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 video offers a thorough introduction to the 3rd Wave, starting with unboxing, and moving on to cover its sound engine, analog filters, modulation capabilities, and factory presets.… Read More Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave Synth Unboxing & DemoView the full article

MNTRA has released FLTRS-LE, a free filter plugin based on the Roland Jupiter-6 filter circuit. FLTRS-LE is a trimmed-down version of the developer’s full FLTRS plugin, which costs $49 during the launch sale (regular price $79) and packs 37 analog circuits and experimental physics engines. The filter we get in the freebie is called EUROPA-6, [...] View post: MNTRA releases FLTRS-LE, a FREE Roland Jupiter-6 filter plugin View the full article

Düsseldorf-based synth maker Making Sound Machines shared this video demo of their new Plinky 12 Chords.… Read More Making Sound Machines Plinky 12 First LookView the full article

Retro Radio from Stone Voices is a free plugin for macOS and Windows that emulates the sound of vintage AM radios. The sound of AM radio is generally characterised by low fidelity and numerous flaws. But, if there’s one thing that we all share as music makers, it’s that we strive for imperfection! Joking aside, [...] View post: Stone Voices releases Retro Radio, a FREE AM radio simulator plugin View the full article

Developer Venus Theory has released forms:tongues, a free tongue drum library for Decent Sampler. Venus Theory has given us so many awesome Decent Sampler freebies, like forms:piano and auras:lichen. This latest release is forms:tongues, a free library based on the tongue drum. The sound of the tongue drum is easily described as tranquil and hypnotic, [...] View post: Venus Theory releases forms:tongues, a FREE tongue drum library for Decent Sampler View the full article

Wide is a free spatial enhancement tool for macOS and Windows, and the second plugin we’ve featured from Shadaloo Audio DSP over the last month or so. If you missed the first one, go back and check out H, a free tone and loudness enhancer. If you’ve already tried H, you’ll know that it’s straightforward [...] View post: Shadaloo Audio DSP releases Wide, a FREE spatial enhancement plugin View the full article

The Bree6 features a fully analog signal path, stereo digital effects, a semi-weighted keyboard with aftertouch, and a knob-per-function interface. … Read More GS Music Bree6 Keyboard Features 6 Analog Voices + Digital EffectsView the full article

Temecula DSP is offering two classic Alesis reverb unit emulations (MDV-II & MCV-I) for macOS and Windows for free! It was just around a month ago when we covered MDV-II by Temecula DSP. MDV-II is a faithful emulation of the classic Alesis Midiverb II, one of the most iconic budget-friendly pieces of hardware ever made. [...] View post: Temecula DSP now emulates the classic Alesis Microverb reverb unit View the full article

Filtre by Cloudy Samples is a contour filter and modulation engine for macOS and Windows, and you can download it for free now. I’m not certain Filtre will always be free, so it’s best to grab it quickly, just in case. In short, Filtre is a hub for shaping sound, creating texture, and adding movement. [...] View post: Cloudy Samples releases Filtre, a FREE filter and modulation plugin View the full article

For fans that have been waiting for new music from BOC, it looks like Inferno will deliver, with 18 tracks, totaling over an hour. … Read More New Album From Boards of Canada, ‘Inferno’View the full article

Like the Oberheim Four Voice, the Quatuor is built around four individual synth voices, each with their own controls.… Read More NRSynth Quatuor Offers Modern Take On Oberheim Four VoiceView the full article

Here's a deep dive into granular synthesis on the Mutable Instruments Clouds. … Read More Mutable Instruments Clouds ExplainedView the full article

The comments under our recent Amorph piece have been bouncing around in my head for the past few weeks. Some BPB readers are excited about being able to type “give me an overdrive that sounds like a Tube Screamer” and get a working plugin out the other end. Others are pretty concerned that we’re about [...] View post: Vibe-coded plugins are giving me SynthEdit déjà vu View the full article

It sounds like BigFish will build on the 'hardware digital modular' ideas of the Nord Modular and open platform elements of Korg's Multi Engine instruments. … Read More This Is Not Rocket Science Bigfish Modular Keyboard (Sneak Preview)View the full article

MAP Audio has introduced PAM (Pattern-Based Audio Mapping System), an 8-track modular sampler, with each cell featuring a sampler, effects chain and sequencer.… Read More MAP Audio Intros PAM Creative SamplerView the full article

Bloomer Free, from the developer Freequency, is a MIDI chord progression generator driven by emotion. When I say driven by emotion, I mean you don’t need to know lots of music theory to generate a beautiful progression; you just need to know which emotion you want to evoke. Right now, Bloomer Free is available in [...] View post: The Freequency releases Bloomer Free, an emotional chord engine plugin View the full article

Massive Attack & Tom Waits - a surprising collaboration - released the music video for Boots On The Ground.… Read More Massive Attack + Tom Waits – ‘Boots on the Ground’View the full article

Slate Digital is running a Spring Sale with the coupon code SPRING26, which knocks $25 off your order in the shop. A handful of paid plugins are currently priced at $24.50 each during the sale, so the discount covers the full price and brings them down to zero. The crazy part is that the code [...] View post: Get premium Slate Digital plugin(s) for FREE with the SPRING26 coupon code View the full article

From @synthandsoftware - Knobula introduces new drum voice design with Drum Farm performance-focused Eurorack module. PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT Drum Farm Eurorack module merges synthesis, sampling, and real-time effects into a single, hands-on instrument built for fast, intuitive sound design, empowering users to relentlessly sculpt, process, sample, and re-sample sounds grown from its wide range of virtual analogue and physically modelled drum and effects […] The post New Drum Farm Eurorack Module appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

Arplus combines a quantizer, arpeggiator, and string synthesizer into one module.… Read More Zlosynth Instruments Arplus Quantized Arpeggiated Karplus-Strong Eurorack ModuleView the full article

Topic was moved to forum DJ Forum

Cre8Audio today introduced PROGRAMM, a step sequencer for Eurorack modular systems. … Read More Cre8Audio Intros PROGRAMM Step SequencerView the full article

Plugin Boutique has Soundtoys FilterFreak on sale for $39, which is 73% off the regular price of $149. The deal runs until April 28th. FilterFreak is still one of my favorite filter plugins for sound design. There are plenty of newer filter modulation plugins around, but I keep coming back to this one. I love [...] View post: Soundtoys FilterFreak is 73% OFF (plus SuperPlate and Softube Transient Shaper deals) View the full article

DLP Audio (Dean’s List Plugins) has released Smoke Mono 1, a free monophonic analog modeling synthesizer developed by Grammy-winning producer Mike Dean. Please note that it’s currently only available on macOS. Mike Dean has shaped the sound of modern hip-hop for over four decades, with credits including Kanye West, Travis Scott, and The Weeknd. I’ve [...] View post: DLP Audio releases Smoke Mono 1, a FREE macOS monosynth from Mike Dean View the full article

Developer Tuğrul Akyüz has released TugPhonon, a free vintage rotating tape-delay plugin. We’ve covered a few very interesting delay plugins recently, including Timerift Audio’s Oh My Grain and TiagoLr’s Sirial. When plugins like those two come up, I often refer to them as something a little bit different, and that’s true. This time, we might [...] View post: Tuğrul Akyüz releases TugPhonon, a FREE vintage rotating tape delay plugin View the full article

Zebra 3 has been "rebuilt from scratch with state-of-the-art technologies spanning analogue modelling, physical modelling and purely digital synthesis."… Read More u-he Zebra 3 Now Available, Here’s What’s NewView the full article

DAWJunkie, the developer behind Padness 2 Jr, LeadOff Jr, and various other quirky but awesome freebies, is back with another freebie – the DT-600 Mini. DT-600 Mini is based on the 1980s Casio MT-600 keyboard. The Casiotone MT-600 is one of those keyboards many musicians had as a kid, without realizing the sounds are actually [...] View post: DAWJunkie releases DT-600 Mini, a FREE Casio MT-600 emulation plugin View the full article

Arponaut is a free pattern-based arpeggiator for macOS and Windows from Groove Music Industries. The plugin is available in VST3 format for macOS and Windows. Arponaut takes the typical piano-roll workflow found in a common DAW and provides a quick, easy way to generate simple or complex arpeggiated patterns. The thing that makes Arponaut more [...] View post: Groove Music Industries releases Arponaut, a FREE pattern-based arpeggiator for macOS and Windows View the full article

It's intended to be no-compromise, full-size reissue. … Read More PPG Wave 2.3 Reissue Sneak PreviewView the full article