Full Bucket Music has released FB-3300, a detailed software emulation of the KORG PS-3300 polyphonic analog synthesizer available in VST and AU plugin formats for PC and Mac.
Following the recent release of the excellent FB-3100 plugin (a Korg PS-3100 emulation), Full Bucket Music’s new FB-3300 software instrument is a faithful recreation of Korg’s vintage PS-3300 analog synthesizer from the 1970s. Considered a true monster synth of its time (and very powerful even by today’s standards), the PS-3300 was among the first truly polyphonic synthesizers to hit the market. It is a semi-modular beast of a synthesizer with 48-voice polyphony, 48 voltage controlled oscillators, 48 resonant filters, and 48 envelopes. Design-wise, it was essentially a set of three Korg PS-3100 synthesizers patched together and combined with a mixer and an external keyboard.
The freely downloadable FB-3300 copies all the features from its hardware counterpart while adding a few modern improvements like patch saving and MIDI support. Apart from the impressive synthesis engine and extensive patching capabilities, FB-3300 also intentionally emulates Korg PS-3100’s limitations such as the lack of note velocity response. Another drawback, in the words of FB-3300’s developer, is the fact that “the GUI is too small and too large at the same time”. In other words, the front might be too big to fit the screen on some lower-resolution monitors, whereas the controls and labels could be considered too small, especially on UHD monitors. In my opinion, the interface is sized perfectly for use on an HD screen.
Back to the good stuff, FB-3300 is one of the most exciting virtual analog synthesizers to hit the VST plugin market in a while. Whereas going through the included presets (62 in total) will give you a good idea of what the synth is capable of, the real fun begins once you start exploring the ins and outs of its synth engine. FB-3300 easily qualifies as being one of the most powerful freeware virtual analog synthesizers around. As for the workflow and features, you can’t really get much closer than this to using a real hardware synthesizer from the 1970s without actually purchasing one. The sound quality is on point and the spectrum of presets you can build with the FB-3300 covers all the classics of the era. From mellow leads to fat bass sounds, retro sound effects, and huge analog pads, this wonderful freeware synth from Full Bucket Music covers it all.
The instrument is compatible with all major digital audio workstations on PC and Mac. You can download it completely free of charge from the product page linked below, no registration or activation required. Make sure to check out the other freeware plugins on the developer website if you’re interested in downloading a few more emulations of hardware analog synthesizers, mostly the ones manufactured by Korg.
FB-3300 is available for free download via Full Bucket Music (2.5 MB download size, ZIP archive, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU plugin format for Windows & macOS).
Last Updated on October 16, 2017 by Tomislav Zlatic.
