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…

Drop The Bass by Illements is loaded with seriously punchy synth bass sounds for electronic music – and now you can get the plugin for free for a limited time! Also in this week’s roundup of freebies: a free saturation plugin and a multi-effect for vocals. Are you always on the lookout for punchy synth bass sounds for Modern House, Tech House, and similar styles? Then you shouldn’t miss this offer from Illements. Drop The Bass is a ROMpler loaded with 100 ready-to-use bass sounds… The post Drop The Bass, Extra Spice, SVE: Free Plugins of the Week appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

Audeze has unveiled the most affordable instalment in its LCD series of headphones to date. The LCD-S20 Closed-Back headphones channel the company’s high-end audio quality and SLAM spatial imaging into a much more affordable package, costing just $499... The post Audeze’s LCD-S20 headphones are the most affordable in its LCD series – and pack in its ground-breaking SLAM technology appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

Get inspired with this collection of versatile rhythmic chord patterns — perfect for adding groove and movement to your tracks. Whether you're producing House, EDM, or any other Dance music style, these presets are ready to fit right in. ChordPotion info: Use the 'Copy package to clipboard' button to import the presets directly to ChordPotion. Click on the button, then open ChordPotion and use 'Clipboard button -> Paste from clipboard'. Alternatively, you can download the package file and import it with 'Clipboard button -> Import package' inside ChordPotion. Sundog info: Use the 'Copy package to clipboard' button to import the presets directly to Sundog. Click on t…

Plugin Boutique has rolled out its April gift and, this month, you’ll get MOK Miniraze for free with any eligible purchase. It’s not exactly free in that regard, so let’s call it a 2-for-1. Long-time customers of Plugin Boutique already know the deal. You buy a plugin and get that month’s gift for free. The [...] View post: Claim FREE copy of MOK Miniraze synth with an eligible purchase at Plugin Boutique View the full article

Baby Audio has released a new, enhanced version of the popular Smooth Operator Pro plugin. To celebrate this latest release, the developer is offering a $50 discount for a limited time. Smooth Operator Pro is normally $129, but during the intro sale, it’s $79. Owners of the original version can upgrade to Smooth Operator Pro [...] View post: Baby Audio releases the Smooth Operator Pro spectral signal balancer with special intro pricing View the full article

HoRNet Audio is offering the HoRNet LU Meter MK2 metering plugin for free until 23:59:59 on April 12 (GMT+2), with discount code LUMEFREE. HoRNet LU Meter MK2 is typically priced at €5.99, so this isn’t the biggest steal on paper. On the other hand, it’s well worth grabbing while it’s free—especially if you’re after a reliable LUFS meter [...] View post: HoRNet LU Meter MK2 is FREE until Midnight April 12 View the full article

Wondering how to sell your synth presets? Here are nine sites to host your patches and make some money. There are many ways to make money from your music. Some are straightforward, like writing songs and getting royalties from sales and streaming. Others are more like side hustles, like making sample packs, starting a YouTube channel or teaching online music classes. One of the biggest, though, is making synth presets… The post How to Sell Synth Presets appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

The free update adds multiple new features, including resampling, song mode, increased polyphony and more.… Read More Teenage Engineering K.O. II Gets Major UpdateView the full article

This week’s synth news roundup includes Vadim Minkin Kaleidoscope, a hardware sequencer and drum machine from Tato Audio, a free online TR-808, and more. Well, looky here. You may know the developer Vadim Minkin from his work with Soma. Now he’s set out on his own and his first product is now available. Vadim Minkin Kaleidoscope is a generative digital synthesizer with four voices of polyphony. You can play it as a regular polyphonic synth via MIDI but that would sort of defeat the purpose of it, as it’s intended to be used with the onboard sequencer… The post Vadim Minkin Kaleidoscope Generative Synth, Free Online TR-808, More: Synth Journal appeared first on gearnews.co…

The electric piano is one of the mid-20th century’s greatest musical innovations, creating silky smooth timbres to harmonically rich tones and everything in between. While most commonly heard in soul and jazz, electric pianos also became popular in pop, rock and electronic music as well. The most well-known electric piano manufacturer is arguably Rhodes, though Hohner and Wurlitzer produced well-regarded electric pianos too. In this guide we’re going to look specifically at Wurlitzer electric piano, and more specifically ten iconic songs they have been featured on… The post 10 iconic songs that use the Wurlitzer electric piano sound first appeared on Native Instruments Bl…

embargoed until Thu April 10 Native Instruments today unveiled Electric Keys – Reeds Duo, a pair of virtual instruments that capture the essence of two legendary reed-based electric pianos. These new instruments are the latest in an Electric Keys series, following the Electric Keys – Tines Duo, which introduced Diamond and Phoenix. The Reeds Duo… Read More Native Instruments Launches Electric Keys – Reeds Duo, Two Classic Electric PianosView the full article

At 30,000 daily downloads, Image-Line‘s FL Studio is among the most popular Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) on the planet. We’re now on FL Studio 2024, which is named so for the year it was released, with FL Studio 2025 seemingly coming soon… The post FL Studio 2025: Rumours, release date, and everything we know so far appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

Teenage Engineering has officially rolled out OS 2.0, the first major software update for its compact yet powerful EP-133 K.O.II sampler. Launched in late 2023, the $299 EP-133 K.O.II quickly became a smash hit among beatmakers thanks to its compact, intuitive design, and nods to classic samplers like the Akai MPC 3000. Now, nearly a year and a half later, OS 2.0 is here to push the K.O.II to new heights with a list of “knockout features” that broaden its capabilities and improve performance across the board… The post Teenage Engineering’s EP-133 K.O.II just got its first major OS update – here’s what’s new appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

Slate Digital has made three of its popular Virtual Mix Rack (VMR) modules available for free and removed the need for an iLok USB Dongle by enabling iLok Cloud authorization. The free modules—The Monster, Revival, and The Trimmer—are now included with the VMR installation via the Slate Digital Connect app. While the app installs the [...] View post: Slate Digital Offers Three FREE Virtual Mix Rack Modules with iLok Cloud Support View the full article

Just in time for the holidays, Thomann starts the Software Easter Deals. Among the software deals are cool software synthesizers and effects from Brainworx, Eventide, Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, Universal Audio, XLN Audio and more. If you like to work “in-the-box”, you should definitely take a look at these instruments and effects! But hurry – these exclusive offers are only available until April 22, 2025. And with huge discounts of over 80%! By the way, you can find our huge list of other Easter mega deals here. Don’t miss them! ... The post Software Easter Deals 2025 at Thomann: Plugins at a Special Price – Our Highlights appeared first on gearnews.com…

Easter Synth Deals at Thomann: Europe’s largest music retailer kicks off its “Sweeter than Chocolate” promotion with massive discounts on synths, controllers, and more. We’ve found some of the best offers for you! ... The post Easter Synth Deals at Thomann: Deals Sweeter Than Chocolate! appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

Pop culture has programmed humanity to fear an impending uprising of robots that will wipe out civilisation. But Charlotte Kemp-Muhl, one of the directors of Finis Musicae, sees robots as another means to push music forward alongside humanity. “New genres are born on the back of new technology. Rock and roll from electric guitars. Hip-hop from samplers. Laptops were the last [enabler of] new genres of music, but there hasn’t really been anything new since then,” Kemp-Muhl says. The post “Instead of robotics replacing musicians, there’s a big opportunity for extension and augmentation”: Finis Musicae on programming robots to play live instruments appeared first on MusicTec…

Serum’s diverse sonic palette and exceptionally bold sound character have made it the go-to software synth for artists and producers in a huge scope of musical styles, including EDM, Pop, and Hip-Hop for over a decade. A star-studded lineup of users includes the likes of Skrillex and Deadmau5, and Serum’s sound has dominated the electronic music landscape... The post Is Xfer Records’ Serum 2 still the most powerful software synth you can buy? appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

Thomann doesn’t hide hardware and software in the garden, but lets us save with Easter sales. Just in time for the holy holidays, spring is showing its musical side, as Thomann is starting the Easter week with a special promotion. Under the motto “Sweeter Than Chocolate”, Thomann is offering a selection of products especially for musicians and all those who work with professional stage and studio equipment. While many are looking for bargains, here you will find discounts of up to 70 percent off regular prices. Sounds exciting! ... The post Easter Sales at Thomann: Up to 70% Discount on Music Equipment! appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

The Trump administration has raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%, which threatens to double the cost of synthesizers imported from China.… Read More Trump Tariffs Threaten To Double Electronic Music Gear PricesView the full article

If you’ve used any of our Expansions, then you’ll know how inspiring these musical toolkits can be. Packed with loops, samples, and other creative material focused on a particular genre or sound, each Expansion gives you everything you need to make your best music yet. The creative potential of Maschine Expansions just got even greater thanks to Leap, Kontakt’s intuitive sampler and live looper. With Leap, you can explore your entire Expansions sample collection right inside Kontakt. Leap lets you seamlessly browse these sounds and assemble them into playable kits; quickly loop and jam them into songs; and shape and refine them with advanced sampling and real-time FX. In …

AudioPluginDeals is offering AmpliTube SVX by IK Multimedia free for a limited time if you need some vibe to that bass track. The plugin is available for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU, and AAX formats, 64-bit only. The software is usually priced at $99 and features a huge array of emulated cabs, amps, and [...] View post: Get AmpliTube SVX by IK Multimedia for FREE for a limited time @ AudioPluginDeals View the full article

We check out some sampled samples from the legendary Fairlight CMI along with new patches for the Yamaha TX81Z, Moog Sub Phatty and Subsequent 25. This week we’ve got sounds from 80s synths and samplers as well as patches for more modern synths like the KORG modwave and GForce Software’s Oddity 3... The post Bang the Fairlight Drum – Sounds and Presets appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

First appearing in 2009, Studio One is a relative newcomer to the DAW scene compared to older names — Cubase, FL Studio, and Reason, for example. But its heritage is solid, its creators having worked on developing flagship products for Steinberg, including Cubase and Nuendo. While PreSonus’ line-up includes many studio hardware products, this software is far from an afterthought. Rather, it’s a highly capable music production suite which deserves a wider audience, despite shortcomings. But in a crowded field, does it do enough to capture your attention? ... The post PreSonus Studio One Pro 7 wants to be your go-to DAW, but can it mix it with the big-hitters? appeared firs…

Imaginando has launched GRFX – Granular Effects, a new plugin designed to “radically transform sound” through granulation. GRFX lets users break down ordinary audio into micro-particles and rebuild it into evolving pads and drones, glitchy rhythms, or even otherworldly tones and textures. The post Imaginando’s new GRFX granulation plugin invites “happy accidents” and experimental sounds appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

Inspiration won’t wait around for you. When a musical idea strikes, you need to be able to capture it without getting blocked or distracted. That’s why workflow is such a key aspect of electronic production. Poor workflow means you often lose your momentum, getting caught up in details and losing sight of the big picture. With a good workflow locked in, your tools will serve your needs, and ideas will flow more freely. Leap, Kontakt’s live looper, is designed to improve workflow at multiple stages in the creative process. This intuitive live looper and sample manipulation tool makes it easy to jam out ideas, quickly develop arrangements, and enhance sounds with real-time …

Today Cre8audio introduced Boom Chick, an innovative “pure analog” drum machine. Boom Chick blends the inspiration of classic drum machines with cutting-edge analog circuitry and fresh design concepts from Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers. Boom Chick fuses expressive percussion voices with an advanced and intuitive sequencer, offering deep rhythmic exploration for today’s musicians and producers. Revolutionary Analog… Read More Cre8audio Unveils Boom Chick, the Pure Analog Drum Machine View the full article

Today Cre8audio introduced Assembler, a synth-focused analog audio mixer designed to deliver vintage console sound with intuitive hands-on control. Developed in collaboration with Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers, Assembler combines the warmth of classic analog mixers with a more modern workflow tailored for contemporary electronic artists, plus a few other fantastic sound sculpting tools. Vintage Sound, Modern… Read More Cre8audio Reveals Assembler: A Vintage Analog Audio Mixer for the Modern Synth EnthusiastView the full article

Cre8audio Assembler is a compact 10-channel mixer designed explicitly for synths and drum machines. Offering plenty of versatility and analog mojo, is Assembler the mixer for portable desktop setups we’ve all been waiting for? There’s still a surprising lack of suitable compact mixers for portable synth setups. Most conventional small mixing consoles from Mackie, Behringer and the like aren’t ideal, as they always seem to have too little of what you need and too much of what you don’t. The new Cre8audio Assembler seeks to fill that void. If you’ve been waiting for a compact mixer for your volcas, desktop synths, drum machines, and (semi-)modular gear, this looks like it’l…