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…

Tsuga Audio created Envosound, a free retro-gaming-inspired synth for macOS and Windows with ambient and experimental music producers in mind. The free synth combines the nostalgic sound of 80s gaming hardware with modern features and effects. Envosound isn’t the only retro-gaming-inspired synth we’ve covered recently; check out the free Junior-Lite 4-bit wavetable synth by Fors. [...] View post: Tsuga Audio releases Envosound, a FREE retro-gaming-inspired synth View the full article

Kushview has released PulseDial, a DTMF synthesizer plugin that transforms classic telephone keypad tones into a playable musical instrument, and it’s currently free until Christmas. PulseDial would be the perfect fit for the best weird plugins of 2025 article I wrote a few days ago. It’s definitely an odd instrument, but I kind of dig [...] View post: Kushview PulseDial telephone signal synthesizer plugin is FREE until December 25 View the full article

Excite Audio has made Bloom Bass Groove Lite free for a limited time on Plugin Boutique as part of its holiday promotion (ends on January 11). You can get Bloom Bass Groove Lite using the coupon code PB-XMAS-25, which drops the Lite version’s usual price ($29) to zero for the duration of the deal . [...] View post: Excite Audio Bloom Bass Groove Lite is FREE on Plugin Boutique during the holidays View the full article

This Christmas, Dutch electronic music producer Legowelt is spreading festive joy by releasing a free sample pack he created with his trusty Prophet 600. You can download the free pack from Legowelt’s website (via WeTransfer) with no sign-up or fuss. The pack includes 386 WAV files (16-bit mono), including basses, pads, chords, strings, and more. [...] View post: Legowelt releases a FREE Prophet 600 sample pack for the holiday season View the full article

This video captures a live performance by Silver Galaxy at Synthesizer Museum Berlin. … Read More Silver Galaxy Live Performance At Synthesizer Museum BerlinView the full article

This video captures a live modular synthesizer performance by Hélène Vogelsinger, 'Slow Returning'.… Read More Live Modular Synthesizer Performance – Hélène Vogelsinger’s Forgotten FuturesView the full article

Karanyi Sounds announced that Minipol, a virtual analog synthesizer for macOS and Windows, is available for a limited time during the holiday season. You can grab your free copy by visiting the promo page on Karanyi Sounds’ website and entering your name and email address. Once you do that, Minipol lands in your inbox, no [...] View post: Karanyi Minipol virtual analog synthesizer is FREE during the holidays View the full article

Fors has introduced Junior, a 4-bit software synth that's inspired by the Nintendo Game Boy soundchip. … Read More New Software Synth, Junior, Inspired By Nintendo Game Boy SoundchipView the full article

Fors releases Junior-Lite, a freeware 4-bit wavetable synth plugin for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Fors Junior-Lite is the little brother of Junior (£29), and, like its big brother, it simulates the sound of the Nintendo Game Boy. While Junior-Lite doesn’t emulate the Game Boy sound with absolute accuracy (we have GB DrumBox for that), it [...] View post: Fors releases Junior-Lite, a FREE 4-bit wavetable synth plugin View the full article

Argentinian developer VZTec has just released its Fuzz plugin, a free emulation of its own Fuzz pedal for Linux, macOS, and Windows. The plugin is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, in AAX, VST, AU, and LV2 formats. I have to give props to VZTec, as the dev made it as simple as possible to download [...] View post: VZTec Drops FREE Plugin Emulation of their Fuzz Pedal View the full article

JT4000M Programmer is a free web-based patch editor for the Behringer JT-4000 Micro Synthesizer. … Read More Free Behringer JT-4000M Patch EditorView the full article

Sinevibes has released a major update to Skew, its non-linear reverse delay plugin for Linux, Mac & Windows, and made it available as a free download. … Read More Free Music Software: Sinevibes Skew 2 Non-Linear Reverse Delay EffectView the full article

The SFC-mini V4 controller is designed to provide a hardware-like experience to using Minimoog-inspired software synthesizers. … Read More Soundforce Intros SFC-Mini V4 Minimoog Software MIDI ControllerView the full article

Acustica Audio has introduced Squid-3, a major update to its software synthesizer for Mac & Windows. … Read More Acustica Audio Intros Squid-3 SynthesizerView the full article

Antilope features a dual pingable fully resonant filter, with distortion + multiFX feedback path, all controllable through a pattern recorder.… Read More Manifold Research Centre Antilope ‘Pseudo Drum Machine’ First LookView the full article

The powerful 3-voice hybrid phase distortion synthesizer includes everything users need for hands-on synthesis. Behringer has released the CZ-1 MINI, a powerful 3-voice hybrid phase distortion synthesizer with an analog low-pass filter, built-in sequencer, arpeggiator, and more. Whether you’re producing in the studio or jamming on the go, the CZ-1 MINI delivers bold, expressive sound in a [...] The post Hands-On Synthesis: Behringer/Music Tribe Reveals CZ-1 MINI appeared first on DJ LIFE Magazine. View the full article

Fors Junior is a 4-bit wavetable synth plugin inspired by the sound engine from the Nintendo Game Boy, and there’s even a free version. Fors is a software developer known for its innovative Max for Live devices, so you can expect plenty of value here with an excellent balance of creative soundshaping power and intuitive GUI... The post Fors Junior: A Game Boy-style 4-bit Wavetable Synth appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

Justin Ehrlichman’s JDrummer is an open-source VST-3 drum plugin built with the JUICE framework and featuring a range of kits, grooves, and some intelligent composition features. As you’ll see from the title, JDrummer isn’t macOS compatible, so before we get into it, let’s look at some alternatives for Mac users. If you’re after a retro [...] View post: Justin Ehrlichman releases JDrummer, a FREE and open-source percussion instrument for Windows and Linux View the full article

AudioDeluxe is offering major holiday deals right now, chief among them SSL’s X-Limit and X-Comp plugins, now available for just $9.99 each. The X-Comp stereo compressor offers a larger reduction, dropping to 90% off its list price of $99. The X-Limit limiter has been reduced by 80% from its $49 list price. SSL’s X-Limit and X-Comp [...] View post: SSL X-Limit and X-Comp are on sale for $9.99 each at AudioDeluxe View the full article

Finding the best music production software usually starts with one simple question: what part of your process needs the most support right now? If you are scoring a film, you might need a sampler for expressive, realistic instruments. If your mix needs more breathing room, a dedicated piece of mixing software can speed up tough decisions. You might even want one full suite that covers songwriting, sound design, and final mix in a single place. Native Instruments (which includes iZotope and Plugin Alliance) offers a huge ecosystem of plugins that supports every stage of production. These plugins can move you from early ideation all the way to a polished master. This guide …

So far, 2025 has been one of the most generous years I’ve seen for free plugins. I’ve been covering freebies for well over a decade now, and every year, free plugins get a little better and more polished. That abundance comes with a downside, though. We’re starting to see a lot of the same plugin [...] View post: 10 unusual FREE VST Plugins released in 2025 that try something different View the full article

In much of today’s AI-driven music technology, the emphasis is on speed and output, on systems designed to deliver finished results with minimal process. At Native Instruments, our interest lies elsewhere: how can computational tools support the act of making music without substituting artistic intention? This perspective shaped the design of the Absynth 6 Preset Explorer. Rather than using AI to generate sound, we use it to listen – analyzing and organizing presets to reveal relationships across a vast library. The goal is orientation, helping artists navigate complexity while keeping creative intent firmly in their hands... The post Absynth 6 Preset Explorer: where AI m…

Turnt Plugins and Epica Audio have both released free one-knob audio effects, and while they come from different developers, the idea behind them is surprisingly similar. If you’re into ultra-simple plugins that aim to enhance your sound with a single control, this article is for you. If not, feel free to skip it and save [...] View post: Two FREE one-knob audio enhancers from Turnt Plugins and Epica Audio View the full article

With AUv3 compatibility, you can now use iWavestation within Apple’s Logic Pro, GarageBand, and other third-party iOS music production apps. … Read More Korg iWavestation Update Adds AUv3 Support, Drops Inter-App Audio & AudiobusView the full article

The UB-1 Micro is a portable mini-synth that offers dual DCO oscillators, a 24 dB/oct low-pass filter and a built-in arpeggiator.… Read More Behringer UB-1 Micro Synthesizer Now AvailableView the full article

Audulus can be used to create synthesizers, sequencers, audio effects and more. … Read More Audulus Modular Audio Processor Now Free On iOS, iPad & macOSView the full article

Skew is an experimental reverse delay plugin that has been around for a few years and was recently updated to Skew v2. With this new update, Sinevibes has implemented various improvements, tweaked the interface, and decided to give us Skew for free. It’s always nice to get a new plugin without digging into your pockets, [...] View post: Sinevibes Skew v2 non-linear reverse delay plugin is now FREE View the full article

ACE Studio 2.0 is an all-in-one AI music studio for macOS and Windows, focused on AI-generated vocals, instruments, and related production tools. ACE Studio is designed around expressive AI-powered singing rather than full song generation (although that is also possible in version 2.0 with the Generative AI Kit “Inspire Me”). The core idea is that [...] View post: ACE Studio 2.0 is an AI music studio for AI-generated vocals, instruments, and more View the full article

Soundtoys has made Devil-Loc, a distortion plugin for macOS and Windows, available until December 19 as the final freebie in the company’s 12 Days of Soundtoys promotion. This is the sixth and last plugin in the giveaway, following earlier freebies like Little Plate and Little MicroShift. While Little MicroShift is still my personal favorite of [...] View post: Soundtoys offers Devil-Loc distortion plugin for FREE until December 19 View the full article