BEST FREE VST STEP SEQUENCER PATCH
BEST FREE VST STEP SEQUENCER LICENSE

Browsing through those patches, there’s stuff for EDM or drum & bass just as well as typical classic “analog” or “digital” sounds.Īs to creating sounds yourself, Surge can feel a bit overwhelming at first – but even in the initial exploration phase it is possible to create sounds simply by trying out stuff. Fortunately, Surge XT includes a large user-library (almost 3000 patches) to help get a feel for its capabilities. What does it sound like? As Surge offers so many different options, this plugin is a true chameleon: It can sound anything from lush to harsh or “analog” to “digital”. Surge XT’s structure is really flexible, you can choose from different filter configurations, fx routings, … and if that’s not enough you can combine two “Scenes” – which means that you can split or layer two Surge instances. Add to that 2 filter units (with multiple filter algorithms), wave shaping, up to 12 LFOs and an FX section with up to 8 effects units (with a long list of FX algorithms). On to the features: Surge has 3 oscillators that each can use one of 8 different algorithms, including classic waves, different types of wavetable synthesis, physical modeling and FM. Since then, a group of volunteers has been maintaining this synth. Originally created by Claes Johanson, it was released into Open Source in 2018. And with good reason – this freeware synth is deep and features not one, but multiple synthesis techniques. Is this maybe one of the best free VST plugins ever? Surge XT scored the Reader’s choice award 2020 on KVR for “favorite free virtual instrument”. And what’s not to like about another free tool for the arsenal?ĭeep, deeper – Surge: This free powerful hybrid synth with multiple synthesis techniques including virtual analog, FM, wavetable and physical modeling. So if you are looking for classic synth-sounds with a strong Oberheim flavor, this plugin is definitely recommended. And once you map the parameters to your MIDI controller, OB-Xd feels quite close to working with a hardware synth (immediate access to multiple parameters at once makes all the difference when tweaking sounds!). We didn’t A/B the plugin with the real thing, but when playing along to classic songs with similar patches selected it definitely felt very close – you might even jump (pun intended). One of the secrets to the OB-Xa’s sound are tuning imperfections, so discoDSP added micro random detuning to recreate this. Or the multimode filter, the original only had a 12dB low-pass filter. OB-Xd recreates the classic sound and feel of the vintage original, but adds a couple of extras not found on the hardware unit: Like the mixer for the oscillator section. This can also help achieve more lively sounding results. Voice Variation adds a fun option to have these parameters react in a slightly unpredictable “analog manner” for Filter, Glide and Envelope as well a pan per voice.

2 ADSR envelopes and a simple modulation matrix complete the picture. A simple mixer lets you mix the oscillators with the noise generator, sending the sound on into the multimode filter with resonance (and 12 and 24 dB modes). Once you start detuning things, the sound really comes alive. The PWM for the rectangle waveform sounds awesome. In terms of features, OB-Xd has two oscillators with 8 voice polyphony, each with saw, triangle and rectangle waveforms.

BEST FREE VST STEP SEQUENCER PATCH

“Menu” also lets you open the “Preset Bar”, so you can see the patch names. Patches to get you started are accessed from the “Menu” button, the included library covers classic sounds as well as more contemporary ones.

BEST FREE VST STEP SEQUENCER LICENSE

Plugin developer discoDSP have turned this synth into a free plugin for non-commercial use now (if you plan on using it commercially, you’ll have to pay a pretty affordable license fee).Īnd this synth is fun: Its user interface is immediate and quite easy to dive into. And not just because it’s the synth used for Van Halen’s inescapable “Jump” hook or a lot of Prince’s sounds from that era (1999, Purple Rain). Some classic synthesizers have earned an almost mythical status – like Oberheim’s legendary OB-Xa analog synth. Classic synth sounds galore: OB-Xd brings back the legendary OB-Xa as a freeware plugin.

Best free vst step sequencer