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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 Matt Tytel Vital Wavetable synthesis, visual interface, deep modulation Max for Cats Syndtsphere Circular patch blending, unique workflow Spitfire Audio Spitfire Audio LABS Sampled instruments, synth-like pads and textures Surge Synth Team Surge XT Open-source, versatile, multiple synthesis methods TAL TAL-NoiseMaker User-friendly, warm analog tones u-he TyrellN6 Roland Juno emulation, classic sounds u-he Zebralette Single-oscillator Zebra, sound design focus Synths (Paid) Vendor Plugin Name Key Features Typical Use Cases Applied Acoustics Systems Chromaphone 3 Acoustic object synthesis, percussion and mallet sounds, unique sound design. Percussive sounds, unique textures, sound design for film and games. Arturia Pigments Wavetable, virtual analog, granular, and sample synthesis, visual interface, powerful modulation. Experimental sound design, modern synth sounds, hybrid textures. FXpansion (now ROLI) Strobe2 Analog-modeled polysynth, versatile modulation, unique "transmodulation" feature. Analog-style synth sounds, experimental sound design, flexible modulation. KV331 Audio SynthMaster 2 Hybrid synth, multiple synthesis types, extensive modulation, large preset library. Diverse synth sounds, complex sound design, versatile for many genres. LennarDigital Sylenth1 Analog-modeled architecture, low CPU usage, warm and punchy sound. EDM, house, general purpose synth for many genres. Native Instruments Massive X Advanced wavetable synthesis, flexible routing, deep modulation, innovative sound shaping. Modern bass music, complex synth sounds, evolving textures. Reveal Sound Spire Hybrid synth, powerful oscillators, flexible modulation, trance and EDM focused. Trance, EDM, high-energy synth leads and pads. Spectrasonics Omnisphere Massive sound library, hybrid synthesis, granular synthesis, extensive modulation. Cinematic scoring, ambient music, complex soundscapes, diverse instrument sounds. u-he Diva Accurate analog emulation, multiple oscillator and filter models, rich sound. Vintage synth sounds, analog-style pads, leads, and basses. Xfer Records Serum Advanced wavetable synthesis, custom wavetable creation, deep modulation. Modern electronic music, sound design, complex synth leads and basses. Virtual Pianos (Paid) Vendor Plugin Name Key Features Typical Use Cases Arturia Piano V3 Physically modeled pianos, multiple piano models, customizable parameters, unique sound. Classical, jazz, pop, experimental, highly customizable piano sounds. Garritan Garritan CFX Concert Grand Yamaha CFX concert grand sampling, multiple microphone perspectives, sympathetic resonance. Classical, orchestral, concert grand sound. Kepler Instruments Monument Piano Steinway D Concert Grand, detailed sampling, multiple mic positions. Classical, cinematic, powerful concert grand sound. Native Instruments Noire Nils Frahm's personal grand piano, felt piano sounds, unique sonic character. Ambient, cinematic, intimate piano performances, modern composition. Pianoteq Pianoteq 8 Physically modeled pianos, customizable parameters, small footprint, unique sound. Classical, jazz, experimental, highly customizable piano sounds. Production Voices Production Grand 2 Gold Yamaha C7 sampling, detailed recording, multiple microphone perspectives. Pop, rock, jazz, versatile and powerful grand piano sound. Spitfire Audio Ólafur Arnalds Chamber Evolutions Evolving piano textures, unique articulations, atmospheric soundscapes. Cinematic scoring, ambient music, experimental piano compositions. Synthogy Ivory II Grand Pianos Multiple grand piano models (Steinway, Bösendorfer, Yamaha), detailed sampling, sympathetic resonance. Classical, jazz, pop, wide range of grand piano sounds. VI Labs True Keys American Grand Detailed Yamaha C7 sampling, multiple microphone positions, realistic response. Classical, jazz, pop, versatile grand piano sound. Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Pianos Multiple high-end grand pianos, extensive microphone positions, advanced engine. Classical, orchestral, detailed and realistic piano performances. Wavesfactory Grand Rhapsody Piano Fazioli F228 Grand Piano, 3 microphone positions, warm and detailed sound. Jazz, pop, general purpose grand piano.

It looks like Serum 2 is in the works – the latest advancement of the popular Serum software synth by Xfer Records – and will potentially be free for existing users. The post Is Serum 2 arriving soon? Here’s what we know so far appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

50% off individual software, effects, and sound banks, craft everything from experimental ambiences to expansive, cinematic soundscapes https://www.arturia.com/promos/winter-25?_sc=NjQ5NjQwMiMyMjE0NjYx YouTube

Arturia has kicked off 2025 with a bang by launching the sixth iteration of its powerful sound design software Pigments. Front and center in the lineup of new features is a new Vocoder, which enables producers to get truly creative with voice modulation. There’s also a new Modal engine, new filters and modulators, and an improved user interface... The post Arturia launches Pigments 6, the sixth iteration of its powerful sound design software appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

Full Bucket Music has introduced Paralogy, a free software synth for Mac & Windows that's inspired by the Crumar Trilogy and Stratus synths of the '80s.… Read More Full Bucket Music Paralogy Is A Free Software Synth Based On The Crumar Trilogy & StratusView the full article

Unstable from Morphoice is a free polyphonic synthesizer inspired by the legendary Yamaha CS-80 analogue synthesizer. The developer, Morphoice, describes Unstable as “in no way intended to be a CS-80 emulator, but still probably closer to the real hardware than anything out there”. In recent weeks, unstable is the second classic Yamaha-inspired synth after BaconPaul’s [...] View post: Morphoice releases Unstable (early beta), a FREE CS-80-inspired poly synth VST View the full article

While many producers lean on the well-known parameters of their favorite synths for pads, basses, and leads, some of the best parameters of your favorite soft synths often fly under the radar. Massive X is a synth with a lot going on under the hood, sometimes in obscure menus, and these hidden gems allow you to inject subtle motion, unpredictable variation, and experimental textures into your patches. This article breaks down five of Massive X’s most underrated parameters and shows how they can take your sound design to the next level. Whether you’re exploring custom noise layering, creating evolving modulations, or adding dynamic textures to your tracks, these tools are designed to inspire... Let’s dive in and see how these features can expand your creative workflow, helping you get even more out of Massive X. The post 5 underrated parameters in Massive X for sound design first appeared on Native Instruments Blog. View the full article

Paralogy by Full Bucket Music brings the Crumar Trilogy and Stratus synths to your DAW for FREE! Travel back in time to the early 80s with this free software synth. Full Bucket Music is one of the most productive developers of free software synths, specializing in great-sounding emulations of lesser-known classics that tend to slip under the radar of commercial developers. Their latest release is no exception. Paralogy emulates the Italian-made Crumar Trilogy and Stratus synths from the early 1980s... The post Full Bucket Music Paralogy: FREE Software Synth Emulates the Crumar Trilogy & Stratus appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

Komplete 15 Select – £89 / $99 / €99 Komplete 15 Standard – £539 / $599 / €599 Komplete 15 Ultimate – £1,079 / $1,199 / €1,199 Komplete 15 Collector’s – £1,619 / $1,799 / €1,799 Upgrade pricing also available, native-instruments.com For a generation of music makers, Native Instruments’ Komplete has reigned as the heavyweight champion of plugin bundles. Over that time the library has grown from a meagre 9 products to a sprawling 140 instruments, with almost 170,000 sounds on offer and a terabyte of disk space required. Few products can claim to be the best, and fewer still can hold onto that title – but after 22 years on top, Komplete 15 still comes out swinging… The post Native Instruments Komplete 15 is still the essential mega bundle appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

Save 80% on the ultimate sound design package, including UVI Falcon, 19 premium expansions, and all factory content, available for just $199. FL Studio, the world’s leading Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), has partnered with UVI to launch the Falcon Special, an exclusive bundle designed to elevate music production. This powerhouse package includes UVI’s award-winning Falcon [...] The post FL Studio x UVI: Kickstart 2025 with the UVI Falcon Special appeared first on DJ Life Magazine. View the full article

Arturia’s flagship soft synth returns for its latest iteration, Pigments 6, and introduces a new Modal engine, new filters, a vocoder effect and more! Pigments has always been a trailblazer when it comes to powerful software synthesis. It has a huge fanbase that revels in its seemingly endless creative prowess and possibilities. And with Pigments 6, Arturia have further increased its ability to astonish and astound. So with it already being a formidable sound design and performance tool, what could Arturia possibly bring to it that takes it beyond the last version and warrant that all-important new version number? I asked my friends in Grenoble and their reply was, “Tiens ma bière!“ ... The post Arturia Pigments 6 – A La Modal appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

Pigments 6 features a powerful new Modal engine, upgraded filters, advanced modulators, and a suite of creative tools.… Read More Arturia Unveils Pigments 6 – Here’s What’s NewView the full article

It’s only in alpha but U-he Zebra 3 is already shaping up to be an oceans-deep sound design playground with vector synthesis and other new modules. U-he is one of my favorite software developers. The company’s instruments like Diva, Repro and Hive 2 are all fantastic. U-he originally made its name with Zebra (almost two decades ago now!) and is currently in development on Zebra 3, which it’s showing at NAMM. Although only in alpha stage, it already looks to be an incredible instrument, what founder Urs Heckman calls a “sound design shop” in the Sonicstate video (below)... The post U-he Zebra 3: “Like Photoshop for Synthesis” appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

Getting started with virtual instrument plugins can be intimidating, especially when dealing with more advanced synthesisers – and there are few synths as advanced as Massive X! In this guide on how to use Massive X we’ll demystify this powerful instrument, and give you the help you need to begin creating your own unique patches with its array of sound-sculpting tools. Here’s the sounds we’re going to make in a few simple steps... The post How to program your first sounds with Massive X first appeared on Native Instruments Blog. View the full article

With 2024 delivering a bumper crop of software synths, it’s been tough to pick the cream of the crop, but here are my choices for Best Software Synths of 2024, along with others worthy of a mention... The post Best Software Synths of 2024: Five Synth Plugins That Floated Our Boat This Year appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

While Reaktor itself contains hidden troves of inspiring synthesis power, adding a synth plugin to get straight to work in your DAW is easier than ever. Explore these three full-fledged Reaktor synthesizers to get you started. And for a limited time, get all of these synths and more in the Reaktor synth bundle – on sale now... The post A beginner’s guide to Reaktor-based synths first appeared on Native Instruments Blog. View the full article

[16 November 2024] The Juno-106 ACB Expansion is now free for all owners of Roland FANTOM EX synths and FANTOM EX upgrade. Roland FANTOM EX Free Expansion With all of the free synths and offers coming fast and furious this Black Friday season, here’s one you maybe weren’t expecting. Roland has just ported the Juno-106 ACB Expansion over to the FANTOM EX range of synths – and it’s free to download for all FANTOM EX synth and upgrade owners... The post Roland FANTOM EX Free Expansion: Get Your Juno-106 ACB Now! appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article Juno-106 ACB Expansion running on FANTOM EX · Source: Roland

Modern big-budget movie scores are full of synths, both hardware and soft. Read on to find out how to get the soundtrack synth sounds of Dune, Furiosa, Oppenheimer and more... The post Soundtrack Synths: Get That Blockbuster Sound appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

More great sounds and presets this week, including some for the latest Arturia plugin and a bank that sold me a synth! There’s an unwritten rule when voicing a new synth. The very first patch when you turn a synth on is the one that sells it. KORG’s M1 had ‘Universe’ and the Prophecy had ‘Prophetic Steps’. Roland’s D-50 had ‘Fantasia’ and the JD-800 had ‘Millenium’. Heck, even Arturia’s PolyBrute 12 opening patch, cleverly called ‘The Opening’, is a real sonic statement of intent. The theory was that when a customer walked into a music store (remember those?), they would turn a synth on or select Bank A Patch 1 and play. This patch needed to grab them and draw them in. It’s the same as the first sentence in a book. That initial interaction has to sell the synth. Just ask Alesis how important that is. On their ill-fated Fusion workstation, the first 10 patches were pianos. And the very first one wasn’t even that great. Amongst a raft of other things, when the user played it for the first time, all they got was a bog standard piano. It was downhill from there… The post Sounds and Presets: Great Patches That Sell Synths appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

This is the last chance to get an intro offer for MiniBrute V (offer expires in 48 hours). MiniBrute V not only recreates the distinctive analog grit of its hardware predecessor but elevates it with modern flexibility, expanded polyphony and a built-in FX rack - add the brute spirit to your production. 199€ 99€ (or even less if you have other Arturia products) https://www.arturia.com/products/software-instruments/minibrute-v/overview TAE® Powered (True Analog Emulation) TAE® is Arturia's proprietary technology for creating virtual synthesizers that emulate classic analog synthesizers Accurately reproduces classic sounds: TAE® models the behavior of analog components like oscillators and filters at a very detailed level. This allows Arturia's virtual synths to capture the warmth, character, and imperfections of classic analog gear. More realistic oscillators: TAE® faithfully recreates the sound generation of analog oscillators, including complex Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) for creating unique timbres. Detailed filter modeling: TAE® models the specific circuits used in famous analog filters, allowing Arturia's virtual synths to reproduce the filtering characteristics that contribute to the sound of those instruments. Arturia's TAE® technology is designed to give musicians a virtual instrument that sounds and behaves as close as possible to a real analog synthesizer. This lets them create classic sounds or explore new sonic textures without the limitations of traditional digital synthesizers. YouTube Videos

.The Legend HZ even contains a fixed filter bank that was modeled after Hans Zimmer's personal Vintage 914 Fixed Filter Bank.… Read More Hans Zimmer On The Legend HZ Synthesizer, “It’s Really Truly a Wonderful, Beautiful Instrument”View the full article

Vintage is a traditional subtractive synth, featuring two oscillators and dual multi-mode filters.… Read More Behringer Intros Free Software Synthesizer, ‘Vintage’View the full article

Tourist has commended the “inspiring” presets found on Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere plugin synth, hailing it as a solid “starting point for sounds”. The British producer and Grammy-winning songwriter – real name William Edward Phillips – hailed Omnisphere in the latest episode of My Forever Studio. It’s a podcast on which artists, producers and musicians dream up a fantasy studio setup, picking a limited number of items. In this episode, the award-winning plugin (Version 2.8 was launched in 2021) is named by Tourist as a key starting point when starting a new project. He also emphasises his desire to find instruments that “inspire him”... The post Omnisphere is “one of the most inspiring instruments,” says Tourist appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

Arturia’s growth over the last couple of decades — from small-scale software developer to music technology behemoth has been remarkable — and has given us a host of hardware and software music-making tools that many producers find essential. A prime example of this, for us, is Pigments, arguably one of the most versatile and powerful software synthesizers ever created. Pigments 5 grabs the attention as soon as you play any of the presets from its impressively vast collection. Whether basses, leads, pads, sound effects, or any other flavour of sound, Pigments comes packed with stunning, inspirational patches that thunder, scream, sing and dance their way into your ears. Such remarkable creative breadth and depth would be impossible were it not for Pigments’ adaptable synthesis engine. This is immediately familiar and welcoming, following a tried-and-tested subtractive synthesis architecture and layout, the synth’s flexibility emerging from the modular nature of each stage... The post Arturia Pigments 5 – still one of the best soft synths for sound design appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

NAMM 2024: Arturia’s back with Pigments 5, the free update to its revered wavetable software synth. What’s new? Alongside better CPU optimisation and a new interface comes some nifty features including a generative sequencer, the ability to run external audio through Pigments and, of course, a ton of new presets. For existing Pigments users, the best part about Arturia’s update to its polychrome soft synth is that version 5 is completely free. And, if you’re not already a user, there’s still some good news: it’s available at 50 per cent off during its introductory offer... The post NAMM 2024: Arturia Pigments 5 is a free upgrade to an awesome synth plugin appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article