I’m a sucker for virtual emulations of real hardware gear – that’s why making a bpb Freeware Studio selection of the best free hardware synthesizer emulations in VSTi/AU plugin format was a real joy!
Best freeware hardware synthesizer emulation VSTi plugins:
- Arppe2600va [ARP 2600] by Glen Stegner (Windows)
- Cheapo Tone [Casio VL-1] by Mokafix (Windows)
- Cynthia [EMS Synthi A] by Ninecows (Windows)
- eSLine [Solina String Ensemble] by Elektrostudio (Windows)
- Gigmate [Moog Concertmate MG-1] by Manx (Windows)
- Hahaha CS33 V2 [Yamaha CS-30] by pethu Music (Windows)
Hexter [Yamaha DX7] by Cutevst (Windows)- JEM SX1000 [JEN SX-1000] by Pianovintage (Windows)
- Kassiopeia! [Casio CZ Series] by Sonic Assault (Windows)
- Micromoon [Moog Micromoog] by Elektrostudio (Windows)
- MinimogueVA [Moog Minimoog] by Voltkitchen (Windows)
- Model Pro [Moog Prodigy] by Elektrostudio (Windows)
- Mono/Fury [Korg Mono/Poly] by full bucket music (Windows)
- ODSay [ARP Odyssey] by Elektrostudio (Windows)
- OR2v [Oberheim Two Voice] by Elektrostudio (Windows)
- PG-8X [Roland JX-8P] by Martin Lüders (Windows)
- Phutura [Roland Alpha Juno] by Phuturetone (Windows)
- Prodigious [Moog Prodigy] by Synthescience (Windows)
- RA Mowg [Moog Minimoog] by Chris Roberson (Windows)
- SMC Joono 2012 [Roland Alpha Juno] by Acrobatics Software (Windows)
- SQ8L [Ensoniq SQ-80] by Siegfried Kullman (Windows)
- Synth1 [Clavia Nord Lead 2] by Ichiro Toda (Mac, Windows)
- TAL-U-No-62 [Roland Juno 60] by Togu Audio Line (Mac, Windows)
- Taurus [Moog Taurus] by Antti (Windows)
- Venom VB-303 [Roland TB-303] by antto (Windows)
It’s hard to pick a favorite here. Perhaps SQ8L is the one I use the most – it’s a brilliant synthesizer which made me browse online ads over and over again in search for a real SQ-80 (without much success). The plugin version can even load SysEx patches designed for its hardware counterpart! Get a huge amount of those here, and learn how to load them here.
SQ8L by Siegfried Kullmann.
Mono/Fury is a beautiful emulation of the Korg Mono/Poly synth. I’m not sure how close it gets to the original in terms of sound, but the functionality is there. This is one of those intruments where the hardware limitations can lead to some pretty unique sounding results! A review of the Mono/Fury virtual synthesizer is available here (in German).
Mono/Fury by full bucket music.
Phutura is a relatively new virtual instrument, and a very good emulation of the Roland Alpha Juno. I used to own an Alpha 2 and can safely say that Phutura emulates the original sound very well. Everything is almost spot-on, except for the filter! It comes with a lot of awesome presets, including some classic Alpha Juno sounds. Hoover, anyone?
Phutura by Phuturetone.
TAL U-No-62 used to be my favorite synth for a long while. It’s a simple design, pretty similar to its real life counterpart – the famous Juno 60 analog synthesizer manufactured by Roland. But, this simplicity is exactly what makes it a great tool for recreating some classic synth sounds. You can get some free U-No-62 presets created by Meyer Musicmedia by clicking here.
U-No-62 by Togu Audio Line.
Elektrostudio caused a pretty big hype back in 2009 when they came out of nowhere with 10 freeware synths released at the same time. But my favorite Elektrostudio plugin was released a bit later – it’s the Model Pro, a nice emulation of the awesome Moog Prodigy synthesizer. It sounds great, comes with some very useful presets and is capable of creating great leads and deep bass sounds.
Model Pro by Elektrostudio.
Finally, a synth that must be mentioned in any best freeware synth list is definitely Synth1. Yes, it’s an emulation of the Nord Lead 2, but also much more than that! A legend among VST instruments, with amazing functionality, great sounds, and an insanely low CPU hit. Don’t be fooled by the factory soundbank, there are hundreds of awesome free sounds available for Synth1, you can get my favorite ones here and here.
And that’s all for today! Once again, if I’ve missed some cool synths, please mention them in the comments section below. Many thanks to our readers Fernando Rodrigues for suggesting Kassiopeia! by Sonic Assault, some65 for suggesting Venom VB-303 and Bryan for suggesting Prodigious.
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Very nice one, thanks a lot Tomislav!
Any plan for a BPB Freeware Studio on step sequencers?
Peace!
S4A
yes, i’ve been collecting some free step sequencer links – a dedicated bpb Freeware Article will soon follow. :]
Looking forward to it… Thanks for the update!
S4A
You made my life better, thanks! TAL U-No It’s quite a tool!
glad to hear that! :D
Great job as always sir! SQ8L is tops, shame there’s no parameter automation…other than that it’s uncanny how close it is! Keep rockin.
That’s what I regret most since getting a mac… not being able to run all these great synths!
You should mention Kassiopeia (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jez.price/synths.htm). It’s a great emulation of the Casio CZ series, and is free.
nice one, thanks!
hey, Steinberg Model E would be a nice addition to the list, as it was released for free (although unsupported) by Steinberg. Many say that its even better than the Moog-approved Arturia synth. You can get it here >> http://www.steinberg.net/en/support/unsupported_products/vst_classics_vol_1.html
I wish you my best, kind sir and be sure to keep up the wonderful work!
oh, i tried Model E, but I didn’t quite like it. i’ll give it another shot though, and consider including it in the list. thanks for the suggestion!
Prophet 5 http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=P5&id=758
Prophet 600 http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=P-600_II&id=754
Prophet 5 alternate http://robersonaudio.tk/prophanity/
You guys rock!
Actually the Arppe 2600 and the MiniMogueVA are both by the Voltkitchen group.
Any place to download the Elektrostudio products? Their site is down.
Why is Hexter crossed out?
There’s an important one missed…
Odyssey/Minimoog/Synthanorma all in one!
http://rekkerd.org/cescato-musiktechnologie-updates-trans-computer-maschine-to-v1-08/
seems interesting, i’ll check it out. thanks!
Prodigius looks to be an emu of a prophet if the name and look are to be any indication. Also they have another that looks to be an emu called poly2016.
http://www.synthescience.com/
good one, added to the list. cheers!
Hey, great site thx. For the VST Emu list
Venom TB303 – a great emu
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256785&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
you’re right, Venom shold definitely be on the list. i’ve updated the article, thanks!
Hey, where is one of my lovely vst’s?
Stumm PG23-P = Roland JX-3P
http://www.plosive.net/vst/