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 UB-1 Micro features dual DCO oscillators, a 24 dB/oct low-pass filter and a built-in arpeggiator.… Read More Behringer UB-1 Micro Puts Big Sound In Small Package (Sound Demo)View the full article

The event will feature exhibitions, masterclasses, concerts, discussions, synth rarities, tutorials and more.… Read More Synthfest France Returns April 17-19, 2026View the full article

WoodPecker v2.5 is now available for both MacOS and iOS.… Read More WoodPecker MIDI Sequencer 2.5 Brings New Sequencing Options, MIDI CC LearnView the full article

Boochow Instruments has introduced a free web app for building custom KORG drumlogue user units directly from Pure Data patches.… Read More Free Tool Turns Pure Data Patches Intro Korg drumlogue UnitsView the full article

Shortcircuit XT by Surge Synth Team is an open-source sampler plugin for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and it’s now in beta. Fans of the original Shortcircuit sampler and the Surge Synth Team have been eagerly awaiting the next step in the plugin’s progress since we covered the pre-alpha release years ago. We have a lot [...] View post: The open-source Shortcircuit XT sampler by Surge Synth Team is now in beta View the full article

Continuing their series, the Crow Hill Company has released Glass Beaker, a free experimental instrument in the Vaults series. I think we’re all familiar with the Vaults series from The Crow Hill Company. But, for anyone who isn’t, the Vaults series is a collection of free instruments, each available for a limited time. Once the [...] View post: The Crow Hill Company releases Glass Beaker, a FREE experimental instrument in the Vaults series View the full article

The Bob Moog Foundation has announced its latest fundraising raffle, featuring a Minimoog Voyager XL synthesizer, signed by electronic music pioneer Thomas Dolby. … Read More Latest Moog Foundation Raffle Features Minimoog Voyager XL Signed By Thomas DolbyView the full article

From @synthandsoftware - The Bob Moog Foundation is excited to announce its winter fundraising raffle for a Minimoog Voyager XL signed by the legendary musician and tech innovator Thomas Dolby. The Minimoog Voyager XL, serial number 0745, is in excellent physical and technical condition. It is valued at $7,500. The raffle begins at 7 am on February 2, […] The post Bob Moog Foundation Announces Fundraising Raffle for Minimoog Voyager XL Signed by Thomas Dolby appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

Manifest Audio has released Tactum, a free stochastic impulse monosynth built for Max for Live and designed to run inside Ableton Live. I don’t usually feature Max for Live devices on BPB, mainly because not everyone can use them. But every now and then, something amazing comes along that feels worth making an exception for. [...] View post: Manifest Audio releases Tactum, FREE stochastic impulse monosynth for Max for Live View the full article

Craft Labs has released Mayerism, a free guitar amp plugin for Windows and macOS inspired by the signature tones of John Mayer. Mayerism is another example of how far free guitar amp plugins have come in recent years, and that is especially true for those built on Neural Amp Modeler technology. Not that long ago, [...] View post: Craft Labs releases Mayerism, a free guitar amp plugin inspired by John Mayer View the full article

In his latest video, German synthesist Hainbach takes a look at the String Armonica, an electro-acoustic instrument based on the idea of acoustic synthesis. … Read More The String Armonica Offers A Different Take On Acoustic SynthesisView the full article

Black Octopus Sound offers the Drums Master Bundle drum and percussion sample collection for $10 to Bedroom Producers Blog readers until February 11th. This is an exclusive BPB offer. Drums Master Bundle is listed at its full price on the website, but you can bring it down to $10 by entering the coupon code BPBDrums10 at [...] View post: BPB Deal: Black Octopus Sound Drums Master Bundle for $10 View the full article

The Syntrx II features stable main oscillators with waveshapers, a versatile multimode filter, external instrument inputs with an envelope follower, ringmodulator, recordable joystick, built-in piano roll sequencer, matrix mixer and DSP-based FX. … Read More Erica Synths Syntrx II Review – ‘The Beast Of Analog’View the full article

Synsonic Instruments has made three of its previously paid drum plugins free to download for macOS and Windows. If you’ve been following Bedroom Producers Blog for a while, you’ll probably recognize the name Synsonic Instruments from their old BD-808 Free (featured in our article about the best free 808 plugins) and BD-909 Free plugins. Those [...] View post: Synsonic Instruments now offers their paid drum plugins for free View the full article

RCJacH has released RCSiner, a free distortion plugin for macOS and Windows, now available as a standalone plugin. RCSiner is a waveshaping and phase-distortion effect built around sine-based shaping formulas. While the project has been floating around in various forms before (I first saw it mentioned in 2025, but haven’t featured it on BPB then), [...] View post: RCJacH releases FREE RCSiner distortion plugin for Windows and macOS View the full article

Igorski has released Phlegetron, a free distortion plugin for macOS and Windows. I’m a big fan of Igorski’s plugins. The interfaces are always nicely designed, and the functionality tends to be focused rather than bloated with unnecessary stuff. The old Homecorrupter bitcrusher is still a personal favorite of mine, but I’m always happy to dig [...] View post: Igorski releases Phlegetron, a FREE distortion plugin for macOS and Windows View the full article

With the NightSky plugin, you can create vast soundscapes from just a few notes. … Read More Strymon NightSky Now Available For Mac & WindowsView the full article

Here's a sneak preview of the upcoming reissue of the Future Retro 777 bassline synthesizer.… Read More Future Retro 777 Reissue Sneak Preview From 2026 Buchla & Friends ShowView the full article

LaunchCodes is a free virtual instrument for Mac & Windows that's built for synthesizing explosive hits and basses.… Read More Free Software Synth, LaunchCodes, Makes An ImpactView the full article

The application promises to automate and streamline sample conversion and management for a variety of samplers.… Read More New macOS Sample Manager For Any Sampler, SampleStack (Sneak Preview)View the full article

KODA has been designed to make creating sample-based instruments easy. … Read More KODA ‘Next Generation’ Sampler Sneak PreviewView the full article

Key updates for musicians include AI Session Players and Chord ID in Logic Pro, Beat Detection in Final Cut, Ableton Link in Mainstage, and a more comprehensive sound library. … Read More Apple Logic Pro 12, MainStage 4 Now Available – Here’s What’s NewView the full article

Kymátika Sounds has released PTone, a free sample library for the Audiomodern Soundbox virtual instrument, and it’s available as a pay-what-you-want download (starting at $0) for a limited time. The developer came across an old Casio keyboard at a flea market in Poland, discovered it was still working perfectly, and decided to turn it into [...] View post: Kymátika Sounds offers FREE Ptone for Audiomodern Soundbox View the full article

Gooey Audio has released Talkie, a simple formant filter plugin for macOS and Windows. The plugin is available at no cost for a limited time until February 20th, 2026. Talkie is basically a one-knob formant filter. The idea here is to turn frequency-rich sounds (mainly synths, but other sources work, too) into vowel-like tones using [...] View post: Gooey Audio offers Talkie formant filter plugin for FREE until February 20th View the full article

A statement from Native Instruments' CEO says that it's business as usual for the company. … Read More Native Instruments CEO Says ‘Business Continues As Usual’View the full article

Developer Andrew John March has announced three new synthesizers in his MoSS line. … Read More Three New Compact Synthesizers Coming ‘Soon’View the full article

Frap Tools has announced that the Magnolia - an eight-voice polyphonic analog synthesizer with through-zero linear FM - is now available.… Read More Frap Tools Magnolia Analog Synthesizer Now AvailableView the full article

New features in WaveLab 13 include Dolby Atmos music mastering, workflow enhancements, multicore rendering and streamlined editing features.… Read More Steinberg WaveLab 13 Now Available, Here’s What’s NewView the full article

From @synthandsoftware - The new v1.1 firmware adds powerful new capabilities for users working in HUI-compatible DAWs and those controlling external hardware. PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT THE V1.1 UPDATE INCLUDES: Mackie HUI support: Launch Control XL 3 now supports additional DAWs – including Pro Tools, Reaper, and Studio One – right out the box. Expanded MIDI routing: With flexible USB-to-DIN […] The post Novation Firmware Update For Launch Control XL 3 Control Surface appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article