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 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

Today’s Perfect Match is all about producing drum and bass in the DAW. We’re showing you three genuinely interesting plugins that step outside the usual synth recommendations. Instead, this is about the tools you’ll want alongside plugins like Serum, Massive, Vital, or whatever synth you’re already reaching for. Whenever people talk about producing drum and bass in the DAW, the conversation almost always circles back to synths. “What’s the best synth plugin for drum and bass?” comes up constantly, and the answers are pretty predictable at this point: Serum, Massive and Massive X, Pigments, Vital, or Phase Plant. But beyond those synths and the usual sample packs, there ar…

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