5 MUST-HAVE FREEWARE PLUGINS
A tight budget shouldn’t mean you’re shut out from making electronic music, and thanks to the wealth of excellent freeware tools on the internet, there’s no reason you can’t make release-quality tracks without having to shell out for the latest ‘power synth’. Looking for synth power without the financial outlay? Here’s where to start...
DIGITAL SUBURBAN DEXED
1Yamaha’s DX7 is undoubtedly a classic synth, but boy was it fiddly to program! Thankfully, these days we have Dexed, a free recreation of the DX7’s 6-operator FM synth engine in handy plugin format, with a far easier-touse interface. You can even import and export your favourite DX7 patches too, and share patches with modern FM tools such as FM8 or Digitone.
DISCODSP OB-Xd
2DiscoDSP’s clone of the Oberheim OB-Xa is a free plugin that could easily get away with being a paid product. Sonically, this can sit alongside the most convincing analogue emulations on the market. OB-Xd builds on the design of the original too, adding a blendable multimode filter and chorus, reverb and delay effects into the mix. A real must have!
MATT TYTEL HELM
3Some freeware synths tend to look a little dated or rough around the edges, but that can’t be said of Helm. With its smart interface and intuitive modulation routing, this virtual analogue poly has the look and feel of a sleek commercial release. Great effects and a neat step sequencer make this a hugely well-equipped piece of freeware too.
VCV RACK
4A full, free, open source modular system for your computer – what’s not to love? Strictly speaking, VCV Rack is counted more as a DAW than a synth, in that it can’t run in plugin form, but it will host third party VSTs. With a communitydriven library of more than 2000 modules to make use of, VCV is great for experimentation or planning your first modular system.
GREEN OAK CRYSTAL
5Very much the old hand of the freeware scene, Crystal has been around since the early 2000s, but it still sounds great. Combining virtual analogue, FM synthesis, wave sequencing, granular and plenty of effects and modulation options, there’s a surprising amount of depth here. Love or hate the retro interface, this remains a broadly powerful synth.