In this edition of bpb Freeware Studio, we’ll be covering the best free string machine VST/AU plugins for Windows and Mac OS.
String machines (otherwise known as string ensemble synthesizers) were among the most popular instruments back in the 70s – two of the most notable examples being the Arp Solina and Crumar Performer. The simple synthesizers were quite limited in terms of sonic flexibility, but musicians often used outboard effects such as phasers and chorus pedals to effectively expand their sound (which resulted in some fairly epic sounds in the right hands).
Follow the links for screenshots & download info:
- Cheeze Machine by BigTick (Mac, Windows)
- eSLine by Elektrostudio (Windows)
- Nabla by Full Bucket Music (Windows)
- Orpheus by B.Serrano (Windows)
- S3 by Krakli (Windows)
- StringSynth by AlgoMusic (Windows)
- The deputy Mark II by Full Bucket Music (Windows)
The plugin which inspired me to make this list is The deputy Mark II by Full Bucket Music. It was released quite recently, but quickly became my favorite freeware string machine VST plugin, due to its great sound and brilliant control layout.
eSLine is a simple and effective emulation of the Arp Solina String Ensemble. Much like its real life counterpart, eSLine has separate violin, viola, trumpet, horn, cello and contrabass sections which can be mixed independently.
Cheeze Machine is the only plugin from the list which is also available for Mac users. It is a very capable virtual string machine, featuring a chorus ensemble emulator, a 6-stage phaser, and a handy reverb unit.
If you’re looking for even more free string machine instruments, check out our best free sound module VST plugins list. Most of the included plugins over there come with useful string machine patches.
That’s all for today! Make some great music with these plugins and support BPB by spreading the word about this or your other favorite articles. Thanks!
Last Updated on January 22, 2016 by Tomislav Zlatic.
