| Synthesizers
|  |
| Cold and
metallic sounding synths |
| 
| Linplug's Free
Alpha 3 is
a 2 osc synth that comes with a modulation matrix, and it sounds a
metallic, cold (80's), but clear and clean. It gives pretty pads and
good and clean basses... No added effect except 1 chorus. Download : "Alpha free" tab, bottom of the page. win / mac / rtas / au / vst
http://www.linplug.com/alpha.html
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|  | Micro
Modular,
by efm,
is a polysynth with many components (4 Osc, 1
filter, 3 enveloppes, 1 matrix, added effects like pan,
delay, chorus and an arpeggio), that produces clear, clean,
metallic sounds, good for some strings and fine leads. The high tech LCD like user interface is clear, nice
and rather easy to use... Not an extraordinary one, but useful.
http://lesitedeburnie.free.fr/Host/efmMicroModular.zip
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|  | Adonis is probably
the best synth made by B.
Serrano. Complex, this hybrid polysynth comes with many
parameters divided in several pages. For example : 4 lfo, 4 envelopes,
2 multimode filters, a modulation matrix,
a small 8 step sequencer, effects like phaser/flanger, chorus, delay
and so on... It is suitable for cold, numerical, metallic sounds with
trance color. Donationware, the free version has only some limitations...
http://bserrano.free.fr/Synths_Adonis-2.html |
|  | Additive Table Synth is one
of the good products made for Angular Momentum.
With its 2 additive wavetable Osc, each one coming with 1 envelope, 1
filter and 1 step sequencer, 1 filter envelope, pan, and general
effects like delay, chorus and reverb, it is interesting and sounds
metallic, cold but delicate. It is not suitable for leads or basses,
but is rather good for subtle pads. The effects
are icy. Beautiful GUI.
http://www.amvst.com/node/19 |
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| FM synths |
|  |
Hexter by Cutevst, as an
emulation of the famous Yamaha DX7, is a FM synth with 6 operators, and
it sounds rather good. Its GUI is ugly and its development for Windows
has been stopped since 2005, but if you like the DX7, it is a good rare
free emulation... It can import DX7 presets (.syx), and is improved
with added effects like reverb, echo and chorus...
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/Hexter/
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| 
| Oxe
is an interesting vst and standalone FM synthesizer (rare thing in free
intruments), though it is not the best sounding synth of the list. 8
operators, 1 Lfo per channel, 1 delay and 1 reverb among other
components... The preset loading
system is not very practical and the modulation matrix is something
difficult to use for beginners, but FM synthesis is not easy...
http://www.oxesoft.com/products.php#download
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| 
| Ganymed by Stefan Kuhn is also
a FM synth,
with 3 operators and a strange interface, that has not the best sound,
but it is interesting for exciting arpeggios and sequences that can be
as hypnotic as Steve Reich's music (try "g
Govardhan" or "g AtmanRama" presets)...
Search by yourself, because this synth can produce more interesting
sounds than the factory presets do.
http://www.stefan-kuhn.net/
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|  |
OdO's Purple 2
is a FM synth that has 4 operators with 5 waveforms and one 8
parameters envelope for each operator, plus some effetcs like 1 delay,
1 chorus,
1 distortion, 1 flanger etc. It is very far from FM7, and it is not
varied nor versatile, but it sounds well for 80's or techno pads and
strings, i assume.
http://lesitedeburnie.free.fr/Host/Odo-Purple2.zip |
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| Hybrid
synths (that
are not in other categories) |
|  | Nordlead Modular G2 Editor, by Clavia,
in demo version, is the software editor of the well known swedish red
machine ! This free version is only mono, and has not all the modules
of the hardware synthesizer. It is not a vst instrument
and it can be used only in standalone mode. But you
can make and save your own patches. It is a big modular synthesizer that can do many things, with
a very good sound quality. Difficult to use, it comes with demo
patches. A must-have, very useful to
learn synthesis. Don't miss it. Listen to the
samples on the right to get a good idea of its possibilities. win / mac
http://www.clavia.se/products/nordmodular/demo.htm
For patches, don't download those on the Clavia's site, but the pack
below, in which i classified them. 311 patches !
http://lesitedeburnie.free.fr/Host/NordModulardemopatches.rar
|  |  | Kx-Modulad by KX77free
is, as its name says, a modular synth, with 6 voices polyphony. It
mixes substractive and additive synthesis : 2 osc, 2 lfo, 4 envelopes,
a noise generator, 2 filters etc, and also a wavetracer with which
you can program very precisely new waveforms, not with the mouse, but
by entering values... The result, as always with Xavier Kalensky, does
not show off, but with a bit of attention, you will discover
a fine, expressive, elegant sound, with an interesting personnality and
a good analogue quality. Reserved for people who know how to use a rich
and complex synth...
http://kx77free.free.fr/French-page.html |
|  | ZynAddSubFX,
is a complex vst and standalone synth, with very interesting and
unusual sounds and personality. Its interface is not well finished and
looks "amateur", but it is rich in parameters, is polyphonic,
multitimbral, combines 3 types of synthesis (additive, substractive and waveshaping), and has a lot of effects (reverb, echo, chorus/flange, phaser, wahwah, distorsion)... All its components make it powerful and produces icy
FM-like sounds... No more developed since 2005. win / linux
http://zynaddsubfx.sourceforge.net/
or
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=62934&package_id=59720 | |  | Fluid by Tubeohm,
is free only on the german site Plugindex (version 1.5 is commercial).
6 notes polysynth, it sounds original, rather smooth, fluid, as its
name says, and is made for pads and ambient sounds. 3 DCO-Oscillator/Sampler per voice (99 samples), 2 DCF multimode filters, 5 ADBR envelopes,
3
Lfo, effects (chorus, delay, reverb, ring modulator) and so on...
Rather rich engine, coming with good samples that give really
interesting sounds... On Plugindex :
http://www.plugindex.de/fluid-1-pi-exklusiv-pc/
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| Wavetable
synths |
|  | Wavedraw by Angular
Momentum
has two wavetable Osc that can load any waveform you like, 2 envelopes,
2 filters with their envelope, two 16 step sequencers and so on... With
a reverb and a chorus, this polysynth sounds very good, deep, large,
rather delicate and subtle, but cold. It comes with a little program
that can create and convert waveforms to use them in the osc of the
synth. One of the best Angular
Momentum's synths.
http://www.amvst.com/node/180 |
| 
| Intro, by Boris K alias Boris Kovalev,
previously commercial, is a special synth, coming with 64 waveforms,
and so many components that i can not list them (2 filters, 3 LFO, 1
chorus, 1 delay, a modulation matrix, and many more)... Good quality
sounds and beautiful GUI, as you can see beside, but not easy to use,
and it consumes much CPU.
VS
1 Oscilloscope, with a beautiful
interface too, is less rich than Intro, but is rather good too.
http://www.sitesled.com/members/bksl/
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|  | SQ8L is a
good Ensoniq
SQ 80 emulation by Siegfried
Kullmann.
Typically 80's, this 8 voices polyphonic synth has 3
wavetable osc, 24 dB low-pass
filter, 3 enveloppes and 4 lfo... It sounds close to the original
machine, a bit between a DX7 and a (poor) wavestation... The GUI is
rather ugly.
http://www.buchty.net/ensoniq/ |
|  | Augur is made by the
same Antti,
who is a talented man. The basic GUI hides an emulation of the Prophet
VS. Successful or not, i do not know, but Augur is an unusual synth,
that can produce fat analogical leads, and also icy
pads or clear metallic and crytalline keys, a bit like a DX7 (a FM
synth). Not easy to use for the beginner because of the modulation
matrix, it is a very good synth.
http://lesitedeburnie.free.fr/Host/Antti-Augur.zip
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|
| Phase
distorsion synths |
| 
| Algomusic's Phadiz is
a polyphonic phase distortion synthesizer with 2
Osc, 6 envelopes and 2 Lfo, 1 ring modulator and 1 delay. It has a particular sweet,
soft and delicate sound. You will not produce fat, violent,
punchy
leads with it, but emotional, expressive pads (try
"SlowPDStrings" preset) and crystalline
keys. It has its own personality.
http://www.algomusic.net/freeware.htm
| |  | PhazOsc by Fretted Synth Audio
is a little monosynth, with only few parameters and sound
possibilities, but it sounds clean, smooth, fat, with deep basses, and
has 1 delay and 1 chorus. Made to be triggered by the sound of a
guitar, "midi" (instead of "audio") must be selected in the master
section to use it as a normal vsti. As the site is down, you can find FSA products on Rekkerd :
http://lesitedeburnie.free.fr/Host/FSA-PhazOsc.zip
|
|  |
Artphase
1.5 by Spacewindows,
previously SK-Labs,
is a 2 Osc polyphonic
phase distortion synth with an unusual sound personality. A bit closed,
rather glassy, icy, it makes pleasant and delicate pads. Not the best
one, but useful... Pretty interface.
http://spacewindow.pochta.ru/
|
|
 | Poly DPO by Jeff has
something special : no less than 3 phase distorsion Osc, 4 Lfo, 2
filters, 2 envelopes, a routing section fo Osc and filters, a
granular section, and 1 chorus, 2 delays, 1 distorsion. The free
version of this synth is a mono and sounds good for analogue style
leads
and basses. The poly version is donationware. The GUI is too big but
nice.
http://maopassion.free.fr/instrument.html |
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|
|
|
| Phase
modulation synths |
|  | Mike Sybrandt, alias Mik of Denmark,
alias GTG,
has been developing synthesizers for a long time now. Mik made around
40
instruments (as far as I remember) and many are no more available. But among the current
ones, Sputnik 2000
is probably the most unusual and interesting synth. He describes it
this way : "Retro
effects synth based on 3 Phase Modulation oscillators and 1
analog
oscillator. LFO, Chorus and reverb". OK, but it does much more than
retro effects, and is rather versatile, fascinating, and can produce
good leads, EP-like
keys, pads
and
basses, with a special cold sound. A good polyphonic synth.
http://www.gtgsynths.com/plugins.htm
| |
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|
|
| Phase
morphing synths |
|  | PhaseBender by Bibasoft
is a small poly-synth with only one morphing osc based on two auto-sync
phase shapes and three waveforms that can be redrawed with the mouse.
It can be modulated with a 16 step sequencer.
An unison mode, a tremolo and a vibrato improve the sound that is by
far not the best, with aliasing, but i like the principle and this
dirty and granulous sound. Not versatile though...
http://lesitedeburnie.free.fr/Host/Bibasoft-PhaseBender.zip |
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| Physical
modeling synths |
| 
| String
Theory by Ugo,
devoted to strings, is a fascinating instrument with an arpeggiator
that produces hypnotic clear sounding loops, rather credible rythmic
guitar
arpeggios (in a mix, not for solo), and astonishing percussive
sounds. The sound quality is not as good as the previous synths, but it
is very interesting.
http://www.ugoaudio.com/
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