Yes, it's Free Plugin time again

Found quite a stack of them this time....

Melda Productions do a variety of plugins, from drum plugins to time correlation, and at tempting prices.

Give a few of their free ones a go (I'm torrenting their MDrummer Small as I write this (yes, legally)), see what you think (look for the bottom of the page for the free stuff).

"Yes, it's Free Plugin time again" > read the full post

Nebula Free Bundle - now in AU format

Time to see what all the hype has been about.....

There's been an amazing buzz about Nebula for a while now, but as a Pro Tools and Logic user, there wasn't really much chance to play with it. Acustica have finally released the Nebula free bundle - a fully functional, limited feature version of Nebula.

What is it? Well, from their site blurb:

"Nebula emulates the character and personality of analog hardware with exacting accuracy. Whether it is high end outboard equalizers, classic compressors, the latest reverbs, or vintage time-variant effects like phasers and flangers, Nebula has them all. With a large library of free included presets, you'll be adding the warmth of analog to your digital mixes in no time at all.

Nebula is a VST multieffect plug-in that is able to emulate and replicate several types of expensive audio equipment, eliminating the need for costly and bulky hardware. Nebula uses libraries which are created using a sophisticated “sampling approach” making it possible to “record” aspects of the sound of audio devices and play them back. Our sampling process results in highly realistic, complex emulations of many types of audio processing devices that can then be used to process any audio signal digitally, all within a VST plug-in that is compatible with all major DAWs and editing software"

Nebula Free gives you:

• Nebula3 Free (CoreII Engine): the free VST and AU multi-effect plug-in
• N.A.T.3 free: the free FX Sampler

• The free library: small, fully-functional preset library.

If you like what you see, the full version of Nebula is only €119, and can be expanded with 3rd party libraries. In the mean time, get the free version here.

"Nebula Free Bundle - now in AU format" > read the full post

Loudness Maximizer

Here's the Ardez Loudness Maximizer - for when you want it just one louder...

It says there's no pumping and breathing, and gives you:

• Maximize parameter (how loud?)
• 2 speed types (normal and fast)
• Attack and release characterization
• Output parameter (never exceed 0 dB)
• Sample rates up to 192 kHz
• 64 bit internal processing

It comes in both Windows and Mac VST formats, as well as AU.

Head here to download. Enjoy!

"Loudness Maximizer" > read the full post

Free Ableton Live Pack

The Partner Instruments Compilation is, as you'd expect, a collection of Ableton instruments.... It comes in at just under 4GB, and includes everything from pianos, electronic drums and Japanese percussion.

As ever, head here to download!

"Free Ableton Live Pack" > read the full post

Free EQ plugin..... tomorrow (18th Oct)

They're raving about this Windows VST plugin at the GearSlutz forums, and tomorrow it arrives in Mac AU and VST formats...

SonEQ is a 3 band EQ, that emulates vintage gear (pretty sure it's based on Pultec), and sound fatastic on bass.

Head here to download, or here if your Spanish is rusty!

"Free EQ plugin..... tomorrow (18th Oct)" > read the full post

SampleTank Free

It's back!

For a free version of a synth, it's packed with features:

• Over 500 MB samples for over 200 sounds included
• 16 part multitimbral with easy layerable/mixable parts
• 3 synth engines: 
- STRETCH™ (formant preserving pitch-shift/time-stretch)
- Polyphonic Pitch-Shift/Time-Stretch (PS/TS)
- Resampling
• The most powerful multi-effects section in a virtual instrument:
- 5 insert effects per Part
- 5 Send effects
- Master effects
• 33 built-in DSP effects derived from award winning audio processors like T-RackS and AmpliTube
• Part and Master Loop Sync
• Can be expanded with: SampleTank 2.5 L and XL sounds and any "Powered by SampleTank" sound modules including Miroslav Philharmonik, Sonik Synth 2, SampleMoog, SampleTron
• Can be expanded with any Xpansion Tank 2 sounds
• Imports WAV, AIFF, SDII, AKAI S-1000/3000, SAMPLECELL
• Available both as a standalone application as well as a plug-in
• VST, RTAS, and AU on Mac OS X/Windows

Head here to download.

"SampleTank Free" > read the full post

Free Drum Machine for Windows

AREX 2011 is a free VSTi drum module, based on a hardware drum machine from the early 80’s......

Features:

• 16 pads
• 29 embedded drum samples of RX11
• 12 individual/group outputs
• individual volume, pan, accent
• assignable MIDI note within 36 – 99 range
• VST automation
• MIDI automation of essential controls
• 16 part multitimbral MIDI Out flow
• can be used as a MIDI controller of sorts
• bundled with RX11 MIDI swing templates and 55 demonstrational patterns

Download it from the Bayan site by clicking on the drum machine image.


"Free Drum Machine for Windows" > read the full post

LAConvolver Impulse Response plugin (free!)

While hunting round on the Gearslutz forums, I found a very cool impulse response AU plugin (thanks to "imagineaudio" for his post)....

LAConvolver from Learnvall Audio convolves your input signal with your impulse response:

VERY TECHNICAL BIT

An impulse, or "spike" is a short transient, that contains all frequencies (similar to a short burst of while noise). The Impulse Response is a recording of the behavior of the room/device when an impulse is played through it (in practice, a true impulse is impossible to create, so a starter pistol shot is used, or a tone sweep, which is then "deconvolved" to calculate the effect an impulse would have had).

The Impulse response and the plugin input signals are passed through FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) algorithms. The resultant spectra are multiplied with each other, and the product run through an IFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform) algorithm, which makes the signal sound as if it had run through the same room/device the impulse response was recorded through.

What does that mean? Well, if you can get hold of impulse response recordings of, for example, a mic'ed up guitar cab, you can make your signal sound as if it also ran through the same setup - in fact, why not click here for some very cool guitar cab impulses! (GuitarHack IRs).

Have fun!

"LAConvolver Impulse Response plugin (free!)" > read the full post

Loads more free plugins for you

SoundMagic Spectral is a set of 23 AU plugins, that apparently use real time spectral processing of sound. Not figured out what that means yet, but they're pretty interesting.....

In the bundle you get:

Spectral Averaging • Spectral Bin Shift • Spectral Blurring • Spectral DroneMaker

Spectral Emergence • Spectral Filterbank • Spectral Freezing • Spectral Gate and Hold

Spectral Gliding Filters • Spectral Granulation • Spectral Harmonizer • Spectral Partial Glide

Spectral Pitch Shift • Spectral Pulsing • Spectral Shimmer • Spectral Shuffle

Spectral Stretch • Spectral Tracing

Chorus • Comb Filter Bank • Grain Streamer • Idee Fixer • Mr Filterbank

Head here to download and check out some examples.

"Loads more free plugins for you" > read the full post

Native Instruments Komplete 7 Players - for free!

Native Instruments are giving away Kontakt Player, Guitar Rig 4 Player, Reaktor 5 Player and Kore 2 Player for free.......

Just head here to start your download.

They're obviously all cut down from the full versions (e.g. Guitar Rig 4 Player only has one amp and one cab), but you can't complain at this price!

Their server seems to be having a few difficulties at the moment, so it might take a while to get through, but keep on trying, it'll be worth it.....

"Native Instruments Komplete 7 Players - for free!" > read the full post

Free Commodore 64 Synth (Windows only)

De La Mancha created Basic 64: a free software synth inspired by the 8-bit sounds of the classic Commodore 64. It's available as a free VST download for Windows. No Mac version, so I haven't tried it yet... but if you do, feel free to comment! Read on for details.




Features include:

• 6, 8, or 16 bit sound quality
• 3 oscillators, with individual ADSR envelopes
• Oscillators can be sync'd and ring-modulated by each other
• Pitch envelope modulation
• Pitch wobble option
• 2 tempo-sync LFOs to modulate pitch, cut-off and pulse width
• LFOs have attack/release curves
• Tempo-sync arpeggiator
• Flexible routing to state variable filter (LP, HP, BP)
• Envelopes can be reset or continuous at retrigger
• Monophonic / polyphonic option
• MIDI learn / MIDI CC support
• 128 presets by sinkmusic & WhiskeyPriest

Get Basic 64 here.

"Free Commodore 64 Synth (Windows only)" > read the full post

Free Reverb plugin

DUY are giving their Z-Room reverb plugin away for free. Very nice of them....

It's nice sounding, and very controllable - from their site:

• High quality density and diffusion provide an unparallelled sound quality.

• Total control over parameters which had never been available to the user before, with a friendly and intuitive user interface.

• Three modes: Deluxe, Economy and Earlies. The second allows to free processing time, and the third focuses the strength of the algorithm on the processing of Early Reflections.

• An exclusive Rehearsal Mode allows you to set the parameters while hearing the real impulse response of the reverb. This is one of the finest tools to evaluate the quality of the reverb.

• You can choose between several room responses (reverse, gate, hall, room, stage...). All these values can be modified with the Stretch and Pre-delay parameters.

• Processing time is freed when you choose not to include Early Reflections.

• Internal 64-bit processing.

• Independent mixing controls for each of the three selectable bands, as well as for the Direct, Early Reflections and Reverb signals.

• Total control over the iteration depth, with six levels of calculation.

• Over 50 presets are included.

• Z-Room is the only reverb that allows you to control the time base of the reverb's algorithm.

• Visualization of the Direct, Early Reflections and Reverb signals in the time domain.

Head to here to register, and they'll send you the download link. It comes in RTAS, VST, AU and MAS for the Mac, as well as VST for the PC users among you. Enjoy!

"Free Reverb plugin" > read the full post

Free reverb plugin time

Martin Eastwood is giving away his MVerb reverb plugin.....

It's available as Mac and PC VST, as well as AU, and very light on your processor. Head to Martineastwood.com to download it.

"Free reverb plugin time" > read the full post

Free VST plugin

Acustica are giving away the Acquavox preamp emulator plugin.....

It's powered by their Nebula emulation engine, and you can get it for free here

"Free VST plugin" > read the full post

Free polyphonic tuner iphone app!

TC Electronics are giving away a free polyphonic tuner app for your iPhone or iPad. Very nice....

EDIT: too late! After the first 50000 copes, they started to charge around £6. Still, I've given it a go, and it works really well.

"Free polyphonic tuner iphone app!" > read the full post

Put a Swing In It

Tristan Jehan came up with a cool python hack for the San Francisco Music Hack Day....... read on.

Swinger.py is a free-download python app that makes your music swing!

Here are some examples of Swinger in action:


Metallica swings, on Enter Sandman



Guns N Roses swing, on Sweet Child O' Mine



Daft Punk swing, Around the World



Courtesy of plamere.



"Put a Swing In It" > read the full post

Free plug in time again

This time it's from Elysia - it's the niveau filter, which is taken straight from the filter section of the Mpressor plugin (which I've had a play with recently, and it kicks serious butt!).....

Bit of a strange one to get to grips with, but essentially it's a hi-lo frequency balance control. Comes in AU, VST and RTAS formats, for both Mac and PC. Head to their website to register for your free download!

"Free plug in time again" > read the full post

Free MIDI Step Sequencer for Pure Data

High-Pass Filter has a free MIDI step sequencer for Pure Data available for download. Read on....

The sequencer is locked to playing 16th notes, but the tempo and number of steps can be varied, and the pattern can be transposed. It also comes with a random pattern creation system, ideal for creating that "dead batteries in a 303" style sequence.

The top right window displays the pitches for the steps, selectable between -12 and +12 semitones. The centre-right window displays the velocity - where 0 means no note is played. The bottom window shows the currently playing step.

An audio demo is available at the site, as is the patch download link. Go here.


"Free MIDI Step Sequencer for Pure Data" > read the full post

SynthInvent - design your own monster synth

A new version of SynthInvent (free!) has just been introduced, read on......

SynthInvent is a free (Windows only) program that lets you design your very own monster synth by dragging and dropping modules into cabinets. Systems can be saved and shared, exported to a spreadsheet, or made into a web page.

You can download it here.

Features include: you can select from 9 styles of cabinet, drag and drop modules into cabinets, you can either start with a standard system or create your own from scratch, you can add controllers, patch cords, etc., and it automatically prices the synth for you (imaginarily of course!)

Unfortunately I am not a Windows person so I haven't had the chance to play with it yet. But if you do, please leave comments with your thoughts!


"SynthInvent - design your own monster synth" > read the full post

Free Vocal Remover Software - GLS!

Tonebytes has introduced GLS! - a free virtual effect plug-in for Windows which lets you remove vocals from songs.......

I have not had the chance to test it, as I am on a (superior) Mac, but it's worth a try if you're on Widows because it's free! It works on the principle of "central channel subtraction" where singer's voice is usually located. Apparently, the plug-in is also able to preserve bass and drums, which are often located in the centre of the stereo space and may suffer along with the voice.

Tonebytes says: "Do not expect magic. GLS! will remove not only the voice: some other musical instruments or sounds may also disappear or become corrupt, and the song loses stereo." Well, what did we expect, really!



Feel free to leave comments if you've tried it...


"Free Vocal Remover Software - GLS!" > read the full post