If you need to add some LOFI grit to your drums, and / or to sample reduce to sound like a sick 8 bit sampler. You want the harsh sound of quantization error, or the sweet ugliness of aliasing. you got all you need in Wavosaur ! Here we talk about sample reducing used as a special effect. The final goal is to have something not transparent.   How to change sample rate in Wavosaur Go to "Process" menu then select "Resample", this windows appears : resample window You have to enter the target sample rate in the textfield. Don’t check "change only the sample rate without processing" : when checked it only changes the samplerate info in the file (so it plays faster or slower) Depending on how radical you want the effect, you can select or not interpolation and anti aliasing filter : when unchecked, the effect is more dramatic ! Crunchy bass example 1) open Wavosaur 2) load a sample 3) use a low pass filter : go to "Effect" menu -> Filter -> Chebishev and use these settings : 400 Hz, 4 poles, 0.5% ripple,  Lowpass Chebyshev lowpass filter 4) apply this filter then : 5) go to "Process" menu -> Resample and select a low low sample rate ! here we choose 2000 Hz uncheck anti aliasing and interpolation for more gritty sound Resample @ 2000 Hz 6) then you need to go back to 44100 : go to "Process" menu -> Resample and upsample to 44100 (or a "classic" sample rate) Back to 44100 Hz This last step shouldn’t be necessary, but many software can’t deal with sample rate different from 11025 22050 44100 48000 88200 96000 192000. This last step won’t change the sound, as upsampling can’t bring back the signal after we degraded it ! sample before : http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Street-Player-normal.mp3   sample after Chebishev lowpass filter: http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Street-Player-filter.mp3   sample after sample reduce decimate degrade low reduction http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Street-Player-resampled.mp3 Groovy multiFX 1) open Wavosaur 2) load a sample file 3) go to "Process" menu -> Resample then choose a low samplerate so we can hear the artefacts Resample with exotic sample rate here we also select some filtering, to have a less noisy effect 4) open VST rack and load a VST Filter (or use Filter from Wavosaur ), we need a high pass filter (blue filter is nice ! => http://www.digilogue.de/download.htm) We used blue filter, with hipass setting, and with amplitude following (driving the filter cutoff) Blue Filter VST   sample normal, then decimated, then decimated + filterized : http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/crush-and-filter.mp3 Degrade voice If you’re after the oldchool gabber techno sampled voice style, you may need to resample voice as if they were sampled with a low budget 8 bit sampler. 1) open Wavosaur 2) load a vocal sample 3) go to "Process" menu -> Resample Resample @ 8363 Hz here we choose to apply a minimal anti-aliasing filter to reduce the "noisy" part this one is more subtle, but you can hear the difference : before : http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Weekend-normal.mp3 after: http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Weekend-resampled-8363.mp3  

This one is a classic, it’s very easy to achieve, all you need is a reverb and a software able to reserve the sound: Wavosaur + Reverberate LE How to do the reverse reverb effect 1) Launch Wavosaur 2) load a vocal sample : Vocal sample in Wavosaur 2) go to "Process" menu and select "reverse" Reverse me ! 3) look at the end of your sample, make sure there is enough blank space for the reverb tail. if there isn’t enough space, go to "Process" menu and select "Insert Silence" : 1 second at end should be sufficient, you can choose "custom" if you want a longer space for the reverb tail Insert silence at end for the reverb tail 4) open VST rack and load the Reverberate LE VST (or another reverb, don’t hesitate to have a look at this post : http://blog.wavosaur.com/the-5-best-free-vst-reverb/ Reverberate LE 5) choose a preset or tweak the parameters to have something "not - too - subtle" : we have to hear it ! a Cathedral impulse response is nice ! THEN APPLY the reverb to the reversed sound ! 6) now go to "Process" menu and choose "Reverse" again   before http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/simone-normal-1.mp3 after http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Simone-reverb-reverse.mp3  

Techno is reactivated VST Speek is a free vocal synthesis VST plugin for recreating the old skool robotic text to speech we all love. Choose a preset, type any text and let’s speak ! download VST Speek 1.0 beta VST Speek + reverb http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/text2speechVST.mp3   VST Speek text to speech is 100% freeware, the plugin is based on the Software Automatic Mouth (SAM) vocal synthesis software created by Softvoice Inc for the Commodore 64. The original C64 software has been reverse engineered and ported to C by Sebastian Macke : http://simulationcorner.net/index.php?page=sam I have adapted then to VST plugin : you can trigger the speech with MIDI keyboard (velocity sensitive) you can use MIDI pitchbend you can change original pitch or mouth/throat parameters while it’s speaking This is not a vocal synth like "Vocaloïd", it’s intended to do crunchy robotic lofi techno voices! It’s not intended for good quality speech synthesis too, better speech synthesis softwares exist now. Please comment and vote for the most wanted feature / development for this VST plugin ! - 64 bit version - MAC version - ability to assign different text to MIDI notes - ability to read longer text (and / or read from text file) - assign pitchbend or midi CC to voice parameters. - Android version ? - more parameters Don’t hesitate to report any bug you found.     Text to speech vocal synthesis has been used in some famous (and less famous!)  rave/techno songs from the 90′s. The robot voices were popular in the nineties. The funkyest speech synthesis sotfwares at this time were : The Amiga 500 say program : it used narrator & translator library to produce nice computerized robot voices ! If you are not a happy Amiga 500 owner you can use an Amiga emulator : WinUAE The Commodore 64 Software Automatic Mouth (SAM) : you can use the brand new VST Speek or the S.A.M simulation program (command line executable for Windows) from Sebastian Macke  : SAM for window The Atari ST Speech  : that’s the one in U96 - Das Boot ! you can use the Steem Atari emulator + stspeech.tos Here’s a port for Windows, command line application : stspeech.exe Apple MacinTalk They were all developped by Softvoice inc. We must not forget the Speak n Spell toy by Texas Instrument ! This was a great piece of talking machine, that is still circuit-bended to death nowadays.   Here’s some 90′s music tracks that used vocal synthesis (Amiga or Atari) : U96 - Das Boot : U96 - Das Boot / Kennedy (megamix): Snap - The Ex-Terminator : Quadrophonia - Quadophonia : Signal Aout 42 - I Want To Push : Marcel Hol - Serious Beats Vol.4 Mega Dance Party Mix (1992) : The Deadkirks - Mr. Kirk, your Son is Dead : General Base - Apache & Base Of Love : The Scientist - Spiral Symphony Rave Crusaders - Energy Overload Pleasure Game - Activez Les Plaisirs (Amnesia Robot Mix) : http://www.bide-et-musique.com/song/11963.html  Daktylus is reactivated !!! 1 2 3 techno ! maximum velocity ! reactivate ! maximum overload energiiiiiiize

VST 2.4 is still mandatory if you want to be compatible with most of the DAW / Sequencer applications on the market. For this first article, we’ll talk about Visual Studio on Windows. 1. Debug 32 bit VST in Visual Studio When it comes to debugging, you want something fast! Here’s some useful softwares for debugging. We need applications that can take a VST plugin as command line argument, are lightweight, fast to open, and bug-free (ideally). 1.1 Setup debugging in your Visual project 1) open the properties of your project (Menu -> Project -> Properties , or right click on the project name in the solution explorer and choose "properties"). Then go to "Configuration Properties" -> Debugging Debug properties in Visual Studio 2) then you need to fill the three first fields with the right information Command : the path to the VST host application Command Arguments : the command line arguments you pass to the executable, in our case, the name of the plugin we are coding. Working Directory : the directory where your plugin is ! in our case, the debug directory. Now you can use "start debugging (F5)" : this will launch the VST host application, with your plugin loaded in. You can set debug break points in your code 1.2 Debug VST with Cantabile 1.2 Lite Cantabile 1.2 lite download : Cantabile 1.2 lite on archive.org Cantabile lite is fast, has a clean and nice interface, and can take a VST plugin as command line argument. 1) installation : if you’re on Windows XP, just run the setup executable and follow the instructions. if you’re on Windows Vista , or Windows 7 or higher, run setup as administrator and change the target directory for the application : choose a target directory other than "Program Files (x86)", because Cantabile may need to write log files (useful when debugging). You can install it in something like C:/MyPrograms/ . 2) setting up the Cantabile VST Host application : You can make your workflow even faster with some settings, launch Cantabile Lite then go to Tools -> Options : in "General" tab : uncheck "prompt to save modified sessions" in "Startup / shutdown" tab : uncheck "Prompt before exiting" and check "Escape key exits" in "VST Plugins" : check "Automatically open plugin editor when loading plugins" In "General" tab you also have the "Diagnostic and troubleshooting" button: Cantabile diagnostic options You have useful options when it comes to VST debugging. Cantabile can write a log file, you have different log level, the log file may be useful for debugging. Cantabile can also route the audio in directly to the plugin, it’s useful when debugging VST effects.   1.3 Debug with SAVIHost 32 bit VST Speek in Savihost You can download Savihost 32 here : http://www.hermannseib.com/english/savihost.htm Like Cantabile, you can run it directly from the debugger. Savihost have also two useful command line parameters for debugging : /noexc  : "No Exception Check" it turns off the outermost exception handler. /noft  : "No Fault Tolerance" :  turns off all exception checks. 1.4 VST Plugins Unit Test VST-Plugin Unit Test informations and download : http://www.savioursofsoul.de/Christian/programs/tools/#VUnit note : the PDF manual is only present in the .exe setup download. This VST host doesn’t make any sound, it’s designed for stress test! You can torture test your plugin : this program runs automated tests for  your VST plugin. It can be helpful for testing your plugin in extreme conditions.   1.5 VST Host by Hermann Seib VST Host (open source) download here : http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm You can use it like Savihost, it also has the same command line option for the exception checking : /noexc  : "No Exception Check" it turns off the outermost exception handler. /noft  : "No Fault Tolerance" :  turns off all exception checks.   1.6 VST Host open source VST Host (open source) For even more advanced debugging, you can load the open source version of VST Host and set a multi project in Visual Studio with VST Host and your plugin. 1) load VST Host open source v1.16q  by Hermann Seib : http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm 2) you may need to download ASIO 2 SDK http://www.steinberg.net/en/company/developers.html and / or Microsoft DirectX SDK : http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=6812 We suppose you already have the VST SDK 2.4. 3) open the VST host solution file 3) right click on the solution’s name in the Visual Studio solution browser and choose Add->Existing project… then select the vcproj/vcxproj file of your plugin project 4) select "start debugging (F5)" : this will launch VST Host, then load your plugin from VST Host : choose your plugin .dll file in your debug folder, then quit VST Host without unloading the plugin. VST host remember the last opened plugin(s) et reload it the next time. Or you can just setup the "command argument" in the debugging tab of the VST Host project properties so it loads your plugin when launched from the debugger. 5) now you can setup break points in your plugin code AND in the VST host code : this can be helpful for a better understanding of how your plugin communicate with the host and vice versa.   1.7 Using PluginConsultant PluginConsultant Download : http://www.hermannseib.com/PluginConsultant/ This one is a VST plugin, it monitors and log the dispatcher and audiomaster call between the plugin and the host   2. if you develop 64 bit version : Cantabile Lite exists only as 32 bit application. You can download Savihost 64 and  VST Host 64 : http://www.hermannseib.com/english/  

When it comes to sound FX, nothing can’t beat a good field recording mic + audio editing + sampler, or even faster : freesound.org + free VST sampler . For the selection to follow we have found some free VST/VSTi that are ultra-specialized (one trick pony sometimes) for very special task. More music, less talk : 1. CensorCUT : the Bleep generator VST by GrooveZing Beep VST ! Info and download : http://www.groovezing.com/en/plugins/censorcut.php This one is a free VST effect : it lets the audio signal pass thru it but when you hit the "-18″ button, it replaces the audio with a BEEP sinus sound @ 1KHz ! Censoring the sound like in TV shows. It also works with the MIDI keyboard. Beep volume is available from the parameters (but not the interface). Here’s the demo mp3 from the website : http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Karen-Finley.mp3 It can even encode your sound to make sound like a "crypted TV program" (with the same encryption sound used by the very first french pay TV channel in the mid 80′s) http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/outhere-brothers.mp3     2. Field ambience tool VST by Tweakbench Field Ambience VST download it here : http://www.tweakbench.com/field This is a multi-sampled VST instrument, it contains sample of recorded ambience in different town / place, you can mix different ambience to create your own. The samples are very well looped. Perfect for that noisy background of a busy city, or crowded megalopole, or the ambience of a restaurant, a street, a rainy town, a school, your home, a store… big city street http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/field.mp3     3. Sounds of Nature VST pack by Xoxos Rain VST download Sound of nature : http://www.xoxos.net/vst/vst.html#nature Sounds of Nature is a pack of VSTi created by Xoxos, one the most talented and creative VST developer. These are pure synthesis instruments intended to recreate the sounds of nature : thunder, rain, wind, insects, birds. And don’t forget to check "Fauna" : this can (re) create the sounds of animals, from dogs / cats to dolphin, frogs, angry tyrannosaurus, strange creatures that don’t even exist, Loch Ness monster, pigs, kangooroo, humans… here’s some insects : http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/insect.mp3     4. Trash Operator Telephone VST by Trash80 Trash Operator VST direct download => trash operator VST This essential VSTi is a DTMF generator! DTMF = dual tone multi frequency , the DTMF signaling is used in telephony. Use the virtual telephone interface or your MIDI keyboard to generate the dual tone. Call me http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/trashoperator.mp3     5. Radio FX VSTi Radio FX VST You can download this package : http://www.datafilehost.com/d/5d9a8c99 This VSTi lets you load wav file and browse from one to the other like a FM radio TUNER. It introduces noise, for recreating the radio interferences. And the most important : it has a BIG knob.

The Theremin ! One of the very first electronic instrument, invented by the Russian physicist and cellist Leon Theremin in 1919. Leon Theremin in the house Everybody knows this instrument that you can play without physical contact. The Theremin produces a tone that changes in pitch and dynamic level when the player moves his hands near its antenna and loop. It’s often associated with 50′s sci-fi movies, furious aliens and creepy/spooky creatures and was also used by many artists, just to name a few : Beach boys - Good Vibrations ! Portishead - Mysterons Goldfrapp - Yes Sir + Radiohead, Led Zep, Massive Attack, Pink Floyd, Julien Dragoul and many more ! If you search the perfect VST for this landing spaceship sound here’s a selection of free VSTi that tries to emulate the good old Theremin :   1. Spook Keys by Simple Media Spook Keys VST Download : http://www.simple-media.co.uk/vsti.htm This is the best Theremin VST emulation, and it’s free ! Drag the light point on the amplitude / frequency axes : instant Theremin action ! Here come the flying saucers. You can also play MIDI notes with your keyboard. You have 4 waveforms to choose from so there is more than the Theremin sound, check out the presets ! Delay is simple but effective. Depth and Rate parameters are for the vibrato. Alien invasion, they are coming http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/spook-keyz.mp3     2. BTS Super Theremin BTS Theremin VST Download it => here This synth can do a decent Theremin emulation, add some reverb and/or delay after and you’ve got a nice clean gliding sinus Thereminesque sound. The perfect VST for science fiction movies! BTS Theremin VST + cathedral reverb for more romantic SCI FI sound http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/BTS-theremin.mp3   3. 666 VST by Eloxoga the number of the beast 666 Click on the button, and drag the skull : a demonic Theremin from hell will scream. Perfect for horror ambience or invoking the devil.   4. Mysteron by FXPansion Mysteron VST Download : https://web.archive.org/web/20050623003606/http://www.fxpansion.com/skunk/ Drag the little cross or use you MIDI keyboard. This one is very simple, you may need to add a delay / reverb effect after.   5. Bluenoise Theremin Bluenoise Theremin Download for free here : http://www.bluenoiseplugins.com/plugins/free-plugins/ This one is funny,  with the hand you can drag. The range for the vibrato depth is not well calibrated, only the 3 first positions are really usable for Theremin emulation. The signal is a sinus when you turn the "age" parameter to the maximum Note that you have to send MIDI message. Spooky Creepy Scary Funky Science Fiction  SFX http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/bluenoise-theremin.mp3   6. Super Spook Keys Super Spook Keys VST Free download : http://www.simple-media.co.uk/vsti.htm A slightly different version of Spook Keys. A great VST for classic sci fi sound FX.   7. Enigmatron VST by FXPansion Enigmatron VST Direct DL : espace Cubase This is a customized version of the Mysteron Theremin VST.   8. TerVoxSyn VST by Chris Roberson TerVoxSyn Freeware download : http://robersonaudio.tk/tervoxsyn/ This free VST is worth mentionning too. It has a nice "voicy" sound. Set the timbre to zero for a more "Theremin" sound  

Here’s the follow up to this post : http://blog.wavosaur.com/free-vst-for-sound-fx-in-videomovies-production-12/ It’s a nice opportunity to exhume some unusual VST instruments. like these : 1. Whale Song VST by Necromare Music Whale Song VST download it right now ! => http://necromare.blogspot.fr/2011/01/free-vst-whalesong.html This one is just a sample player with a Whale sound. But a nice one ! Ideal for this submarine atmosphere, let’s play the Whale.   2. WindChimes MIDI generator by ToneCarver Wind Chimes Generator VST Info and free download : http://tonecarver.wordpress.com/wind-chimes/ This VST doesn’t produce sounds, it generates MIDI notes, so you can feed any synth / sampler with the generated notes. Here’s a quick demo with WindChime VST + Synth 1 (preset 124 from this Synth1 bank ): Wind Chime : http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/windchimes.mp3 Of course it’s even more funky with other sound than chimes / bells sounds WindChime + Seagulator Synth1 patch (from this Synth1 preset bank ) Cyber Seagulls are coming : http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/seagulator.mp3   3. KeyWriter VST by Knobster KeyWriter VST download free : http://knobster.org/plugins/en/keywriter.html A typewriter VSTi ! very simple but effective, it does what you expect.   4. Atonoise VST by H.G Fortune Atonoise Pro VST HG Fortune VST on archive.og : https://archive.org/details/HGFortuneNFG This VST is more than a one trick pony, but it has his place in this list. It would be perfect for strange Sci Fi movies. Download it and play some of the presets ! instant (strange) ambience.   5. VSTAnimals direct download : http://mu-tech.co.jp/Soft/VstAnimal.zip This VSTi has no GUI, it cames from Japan, and it has different animals sounds you can trigger. I know another "animal sounds" VSTi (still in development) that is better than this one, i’ll update this post as soon as it’s ready.      

Looking for strange weird sounds / effects ? Here’s a selection of 5 plugins for Creepy Spooky Dark Devil Satanic Scary horror Nightmare evil atmosphere. Coming straight from hell, use them with a "Poltergeist voice" effect -> http://blog.wavosaur.com/the-reverse-reverb-effect/ and you’re done.   1. 666 By Eloxoga 666 summoning the devil   2. The Nightmare Machine by Jack Dark Sleep well, if you can Evil in a box   3. Gargoyle by Krakli Gargoyle VST ghost n ghoulz   4. ABVst by A U D I O B U L B ABVST Brain-Eating Anchorman from Uranus   5. Emily The Strange Organ VST by Killapluggies Emily the strange organ VST official organ of Satan  

Be Acid The Roland TB-303 ! the legendary Transistor Bass synthesizer by Roland. Created to emulate bass sound and used by nearly nobody until someone saw the light : "hey, listen what happens when i turn these knobs!!" turn up the res to the max ! yeah ! aciiiiiiiiiid Back to the Chicago House, Acid House, Belgian New Beat, then Acid Techno, Acid Trance and every electronic music genre.   Now let list some free TB303 software emulations : 1. Rebirth RB-338 by Propellerhead (Standalone) Rebirth RB-303, free ! aciid Information and download : http://www.rebirthmuseum.com/ Rebirth was one of the first TB303 software emulation, in 1997! And it’s free since 2005. Rebirth is more than a TB303 emulator ; you have two TB303, and TR909 + TR808 drum machine emulations + onboard effects . The software is old, and it still sounds incredible. As it’s a standalone application, you have to use rewire for sync with your sequencer. Useful informations about sync etc.. can be found here : http://www.rebirthmuseum.com/support/support2.htm Installing Rebirth 338 on Windows 7 may require more steps, you have to download the old winhelp32 to get Rebirth work on Windows 7. Here’s a blog post with all the link you need : The rebirth ISO torrent, the Win7 installer and the link to the win32help : http://sporsmaal2blog.blogspot.fr/2010/02/how-to-install-and-run-propellerhead.html   2. RubberDuck by D-Lusion (Standalone) RubberDuck TB 303 emulation for funky people Download for free ! => http://www.d-lusion.com/ProductsRubberduck.html This one is even older than Rebirth 338. The sequencer has been simplified, compared to a real 303, and it’s a great gain of time when programming patterns! There are also onboard effects : a simple but effective delay, and a distorsion unit for getting this squelchy acid sound. The RubberDuck software is MIDI sync’able, Of course you can record as wav the output of the synth.   3. Creakbox BadBoyz edition (VST) Creakbox Bad Boys edition download : Creakbox Bad Boys Edition The Creakbox VST by Bioroid development was stopped and gone open source in 2004! The "bad boys" edition adds an effect section with delay & multi distorsion unit  : analog drive, rectifier, bit reducer etc.. + different filter modes : hipass, bandpass, bandstop, 18 or24 dB / octave. The sound is good, but unfortunately the sequencer has some bugs in many VST hosts acid trance ! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/creakbox.mp3   4. Venom VB-303 by Antto (VST) Venom VB-303 More about and download here : http://antonsavov.net/cms/projects/venom-vb-303.html This one is the newest : it’s a VST plugin made with Synthedit. It sounds very good and should work nice in all 32 bits VST hosts. Acid house! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/venom303.mp3   5. FreeBee (workname Lush) standalone FreeBee 303 Info and download : archive  +  dl The Audiorealism bassline ancestor ! This standalone application sounds very good, you can record as wav mellow acid ! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/freebee.mp3     6. survey : do you need a free Creakbox VST 64 bit port ? Post your comment !     Aciiiiid : Solar quest - Acid Air Raid Acrid Abeyance - 303 Delight Dr. Fernando! - Stomach Substance Plank - Acid Wars Hardfloor - Acperience 1 Unknown Structure - Helixcoid

Everybody needs a good audio editor. and you can get it for free ! Here, in the Wavosaur team we know what we are talking about ! If you need a freeware for audio editing, here’s a selection of the best free audio editors available in 2014 : 1. Wavosaur Wavosaurus Rex Download !!! We created Wavosaur in 2006 because we needed a light / portable / VST compatible audio editor, with the same professional workflow you can find on Soundforge (this one wasn’t portable) or Wavelab. By the years we added a lot of features, suggested by our users, and we’ll continue to improve the software ! pros: full VST support VST effect chaining batch processing loop point support can be controled with MIDI surface control (BCR 2000 or UC 33e, etc..) cons: memory problems with very large file on "old" or small configurations redo is not yet implemented   2. Audacity Audacity ! download : http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ Audacity exist since always. It’s not really the same philosophy as Soundforge / Wavelab etc.. => Audacity is multi track : you can play multiple audio files at a time : so it’s nice for basic sequencing. pros: multi-track cross platform open many audio formats cons: VST plugins are nearly unusable : you can just preview 5 seconds, and you can’t change the parameters while it’s running no support for loop points can’t zoom with mouse wheel   3. Ocenaudio Ocen audio Info & DL : http://www.ocenaudio.com.br/ Ocenaudio is available for Windows, Mac OS X & Linux, it supports VST plugins. Some may prefer its look over the more "classic" audio editors. It’s one of the most featured audio editor, and has many configuration options. pros: cross platform full VST support VST effects available from the Effects menu (we have to add this to Wavosaur when you don’t need to chain effects, and just want to load a single VST effect) loop points support ! cons: can’t have two (or more) waveforms view at the same time, the navigator windows is easy and fast to use but sometimes we need to have two or more files (old school MDI style !) i experimented some recurrent bug ( like a playing problem when hitting "play") bugs with many VST plugins we tested (the magic of VST…)   4. TWE by Yamaha Tiny Wave Editor direct download : TWE for Windows In the last century, Yamaha was giving this useful tool for free. It works on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. The workflow and the philosophy of the software make it suited for small samples. The program is MDI, you can work on more than one file at a time. It doesn’t have many effects and of course is not VST compatible, but it has all you need for working on sample. pros: light & efficient support for loop points ! the time compress / expand is nice ! it has the good old school speed garage style (you have to apply many time the effect, as the max is set to 125%) cons: development has stopped for a looong time no plugin support experienced some crash when using the effects on samples with duration > 1 ~2 minutes 5. Waveshop download and test it : http://waveshop.sourceforge.net/ One of the latest audio editor, first alpha was releaded in 2013. It already has all the basics you need for audio editing. It’s open source, so the development should continue. pros: you can work with multiple files (application is MDI) at once can zoom with mouse wheel ! (CTRL + mousewheel) many audio format are supported cons: no VST plugins support no loop points support it has less features than the others (but the development is still active !) ——————————————————————————————————————————— What free audio editor do i need ? 1) You are working with samplers (software or hardware), you make sound banks, you work on one-shot samples, you record small samples: - Wavosaur - Yamaha TWE - Ocenaudio Loop points support is important, fast workflow and some basic effects (like pitch shift).   2) You want to record very long piece of audio : a DJ mix, a radio broadcast, and just do basic editing (cut at start / end, fade in / out or split in 2 or more) : - Audacity - Ocenaudio   3) You want to do sound design, mastering or pre mastering, FX creation: - Wavosaur - Ocenaudio VST support is important, so you can use effects as compression / equalization / reverb / echo / distorsion / phaser / flanger / etc..   4) You just need basic editing : cut / copy / paste / fade out for your songs / samples : - Wavosaur - Audacity - Waveshop - Ocenaudio   5) you want to do analysis (statiistics, spectrum, sonogram) : - Wavosaur - Ocenaudio You need FFT / stats but also a good VST support for using more analysis tools   6) you want to work with multichannel wav files : - Wavosaur - Waveshop Audacity can import multichannel wav files but can’t export as multichannel, it mixes all channels into a stereo file. More info on multichannel wav files : http://acousmodules.free.fr/infos.htm   7) if you want to edit mp3 files without re-encoding : You don’t need any of these audio editors ! you want : mp3DirectCut Of course if you save your mp3′s in wav or any loosless format, you can use Wavosaur / Audacity / Ocenaudio / etc.. for editing. ————————————————————————————————————————————-   If you just need very basic audio editing, there are also some free audio editors that are worth mentioning, unfortunaly, some of these softwares are discontinued and sometimes buggy. Anyway, here’s the selection : 6. Acoustic Cutter by Digilogue Acoustic Cutter audio editor About & dl : http://www.digilogue.de/ By the maker of the fantastic Blueline plugins, this Audio editor is promising, still in beta / dev, but already usable for basic editing. Let’s hope the development will continue.   7. Quickaudio editor by Sion Software download for free : http://www.sionsoft.com/qaudio.html This one could have been nice but the workflow is ruined by a very annoying feature : as soon as you make a selection, a drop down context menu appears, and the selection disappears with the menu. Quickaudio can use VST plugins : i wasn’t able to have any VSt plugins recognized, but i remember it was working in a old test (but with many bugs on VST host) 8. SoundEngine Free SoundEngine Free download here : http://soundengine.jp/software/soundengine/ Warning : when installing, don’t forget to uncheck the crappy toolbars that want to be installed with the software. This one look nice, but i admit i haven’t understand all of the features, and many options seems cryptic. The last version doesn’t work with Windows XP, it’s ok with Windows 7. I had some crashes (when doing some basic operations) 8. Audioblast by Moor software Audioblast download on archive.org : here It’s 100% free, you just can work on one file at a time. Very limited but can be helpful.   9. Sound Editor free Sound Editor Free info and dl : http://www.freesoundeditor.com/accueileng.html This one looks nice, can work on multiple files. Unfortunaly it seems to be discontinued : it’s quite unstable. And it only displays one channel.  

When it comes to hardcore techno, and style/genre like gabber, hardstyle, speedcore, new style hardcore, oldschool gabber, etc..  the kick drum is the more important part of the production: the kick drum has to be ridiculously strong, and/or distorted, mangled to death, strong solid fat devastating and incredible. For me the best combo is drum synth or sample + distortion (and couple of other effects like compression, distortion, EQ, and more distortion). But sometimes it’s nice to have a dedicated plugin ! Here we go with the freeware plugins :   1. Gabber Master! VST by John Merrik Gabber Master ! direct dl : Gabber Master VST download! It’s a Windows-only VST, it seems it has been created with Synthmaker, and should work well in 32 bit VST hosts sequencers. The GabberMaster VST is sample based with a nice variety of samples, and some parameters for destroying the sound. Instant gabber hardcore breakcore speedcore terrorcore ! 2. Bassdrum::Murda VST by Distocore Distocore Bassdrum::Murdaaaaaa Information and download : http://www.distocore.net/ Concept by I:GOR , this free plugin is more sophisticated and is a powerful drum synthesizer: You have 3 oscillators with many waveforms to choose from, envelope sections for the pitch and the volume. The audio signal goes to filter + distorsion + bit crusher + eq. Now you can create powerful hardcore kick drums from scratch.   3. Hardcore Kicks Lite VST by the CoreStylerz Hardcore Kicks VST 2 Lite Information and download : http://www.thecorestylerz.net/vst/hardcore-kicks-vsti-2/hardcore-kicks-vsti-2-lite This one lets you make some noise too. It is "facebook-like-ware", not really freeware, but it’s nice and deserves some supports. some agressive ear-destroying presets show the potential of this hard kick generator.   4. Synth1 by Ichiro Toda ! Synth1 VST ! Or any synth with at least one or two oscillator, a pitch envelope and some saturation / distorsion / filter / EQ effect. - turn off all effects - start with OSC2 (mix 100% to the right), choose the triangle waveform, - activate the Modulation ENVelope for Osc2 : set Attack to zero and turn up the Decay and AMounT that’s a basic kick drum Now you can destroy it with the effect section : - choose analogic distorsion (A.D) or DECImator. - for more funkyness, you can also add a filter lowpass (or bandpass) + filter envelope, crank up the resonance to add screaming. Or choose a square waveform instead of the triange. now you can mix with a kick sample, layer it, resample, do anything you want Only Synth1 audio examples : http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/synth1-corekick.mp3 http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/synth1-kick.mp3 http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/synth1-brainwashkick.mp3 http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/synth1-badboyyy.mp3   5. Virtual KickLab XL by Angular Momentum AM Kicklab XL it’s here : http://www.amvst.com/kicklab-xl A kick dedicated  free plugin for Windows, you can create bass drum from scratch. It’s not as ferocious as the other plugins in this list, but it can do some solid kicks. It’s more clean, the saturator and distortion aren’t dirty enough. But you can produce nice kicks out of it.

Rave Generator VST Rave Generator VST by DJ * CSI * is a free rompler VST synth, containing many of the classic sounds of the early rave / hardcore from the 90′s. download RaveGenerator VST for Windows (32 bit) download RaveGenerator VST for Windows (64 bit) When you need an old school rave stab, just load the Rave Generator VST and go through the presets ! => instant Altern 8 / 2 Unlimited / Belgium techno / hardcore gabber rave sound ! There are 64 sounds, including the T99 Anasthasia choir stab, classic hoover, Black Riot stab, the "Landlord" stab as heard in "Outlander - Vamp" and countless rave tracks, the "Inner City" stab, etc.. There’s also some funny "wooh" voice sounds. OldSchool Rave 100 % garantee. some quick demos: T99 rave choir stab ! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/t99.mp3 Landlord Stab http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/landlord.mp3 Brazil http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/brazil.mp3 We need Hoover http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hooover.mp3 Funky Stab ! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dtrain.mp3 Revelation of a new order ! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/revelation.mp3 Yo soy el seigneur des los tenebros http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lastyle.mp3 Hardcore http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/kuadra.mp3 Rave to the house http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dishtell.mp3 Get Ready 4 This brass Synth http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/getready.mp3 Happy hardcore http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/overdubtest.mp3 Inner City This Brutal House http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/innercity.mp3 old school gabber http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/reanimator.mp3 this beat is technotronic http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/tronik.mp3 Get Ready For the Euromasters http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/getready4euromaster.mp3 All the cheesy cliché sounds are here Well, not all sounds in my opinion, i miss some of the most used and cool sample (like the Casio CZ organ), but i already asked DJ * CSI * for a V2 ! He asked us to host the plugin, so you can download it right now. It’s freeware and VST2.4 compatible! We already hope for a V2 to come very soon, we asked for some improvement and more sounds. Don’t hesitate to make your suggestions too! —————————————————— The "stab" is a short sampled burst of sound, it can be sampled from many sources (often from another record) : one classic technic is to sample a chord and then play a one finger melody with the keyboard ! Here’s some well known sample stabs and their origin : The Inner City Stab Sampled from the last seconds of "Nitro Deluxe - Let’s Get Brutal", this where it started ! here’s a video showing how to do :   The Landlord Stab Coming from the 1989 track "Landlord Feat Dex Danclair - I Like It (Blow Out Dub)", it has been sampled and used to death in a lot of house / rave / techno / dance / hardcore tracks TEKNONUTTER @ discogs attempted to compile as many of the tracks that use the "Landlord Stab", here’s the list : http://www.discogs.com/lists/The-Landlord-Stab-1989-1993/154266 this one can also fit in that list ! => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaaAOyal8Oo   The quadrophonia 16 bit stab A typical orchestra hit, probably derived from the ORCh5 Fairlight sound. The one used in Quadrophonia - Quadrophonia probably comes from the intro of the 1987 track " 16 bit - Changing Minds ". check at 7″ : quadrophonia!   L.A Style - James Brown is dead Some like it, many hate it, and this was a big hit. The famous rave choir sample comes from a Roland S-330 sample disk coming with S-330 system disk, it’s called "Ending", it’s a good old orchestral sample with a 30.000 Hz samplerate! Another famous sound was sampled from the end of " Electric Light Orchestra - So Fine " track Check at 3’52 :   The funky chord stab as heard in "Bizarre Inc - Raise Me" The funky stab ! starting right at the beginning of the track : It comes from this ultra super funky track : " D Train - You’re The One For Me (Special Dub Vocal Edit) " Right at the beginning !   The 2 Unlimited - Twilight Zone Wooh !! This - annoying ? - snippet of vocal was used on countless dance & techno-rave-dance tracks. Of course it comes from an accapela => " Tramaine Hawkins - In The Morning Light " http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Tramaine-In-The-Morning-Time-A-Cappella.mp3 This acapella was present in the famous "Acapella Anonymous Vol. #1" bootleg this vinyl + the Zero-G datafile sample disks + the Korg M1 Synth are responsible for at least 75% of the electronic music of the early 90′s   The total Confusion / KLF / WestBam etc.. "dog bark" Woo ! This short "woo" sample was used in many rave / dance track too. It comes from the intro of " Iggy Pop - African Man " track : You can hear this "woo" sample in : KLF - Last Train To Transcentral A Homeboy, A Hippie & A Funki Dredd - Total Confusion Westbam - Monkey Say Monkey Do Total Groove - Reanimator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIC5ylwgFtY   Black Riot House Stab Todd Terry is the king of the sample, his incredible stab was re-used in so many song that we can’t list. Yes, this sound, starting @ 0′ 6″ According to jim01_78, the famous sound was sampled by Todd Terry in "Sequal - Not Too Late Dub" I have to check in my freestyle tracks collection to check that !   The Bizarre Inc piano chord stab in "Playing with Knives" It has been sampled from this 1989 track : " Fidelfatti feat. Ronnette - Just Come Touch Me (Hallelujah Mix) " Here’s the video that show it : It’s funny to notice how the 1989 track samples the Tramaine acapella ( "Sing Hallelujah!") Don’t forget to check the other videos from Ry Kennon => https://www.youtube.com/user/RealRyKennon/videos

The famous Fender Rhodes Mark II stage 73 electric piano! Essential if you plan to do funk-jazz, deep house, or any soulul music. The Rhodes keys can be heard on countless tracks, from Herbie Hancock to Stevie Wonder, the Doors & Ray Charles, Chick corea & JojoLapin. It’s funky, soulful, deep, smooth, jazzy, lounge, groovy. Here are the best FREE VST emulations of the e-piano:   1. MrRay73 & MrRay22 VST by Guido Scognamiglio Mr Ray 73 VST Rhodes piano plugin MrRay 2.2 ! rhodes 4 ever http://www.genuinesoundware.com/?a=showproduct&b=37 These two VSTi are donationware. and they are pure synthesis, no sample involved. The sound is very good, Mr Ray 73 VST gives you that funky feeling when you play it. Mr Ray 22 has more parameters and some good classic effects : a chorus, a wah wah, a tremolo/autopan, a distortion and a stereo delay. Mr Ray Charles: http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Mr-Ray-Charles-Shake-a-Tail-Feather.mp3 stormy ! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/riders-on-the-storm-mrray22.mp3 straight Rhodes e-piano http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mrray73.mp3 soft deep house chords http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mrray22.soft_.mp3 Rhodes piano through wah wah effect! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mrray22.wahwah.mp3   2. MDA ePiano Good old no-gui MDA ePiano http://mda.smartelectronix.com/synths.htm Based on a small but clever wavetable, the antique MDA ePiano still sounds fresh in 2014! and since MDA plugins became open source, you can also find version for Mac & Linux, and also 64 bit versions => http://sourceforge.net/projects/mda-vst/files/mda-vst/mda-vst-src 20100214/ MDA ePiano VST is simple & effective, of course it’s more limited than Mr Ray, but sounds great! riders on the storm! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/riders-on-the-storm-mda-epiano.mp3 Ray Charles - Shake a Tail Feather http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Ray-Charles-shake-a-mda-epiano.mp3     3. EP-Station VST by Big Tick audio EP station : more groovy keys http://www.bigtickaudio.com/goodies/ep-station A very nice FM modeled electric piano. EP-station is now freeware. The plugin is not a straight emulation of a Rhodes piano. It can also do the " DX 7 e-piano ", the famous FM piano as heard on 95% of the pop / ballad / tv show theme / etc.. tracks produced between 1983 & 1989. The EP-station also features a chorus & a phaser effect. smooth sound for deep house http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ep-station1.mp3 phased Fender Rhodes ! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ep-station2.mp3 ultra smooth Deep house Rhodes+phaser http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ep-station3-effectrhodes.mp3 FM pop piano ! the sound of the 80′s http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ep-station4-dxpop.mp3   4. 4Front R-Piano VST 4Front Rhodes piano VST http://www.yohng.com/software/rpiano.html Based on samples, but not only, this emulation gives you a clean sound. It comes for Windows 32 & 64 bit, and Mac OS X. 4Front R-piano also include a reverb. soft e-piano for lounge house http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/4frontrpiano.mp3 plucked style http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/4frontrpiano2.mp3     5. LazySnake VST by Andreas Ersson Lazy Snake VST download Back to a 100% synthesis emulation ! The Lazy Snake electric piano gives you this lounge and mellow sound. The synth is easy to tweak, and you have a tremolo + wah wah effect. It’s not really a Rhodes piano emulation, but it’s perfect for deep house chord. soft clean deep house chord http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/lazysnake-smooth.mp3 wah wah effect! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/lazysnake-wah.mp3 Ray Charles shake a snake http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Ray-Charles-shake-a-snake.mp3     6. Orange Lounge 2004A by StarrFish Lab OrangeLounge VST e-piano http://www.vector.co.jp/download/file/win95/art/fh327907.html A funky japanese VSTi , created with Synthdit. It’s not a Rhodes MK2 emulation, but it’s also groovy, and well suited for that deep house feeling. We can feel the FM modulation but it’s nice! pretty hard tremolo effect for this e-piano http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/orangelounge-deep1.mp3 funky !! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/orangelounge-deep2.mp3     7. SFZ + Learjeff jRhodes3 soundfont SFZ+ soundfont player SFZ+ + Learjeff Rhodes soundfont There are some nice free Rhodes multisample bank around the interweb. So you can pick your favorite sf2 capable VST player and load a Rhodes piano soundfont into it! Here i choosed the SFZ+ player by RGCAudio and the jRhodes sf2 , that’s the best combo!  

These VST plugins are not really "close emulation" but all these VST synths are inspired by the Roland JP-8000 and try to emulate the famous "supersaw" sound. Let’s go trance : 1. Superwave P8 VSTi Superwave P8 : jp-8000 emulation for free Freeware download : http://www.superwavesynths.co.uk/product_p8.htm The best free VST synth for supersaw like sounds, the good old Superwave P8. Don’t forget to check out the presets :  Yazoo Synth, Jean Michel Jarre creamy pads, Van Halen Jump sound, Europe Final Countdown Lead, Chariot Of Fire Synth , they’re all here! Trance demo: http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/trance-superwavep8.mp3   2. GFP Beta VST by Naska GFP Beta VST : supersaw for all http://sound.jp/naska/software.html Free VST from Japan, with five oscillators and detune for all ! Supersaw guarantee, ideal for heavy leads. Trance demo: http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/trance-gfpbeta.mp3     3. TranceDrive by Maik Menz TranceDrive VST download for Windows : http://www.yedey.com/2010/02/official-release-of-trancedrive/ This VSTi was created with Synthmaker, it features a saw7 waveform : the supersaw with 7 detunable sub oscillators. phat trance! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/trancedrive3.mp3       4. Lallapalloza Lite VST by Buzzroom Lallapallooza ! VST direct download and info  The osc1 has a "supersaw" type. The synth also include an arpeggiator. Trance demo : http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/trance-llpl2.mp3     5. Pterosaur VST by Contralogic Pterosaurus VSTex http://www.contralogic.com/vst-plugins/pterosaur/ This one is inspired by the JP-8000 supersaw. It has 16 oscillator you can detune and pan. The possibility to set 4 differents notes for each group of 4 oscillators make it a nice "chord stab" VST synth ! trance demo : http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/trance-pterosaur.mp3   .

The famous Linndrum LM-1 drum machine ! Here’s a selection of 3 free VSTi that try to emulate the sound of the LM-1.   1. JM-1 VST by Jun’s Factory JM-1 Drum computer VST Info & download : http://www.aaa-int.or.jp/jfactory/projects/VST/ A Synthedit creation with good quality samples. It’s Windows only and 32 bit. There is a volume and a pan control for each element.     2. DJinnDrum VST by SimpleRecorder DJinnDrum LM-1 VSTi direct download This one has a more dry sound, you may need to add EQ + COMP after. It doesn’t feature the "ride" sound nor the "crash". But it have pitch control for some sounds! It comes in 32 & 64 bit version for Windows     3. Linn LM-1 VST by MH Music LinnDrum VST info & download : https://web.archive.org/web/20131122002253/http://www.mhmusic.dk/plug-ins This plugin is freeware and has been released as VST for Windows and AudioUnit for Mac. It has been made with Maize Sampler. It’s a multi out VST : each sound is routed on a stereo pair: bassdrum on channels 1-2, snare on channels 3-4, etc..   4. TheDrumSource VST drum sampler + LM-1 Soundbank The Drum Source VST TheDrumSource + Linn LM1 (LM-1) Drum Set by rossf With many quality sample kit of the LM1 floating around the web, you can also use your favorite drum sampler and load the wav files into it. You can use the old Linplug RM F VST or the good TX16Wx, or any sampler able to load wav files and trigger the sound with MIDI.  

The scaled-down version of the Arp 2600 ! the famous Arp Odyssey appeared in 1972. Some free VSTi try to recreate the analog sound of the Arp Odyssey, with its funky modulations. Here’s a selection of 4 freeware plugins. Come on now ! 1. ODSay VST by ElektroStudio OSDay Free VSTi Free download and infos : http://www.elektrostudio.ovh.org/index.php?go=odsay The guys from Elektrostudio did it again! The VST is souding good. It also adds a chorus and a delay that are not present in the hardware model. here’s a bank of 128 presets for ODsay VST : download now !! Chris bank for ODsay sample & hold pad http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/odsay-shpad.mp3 lately bass (+chorus) http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/odsay-latelybass+chorus.mp3 hard sync http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/odsay-hardsync.mp3 more stab house http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/odsay-stabulator.mp3 who is Elvis http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/odsay-thisizmotherfuker.mp3 sequenced http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/odsay-sequenced.mp3 ferox bass http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/odsay-feroxbass.mp3 There are some minor problems or bug (but nothing that prevent from using it) i discovered while making presets for this : - glide parameter is not saved per preset. - when using the AR on VCA, the PWM modulation stop when releasing the key (it doesn’t happen with ADSR) - LFO tempo sync on/off state is not saved per preset. - and other bugs but it’s the best freeware VST synth if you want an emulation of the Arp Odyssey.     2. Odyssey VST by SynthSchool Arp Odyssey Free VST Download for free : http://www.synthschool.com/free-plug-ins/index.html Created with SynthMaker. For Windows 32 bit. Unlike the others (and his hardware model) this one is polyphonic. It was created to be an educational tool for those who wants to learn sound synthesis. It sounds good, and even if the readme file explains that you should make your own preset instead of using existing ones, here’s 20 presets for SynthSchool Odyssey free ! => download 20 presets     3. OddyFree VST by Chris Roberson Oddy Free VST arp odyssey emulation! Free dl : http://web.archive.org/web/20131227220621/http://robersonaudio.tk/oddy-free/ Created with Synthedit. It works for Windows and is 32 bit. modulations are not as efficient as the ODsay VST,  the filter fm doesn’t really work.     4. OddSE VST by EFM oddSE VST info : archive & download Created with SynthEdit. Windows 32 bit. unlike the other, the osc2 can’t be modulated by the S&H mixer (but by the LFO square).    

The Yahama DX7 synthesizer ! The sound of the 80′s. Released in 1983, the DX7 presets were used in countless songs, like these : http://bobbyblues.recup.ch/yamaha_dx7/dx7_examples.html Famous for his e-piano sound, and bells, marimba and other metallic or crystal clear sounds. It was used and still can be used in any music genre, from pop ballad to hard techno. I digged into the many free FM VST plugins, searching for those who are able to recreate that clean 80 FM sound. Here’s 4 free VSTi that can stand for the title of "best free DX7 VST emulation" : 1. Dexed FM VST Dexed free fm synth https://github.com/asb2m10/dexed This VSTi is freeware and available for Windows and Mac OS X. It can import / export original DX7 sysex, so you can use it as a DX7 editor. The project is alive and recent, and it sounds very nice ! All FM lovers must try it.   2. OxeFM by Oxe Music Software Oxe FM VST http://www.oxesoft.com/ This is not really a DX7 emulation, but it can do 6 op FM synthesis (and more!) and can reproduce all the DX7 algoritms (and more!) with his matrix. It also features two filters (named operator X & Z ) and let you choose other waveform than sinus waveform (for those who want to nail the TX81z sound !) It has all you need for FM synthesis. It’s worth notice that this VSTi is multitimbral, you can set different sounds for each of the 16 MIDI channels. The drawback of this, is that the delay reverb effects only work for "all voice" and setting are not saved "per patch" The preset browsing / handling is a bit cumbersome too. The synth writes a registry entry with the path of the ".bin" files that contain the presets : Root: HKLM; Subkey: "SOFTWARE\Oxe Music Software\Oxe FM Synth"; ValueName: "SoundBankPath"; ValueType: String; ValueData: "Oxe FM Synth";   3. Hexter VST Hexter VST Hexter is no more available in VST format. The binary can be found on the internet if you really badly want it. The GUI is not SEXY but it can import and export DX7 .syx files. It also adds 4 onboard effects : a tube drive, an echo, a reverb and a chorus effect.   4. VX7 by Speedsoft VX7 free FM Synth plugin download it here : http://black.winny.free.fr/MAO/VX7/ This never-released-still-in-beta FM synth has stoped since 2003, but it can produces FM sounds, had 6 operators, and can import DX7 patch, it can also import SY77 data.  

Strawberry Fields for ever ! more music, less talk : 1. Redtron SE by Artifake_Labs Redtron VST https://sites.google.com/site/artifakelabs/ This is a Synthedit VST, so it should work in 32 bit hosts on Windows. It’s based on these samples : http://leisureland.us/audio/MellotronSamples/MellotronSamples.htm Don’t hesitate to browse the artifakelabs site, as you also have the Redtron 400 version and the Redton MKV for emulating the Mellotron MKV. listen to the demo and compare: http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/strawberry-fileds-redtron.mp3     2. Nanotron by DreamVortex Nanotron : free Mellotron VST Download it here : http://www.dreamvortex.co.uk/instruments/ Created with Synthedit. Nice sounds, it had the choir, the strings and the flute sound. You can mix choir / strings and strings / flute using the knobselector. It is 32 bit for Windows. http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/strawberry-fileds-nanotron.mp3     3. Tapeotronic by ElektroStudio Tapeotronic VSTi http://elektrostudio.ovh.org/index.php?go=tapeo You can also mix the string and choir sound or the flute and the string sound. Windows 32 bit. http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/strawberry-fileds-tapeotronic.mp3     4. Tapeworm VST by Tweakbench TapeWorm freeware Mellotron VST http://www.tweakbench.com/tapeworm Another good Synthedit creation by Tweakbench. http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/strawberry-fileds-tapeworm.mp3     5. MellowSound by Batsounds MellowSound VST https://web.archive.org/web/20030211054234/http://batsound.users.btopenworld.com/ This one have the string, the choir and the brass sound, but the flute is missing. It’s a Synthedit creation, and a very old plugin !  

The Minimoog ! one of the synth that had the biggest impact in history of synths. This is a difficult task to emulate the moog sound with virtual synth, you have to take care of the electronic components and their characteristics. Let’s start the dance : 1. MinimogueVA by Gunnar MinimogueVA : free miniMoog VST emulation! Download and information : Gunnar archive site Based on the Richard Brooks synthedit sources of "mogue", this is a very nice VST emulation of the famous miniMoog synthesizer. It’s a Synthedit creation : It works for Windows and 32 bit VST hosts. You can also found a polyphonic version (MinimogueLuxus VST). The three oscillators are here, and the filter does the job. A simple arpeggiator is also a nice addition.     2. Model Mini by ElektroStudio ModelMini VST Info & download : http://www.elektrostudio.ovh.org/index.php?go=mini A free VST that can stand for the "best free VST recreation of a Moog synth" title. Sounds good, works for Windows (32 bit).     3. Freemoog by Cyclik Cyclik Free Moog VST download now ! => http://spiritconspiracy.free.fr/spip.php?article14 Created with Synthedit, it sounds different than the two previous VST synths, but it sounds good. And that’s all we want. It’s free, and works in all 32 bit VST host under Windows.     4 RA Mowg by Chris Anderson RA Mowg VST http://robersonaudio.tk/ra-mowg/ Emulation of a Minimoog model D. Created with synthedit. It’s not bad.     5. ASynth by Antti. Asynth VST ! download and test it : http://antti.smartelectronix.com/ It’s not really a Minimoog emulation, but with its two oscillators and the filter set on "MINI" , it does "Moog-ish sounds". The quality is superior. Don’t forget to check out the Taurus emulation on the same site too ! ASynth VST is donationware, and still one of the best VSTi.     6. Minimoog+ by Synthfellow Synthfellow Minimoog+ VST Info : archive & download This is an oooold VST plugin created with Synthedit about 10 years ago. It has some playing/retrigger bugs, some parameters are not well "calibrated" and the presets don’t do it justice. But with some tweaking, it can do nice leads and bass !

Back to the 70′s ! EMS created the VCS3 (also called ‘the putney’ ), then, based on the VCS3, the Synthi A and Synthi AKS. A portable synth in a suitcase ! A James Bond suitcase. Some VST plugins (freeware) tried to recreate the original semi modular design of this synth, here’s the list :   1. Cynthia VST by NineCows Cynthia VST http://ninecows.dk/cynthia/ Cynthia is a free EMS VCS3 VST emulation. It was developed with Synthedit, so it’s for Windows (32 bit) hosts. Don’t forget to read the manual it’s clear and instructive. The Cynthia VST come with two dll files : it can also be used as effect, for processing your audio input.     2. KX-Synth-X16 VST By KX77Free Inspired by the VCS3 http://kx77free.free.fr a Synthedit creation, based on the VCS3 structure. It’s the best sounding VSTi in this list. And the more powerful too. The Kx-Synth-X16 go further his VCS3 model and is polyphonic. The original "springverb" is replaced with a delay.     3. Synthia 2 by EFM Synthia 2 VST download Warning, it can blow your speakers. I don’t really like its sound, but if you want to experiment, don’t hesitate.     4. SynthiAKS by Richard Brooks SynthiAKS VST download This incredibly old Synthedit VSTi can do some noise.     5. VCS5 by Richard Brooks VCS5 VSTi download This antiquity is modelled after a VCS3 synth. You may like it. Or not.   Come on Jean Michel :    

Some free VSTi try to emulate (more or less faithfully) the sound of the Roland Juno‘s synths (Juno 60, Juno 106 & Juno 6). All these synths were and are still popular. The Juno 106 were used by Acrid Abeyance and can also be heard in countless techno trax. Get ready for fat chorus ! here’s a selection of freeware plugin :     1. TAL U-NO-62 TAL U-NO-62 VST DL : http://kunz.corrupt.ch/products/tal-u-no-62 Available in 32 & 64 bit for Windows and MAC OS X (in VST & AU format). The best VSTi to get Juno60ish sounds, trust the chorus ! trust the chorus. dont forget to check out the other plugins by TAL, the chorus is available as a separate VST effect ! Check the "power pad" preset : the sound is full. Great for bass and pad, few controls for easy tweaking. Pump up the bass!     2. Sixth Month June VST by Elektrostudio SIXth MONTH JUNE VST Roland Juno VSTi go ! => http://www.elektrostudio.ovh.org/index.php?go=june Available for Windows (32 bit). A virtual recreation of the Roland Juno 6, there are some nice pads in the presets. + a simple and effective arpeggiator and a delay effect. It’s great for pads, and can do some good bass too. and if the chorus isn’t "fat" enough for you, there’s also a unison. When the unison is on, the synth turns to monophonic mode. here’s 16 presets for the bestiole : http://blog.wavosaur.com/download/SixMonthJune-16-presets.zip some samples : pad / choir pad / noisy keys / arp bass http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/rezoarp.mp3 http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/choirpad.mp3 http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/noiserKeyPad.mp3 http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/arpbass.mp3     3. kwop7 VST by GTG Kwop7 VST free ! by GTG direct download & information A synthedit creation (Windows 32 bit only). This free VST from GTG is an emulation of a Juno6, it sounds very good. The first bass preset is my favorite ! full persuaders attitude. It’s great for bass & pads. Great smooth silky chorused sound.   4. DCO-6 VST by mztk DCO-6 VST free info & download A VST emulation of the Juno 106, created with Synthedit. Nice look, doesn’t sound bad. You can do bass , lead & pads very quickly.   5. Retro 6 JUNO 6 VST  by Brainslayer & Strepto Juno 6 open source VST direct download & info The UI is nice but the sound lacks in all departments The project is open source, so feel free to improve it ! http://sourceforge.net/projects/juno6/ Here’s a screenshot of an older version : Juno 6 VST   7. Luno by Osiris Synth Luno VST download : https://sites.google.com/site/osirissynths/Home/synth-page here’s the bonus track ! a VST emulation of the Juno 106. It’s pretty simple and comes with 40 presets. You can tempo sync the LFO.

Let’s go techno : 1. Phutura VSTi by PhutureTone Phutura VSTi : the free Alpha Juno ! http://phuturetone.com/phutura.php Hoover !! http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/hoover.mp3 A nice clean interface, and a good sound. This is the only free "Alpha Juno" VSTi that can do a decent "hoover". It can do hoover but not only ! There are some great bass and cool sounds in the factory presets.     2. SMC Joono VST SMC Joono Alpha Juno VST http://synthmaker.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=82658#p82227 Created with SynthMaker, the project seems to be stopped. It doesn’t really sounds like a Alpha Juno, but It can do interesting sounds.   3. EFM AlphaII VST EFM alpha II direct download, info : http://ele4music.blogspot.fr/ A synthedit creation. The synth is far from an Alpha Juno, i don’t really like the sound but if you want to dig deeper, don’t hesitate.    

. "The famous Dubreq Stylophone !"     The stylophone is a toy synth, created by Brian Jarvis in a psychedelic era. It was used by Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Pulp, Erasure and Dimitri from Paris. We have found 3 virtual instruments on the interweb that try to capture the crunchy sound of the stylophone.     Let’s go: 1. Superwave Stylophone VST Stylophone freeware http://www.superwavesynths.co.uk/product_stylophone.htm The best one ! the most fidel, with vibrato. Who needs a Clavioline when there’s a Stylophone: http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/runawaylol.mp3     2. Styrofoam by Delamancha Styrofoam http://www.delamancha.co.uk/styrofoam.htm Doesn’t really sound like a stylophone, but is cool ! In fact, it sounds better than a stylophone.     3. StylophoneVST by Sparque download / archive One of the oldest VSTi! The path to the samples used by this VST is hardcoded into the dll : C:\Windows\Stylophone.dat, so you have to copy "Stylophone.dat" to C:\Windows. The sound is between terrible and horrible (when it doesn’t bug and blast your speakers), but it can be used in a creative way, if you are motived.     4. bonus track Stylophone tab ! http://stylophonia.blogspot.fr/ On this site you can find tab for your stylophone ! Now you can play the Star Wars imperial march or some songs by Lady Gaga and Bob Sinclar.     Stylophone is old school

The Hammond B3 organ. Additive synthesis at its best ! Suitable for Jazz, Rock, Gospel, Blues, Ballad, House, Funk, Cheesy reprise of anything, Ballad, Dance, Pop, Hard Rock, etc.. Some history here : http://theatreorgans.com/grounds/docs/history.html  + some facts     i have selected 7 free drawbar organ VSTi emulations of the Hammond B3. Let’s groove :   1. AZR3 by Rumpelrausch AZR3: B3 organ VST http://untermkittel.de/rumpelrausch/?PLUGINS Not only free, it’s also open source. This is a very good drawbar emulation, with onboard FX, nice saturation, and the speaker leslie emulation. Perfect for emulating gospel organ and rock organ. And check the "NHL" preset! WhiterShadeOfPale http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/whiter-shade-of-zr3.mp3 As all the other plugins in this list are 32 bit, it could be nice to compile a 64 bit version. ** EDIT** => here is the 64 bit version for Windows : download  Azr3 B3 organ VST 64 bit and the sources There’s also a MAC version here          2. Organized Trio Organized Trio VST http://www.genuinesoundware.com/?a=showproduct&b=37 Present in the same package as "Mr Ray", it’s the perfect companion for your funky tracks. And of course it can do the perc dance organ "ala" Korg M1 : Gypsy Woman: http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Gypsy-Women-Organized-Trio.mp3       3. NubiPlus by fxPointAudio Nubi+ VST http://www.fxpointaudio.com/   & download Nubi Plus VSTi come with a VST FX for adding the Leslie effect : Spinner VST. The two make a super groovy combo, and gives you this nice Hammond B3 organ sound. She’s just like you and me, but she’s homeless: http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Gypsy-Woman-NubiPlus.mp3       4. DirtBag and LightBag by Istvan Kaldor LightBag II VST http://www.joshgemmell.com/ik/ Good old Synthedit creations : the sound is dirty like it should. You get a nasty B3 organ sound in an instant. Leslie speaker effect is included. There are also some nice reed emulation sounds. And some crazy wicked presets in dirtbag too! Whiter shade of Dirtbag : http://blog.wavosaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/whiter-shade-of-dirtbag.mp3       5. Euthymia VST by Iliadis Euthymia Organ https://web.archive.org/web/20090917090612/http://www.iliadisorgan.com/freeplugins.html This free organ VST has a clean sound. You can add a Leslie speaker as free external effect : iSpinner VST       6. OddlyOrgan by OdO Oddly Organ http://theodosynthsarchive.wordpress.com/category/oddly-organ/ A little more synthetic, you can go creative with this VST ! You can also find other organ VSTis made by OdO        7. VL122 by AM Music Technology VL122 drawbar organ VST info & download Discontinued & free drawbar organ : it sounds nice, it’s clean. You can switch off the motor ! It includes the famous Leslie effect, and also a reverb. + a tube/drive effect for more dirty sound. Cool jazz organ presets.