Best Free Synth VST Plugins Dexed by Digital Sub Urban Dexed is a Free multi platform and multi format frequency modulation Synth which is based on, or closely modeled to, the Yamaha DX7. Iblit by Andreas Ersson is a very good free synth too, which is one of the most renowned analogical mono synths. With 3 Osc, 2 Lfo and 2 ADSR envelopes, but without added effects, it comes raw. With 3 Osc, 2 Lfo and 2 ADSR envelopes, but without added effects, it comes raw.
- Best Free Analog Synth Vst
- Best Free Analog Synth Vst
- Best Free Analog Synth Vst
| Home | The List | The Virtual Studio | BCRPresets | FriendLinks | Site history | Contact |
| page 1-page2 - page3 - page4 - page5 - page 6- page 7 |
T
h
e
B
e
s
t
F
r
e
e
S
y
n
t
h
s | Asthe name of the site says, you will find here a list mainlydevoted to synthesizers, but you will find also virtual instruments ofother types, much fewer...
Thislist of freeware is not like the others that pullulate on the web andhas something special : it gives to you links for only the best freevirtual instruments(for Windows),and is the result of many and longresearches, after testing around one thousand intruments.My purpose isto avoid you getting stuck with the same job... Allinstruments are classified, but in an approximative way... When available, versions for other OS and formats are mentionned.
Youwill probably think that some instruments, that you like to use in your music, are missing, but there is a reason for that: the only criterion of this list isthe musical quality, the beauty of sound, and not technical abilitiesor specific uses.Many virtual instruments made by renown developers of free software areappreciated for their usefulness in specific styles of music, but I didnot put them in this list because they do not sound really good bythemselves... Anyway, this list is the result of my own choice, necessarily subjectice, and open tocriticism, like anyone's list... But it remains a unique list, because I hope that the level of quality is high...
Inthe left column of each page, by clicking on vignettes, you can see theinterface of the full-scale instruments. Sometimes,in the right column of the page, you will findlinks to download sound examples which allow you to get a precise ideaaboutqualities and possibilities of these instruments. They are not songsbut sounds made with original presets and patches of theinstruments, without additional effects. These demos were initially made for a rubric on the forumof the siteInstruments Virtuels, there,in Oggaudio format. If you do not know what is neededto play this format, You can do it easily with the very good freeplayers (better than Windows'one), MediaPlayer Classic or VLC.
Forthose who begin with vsti : as most of these instrumentsare not standalone, but require to be opened in a sequencer or a vsthost, I recommend you to download Minihost,by TobyBear, a very complete, stable and easy to use vst host... It isdonationware. CantabileLite, the free version of Cantabile, is excellent too...
Attention: the number of references (more than 170 !) will get you sick,becausethe world of freeware is very rich in musical instruments, especiallygood quality synths. So, take your time, and come back to thislist, because it is often updated. |
|
| Page 1
Monosynths for leads and bass lines
Stringsynths for pads
Page 2
Analoguesounding polysynths
Page 3
Synthswith techno/trance sounds
Synthsfor soundesign/ambient/atmosphere
Coldand metallic sounding synths
FMsynths
Hybridsynths that are not in other categories
Wavetablesynths
Phasedistorsion synths
Phase modulation synths
Phase morphing synths
Physicalmodeling synths
Page 5
Stepsequencers
Synthsfor noise
Workstations | Absurdmachines
Page 6
Emulationsof acoustic and electric instruments :
- Electronic organ
-Electric piano
- Theremin
Sample based emulations :
-Acoustic piano
- Mellotron
- Traditional instruments
-Various intruments
Page 7
Bundles
- Elektrostudio
Page 8
Commercialvirtual instrument bargains
-Synthesizers
- Soundbanks
- Virtual drummers andbassists
Magazineware
- The CM studio |
|
|
|
|
|
| Synthesizers
|
|
| Mono synths for leads and basslines |
| MinimogueLUXUS, by Gunnar Ekornas(Voltkitchen group),is a rather successful emulation of the famous MiniMoog, made withsynthedit. Though it is not as good as Arturia's Minimoog V, nor thealmost perfect GForce Minimonsta, it has an analogicalsound quality that gives big, swinging and juicy leads. With a niceclose-to-the-original instrument interface, it adds to this one astep sequencer, anarpeggiator, independent pan adjustment for eachOsc, and...polyphony (!), but I put it there because of the original machine. Indispensable.
http://www.home.no/gunnare/downloads.htm | Rezby Ugohas been updated and got a much nicer GUI, in two flavours (yellow or black), and itis an excellent mono synth that sounds beautiful to my ears. With asimple but very good arpeggiator and nice sounding dual delay, it givesgoodanalogleads and sequences. Easy to use and set, it is one of the very bestsounding free monosynths. Very melodious, it is one of my favourites. Amust-have.
http://www.ugoaudio.com/ | TriangleI by Rgcaudio,a mono synth with 2 Osc and an efficient delay, is good for clear andmelodious 70's leads. Good looking interface, easy to use andintuitive parameters...
http://lesitedeburnie.free.fr/Host/RGCaudio-triangle1.10.rar
| TriangleII by Rgcaudiotoo, better than Triangle I because of its versatility, is a beautifulmono synth, very good for leads, rich in possibilities and parameters,able to sound fat and varied. Forthis must-have, you will find many presets on the web:
http://www.cakewalk.com/products/triangle/
| AngularMomentum's Analog Warfare 3has a very nice interface, with many components (3 Osc, 3 24 dB VCF, 4LFO, 2 delays, ADSRLenvelopes and many other things, like an arpeggiator, a step sequencer,anda separate chorus for each channel, midi learn)... It sounds very big,fat,granular, cheezy or sweepy, butnot varied (the sound possibilities are not large)... A goodsynth, especially for techno. The demo sounds were made with theprevious version, Analog Warfare 2.
http://www.amvst.com/node/15 | Pure-Pone by TubeOhmis the mono version of the commercial Pure-Pten. It is a full fetauredanalogue substractive synth, with 3 Osc and 20 waveforms, a bit of FM,1 noise generator, 1 LFO, 1multimodefilter, 1 ring modulator, 2 envelopes, 1 mixer, 1 arpeggiator,2 modulation busses, 1 chorus and 1 delay, 1 distortion, midi learnetc... The sounding qualities are rich and various, between some clearFM sounds, analogue basses and leads, acid and agressive technosequences... A very good synth. Do not care about 'buy'button nor 'poly' one, unusable here... At Plugindex :
http://www.tubeohm.com/TubeOhm/FREEWARE.html
|
| Vintager by Togu AudioLine,classic vintage analog mono synth, with 3 Osc, a non linear 24dBlowpass filter (after a moog one), 2 Lfo, 2 envelopes, and midilearn,which is useful for controling the synth with hardware. It sounds good,rather deep, dense, thick. You can try also U-NO-60, an honestemulation of the famous Juno 6. win / mac
http://www.kunz.corrupt.ch/?Products:VST_Vintager:Download
|
| Bassline by Togu AudioLinetoo, has the same sound qualities as Vintager and, as its name says, itis made for basses. Simple but efficient, it sounds solid, fat, thick,deep and warm, typically analogue substractive. The interface is clearly inspired by the Roland SH-101. win / mac
http://kunz.corrupt.ch/products/tal-bassline
|
|
| reFXClawis a simple mono synth, with only one Osc,but it sounds punchy, sharp, incisive, and can be agressive, forexpressive leads and basslines. A very good one in this category. Asit will be replaced by a new and better ReFXfreeware, Scout, it is no more available.The direct download link still works :
http://www.refx.com/downloads/Claw/Claw_1.0.zip
|
| TheNK 1001 is aversatile 2 oscillators monosynththat sounds clean and fine, not punchy, thick or agressive,butpowerful, varied, nice and elegant. A chorus and a stereo delay make itcomplete.And, like almost GTG products, it has a nice interface. http://www.gtgsynths.com/plugins.htm |
| Maestro by Istvan Kaldorwill not please everyone, because of its dirty sound (Kaldor like it,see 'Dirtbag'), and its GUI is something special, but it is a very goodmono synthmade with synthedit. With its 2 Osc, its modulation matrix,andits added effects (delay and autopan), it produces expressive, juicy,fat analogical leads, as good as Minimogue or Claw ones. A very goodinstrument.
http://www.ianweb.dial.pipex.com/ikaldor/maestro.htm |
|
| Taurus,by Antti for Smartelectronics,is a good bass synth, an emulation of the 'Taurus' bass pedals made byMoog. Simple but good sounding, efficient, it gives deep, fat, analoguebasses. On the same page than the excellent ASynth.Donationware but without limitations...
http://antti.smartelectronix.com/
|
|
| Iblit by Andreas Erssonis a very good free synth too, which is one of the most renownedanalogical mono synths. With 3 Osc, 2Lfo and 2 ADSR envelopes, but without added effects, it comes raw. Soyou must imagine its sounds in a mix and with externaleffects.There are better free raw analogical synths (Antti's Asynth or JX10)that have a more granular and analogical texture, but this one isreally good.
PolyIblitis of course the polyphonic version, and it has more features...
http://www.bostreammail.net/ers/iblit.html
| Rogue by Noslogan,is a classic analog mono synth with a rather dirty and nasal sound, asthey say on the site : 'raspy, fried transistor, dropped on the grounda couple of times'. Nice.
http://www.noslogan.com/VST/Rogue/Rogue.html |
| BB303i by Buzzroomis a simple mono synth that is good for clean thick leads and basslines. Its name reminds the famous TB-303, of course... It is ratherbasic, and is not supposed to produce complex and composite sounds, butit is efficient, and sounds analogical, fat and deep. Easy to use. See 'Download OLD buzzroom VST Plugins Pack' at the bottom of the page :
http://www.x-buz.com/Products.html |
| Alieno by Acrobatics Softwareis a Sci-Fi look-like engine, but this mono synth is not a toy. Itsounds well for leads and sequences with its 16 step pattern Lfo. Ithas 6 Osc divided in 3 modules, 1 multimode filter, effects likereverb,delay, vibrato and pan/tremolo. Last three effects and the Lfo aretempo sync, and all paramaters can be automated. Several useless colorsof skins are available...
http://www.blank-media.it/acrobatics/ |
|
|
|
|
| String synths for pads |
|
| CrazyDiamonds by RumpelrauschTaïps,is a stringsynth that produces string ensemble pads, not varied butefficient and good sounding. To understand why it is called 'CrazyDiamonds', click on the 'warranty void' label and listen theintro pad of 'Shine on you crazy diamond' in'Wishyou were here' (Pink Floyd of course) that this instrument emulatesperfectly.
Search by yourself and find better sounds than the factory presets. win / mac
http://untermkittel.de/rumpelrausch/?PLUGINS
|
| Stringsynth by Algomusicis a rare emulation of Solina-like string synths. It is an old thingand does not sound the best, but, although its sound is a bit close andthin, it is useful and fine.
http://www.algomusic.net/freeware.htm
|
| Orchestral Stringsby Uncuthas not a nice UI, but it is a good stringsynth that sounds rather likeold 70's renowned machines, with its 6 saw Osc, finetuning for 4 of them, mix 1&2, mix 3&4 vol for each pair, 2 12/24 dB multimode filters, 1envelope, and useful effects for phased string pads : a 2 voiceschorus, 1 reverb and a welcome stereo width adjustement. Not versatilebut efficient. The site is down, so take it there :
http://lesitedeburnie.free.fr/Host/Uncut-Orch-Strings.zip
|
| S3B by Krakliis my prefered of the S3 series, because of its original sounds and itsability to produce rythmic effects with its pulse module and itsarpeggiator. Good looking, it has one osc with many waveforms (sine, square, triangle, saw, soft ramp, peak ramp, ramp, peak, octava, cluster 1, cluster 2),1 noise, 1 envelope,1 vibrato with delay, 1 phazer (which is necessary and efficientfor that sort of sounds), 1 'ensemble', 1 echo, 1 EQ... Its sounds areinteresting, not the fatest nor the brightest, a bit nasal, but theyhave a special nice colour...
http://krakli.wordpress.com/krakli-free-synths/ |
|
| The List :page2 - page3 - page4 - page5-page 6- page 7 -page 8 |
|
We covered the best free synthesizer plugins in a recent article. But what are the best free retro synthesizers? Find out in the list below and return to free VST plugins for more software.
The retro 80s sound is more popular than ever. Genres like synthwave and chillwave are the perfect soundtrack for working from home while daydreaming about night rides on open highways.
But you don’t have to be a retro synth geek to love the sound of vintage synthesizers. One can hear the emulated sounds of retro polysynths in the chart-topping hits from mainstream artists like Dua Lipa and The Weeknd.
If you’re into making synthwave music, chances are you’ll need a good virtual analog synthesizer for your digital audio workstation. Help yourself to our Top 10 list of free retro synth VST plugins.
Free Retro Synthesizers: Top 10
These are the best free vintage synthesizer emulation VST plugins:
- PG-8X (Roland JX-8P)
- OB-Xd (Oberheim OB-Xa)
- Mono/Fury (Korg Mono/Poly)
- Fury-800 (Korg Poly-800)
- TAL-U-No-62 (Roland Juno-60)
- Tyrell N6 (Roland Juno-60)
- Dexed (Yamaha DX7)
- Viking (Moog Voyager)
- Synth1 (Nord Lead 2)
- Nils K1v (Kawai K1)
Best Free Analog Synth Vst
Read more about each instrument below and scroll to the bottom of the page to see the Honorable Mentions.
PG-8X
Best Free Analog Synth Vst
PG-8X emulates Roland’s legendary JX-8P analog synthesizer. The original JX-8P sounded huge, but it lacked in the hands-on control department. Users had to dive through menus to program new sounds.
That’s why Roland released the PG-800 controller. It was an external hardware device that made programming the Roland JX-8P and Super JX synthesizers a far more user-friendly affair.
The free PG-8X synthesizer by Martin Lüders gives the best of both worlds. You’re getting a detailed emulation of JX-8P’s analog synthesis engine and the control layout borrowed from the PG-800 controller.
PG-8X truly shines as a synthwave instrument. It’s one of those rare virtual instruments that sound analog-like almost effortlessly.
Create eye-watering lush pads and earth-shattering analog basslines in the blink of an eye. Turn on the Unison mode for instant fat leads. Also, the included chorus module applies an immediate retro-boost to any sound.
More info:PG-8X
OB-Xd
OB-Xd takes inspiration from the Oberheim OB-X analog synthesizer. The original was the analog weapon of choice for brass sounds, pads, and punchy bass.
Thankfully, this freeware plugin from discoDSP nails that classic Oberheim sound. It also comes with an extensive collection of presets that serve as an instant source of legendary analog sounds.
Even better, OB-Xd is easy to program thanks to its user-friendly interface. Beginners and sound design experts alike shouldn’t have any issues with building custom synth patches from scratch.
2Dat originally developed the OB-Xd. He later provided the source code to discoDSP, who are now handling the development and support.
You can use OB-Xd for free. The developers are accepting an optional $49 donation from users who want to support their work.
More info:OB-Xd
Mono/Fury
Full Bucket Music’s website is a treasure trove of emulated analog synthesizers. Even better, all of their vintage-inspired virtual instruments are free. We had a hard time selecting just two Full Bucket Music plugins for this article.
That said, be sure to check out everything else this talented developer has to offer. And be sure to support their work with a donation if possible.
Our first Full Bucket Music pick is the Mono/Fury plugin, which models the Mono/Poly analog synthesizer by Korg. Mono/Fury emulates all the original instrument’s quirks and peculiarities, including the unique polyphony mode. Each voice triggers a different oscillator, resulting in some complex multi-layered timbres when playing chords and melodies.
At the same time, Mono/Fury comes will all the handy features of a modern-day audio plugin. It has a preset manager, supports MIDI learn and automation, and features a state-of-the-art zero-delay feedback low-pass filter with self-oscillation.
Mono/Fury operates as a VST and Audio Unit plugin in all compatible digital audio workstations on PC and Mac.
More info:Mono/Fury
Fury-800
Ah, another Full Bucket Music plugin and another Fury. This one is a personal favorite of mine as it models the Korg Poly-800, a cheap analog hybrid synthesizer that I owned back in the day. It featured digitally controlled oscillators and a terrible (in a charming way) analog filter.
The original Poly-800 is the exact opposite of what you’d expect from an analog synthesizer. It sounds lo-fi, thin, and plasticky. But sometimes that is precisely the type of sound you need for an 80s-inspired music track.
The killer feature here is Poly-800’s chorus module. It’s super noisy, and the pitch goes all over the place. If Korg manufactured the Poly-800 in 2020, I think they would label the effect as “VHS mode” instead of a chorus.
Anyway, the Fury-800 takes all of these charming Poly-800 features and packs them in a convenient virtual instrument for PC and Mac. By all means, the Fury-800 plugin is a must-have if you’re into synthwave production.
More info:Fury-800
TAL-U-No-62
TAL-U-No-62 is an old-school virtual instrument that emulates an old-school analog synthesizer. It is a virtual recreation of Roland’s legendary Juno-60 synth.
Togu Audio Line’s freeware Juno is more than a decade old. As a result, it doesn’t offer the latest and greatest DSP technology and analog emulation. However, TAL-U-No-62 is still a pretty solid virtual analog instrument that undeniably captures that classic Juno-60 vibe.
TAL-U-No-62’s oscillators and the low-pass filter won’t blow you away. But, the chorus module is where this virtual Juno-60 keeps its secret sauce. Turn on the chorus effect, and TAL-U-No-62 instantly sounds much closer to the original hardware.
Even better, you can download that same chorus as a standalone effect from Togu Audio Line’s website. Use the free TAL-Chorus-LX in combination with any virtual instrument for that lush 80s sound.
It’s also worth noting that the same developer offers a more advanced (but still fairy priced at €51) version of this instrument. The paid version is called TAL-U-NO-LX, and it’s the best Juno-60 emulation on the market.
More info:TAL-U-No-62
Tyrell N6
Tyrell N6 by U-He is loosely based on the Juno-60. We originally included it in the “Honorable Mentions” section of this article because Tyrell N6 isn’t a 1:1 recreation of any analog synthesizer. However, we decide to move it to the Top 10 list, following the suggestion from one of our readers (thanks, BenJ!).
You can think of Tyrell N6 as an 80s analog synth on steroids. All the usual components are there (a couple of analog oscillators, a multi-mode filter, a lush chorus), and you get a few valuable extras like a modulation matrix, ring modulation, feedback, and more.
A dream to program, thanks to its intuitive interface, Tyrell N6 also has dozens of freely downloadable sound banks. Some of these were created by professional sound designers.
Coming from the developers of industry-leading virtual analog synthesizers like Diva and Ace, the freeware Tyrell N6 is an absolute must-have in any analog synth aficionado’s plugin collection.
More info:Tyrell N6
Dexed
Dexed is a virtual recreation of the Yamaha DX7 and the only FM synth on this list. The plugin emulates the original DX7 so well that it supports its SysEx messages. As a result, Dexed can work as a patch editor for the hardware DX7.
Now, the unfortunate thing about FM synthesizers is that they’re hard to program. But, the good news is that there are thousands of Yamaha DX7 patches available online. And yes, you can load them in Dexed.
Best Free Analog Synth Vst
Use Dexed for 80s electric piano sounds, pads, FM bells, and let’s not forget the Lately Bass patch.
More info:Dexed
VK-1 Viking Synthesizer
VK-1 Viking Synthesizer emulates the Moog Voyager analog monosynth. Now, the Moog Voyager isn’t exactly retro, but it dates back to 2002. And Moog discontinued the Voyager in 2015 with over 14,000 units sold.
The Voyager combined a pair of Moog’s signature ladder filters with three continuously variable wave oscillators, putting a modern twist on the classic Moog sound.
The free VK-1 Viking Synthesizer from Blamsoft is a rather precise emulation of the Voyager.
VK-1 Viking Synthesizer uses zero-delay feedback filters and advanced techniques for avoiding oscillator aliasing. Also, the developers matched the oscillators and envelopes to their hardware counterparts through precise and extensive measurements.
More info:VK-1 Viking Synthesizer
Synth1
Ichiro Toda’s legendary Synth1 is one of the oldest freeware synthesizers around. Released almost two decades ago (on October 9th, 2002), there’s no denying that Synth1 is a vintage plugin. But it aged incredibly well.
Despite it being a retro plugin, Synth1 emulates the Nord Lead 2 very well. And its deceptively simple-looking user interface offers a surprising amount of synthesis firepower.
Even ten years ago, users praised Synth1 for its low CPU usage. Can you imagine how well it works on modern multi-core processors? You can use dozens of Synth1 instances in a project without hurting your computer’s performance.
However, Synth1’s most significant advantage is the incredible amount of available presets. There are hundreds of Synth1 soundbanks out there, making it the perfect choice for users who don’t like programming sounds from scratch.
More info:Synth1
Nils K1v
Nils K1v faithfully emulates the Kawai K1 digital synthesizer. It includes K1’s original factory bank and all ROM card expansions, and all this adds up to 768 presets.
The user interface mimics the original Kawai K1 module, with additional on-screen controls for parameters like envelopes and filters. This combination works quite well in the plugin format. Accessing the presets is easy, and tweaking the Kawai K1 sounds in real-time is fun.
The coolest feature in Nils K1v is the ability to morph the preset using the XY controller. It’s a fun way to add movement to pads and huge atmospheric sounds that the Kawai K1 was known for.
More info:Nils K1v
Free Retro Synthesizers: Honorable Mentions
These are retro synth plugins that haven’t made our Top 10, but they’re still worth checking out:
- SQ8L (Ensoniq SQ80)
- Cobalt (Korg DW8000, Ensoniq ESQ-1, and Kawai K3)
- Phuturetone Phutura (Roland Alpha Juno-1)
- Steinberg Model-E (Moog Model D Minimoog)
- Tal-Bassline (Roland SH-101)
- Manx Gigmate(Concertmate MG-1, thanks to Christian H. for the tip!)
- K Brown Synth Plugins (various synthesizers)
- Syntronik Free(various synthesizers)
Feel free to suggest additional plugins for this article in the comments section below.
Return to free VST plugins.