The free VST effects include:

• Fuzz Muff
• Distortion
• Delay
• RMod
• GSynth
• Phasor
• Flanger
• Panner

If you’ve used EFM’s free VSTs, leave a comment with your thoughts on them!

WOK has announced ClockWOrK, a MIDI step sequencer plug-in for Windows that promises to let you create hypnotic sequences like Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream.

Here’s an audio demo:

ClockWOrK Features:

• Clear and easy interface
• Number of steps selectable (up to 16)
• Note per step selectable from 3 octaves with display
• Additional row for velocity or MIDI CC
• Each step can be muted or skipped (!)
• Sequence transpose by MIDI input
• Selectable speed (clock divide)
• Manual step thru the sequence with button or MIDI key
• Reset to a specific step manually or on bar start
• Play only when MIDI key is pressed
• Random play
• Supports automation by your host (like “Learn” in Reaper or Energy or Novation Automap)
• MIDI-ouput; any plugin or synthesizer can be used as sound source

ClockWOrK will be available as a VST instrument plug-in for Windows PC. No release date has been announced.

via rekkerd

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 can be easily drawn using soft or hard breakpoints, thus producing gentle transitions or sharp bends in the waveform. The unique drawing tool is similar to professional graphics/vector software, and allows you to draw with impressive precision and unparalleled ease.
• Customized Waveforms: Up to 10 customized waveforms can be stored.
• LFO Speed: LFO speed can be set free-running from 0.02 Hz to 5.24 kHz. It can also be set in rhythmic units synced to the host sequencer, from a fast 1/128 note modulation up to 32 bars.
• User Friendly Buttons: Reverse the waveform, move it in any direction, or randomize it. Select from a list of default waveforms, or copy and paste between waveforms, including presets.
• Complete Parameter Control via Automation: Absolutely everything in PanCake can be automated. Even the shape of the modulating waveform can be automated, and breakpoint movements can be recorded and played back. And if you want to use more than four modulation curves in a song, you can automate the plugin to switch between them.
• Exceptional Sound Quality: PanCake computes the audio at a per-sample basis; the modulation is interpolated with linear or, for the audiophile, cubic interpolation. The plugin’s LFO will always stay in sync, even when you make tempo changes in your host software, or jump ahead to different parts of your track.

PanCake comes out of this year’s KVR VST challenge.

You can download it here.

Budde notes:

The Noise Reduction plugin is based on a spectral gate to filter out unwanted noise in the frequency domain. The gate is based on the lightweight dynamic series and features a soft knee and customizable attack and release times.

Originally this plugin was planned for the KVR’09 developer contest, but in the end I missed the deadline by one day and thus I had to use another plugin for my entry.

Features:

• Highly customisable spectral noise gate
• Continous and consistent characteristic
• Fully adjustable soft knee in dB (as margin below the threshold)
• Several exotic window functions available
• Low CPU usage
• Different FFT sizes
• Manual included
• Open source (as part of the Delphi ASIO & VST Project)

Download it from Budde’s site.

Plogue today released its new soft-synthesizer, chipsounds.

“Quite simply put, it beats the s*** out of any other single chip emulation VST currently available,” says 8-bit artist nitro2k01. “chipsounds is a must-have for anyone who’s seriously interested in chip sounds but don’t have access to the real hardware.”

chipsounds is designed to faithfully reproduce the sound and style of vintage video game music and sound effects in plugin format, usable inside any sequencer or DAW, or as a standalone virtual instrument.

Plogue chipsounds will be offered at an introductory price of 75$ until November 1.

chipsounds simulates the following sound chips:

• 2A03
• AY-3-8910
• DMG-CPU
• P8244
• POKEY
• SID
• SN76489
• TIA
• UVI
• VIC-I

chipsounds reproduces the idiosyncrasies of the most sought-after classic sound chips, including their most well-known variations, as sonically accurate as possible without adding any non-authentic aliasing or DSP artifacts. Research and analysis for this project has been made in house on Plogue’s large collection of cartridges, modified consoles and classic computers and also on the chips themselves using custom made circuit boards and low level 8 bit software code.

Last week, we brought you the news of Plogue’s new 8-bit style software synth, Chipsounds.

According to Plogue, Chipsounds emulates more than eight vintage 8bit-era sound chips (on top of their variants), down to their smallest idiosyncrasies.

Now you can decide for yourself:

chipsounds EP by chipsounds

These tracks were made by the chipsounds beta team and show the
variety of styles and sounds that can be achieved with the software.

The only guideline given was that the music’s chip content had to be made using chipsounds.

Check out the demos and let me know what you think!

Free Music Software: This is a demo video for NuSofting’s free software synthesizer for Mac and Windows, Da Hornet.

It’s available in Windows VST, Mac VST and Mac AU formats.

Da Hornet is an emulation of the vintage synth of the 70’s, The Wasp.

Video demo via UPROAR24

Noise.Soft has introduced Industrial Distortion, a free noise based distortion effect ( VST ) designed to take your sound from a clean ‘natural’ gain to an extreme level of distortion that simulates a white noise waveform at it’s highest setting.

via NoiseSoftware:

Drum loop playing while the GAIN control is slowly rotating.

FXPansion has introduced DCAM Synth Squad – a software synth designed to capture the satisfaction of playing real analogue instruments in software.

At the heart of DCAM: Synth Squad are 3 modeled synthesizers – Strobe, Amber and Cypher. They combine the best features from legendary machines with new and exciting ideas to drag them kicking and screaming into the modern world.

DCAM: Synth Squad retails for USD 249, EUR 189, GBP 157 excluding taxes where applicable.

More videos are available at the FXPansion YouTube page.

Description:

Oscillators ooze immense sound pressure, amp stages can be overloaded for extra grit, and real-world chaos can be dialed into the circuit for delicious instability. These synths don’t break with extreme settings, so you can abuse them just like the real thing. Meanwhile, the intuitive TransMod modulation system brings your sounds to life in new and expressive ways.

Fusor, a versatile sound-design environment that can layer and keysplit 3 instances of the DCAM synths, is also included. It provides a variety of ways to add new dimensions to your sounds with high-quality FX, extra modulation and an advanced step-sequencer/arpeggiator.

7aliens’ Catanya is a polyphonic pattern-based software arpeggiator VSTi MIDI plugin.

It retails for about $70.

Features:

• next generation pattern arpeggiator
• easy to use
• fully editable patterns
• multiple instances
• 9×32 note matrix
• 1100 presets (music phrazes)
• supports recording final output into DAW for additional editations
• presets browser with ability to choose genre, style, rhythm, instrument, tempo
• applicable with any VSTi plugin or external HW synthesizer (via DAW’s midi out)
• unique AI Random functions for making unique velocity Groove
• realtime velocity spread
• support Cubase, Ableton Live, Reaper, FL Studio, Mackie Tracktion, NI Kore 2, EnergyXT

Predefined Presets
By Musical Instrument

• Basic Arpeggios 54
• Basses 386
• Drums&Percussion 101
• Guitars 50
• Pads 27
• Pianos 262
• Strings 31
• Synth 217

By Music Style

• Dance 330
• Classical 19
• Free (Universal) 192
• Funk 27
• Jazz 48
• Pop 147
• Rock 93
• Urban (Hip Hop, R&B) 155
• World 123

Justin Robert’s Mothman 1000 is a free 2 oscillator software synth VSTi plugin for Windows that features a subtractive analog oscillator and a phase distortion oscillator.

Both oscillators feature modulating LFO / HFOs (low and high frequency) as well as VCFs for each oscillator, VCF 1 includes an ADSR input section. The high frequency modulation creates FM synthesis type sounds. Mixing this with the phase distortion and subtractive sounds makes for a lot of possibilities. You can also use the L(H)FOs for standard LFO fx. The L(H)FO on OSC 1 is routed to the amp section of OSC 1 and the L(H)FO of OSC 2 is routed to the modulation depth of OSC 2, playing with this can create very interesting ring modulation and FM type sounds.

There are 32 built in presets that range from warm pads, Casio emulation, metallic craziness, warm analog basses and drums. It also features an oscilloscope just for fun.

To install the VST just extract it to your VST folder and restart your DAW.

Robo Voice is a free VST plugin for Windows simulates the sound of classic vocoder.

Exterminate!

Download via the wallofsound.ru site.

If you give this a try, leave a comment with your thoughts.

via Rekkerd

This is a demo of Beat Thang Virtual, the Beat Kangz’ new virtual music production workstation.

If you’ve had a chance to try out Beat Thang Virtual, leave a comment with your thoughts!

via griffinavid:

In this vid, we chop up a sample and make a beat within 10 minutes.

Doesn’t get any easier than that.

Audio Damage has announced the availability of Ronin, a long-deprecated Audio Damage product:

The original returns! One of the long-deprecated Audio Damage products, Ronin hails from a time not so kind nor gentle. This remade version features a new UI, full compatibility with current plug-in standards, and on the Mac side, the best news of all: Universal Binary VST and AU.

What we didn’t change, however, is the sound. Featuring pairs of BBD-style delays, multi-mode filters, saturation, and LFOs, Ronin also is fully modular. You can route the effects however you’d like, including (if you feel like living dangerously) in to themselves. The audio path is entirely modular. Ronin also has an extensive control routing mechanism, including MIDI inputs.

Audio Damage Ronin is $49. Audio demos are available at the site. If you are an owner of Ronin V1.0, this upgrade is free, and is currently in your account in the Audio Damage store.

If you’ve used Audio Damagae Ronin, leave a comment with your thoughts!

This is a visual tour and demo of Xoxos Hyperion, an algorithmic sequencing VST.

Hyperion MIDI VST has a semi-modular structure suitable for a wide variety of tuned algorithmic applications. LFOs and counters are used to easily create dynamic MIDI sequences and change them on the fly, or to modulate other components of the architecture.

Hyperion produces glissandos or subtly varying sequences for up to three parts on three separate MIDI channels using a simple chord function. It can also be used as a phrase arpeggiator to make sure that you never play out of key or out of sequence.

Hyperion is available for $25. The demo is limited to bpm settings.

De La Mancha has introduced Slix, a randomising loop slicer for Windows (VST), which switches between up to 4 loops and can shuffle, repeat, reverse and gate the slices of each loop according to user defined probability.

Load any 4 loops, sync them to tempo, slice them up and then set probabilities that each loop will play and for each randomising effect per loop. Even the randomness is randomised, with a parameter that varies the probability in a user defined range. slix was co-developed with sink, who also provided the included 295 original loops.

Features:

• Load any 16, 24 or 32 bit, mono or stereo wav file into the 4 loop slots
• 445 MB of original drum loop content (295 loops) by sink covering many electronic genres (breakbeat, dubstep, drum & bass, electro, 8 bit, lofi, vintage, IDM, FSU and glitch)
• Tempo-sync each loop by setting length in beats, allowing stretching or different lengths if desired
• Choose any number of slices per loop
• Slix plays when triggered by any midi note, with volume envelope per loop for fades
• 4 effects with independent parameters per loop
• Reorder – plays slices out of sequence for variation per loop
• Repeat – stutter effect by repeating slices
• Reverse – play the slice backwards
• Gate – add silent gaps into the loop
• Variation range to randomise probabilities
• Normalise and mono options per loop
• Stereo-out and Multi-out versions (slix and slix 4×4)
• Single loop version (slix one) for simpler applications or lower CPU
• 57 presets covering a range of sounds and styles

Slix retails for $39. A loop free version is also available for download.

Jeff Rona discusses the use of Rob Papen synths while making a new film score.

via robpapen

Krolar SX-2 is a freeware VST instrument for Windows, inspired by the Roland SH-2.

Features:

• OSC1: sine/saw/pulse.
• OSC2: saw/pulse/noise.
• SubOsc: square (-1 oct below the settings of OSC1).
• 4pole LP self oscillating filter.
• Modulator (LFO): sine/square/S&H with rate and delay.
• AutoBend: begins below/above (-2/+2 octaves) key pressed and slides to that pitch.
• PWM: LFO/Man/Env – the slider adjust the pulse width or the amount of LFO/Env modulation (the LFO for PWM is a smooth sine with no delay).
• Pitch Mod: controls amount of pitch modulation by the LFO.
• Tuning: OSC2 has its own tuning section, Wide and Narrow (+/-1750 cents or +/-200 cents).
• the SH-2 was monophonic, Krolar SX-2 has a small red button (top right) that allows you to switch from monophonic (low note priority) to polyphonic (6 voices).

Dowload here.

via rekkerd

Synthtopia regular and fellow blogger Torley demonstrates how AutoTune EFX works, delivering a few jolts of audio pain and fun along the way.

via Torley

Waldorf has announced a new software synthesizer, the Waldorf Largo:

Many producers and synthesizer enthusiasts asked for a full-blown Waldorf Synthesizer for their virtual rack. We listened, and now we proudly present Largo. Largo is the first pure software synthesizer with Waldorf DNA. And again – it is the cutting edge sound that makes the big difference.

No wonder, as Largo mirrors the technology used in Blofeld and Q hardware synthesizers. As for every Waldorf instrument, ergonomics are a core feature on screen as well. Your eyes will be pleased with a clearly structured, graphical user interface that supports your workflow intuitively.

Largo offers three fat oscillators, two of them with sub oscillators. These oscillators include models of classic analog waveforms as well as a selection of waves from the PPG and Waldorf Wave stored in two Wavetables. All these run through two Waldorf multimode filters with steep cutoff, resonance up to self-oscillation and a drive stage to add even more punch and grainyness to the sound. Ultra-fast envelope generators and flexible LFOs as well as an easy to understand, yet extremely versatile modulation matrix make for a sound designer’s dream.

The filters have always been a core part of any Waldorf instrument. With outstanding expertise in both analog and digital synthesis, our developers took utmost care in developing the filters. And you can hear a significant difference when working with a Waldorf filter – they just sound right! Use the comb filters for plucked, stringed or blown sounds. Band pass, high pass, low pass and notch filters are all available with 12 dB and 24 dB slope. All of them sound extremely accurate and add pure sonic quality to the sound of your music.

Largo contains a flexible arpeggiator with 16 freely programmable steps as known from the exclusive Q synthesizer line plus an array of high quality effects such as Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Overdrive, Delay and Reverb.

The clearly arranged user interface helps you to create your own powerful synthesizer sounds in a breeze. Oscillators and filters are always in direct access while the submodules are only a mouse click away. It has the same exclusive voice architecture as the Q and Blofeld synthesizer line, fully integrated into the total recall system of your Digital Audio Workstation.

Largo works as a VST and AudioUnit instrument. Details below.