Although most producers prefer to use popular synths such as Serum, Sylenth 1, or Spire, there are many other great synth options that are not that popular, and guess what… some of them are completely free!
Here are our picks for 2023’s best VST synths and instruments you can get for nothing:
- Vital
- Surge
- Zebralette
- Spitfire Audio
- VCV Rack
- Komplete Start
- OB-Xd
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Having great synths and instruments is essential for any producer. The problem here is that some producers are just starting and can’t afford large-priced plugins or they simply want to expand their library of plugins with more instruments.
In addition to this, nowadays is really hard to find a signature sound if you are using the same instruments that everyone uses. So by opening your mind and closing your wallet, you can get great and quality sounds for free that will help you to achieve a more unique sound.
We’ll share our 7 favorite free synth and instrument plugins that are out there and you can download them for free today.
In this list, we combined a selection of classic synths and some instrument-library type of VST that you can get for nothing.
1. Vital Basic by Matt Tytel
Vital Basic is an insanely versatile synthesizer with plenty of hidden features and almost limitless modulation capabilities. You can create some crazy sounds by using the oscillator section alone. Combine that with versatile filters, modulators, and effects, and it becomes clear that Vital Basic is one of the best virtual synthesizers around.
The free edition of Vital comes with 75 presets and 25 wavetables. You can upgrade to Vital Plus to get 250 additional presets and 70 wavetables. The most advanced version called Vital Pro comes with over 400 presets, 150 wavetables, text-to-wavetable functionality, and exclusive perks.
The big battle is Vital vs Serum. People usually compare them because of their similar way to process audio and the number of settings you can tweak to get the most interesting sounds.
2. Surge by Vember Audio
Surge by 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 oscillators feature classic analog waveforms, frequency modulation, and wavetable synthesis. Surge can even use the audio input as the sound source. A modulation matrix is also included, as is a preset manager for storing and editing your custom sounds.
Thanks to one of the most recent updates, Surge features a fully resizable user interface that will fit any screen.
QUALITY SOUNDS BUT FOR FREE!
Free and Unique Samples & Presets for your productions.
Get the quality of premium sounds but for free!
3. Zebralette by U-He
Zebralette is a freeware synthesizer based on an oscillator module from U-He’s flagship Zebra2 synthesizer.
the Zebralette plugin features a single oscillator with a 16-slot waveset. The user can freely customize the waveform with GeoMorph, SpectroMorph, GeoBlend, and SpectroBlend modes, each offering a unique method of manipulating the waveform shape.
Things get even more interesting when Zebralette’s 24 spectral effects come into play. Use them to warp and mangle the frequency content of the sound in ways that could never be achieved with a basic subtractive synthesizer.
4. LABS by Spitfire Audio
Although the Labs series has been available for a while now, new library keeps turning up and continues to bring us a host of new, creative, and esoteric sounds.
Currently in the collection, we have instruments like the Chinese Moon Guitar, Hand Bells, and a Music Box. There are atmospheric sounds in the London Atmos and creative collaborations in the Opia instrument of unconventional sounds. There are dulcimers, strings, pianos, choirs, and all sorts of experimental and yet completely useable possibilities like atmospheres from the Tundra and Granulated Whalesong.
5. Tyrell N6 by U-He
Tyrell N6 is a virtual instrument that deserves to be in every music producer’s synthesis arsenal. At its core are a pair of oscillators with an additional noise generator and ring modulation. Further down the signal chain, the synth features a couple of snappy ADSR envelopes, a twin filter design from an early prototype of U-He Diva, and a pair of host-syncable LFO modules with eight waveforms.
The instrument comes with over 500 presets, and there are dozens of free sound banks available online. Check out the download area on U-He’s website to download a bunch of free presets for Tyrell N6, one of the best free synths in the world.
QUALITY SOUNDS BUT FOR FREE!
Free and Unique Samples & Presets for your productions.
Get the quality of premium sounds but for free!
6. Komplete Start by Native Instruments
The Komplete bundle from Native Instruments contains an extraordinary amount of sounds and sonic possibilities. It comes in a number of versions for real money but Komplete Start is completely free and has over 2,000 studio-quality sounds.
Komplete Start comes with 16 pro-grade synths and sampled instruments plus effects, loops, and samples and it’s all the same stuff that comes in the premium versions. For synths, you get the TRK 01 bassline, Reaktor Blocks modular, Mikro Prism, Carbon, weird generative Newscool, and the deep Space Drone. For sampled instruments, you’re looking at a small band and orchestra, playful noises, electric pianos, and thousands of loops and beats.
For effects, you get to play with the all-new Guitar Rig 6 Player and the massive Supercharger high-octane tube compressor.
7. OB-Xd by discoDSP
OB-Xd is another classic analog synthesizer in the form of a plugin. It emulates the Oberheim OB-X, OB-Xa, and OB-8 analog synthesizers with intentional differences and improvements. The sound isn’t a 100% accurate simulation of the original hardware, but OB-Xd captures the sonic character of its analog counterparts.
The features are mostly borrowed from the Oberheim OB-X. The plugin features a pair of detunable oscillators with unison, a noise generator, a pair of envelopes, an LFO, and a great-sounding filter.
The interface is well-designed, and the plugin is a joy to use. It can work as a great starting point for users learning about subtractive synthesis.
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