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- 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.
- 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.
- Best Free VST Synthesizers
- Surge by Vember Audio
- Vital Basic by Matt Tytel
- Tyrell N6 by U-He
- Zebralette by U-He
- Dexed by Digital Suburban
- Exakt Lite by Sonicbits
- VCV Rack by VCV
- Modulair by Full Bucket Music
- Hy-Poly Free by HY-Plugins
These are the best free synth VST plugins: 1. Surge 2. Vital Basic 3. Tyrell N6 4. Zebralette 5. Dexed 6. Exakt Lite 7. VCV Rack 8. ModulAir 9. HY-Poly Free 10. Helm 11. Synth1 12. TAL-NoiseMaker 13. Charlatan 14. PG-8X 15. OB-Xd 16. Crystal 17. Viking 18. Cobalt 19. Pendulate 20. Odin 2 21. kHs ONE Scroll down for more info about each virtual inst...
Surgeby Vember Audio is the best free synthesizer VST plugin right now. It is an insanely powerful hybrid subtractive synth with a dual synthesis engine, three oscillators per voice, eight algorithms per oscillator, two multi-mode filters with eight filter types, twelve LFO modules per voice, eight FX slots with ten different effects, and more. The...
Vital Basicis the freeware version of Matt Tytel’s wavetable synthesizer Vital. Feature-wise, the free synth is just as powerful as the paid ones. Vital Basic only comes with a smaller collection of wavetables and presets. So, what’s so great about Vital Basic? Vital is a free synthesizer plugin that rivals flagship synths like Xfer Serum and NI Ma...
Before Surge was a free synthesizer, there was Tyrell N6. If you asked us what our favorite free VST synth was until Surge became open-source, this synth gem would be the answer. Tyrell N6 was developed by Urs Heckmann, the DSP programming maestro behind virtual synth classics like Zebra2 and Diva. Furthermore, Tyrell N6’s feature set follows the b...
Several readers asked us to include Zebralette on the list, even though it already included a U-He synth plugin (Tyrell N6), so here it is. Zebralette is a freeware synthesizer based on an oscillator module from U-He’s flagship Zebra2 synthesizer. If a single oscillator can work as a standalone synth, can you imagine how incredibly powerful the act...
Following a couple of instruments relying on subtractive synthesis, let’s add a pure FM synthesizer to the list. The best free FM synthesizer available right now is Dexed. It accurately emulates the most famous FM keyboard ever, the legendary Yamaha DX7. In fact, the emulation here is so precise that the plugin can load DX7 presets. Dexed can load ...
Another FM synthesizer you need to check out is Exakt Liteby Sonicbits. Unlike the Dexed plugin, which emulates the vintage Yamaha DX7 synth, Exakt Lite does its own thing. It is a user-friendly FM synthesizer plugin for the modern age. Exakt Lite features a four-operator, twelve-voice FM synthesis engine with eight classic FM algorithms. The alias...
VCV Rack is a free modular synthesizer. The software is standalone, but an unofficial port called VeeSeeVSTRackwill let you use it as a synthesizer VST plugin in your favorite digital audio workstation. If you always wanted to experiment with modular synthesis, VCV Rack is the perfect free synthesizer for the task. Users who want the power of a vir...
ModulAiris a modular virtual synthesizer with 31 modules and up to eighteen modules per patch. Unlike the previously mentioned VCV Rack instrument, ModulAir doesn’t support third-party modules. On the other hand, it’s much easier to use as a VST plugin in your DAW of choice. There’s plenty to like about ModulAir, especially if you’re into modular s...
Those looking for a subtractive synthesizer with abundant modulation options should check out HY-Poly Freeby HY-Plugins. This freeware synth is based on the premium HY-Poly plugin with some feature limitations. We won’t compare the free and the paid versions of HY-Poly here. Instead, here’s a quick look at what this excellent free synthesizer VST h...
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- Surge XT by Vember Audio. Surge XT is an impressive free and open-source hybrid synthesizer by Vember Audio. With its massive library of 2,800 patches and over 700 wavetables, it serves as an extensive tool for music producers and sound designers alike.
- Zebralette by U-he. Zebralette is a free synthesizer by U-he designed as a friendly introduction to the powerful oscillators of Zebra2. Despite being a simplified version of Zebra2, Zebralette is far from basic.
- Pendulate by Newfangled Audio. Pendulate by Newfangled Audio is an innovative and intriguing free synthesizer that breaks the mold with its unique sound generation capabilities.
- OB-Xd by discoDSP. discoDSP’s OB-Xd is a synthesizer VST plugin that draws its inspiration from the iconic Oberheim OB-X. Released in the late 1970s & early 1980s, the OB-X was a revolutionary synthesizer that was used by some of the most influential artists of the time, including Madonna, Queen, and Prince.
Aug 22, 2008 · 1. polyIblit. polyIblit is a subtractive synth with alias-free oscillators, and sine, triangle, sawtooth and pulse waveforms. It’s a VST 2.3 plug-in for PC. Get it here. 2. Crystal Soft Synth. Crystal Soft Synth is both a subtractive synth and a frequency modulation synth with a semi-modular design.
- Joel Falconer
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.
Nov 17, 2022 · Drumatic 4. 1. Vember Audio’s Surge – the best free synth VST you can get today. Image Credit: Vember Audio. Our first choice is a synth VST that will give you the fullest & most comprehensive sound design experience for free. Surge is a free and open-source synthesizer that utilizes more than one synthesis technique.
