Free Music Software

This video demonstrates how you can use the new Novation Launchpad like a monome.
To try this out, you’ll need a Launchpad (You can get them for $199 at Zzounds and other online retailers), a free app called nonome and a monome app.
For this demo, Mike Tron built a Windows executable that combines nonome with a [...]

Lucas Xie has released ganK the Synthesizer, a free synthesizer instrument for Windows.
ganK the Synthesizer is a free soft synth developed by Lucas. It is presented in both VSTi format and Windows standalone application. ganK is an additive/substractive synth with 3 oscillators , a moog filter, a lfo, effects like an 8-band eq and a [...]

Ableton is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Live by giving away 10 free Live Packs for Ableton Live 8 and up.
The Live Packs feature the work of 10 top Ableton Live artists, and let you look inside their songs and see how the artists work their magic.
The Live Pack artists include:

Adam Freeland
Apparat
Brian Ales
Covert Operators
Junie Morrison
Martin [...]

Here’s an example of free music software that doesn’t play it safe.
_02.circles is a Windows software synthesizer that features a user interface inspired by Wassily Kandinsky’s abstract painting Einige Kreise:
This plugin opens an intuitive access to sound construction, modification, modulation, live performance tweaking, etc. being an interactive painting and thus a form of art by [...]

New free music software for Mac and Windows – PanCake – a VST plugin that lets you create customized tempo-synced pan automations.
Key Features:

Free, and available for both PC and Mac.
Creative Modulation Tool: Create complex pan modulations with ease.
Unique Waveform Drawing Capabilities: Construct your own modulation curves in a very intuitive manner. Waveforms [...]

This year’s KVR Challenge resulted in a lot of interesting new free music software – including this Windows ambient sound synthesizer, Antorpya.
Here’s a demo of Antopya in action: Uranus:

 

 Uranus [0:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Free Music Software: The Venom VB-303 is a pattern-based acid bassline synthesizer for Windows inspired by the Roland TB-303.
Venom VB-303 is actively under development, but is still in beta.
Download links are available at the KVR forum.

Free Music Software: Hotelsinus Sound Design has released version 0.23 of TonesynthDS, a free software synth for the Nintendo DS. TonesynthDS combines matrix sequencing with a simple synthesizer.
Features:

16×16 pattern editor (16 accord, 16 tone (the scale is selectable), first line is always the C3).
16 different pattern stock.
Different volume setting possibility for each [...]

Free Music Software: In the late 60’s composer Steve Reich stumbled across a technique he called phasing, which was to have two identical tape loops that run at slightly different speeds, the result is that every possible combination of sound is cycled through until they arrive back in sync. The result with a melodic piece [...]

 

 Phase Shifter demo [3:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

LDaySynths has released Bass-Cruncher – a free bassline synthesizer, inspired by the Roland TB-303.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
BASSCRUNCHER
Monophonic Bassline Synthesizer mit einem Quitschigem Lowpassfilter ähnlich dem tb-303.
Features:

Monophonic Synthesizer
1 OSC (saw/pulse waveform)
1 LP Filter mit 303 artiger Resonanz
Drivemode (Soft/Hard sience V1.1)
Filter Stepsequencer in 16 Stufen

You can preview Bass Cruncher [...]

 

 BassCruncher [1:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download