VST freebies & cheapies, what do you like?

Thanks! I can recommend the free vst synths from u-he (some standalone, some stripped-down versions of paid products), they sound great.

Any more?

Gotta get into those. The other amazing free plugin that I use all the time is this:

https://vladgsound.wordpress.com/plugins/limiter6/

I think it sounds better than a lot of paid master bus plugins.

https://tytel.org/helm/
https://tal-software.com/products/tal-noisemaker

Channel robot are giving away The modernist glockenspiel and the odernist kalimba. I do love me some mallet sounds. These seem nice. Bit of a cpu hit though?
https://audioplugin.deals/free-download-the-modernist-collection-kalimba-glockenspiel-by-channel-robot/

Glitch1- an oldie but a classic. 32bit only :(
http://illformed.org/

xp - ooh, I've been getting into sound libraries for screwing with in samplers, downloading those now

UVI's (free) Workstation comes with a handful of pretty good instruments, though I haven't really found any free compatible sample libraries (vs all the free Kontakt libraries out there).

also in that realm Spitfire's free Labs
https://www.spitfireaudio.com/labs/

O yeah those spitfire things look interesting! thanks
also: https://www.cinematique-instruments.com/pages_instr/page_klang.php

needs full kontakt though

I copped those glockenspiel and kalimba instruments, even though I have made many of my own sample packs using many of my own kalimbas & glockenspiels

https://projectsam.com/library-category/the-free-orchestra/

Dexed - DX7 emulation that loads DX7 patch files.
https://asb2m10.github.io/dexed/

I was looking for a good flanger, wishing Valhalla had one, and then found out they have one that's free if you fill out a survey! I've never been happier to respond to a company survey.

I've never really used a flanger. What's it good for?

Highly recommended skins for U-he's free synths making them more readable -
Triple Cheese - https://github.com/dozius/triple-cheese-themes
Tyrell N6 - https://plugmon.jp/product/interstellar-for-tyrell-n6/

It's a filter effect, the wiki defines it as "produced by mixing two identical signals together, one signal delayed by a small and gradually changing period, usually smaller than 20 milliseconds."

But I stayed away from it for years, maybe because I associate it with the snare breakdown in Lenny Kravitz "Are You Gonna Go My Way"? Then I heard this record, where a lot of programmed drums are run through some sort of shifting filter that I thought might be a flanger, and wanted to give it another go:
https://towheadrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/pure-energy

Thanks for the u-he skins!

has anyone played around with magenta/nsynth yet? i'm downloading now. it's free Max/MSP instrument from google, which uses machine learning to blend timbres from tonal samples, so you can combine the qualities of any two instruments, etc etc.

https://magenta.tensorflow.org/nsynth-instrument

see also: https://nsynthsuper.withgoogle.com/

https://www.discodsp.com/obxd/

Emulation of an OB-Xa - there's a buy link but it's really just a donation

It's pretty sweet, but has the same issue with discrete pitch jumping when you turn the Osc pitch knob, which makes playing with osc sync sound weaker than the real instrument. I'm using it for a pad sound in one of my tracks right now, though!

the same issue that a lot of soft synths have, I mean.

I can confirm that the Valhalla Space Modulator is sick, highly recommended.

"ValhallaSpaceModulator is FREE for anyone who has purchased a plugin directly from Valhalla DSP! "

Had you already bought something from Valhalla Jordan, or was the survey enough?

Ah, I've bought a couple things from them, yeah. $50 a pop and some of the best reverbs and delays I've ever used though.

^^ I use their shimmer and delay plugins on everything.

It's essential to the category of youtube videos that I would categorize as "ambient music made with cheap synthesizer and Valhalla Shimmer".

(related to but distinct from "ambient music made with cheap synthesizer and BigSky pedal")

don't forget "ambient music made with mutable instruments clouds either in module or vcvrack form."

that's an instagram-based genre, right?

https://www.audiority.com/shop/l12x-solid-state-amplifier/

forgot to post this a few weeks ago - it's a model of a little Marshall Lead 12 practice amp, but it also makes for a great overdrive/distortion effect, sounds A+ on a Rhodes or Mellotron type of thing.

That DOES sound good. Thanks!

https://www.kvraudio.com/product/tricent-mk-iii-by-full-bucket-music

Free '70s string-machine style synth

BUT, I found out that XILS Labs offers demos of their not-free VSTs (including a new Roland string machine emulation) where the only limitation is not saving presets or using DAW automation, which is very generous and at least w/ the string machine I can't see where I'd really be aching without automation anyway.

Re:XILS. For me to use the demos I guess I'd have to manually tweak any parameters in real time while bouncing to audio in the one session, giving up the chance of ever reloading the patch or adjusting it after that session... those seem like big limitations? How do you use it milo?

I just got it a couple of days ago and don't know what I'd use a string machine for at all really, so I'm just trying out playing it. I'd imagine just setting it up and playing it - you could use different instances on different tracks for major changes (switching different voices or something) but it doesn't seem like the kind of thing where you're going to be doing filter sweeps normally?

For their Polykobol or Synthi emulations, probably a much bigger deal but I haven't looked at those.

Installed XILS4 demo- happy to report it comes with a lot of presets. I almost never build patches from scratch anyway so I'm glad I got this. Closed and reopened a project and the synth and preset I'd chosen were still on the track but any tweaks I'd made to it were gone though. No registration required.

You can also download the Streichfett wavetable and drop it into the Live wavetable synth and get a decent string machine out of it (need to add some chorus/reverb to get it to sound good, as with the real device).

Reopened project with the XILS4 demo and it had forgotten the presets I'd chosen. O well.

More kontakt
https://sonuscore.com/shop/origins-bundle-vol-1-5/

free fxx
https://sonicstate.com/news/2020/04/03/use-soundtoys-effect-rack-for-free/

thumbs up emoji for this guy's software. gleetchlab in particular. standalone max application rather than VST but you can route the audio to your daw pretty easily. spent a little time tonight mapping my faderbank to a bunch of controls and am just letting the madness rip.

http://www.giorgiosancristoforo.net/softwares/

Stretching the boundaries of cheap but the G-Force M-Tron mellotron emulation is on sale for 60% off and it rules

New, free Valhalla reverb:

https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2020/05/19/valhalla-dsp-has-a-free-reverb-for-you-its-supermassive/

yesssssssss

!!!

re: http://www.giorgiosancristoforo.net/softwares/

anyone used the Fantastic Voyage 'Portastudio' app? I've figured out most of the routing, arming tracks gets signal to them, etc. but I cannot figure out how to make recording/playing the tape do... anything.

Having a great time with this today: https://www.sonic-lab.com/fundamental/

Hoping that comes to iOS, I think hainbach hinted at that in a video a couple of months ago

https://valhalladsp.com/shop/modulation/valhalla-space-modulator/

Valhalla made Space Modulator free for everyone (instead of free w/ purchase)

they dropped a free reverb plugin as well, a month or two back, and it sounds OZMM

https://valhalladsp.com/shop/reverb/valhalla-supermassive/

Not free but I love combining ValhallaDelay with Supermassive - the tape and BBD modes soften the digitalness of Supermassive and it just creates this giant beautiful reverb.

QasarBeach = donationware Fairlight CMI IIx. Never spent time on a real Fairlight, but I understand the frustration at trying to get somewhere with it. I expect everyone to go vaporware on the next ILX comp.