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…

Distropolis Goods has introduced the Prismatic Spray II 'bytebeat adventure synth', an updated version of their experimental desktop synthesizer. … Read More Distropolis Goods Intros Prismatic Spray II ‘Bytebeat Adventure Synth’View the full article

The Messenger is normally priced at $899 USD, and it's currently available for $699.… Read More MOOG Messenger Cyber Monday Deal – 20% OffView the full article

The instruments, which are normally priced at $269.99, are all substantially discounted.… Read More Roland AIRA Compact Synths On Sale For Cyber MondayView the full article

The developer says that the "MÕNAI delivers comprehensive synthesis capabilities without compromise."… Read More Void9 MÕNAI Portable Music Workstation (Sneak Preview)View the full article

From @synthandsoftware - Rob Papen Inspiration Soundware announces DelGrain — thinking out of the box to extend its effect plug-in product line as a creative granular delay. PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT DelGrain features fanciful routings, a distortion feature, and FILTER, while also featuring the same DISRUPT spherical slider shared by its DelSane (stereo delay demonstrating ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ […] The post Rob Papen Introduces, DelGrain appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

From @synthandsoftware - 20 effect engines, integrated Filter and Finisher sections, and quality, production-ready presets for creative texture and harmonic shaping. PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT UJAM introduces UFX LOFI and UFX DISTORT as the latest additions to the UFX series, joining REVERB, DELAY, and FILTER. UFX LOFI focuses on degraded, character-rich textures inspired by tape wear and early digital artifacts, while […] The post UJAM Expands the UFX Series with LOFI and DISTORT appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

Plugin Boutique has added the Moog MoogerFooger MF-103S 12-Stage Phaser as a new free-with-purchase option this week, making it the standout pick in their current giveaway lineup. While several returning freebies from Black Friday are still on the list, the MF-103S is the fresh addition, and easily the most exciting one if you’re into classic [...] View post: Moog MoogerFooger MF-103S is FREE with any purchase View the full article

From @synthandsoftware - The Bob Moog Foundation announces its winter fundraising raffle featuring a custom-built Eurorack modular synthesizer valued at $24,000. The system is housed in a handcrafted 15U (126 hp) walnut cabinet by Asheville wood craftsman Chris Perryman (Gold Splinter) and includes 50 Eurorack modules and 11 controllers, all donated from 52 companies. The raffle is open […] The post The Bob Moog Foundation Announces “What Would Bob Do” Winter Raffle for Custom Built $24,000 Eurorack Synthesizer appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

Loopmasters has been re-acquired by its original founder, Matt Pelling, marking a rare moment in today’s music tech world where a beloved company returns to independent ownership. Loopmasters and its Loopcloud platform were sold to Beatport in 2020. Since then, Matt stepped away to focus on new projects, including his role at Rhodes Music Group. [...] View post: Loopmasters and Loopcloud returns to founder Matt Pelling View the full article

Ghosthack offers the Warehouse Techno Sounds 2026 sample pack as a free download today as the first gift in the company’s annual Advent Calendar. This year’s Advent Calendar from Ghosthack launched with a solid starter kit for techno producers. You’re getting over 450 royalty-free sounds, covering pounding bass loops, punchy drums, FX, synth loops, textures, [...] View post: Warehouse Techno Sounds is FREE today as Ghosthack launches 2025 Advent Calendar View the full article

DAWJunkie has released Lil’ Miss Doubler, a free artificial double-tracking (ADT) plugin designed to instantly thicken your vocals, guitars, or any mono source that needs a bit more width and presence. Lil’ Miss Doubler is a simple doubling tool, in contrast to something like the Tape Double Track plugin from AIR Music Tech. In this [...] View post: DAWJunkie releases Lil’ Miss Doubler, a FREE vocal doubler plugin View the full article

2B Played Music is offering SlimVerb and Delayed Classic plugins as FREE downloads with the code HOLIDAY25 until December 15, 2025. Both plugins have been free in the past, so if you missed those earlier chances, now’s a good time to add them to your toolbox at no cost. SlimVerb was covered as a freebie [...] View post: 2B Played Music offers SlimVerb and Delayed Classic for FREE View the full article

SampleScience is giving away three of its plugins, and you can grab them for free using the code freetheplugins. This offer arrives at a time when the developer has been going through some hard times, so if you’ve used SampleScience tools over the years and want to show some appreciation, this is a good moment [...] View post: SampleScience offers three plugins for FREE for a limited time View the full article

This video captures an improvised session for voice, Moon Modular synthesizer and keyboards.… Read More Live Improvisation On The MoonView the full article

Full Bucket Music has released FB-02, a free FM software instrument for Windows and macOS that recreates the sound engine of Yamaha’s 1986 FB-01 module. If you follow Full Bucket Music, you’ll know the developer is best known for meticulous Korg emulations (Fury-68 being a recent example). So seeing a Yamaha clone from them is [...] View post: Full Bucket Music releases FB-02, a free emulation of the Yamaha FB-01 module View the full article

Plugin Boutique and Music Radar offer the Evolve Elastic Lite plugin by Excite Audio for free until December 1st. The sample-based synth plugin runs on macOS and Windows. Evolve Elastic Lite is the trimmed-down version of Excite Audio’s new futuristic sound-mangling instrument, and despite being the “Lite” edition, it’s a pretty deep sound design tool. [...] View post: Excite Audio Evolve Elastic Lite is FREE until December 1st View the full article

The sale includes the Moog Mother-32, DFAM, Labyrinth, Spectravox and Subharmonicon.… Read More Moog Eurorack Synths On Sale For $100/OffView the full article

Moog Music has introduced the Moog Messenger Preset Editor — a free desktop software editor that gives you full visual control, deeper sound design tools, and seamless preset management.… Read More Moog Messenger Preset Editor Now AvailableView the full article

The update adds wavetable synthesis, new filter and preview capabilties, support for easier USB backups and more. … Read More Free Update For 1010music Bento Sampling WorkstationView the full article

Audio Assault offers three new amp models for Amp Locker for free this Black Friday. Amp Locker is Audio Assault’s free amp-sim platform where you start with a small set of amps, cabs, and effects, and then expand the collection with additional gear. It’s a similar concept to AmpliTube CS. The idea is that you [...] View post: Audio Assault adds three FREE amp models to Amp Locker for Black Friday View the full article

Hornet Audio has made its DeeLay plugin free again for Black Friday, and if you missed previous giveaways, this is a great chance to grab it. This time, the offer on HoRNet Deelay lasts 48 hours, and getting it is as simple as adding it to your cart and completing checkout. There are no coupon [...] View post: HoRNet Plugins Deelay stereo delay plugin is free until Cyber Monday View the full article

Today is Black Friday, and if you’re on a tight budget but still want to grab something nice for your studio, check out these plugins under $5. We already covered the best deals under $10 and $20, and we also rounded up this year’s top Black Friday freebies. But now, let’s dive into the ultra-budget [...] View post: Best Black Friday Deals under $5 + get a FREE plugin from Plugin Boutique View the full article

Black Friday 2025 is here, and as always, we’re rounding up all the best music production freebies in one place so you don’t miss a thing. Please note that these are limited-time deals. Some last through Cyber Monday, while some expire later today. So if something catches your eye, grab it now. Let’s dive into [...] View post: The Best Black Friday Freebies 2025: Every Free Plugin & Sample Pack In One Place View the full article

A Sound Effect has launched its huge Black Friday Sale, offering deep discounts on over 3,700 sound effects libraries, plugins, and instruments. And you can get several premium libraries for free depending on your order amount. If you work with sound design in any capacity, you’ve probably ended up on A Sound Effect at some [...] View post: A Sound Effect launches massive Black Friday sale with bonus freebies View the full article

Karanyi Sounds has released Cloudmax Breeze Black Edition, an AI-powered vocal reverb plugin for macOS and Windows. It’s available for free for a limited time on Black Friday. We announced this a few days ago, and if you grab it now during the Black Friday promo, you’ll pay nothing. After the promo window closes, it [...] View post: Karanyi Sounds offers Cloudmax Breeze Black Edition vocal processor plugin for FREE View the full article

Waves Audio offers the Magma StressBox plugin as this year’s Black Friday freebie. We recently covered the announcement of another Black Friday freebie from Waves, and like last year’s offering (IDX Intelligent Dynamics), the developer kept its cards very close to its chest before announcing Magma StressBox. Before the initial announcement and the launch of [...] View post: Waves Audio offers the new Magma StressBox plugin for free on Black Friday View the full article

Valhalla DSP released Supermassive in 2020, and it wasn’t long before people were calling it one of the best freeware audio plugins ever. Supermassive has now been updated to 5.0.0, adding a new Sirius mode. Five years later, the love for Supermassive hasn’t diminished; in fact, it’s probably grown, thanks to continued support from the developer. [...] View post: Valhalla DSP updates Supermassive 5.0.0 with new Sirius mode View the full article

Air Music Tech has offered the Tape Double Track plugin for free for a limited time during the Black Friday period. It normally costs $99, so this is a nice little tool to grab and recreate a classic studio effect in your DAW without spending a dime. Oh, and by the way, this isn’t the [...] View post: AIR Music Tech offers Tape Double Track plugin for FREE on Black Friday View the full article

Waldorf Music has introduced the Protein, an inexpensive, compact 8-voice polyphonic wavetable synthesizer, based on the original Microwave 1 ASIC oscillators.… Read More Waldorf Protein Synthesizer Offers 8-Voices Of Wavetable Synthesis + Mysterious ‘Flavour Knob’View the full article