Free/Full model, with a very usable free version and a paid upgrade for the [...] View post: Auburn Sounds releases Psypan 2 Free, a stereo multi-effect plugin View the full article

Nakst has made Altitude, an advanced hybrid synthesis workstation for Windows, macOS, and Linux, available as freeware. We have covered several nakst instruments on BPB over the years, including Apricot, Regency, ExtraBold, and the now-free Integrate. Altitude was previously one of the developer’s paid instruments, so this is a nice, and somewhat unexpected, addition to [...] View post: Nakst’s Altitude hybrid synthesis workstation is now freeware View the full article

Kieran Foster, the developer known as illformed, dblue, and MaDHaTTeR, has passed away. He was 47. I never knew Kieran personally, but his work was a significant part of my music production journey. When I first started making music on a computer, around 2008, the original dblue Glitch was one of the first plugins I [...] View post: Remembering Kieran Foster, creator of illformed Glitch View the full article

SOUNDRAW has launched SOUNDRAW Grid, a sample creation and music production tool for iOS and macOS. BPB readers can use the coupon code BPBLOG to get a discount on SOUNDRAW Grid. The code gives 15% off the Pro Annual plan in the iOS App Store, bringing it from $99.99 to $84.99. The bigger discount is [...] View post: SOUNDRAW Grid lets you build your own samples (free tier + BPB discount) View the full article

GO:KEYS 3 Minion will feature a Minions yellow look, along with playable Minions voices.… Read More Roland GO:KEYS 3 Minion Keyboard Coming In SeptView the full article

Ample Sound has released Ample Guitar M Lite 4, a free acoustic guitar virtual instrument for macOS and Windows. Free acoustic guitar plugins are hard to find, and Ample Sound’s free Martin D-41 instrument has been one of the best options out there since the early 2010s. We covered Ample Guitar M Lite II back [...] View post: Ample Sound releases Ample Guitar M Lite 4, a FREE acoustic guitar plugin View the full article

When it comes to free orchestral libraries, we are spoiled for choice. The latest on offer is the free Pocket Strings by The Crow Hill Company. If, like me, you remember when collections like HALion String Edition Volume 1, which weighed in at a whopping 5GB (roughly), represented a significant step up from any native [...] View post: Pocket Strings by The Crow Hill Company is now FREE View the full article

FRCTL Audio has released AURA Lite, a free ducking reverb plugin for Windows, macOS, and Linux. FRCTL has been on a nice run of free tools lately. We recently covered DLAY Lite, and before that, SWRL Lite and GRN Lite. I like FRCTL Audio’s free plugins so far, and AURA Lite is another useful one. [...] View post: FRCTL Audio releases AURA Lite, a FREE ducking reverb plugin View the full article

Plugin Boutique is offering Excite Audio’s Bloom Synth Analogue Lite for $3 with the coupon code l9ueiios. The plugin normally costs $29 and is currently on sale for $19 until August 31, but the code brings it down to $3 at checkout. I don’t know how long the coupon will work, so hurry if you [...] View post: Get Bloom Synth Analogue Lite for $3 at Plugin Boutique View the full article

I’ve been reviewing audio plugins on Bedroom Producers Blog for more than 15 years. I don’t have an exact number, but I’ve probably tested more than 2,000 plugins in that time. Maybe close to 2,500, depending on how strictly we count the ones I installed, disliked, and uninstalled right away. During all that plugin testing, [...] View post: I reviewed 2,000 plugins. Making my own took 2 years. View the full article