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- 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.
- Vital. In late 2020, Tytel released Vital, a freeware spectral warping wavetable synthesizer with a staggering list of features and on-board controls.
- Dexed. This free plugin is probably the closest you’ll ever get to owning a Yamaha DX7 without spending a penny! Dexed is a highly versatile synthesizer that acts as an incredibly accurate emulation of the iconic hardware synth Yamaha DX7.
- Monique Bass Synth. Monique is a monophonic subtractive VST synthesizer with an impressive range of on-board effects and modulation options. It is designed primarily for creating deep basslines and rumbling 808s.
- u-he Tyrell N6. Tyrell N6 is a gorgeous, highly intuitive subtractive free VST synth with a lot of tricks up its sleeve. The plugin was developed by u-he, a legendary audio development company well-known for creating award-winning, dynamic VST instruments and effects, such as Diva and Hive 2.
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- Odin 2 by Thewavewarden
- Dexed by Digital Sub Urban
- Surge by Vember Audio
- Tunefish V4 by Brain Control
- Helix by Audjoo
- Synth1 by Ichiro Toda
- TyrellN6 by U-He
- VCV Rack 2
- Exakt Lite
- TAL-BassLine by Tal-Software
Odin 2 is a 24-voice polyphonic hybrid synthesizer that offers endless modulation capabilities and features three different oscillators (8 different oscillator types and three different engines) as well as filters, five effects such as delay, chorus, flanger, phaser and reverb, four envelopes and LFOs, as well as an arpeggiator and a modulation mat...
Dexed is one of the best Free FM (frequency modulation) Synth currently available and it is based on the Yamaha DX7. It isn’t the simplest synth to use and there is definitely a learning curve to it, but I honestly think that it’s well worth investing the time into learning it! It can even load presets from the DX7 as long as you have a DX7 patch e...
Surge is an opensource Synth VST that sounds fantastic and used to be considered by many to be the best free synthesizer plugin currently available. It is a hybrid subtractive synthesizer with a dual synthesis engine and each patch contains two ‘scenes’, which are separate instances of the entire synthesis engine that can be used for layering or sp...
There’s a total of four different versions of Tunefish on their website that you could download, but here I will be focusing on the latest one; Tunefish v4. Tunefish v4 was developed as a smaller replacement for Tunefish v3 with roughly the same power. It was developed for the intro of “Turles all the way down”. If you want to see the video then he...
Helix is a CPU-friendly and highly versatile Synthesizer with a surprisingly good sound quality. It comes with a lot of presets and built-in effects, as well as three Filters per voice, including traditional low/band/high pass, EQ, and comb, less usual dynamics, three stereo distortion stages, and more. You need to pay $75 to get the license, but t...
Despite its old age, Synth1 is still extremely relevant today, and this is why I included it in this list, plus it works on both Windows and Mac OS on 32bit and 64bit systems. This is one of those synth plugins that you should always keep in your arsenal since it sounds absolutely fantastic; it’s right up there with Surge and Dexed, at least as far...
TyrellN6 is a compact synth that is based on concepts and ideas of a hardware synth: a few modules, novel features, analogue sound and low-cost. As far as free synths go, it doesn’t get any better than this, and Tyrell N6 is right up there with Dexed and Surge if you ask me. The interface has a very “Grungy” look to it and it’s quite intuitive to u...
VCV Rack 2 is a freeware standalone open-source synth that models almost every Eurorack format module available, allowing you to create your own modular right as well as patches with virtual cables, like you would on the real modular synths. The free version only works as standalone and you can’t really use it as a plugin in your DAW, for that you ...
If you’re looking for a user-friendly and intuitive FM Synthesizer, then you need to check out Exakt Lite (ideal for beginners). This synthesizer isn’t emulating any particular hardware synth, although it does emulate eight waveforms from the Yamaha TX81Z, but it’s actually an original synth that isn’t based on any real hardware one. It features 4 ...
Tal-Bassline is a synthesizer especially made for creating super beefy bass lines and it’s capable of giving you those acid tones and effects that you hear everywhere. It’s mostly used in Trap, EDM and other kinds of music where the Bass is emphasized. If you’re looking for a synth to enhance your song’s low end, Tal-Bassline might be the one for y...
Jan 1, 2024 · The award-winning Surge is incredibly popular, and some even call it the best free VST synth available. This open-source hybrid subtractive digital synthesizer comes with 2,116 patches (with two scenes) and 614 wavetables, which is quite stunning already. It has a quick-category patch browser too.
- 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.
35) T-Force Alpha Plus. One of the best free synth VST plugins for producing trance and modern electronic music, T-Force Alpha Plus is a relatively new plugin based on new synthesis (subtractive and FM synth), and features new Mod Envelopes, updated oscillators, as well as newly integrated sidechain FX.
73. Best Free FM Synth VST - Brzoza. Brzoza is a classic style FM synthesizer, but with some modern twists. Brzoza has total control over the frequencies of both operators, with three fixed modulators. The envelopes of these modulators are used to control the FM amount for an even better sound.
