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- u-he Zebralette. Urs Heckmann, founder of u-he, spoils us with several excellent free software synths. Tyrell and Podolski have been around for years and are still very popular.
- Vember Audio Surge. The wavetable synth “Surge” by Vember Audio definitely deserves a place on this list of the best free software synths. Yes, you read that right: Wavetable synthesizer, free of charge.
- Cherry Audio Voltage Modular 2. Cherry Audio Voltage Modular is a powerful virtual modular system, and the mini version called Nucleus is available for free!
- Eventide Pendulate. Pendulate emerged from a collaboration between Eventide and Newfangled Audio and offers a novel sonic concept derived in part from ideas developed by Don Buchla.
Apr 21, 2021 · Other free synths for Windows include Aeolian Mediation, an additive synth; Defiant, a hybrid wavetable synth; and Shruti Box, a synth inspired by the traditional Indian drone instrument. See the Ocean Swift site for details.
- Overview
- The best free music-making software of 2024 in full:
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Best
By John Loeffler
Contributions from
Daryl Baxter, Steve Clark
last updated 5 February 2024
Compose your finest work at no cost
1. Waveform Free
Best free music-making software overall
2. Apple GarageBand
Best free music-making software for Mac Our expert review:
3. AmpliTube Custom Shop
Best for guitarists
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- Dexed. Frequency modulation (FM) synthesis has a bit of a rep of being difficult to master, mostly due to Yamaha’s DX7 – the hardware FM synth that defines the genre.
- discoDSP OB-Xd 2.0. The OB-X was a fat and warm-sounding 80s hardware polysynth that barged its way to prominence with the help of Jean-Michel Jarre, Herbie Hancock, Van Halen and Queen – among plenty other artists.
- Surge. Used by the likes of Roger Linn, Surge is a free, open-source software synth that was, until 2019, a paid product. The subtractive hybrid synth features three oscillators per voice with eight oscillator algorithms plus oscillator FM/ring modulation to quickly mutate your sounds.
- TAL Noisemaker. NoiseMaker builds on the success of TAL’s Elek7ro synth and is a relatively straightforward virtual analogue soft synth. Despite its simplicity, with three oscillators, several different filters and a pleasing amount of modulation capabilities, it can make some seriously powerful sounds.
- Si Truss
- DiscoDSP OB-Xd. PC/Mac | Standalone/VST/AU. OB-Xd isn’t the flashiest synth is this round-up, nor is it the newest, despite being updated to version 2 in recent months.
- VCV Rack. PC/Mac/Linux | Standalone only. It’s debatable whether VCV Rack should be counted as a virtual synthesizer or a DAW in its own right. While it is, essentially, a digital recreation of a full, customisable modular synth, it can also host plugins of its own, mix and export multiple audio channels and be used to create full track arrangements.
- Vital Audio Vital. PC/Mac/Linux | VST/AU/LV2. Vital is the newest and one of the most advanced synths in this roundup. This is a ‘spectral warping’ wavetable synth that uses morphable sampled sounds as its oscillators, setting it apart from the virtual analogues that make up the bulk of this list.
- Newfangled Audio Pendulate. PC/Mac | VST/AU/AAX. Pendulate is described by its creators as a ‘chaotic monosynth’, which provides a decent primer for the sort of sounds you can expect from it; think weird bleeps and FX rather than classic analogue leads.
Jan 29, 2021 · 10 Free Software Synths To Keep You Creative. US No charge, plenty to be getting on with 29/01/21. The internet is awash with freebies and introductory offers to get you making music - we're here to sort through the noise and provide you with the finest free VST (or standalone) synths that money...can't... buy.
Helm by Matt Tytel. Steer your sound. Download Helm. View all downloads. Run Anywhere. Helm runs in GNU/Linux, Mac OSX and Windows. Run Helm as a standalone synthesizer or as an LV2, VST, VST3 or AU plugin. Comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Helm is Free Software.
