Freeware Instruments Thread

[Xel Ohh 394]

On 12/11/2020 at 4:49 PM, gnips said:

New version of the free Sitala drum VST released:

https://decomposer.de/sitala/

 

 

On 12/12/2020 at 4:35 PM, Starship Krupa said:

And I recently discovered that I can drag clips directly from a Cakewalk audio track onto Sitala (and Speedrum Lite) pads.

Just did a video on this Sitala update to 1.0.. 

 

[mettelus 637]

Giving both of these guys a quick bump because I have been referring them to others. The easiest way to find them now is by sorting the Instruments and Effects forum by "most viewed." They are #1 and #2 now, so stickies are not really required to find them anymore. 😁

[kperry 1,355]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but I found Odin2 a couple of days ago - very nice (and, of course, free):

https://www.thewavewarden.com/odin2

[gnips 39]

Freeware synth Surge is updated, many new features:

https://surge-synthesizer.github.io/

[User 905133 1,622]

8 hours ago, gnips said:

Freeware synth Surge is updated, many new features:

https://surge-synthesizer.github.io/

Thanks for calling this to our attention!!  The new features look very impressive. I am very pleased to see the FX can now be re-ordered 🙂, all of the new filters 🙂 ,  along with many of the other changes.     

[Robert Bone 451]

9 hours ago, gnips said:

Freeware synth Surge is updated, many new features:

https://surge-synthesizer.github.io/

I always check freeware through the VirusTital web site, which sends URL's, or in this case, the Surge downloaded executable file, and it detects a single report of  malware.  Has anybody seen any malware problems with Surge?

[Glenn Stanton 558]

i just downloaded today - lot's of warnings from Microsoft - ultimately it's the MS "reputation check" settings interfering with downloads. the AV scans showed nothing untoward, so i installed and played around with it. seems good here.

[User 905133 1,622]

There are some posts related to red flags and Surge 1.7.x in this thread. Based on my experience with that version, I downloaded the current installer and ran a couple of local scanners on my PC.  Both came up clean.  Windows Defender wouldn't let me run it until I said "Unblock" in the properties page for the download because it came from another computer.

Maybe if you wait for 1.8.1, there will be no heuristic red flags at VirusTotal.  That's what happened with me after I saw a red flag with 1.7.0, but when 1.7.1 came out a few days or so later, there were no heuristic red flags. So, I took a chance with 1.8.0 and I like the changes.

Edited January 18, 2021 by User 905133

[Kurre 288]

2 hours ago, User 905133 said:

There are some posts related to red flags and Surge 1.7.x in this thread. Based on my experience with that version, I downloaded the current installer and ran a couple of local scanners on my PC.  Both came up clean.  Windows Defender wouldn't let me run it until I said "Unblock" in the properties page for the download because it came from another computer.

Maybe if you wait for 1.8.1, there will be no heuristic red flags at VirusTotal.  That's what happened with me after I saw a red flag with 1.7.0, but when 1.7.1 came out a few days or so later, there were no heuristic red flags. So, I took a chance with 1.8.0 and I like the changes.

Blocked download in property is an irritating thing. There's ways to avoid that.

https://thegeekpage.com/disable-blocking-of-downloading-files-in-windows-10/

I used the Group Policy Editor way in my win7pro 32-bit and it works. All downloaded files after that is block free.

I had dl'ed 1500 Band in a box user songs and i gave up trying to manually unblock every one. Further investigations lead to Group Policy and further testing of the already downloaded files gave a solution,

Take all the files that you need to unblock and zip them. Then unblock the zip-file. When you unzip it the files no longer have the block in them.

[abacab 7,711]

12 hours ago, Robert Bone said:

I always check freeware through the VirusTital web site, which sends URL's, or in this case, the Surge downloaded executable file, and it detects a single report of  malware.  Has anybody seen any malware problems with Surge?

In my experience, lots of programs come up with a single red flag at VirusTotal. I always give them a pass if the other 60 or so scanners show it clean. A red flag from multiple AVs, or one of the major AV companies might cause me to question it.

This most likely false positive could happen with any antivirus engine with faulty or overly aggressive heuristics.

I check every program I download with VirusTotal before executing it. My firewall also sends a file hash to VirusTotal the first time any program tries to access the net. For example here the "Arturia Software Center Agent" is showing 1/71 at VirusTotal and "c:\windows\system32\sihclient.exe" is showing 1/69.

[Starship Krupa 4,074]

Arturia Analog Lab Lite is something along the lines of Kompakt Komplete Start or A|A|S Swatches or Sampletank 4 CS.

Like those others, it's not a timed demo or feature-crippled version, rather they include hundreds of useful sounds with the expectation that you'll be so impressed by the quality that you'll want to spend money on more libraries.

When I obtained it, I was able to download both Analog Lab IV and Analog Lab V, which come with different sounds. Also, cruise around in their store and pick up the free soundbanks.

[JoeGBradford 898]

Analog Lab Lite is superb well worth exploring! Around 900 sounds and then a load more available from their website (though I didn't find a huge number of useful sounds in these additional packs but that is probably just me!)

[Michael A.D. 280]

22 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

Arturia Analog Lab Lite is something along the lines of Kompakt Komplete Start or A|A|S Swatches or Sampletank 4 CS.

Like those others, it's not a timed demo or feature-crippled version, rather they include hundreds of useful sounds with the expectation that you'll be so impressed by the quality that you'll want to spend money on more libraries.

Sounds interesting so I took the link and read all about the wonderful free program they were offering, but I could not figure out how to download it.  I saw a demo for Analog Lab V but it only offered a time-limited 20 minute demo.   So, any advice how to get Analog Lab Lite?    thanks!

[Brian Walton 2,052]

4 hours ago, Michael A.D. said:

Sounds interesting so I took the link and read all about the wonderful free program they were offering, but I could not figure out how to download it.  I saw a demo for Analog Lab V but it only offered a time-limited 20 minute demo.   So, any advice how to get Analog Lab Lite?    thanks!

The lite version isn't really freeware.  You have to find a place giving a promotion for it.

Not sure if this is deal is still live, but it worked for me in December:   

 

 

There are also some physical products that come packages with this Lite version as a bonus.

But it isn't a free for all type of product offering.  

[JoeGBradford 898]

Yep that's where I got it from

[Starship Krupa 4,074]

Oops! My bad. I think I got it through that deal as well, then once I was registered for it, it showed up as free, which led me to believe it was free without signing up at soundbetter.com. . I hope the deal still works.

[Starship Krupa 4,074]

Whoo, time for a bump on this one.

What we have up this time is HY-Plugins.

The deal with them is that for each of their products, there is a free version with fewer features.

They specialize in step sequencers of various flavors, there is also a sample slicer/sequencer, and a very nice subtractive polyphonic synth called HY-Poly. HY-Poly Free avoids some of the clutter that other synths add in order to stand out. It has really good-sounding oscillators and filters.

[abacab 7,711]

You can add Voltage Modular, Nucleus edition, from Cherry Audio to this list. It's free now.

https://cherryaudio.com/free

Quote

Starting immediately, and for the foreseeable future, we're making Voltage Modular Nucleus FREE for everybody. It's a complete modular synthesis package, with 22 modules and over 130 presets, for OSX and Windows.

Includes:

• 20+ Modules
• Voltage Modular Software
• Nucleus Presets (176 presets)

 

 

Edited March 16, 2021 by abacab

[Starship Krupa 4,074]

Today's multiple free instruments come from Electronik Sound Lab.

They have 8 different freeware instruments, including a variety of vintage drum machine emulations. Their other specialty is atmospheric keyboards, as they make Darksichord and Creepy Piano. They also are now the keepers of one of my favorite ambient instruments, ATMOS, now in version 2.

Tracktion have issued WaverazorLE, a lighter edition of their Waverazor synth. Nice graphics on this one. They also have a collection of vintage video game sounds. Sega, Nintendo, Commodore SID.

Ironically, I haven't been posting in this thread as much as I once did because I'm getting so many freebies! I don't always have time to make note of them here, so I'm catching up.

[Brian Walton 2,052]

I don't think I'd seen this one posted, but "Decent Sampler" is way better than decent.  

https://www.decentsamples.com/product/decent-sampler-plugin/

 

Most of the EXS24 free sample libraries on https://www.pianobook.co.uk/ have been converted to Decent Sampler format (suposidly about 100 of them though I've only tried about 20).  There isn't a fantastic way to find specifilly Decent Sampler versions all in one view yet.   However it is pretty easy to find them.  Select the instrument catergory, then search for EXS24 and click on a library on the page on the right it will tell you if a Decent Sampler version is available: