Freeware Instruments Thread

[msmcleod]

5 hours ago, John Kalabric said:

I think you are confusing the two files. The yamaha_syxg50_vsti.7z is the 2MB file (actually closer to 3MB), and has no Voice Table files (*.tbl) contained in it. The yamaha_syxg50_vsti_ext.7z is the 4MB file.

If I am reading the included doco correctly, the "ext" sounds are only supported by the  S-YXG100 (via software implementations); not the S-YXG50 like in this case.

But the other thing I garnered from your post, is that you have been using it for a while, but have kept it a secret from us.

yamaha_syxg50_vsti.7z (3.0MB) — a version with the embedded 4MB wavetable, for general usage.

yamaha_syxg50_vsti_ext.7z (4.0MB) — a version with external 2MB and 4MB wavetables, for experiments.

[Starship Krupa]

10 hours ago, John Kalabric said:

Boy, you really cant expect much from free these days...

Unless, say, you want an entire pro-level DAW and to be able to outfit it with all the plug-ins you really need to make any kind of music.

I have no authority whatsoever as any kind of moderator or enforcer, all I did was start this thread, but it, and its companion, the Favorite Freeware FX thread, are specifically for all of us to post FX and instruments that we have been using in Cakewalk and know to work. The idea is you can download stuff  people post in these threads with a greater assurance that it will work in Cakewalk.

So nay, I say, nay on that, there are over 100 posts in this thread with links to freeware instrument plug-ins that you can expect to work just fine. There's never been a better time than "these days" to obtain amazing music creation software for free.

I do hope you get that thing to work, though. I had a fondness for Yamaha SYG soundcards around 20 years ago, the ones that had the virtual analog technology built in. It was hard to get a driver that would enable it, but once I did, I got some amazingly expressive brass and woodwind sounds. I wonder if your instrument has it. Can't remember what it was called, it was developed at Stanford. Had a name like Sonitus....Sondius! If you could find a driver to access the Sondius technology in your Yamaha soundcard, the modeled analog instruments were just off the hook with a little aftertouch and velocity manipulation. Yamaha kind of squandered that.

[JohnK]

On 8/8/2020 at 8:02 PM, msmcleod said:

yamaha_syxg50_vsti.7z (3.0MB) — a version with the embedded 4MB wavetable, for general usage.

yamaha_syxg50_vsti_ext.7z (4.0MB) — a version with external 2MB and 4MB wavetables, for experiments.

ahhh..now it makes sense, the "ext" in the file name is for "external" not "extended"

On 8/8/2020 at 10:11 PM, Starship Krupa said:

Unless, say, you want an entire pro-level DAW and to be able to outfit it with all the plug-ins you really need to make any kind of music.

...snip...

squandered that.

Sorry it did not come across correctly, but I was being sarcastic. As in the synth was a great thing (and hence I posted it), and its free, but here, being the ungrateful pig that I am, I was expecting more.

Edited August 10, 2020 by John Kalabric
spelling

[Starship Krupa]

9 hours ago, John Kalabric said:

Sorry it did not come across correctly, but I was being sarcastic. As in the synth was a great thing (and hence I posted it), and its free, but here, being the ungrateful pig that I am, I was expecting more.

No apology needed! As an American, yet a regular, nay, constant, user of irony, I have caused myself (and others) no small amount of distress over the years.

Did you know about the various proposed "irony" punctuation marks and tags? I hoped that by now something would have made it into html, or some convention, like if you turn your text purple, that means you're speaking in an ironic tone of voice.

Nope, John, never had that go sideways for me, no sir. People allllways know when I'm joking.

Public discourse these days is so civil, don't you think?

When my generation were younger, we were industrious, law-abiding, and respectful of our elders, which is certainly a sharp contrast to the young people of today that I know.

Something like that.

[Steve_B]

I love this free Fender Rhodes Suitcase emulation. 

https://www.noiseash.com/sweetcase-vintage-electric-piano/

Steve

[Chaps]

43 minutes ago, Steve_B said:

I love this free Fender Rhodes Suitcase emulation. 

https://www.noiseash.com/sweetcase-vintage-electric-piano/

Steve

Looks cool. I wish I was able to download it.

[Steve_B]

2 hours ago, Chappel said:

Looks cool. I wish I was able to download it.

I use gmail so I have a Google/Youtube  account type thing so was able to get it that way.  

[Chaps]

5 minutes ago, Steve_B said:

I use gmail so I have a Google/Youtube  account type thing so was able to get it that way.  

I have both but when I click the YouTube icon another window opens for a second and vanishes, and then under the YouTube icon it says "Transport lost".

[Steve_B]

18 minutes ago, Chappel said:

I have both but when I click the YouTube icon another window opens for a second and vanishes, and then under the YouTube icon it says "Transport lost".

Yes, same for me. Some kind of error on their site I guess. Hope they get it resolved. If they've got a support page I'll try sending a message.

[KSband]

I had a hard time getting sweetcase too. The facebook link works but I didn't have an account, I ended up using my wifes account and then it worked. I've looked at a lot of rhodes and this one does sound beautiful.  It irritates me though because every time I close it down it resets it's settings to default, so I have to remember to open it every time and adjust things.  I just bought Velvet 2 and it's pretty nice for 15 bucks, lot's of adjustments and presets but it doesn't sound the same as sweetcase.  Not a lot of settings with sweetcase but it has the ones you need, no more.

Don't know if it's been mentioned but GK amplification is a pretty good bass amp and cab for free, I use it on everything.https://shop.audified.com/products/live-guitar-and-bass-bundle-le 

I like using it with this freebe: https://www.meldaproduction.com/MEqualizer  to dial in the EQ.

[Jim Fogle]

User @Xel Ohh mentioned +++ Chordz +++ in his Cakewalk by BandLab video tutorial, How To Use Chord Generators In Cakewalk.  From the Chordz webpage:

Quote

Chordz is a VST plugin that allows you to trigger full chords by playing single notes. Each trigger note is associated with a separate chord. Each chord may consist of any number of notes. Play complicated chord progressions with one finger, with a MIDI keyboard or a drum-pad, or trigger chords from single notes added in your DAW's piano roll.

The CodeFN42 website has several additional VSTs that some may find of interest.

[Chaps]

6 hours ago, Steve_B said:

Yes, same for me. Some kind of error on their site I guess. Hope they get it resolved. If they've got a support page I'll try sending a message.

Maybe they shut down on weekends. I'll try again Monday. To tell the truth it's something I probably wouldn't use much because I already have Lounge Lizard, which sounds great, and I don't use it much either. I just like having different synths just in case I want to try something different.

[JohnK]

On 8/7/2020 at 3:23 PM, John Kalabric said:

Yamaha S-YXG50 Portable VSTi v1.0.0 

https://veg.by/en/projects/syxg50/

Note: there are two versions on the page. The second larger one is called "yamaha_syxg50_vsti_ext.7z " and is further down the page

Its basically a GM & XG synth, but uses Yamaha's AWM2, which makes it sound a little different / special to TTS

lots of docs at: http://www.jososoft.dk/yamaha/docs_specs.htm

It is UI impared.

I also cannot seem to be able to change banks? to get to the patches defined as part of XG, found in the following doc.

http://www.jososoft.dk/yamaha/pdf/xg_spec.pdf

I have created a Patch map /help file for this VSTi that is accessible from Cakwalk / the VSTi itself.

Simply place the file in the same path as the DLL, then from the Settings>Help it will display the file.

It contains:

1. Patch map, including banks

2. MIDI Controller mappings. eg filter cutoff ==> midi controller.

3. The Read me file that comes with the VSTi.

 

The file: https://bit.ly/2CbQBT5

EDIT: Dont forget to UNBLOCK the downloaded file. Go to the properties and click on the button, so it becom\es disabled.

 

Edited August 11, 2020 by John Kalabric
Unblock

[Steve_B]

Re  Sweetcase download difficulties. Got this from the devs:-

 

Sorry for the frustration. The download links of the Sweetcase plugin are below:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mnqxf7fdeznt4ai/Sweetcase v1.0 64 bit Setup.rar?dl=0

 

[Chaps]

1 hour ago, Steve_B said:

Re  Sweetcase download difficulties. Got this from the devs:-

 

Sorry for the frustration. The download links of the Sweetcase plugin are below:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mnqxf7fdeznt4ai/Sweetcase v1.0 64 bit Setup.rar?dl=0

 

Thanks much... appreciate it. I downloaded and installed it and it works fine. I did have a bit of confusion at first because I wasn't paying close attention and the default install location was C:\Program Files\VstPlugIns\Sweetcase , which is not scanned by my Cakewalk. Once I got that straightened out it was smooth sailing.

[KSband]

I've been using the free SI String Section that comes with Bandlab with the Large Section preset and I think it sounds amazing. Using my midi fishman guitar setup.  Not being a piano player, this fishman has opened up a whole new world of sounds, lot's of fun.

[JohnK]

Just updated the help file for Yamaha S-YXG50 Portable VSTi v1.0.0 

The same link should work. Added a few more pages for:

1. Sound FX Patches. Bank 8192

2. Drum Kits. 11 kits, so you could have 16 parts of drums. Setting the right bank can make any MIDI channel a drum set.

3. Some reformatting of "Controllers"

4. Broke the read-me up into English and another for Russian.

I'm done with  this, this is the last update, the main missing stuff is Sysex (which CW does not support) and Key mappings for each drum sound within a drum set.

and the link  again: https://bit.ly/2CbQBT5

 

And dont forget to "unblock" the file as shown in the previous, now updated, post. 

EDIT: Well, ok, you got me. Just noticed the drum kits patch numbers were off by 1 (CW is 0 based, the source doco is 1 based) . Updated and file is now corrected.

Edited August 11, 2020 by John Kalabric
fix released for drumkits

[JohnK]

 A lot of the freeware instruments you can find in the thread, would probably not publish their bank & patch info back into Cakewalk, meaning that sounds are selected by unidentifiable numbers, and the "Patch Browser" feature with its search, also does not work. I have added a feature request to enable users to create their own patch map for a VSTi, which would be REALLY helpful with a lot of these VSTis. To keep it in the sights of the feature planners of Cakewalk, like and maybe post on the thread: 

 

[Starship Krupa]

On 8/9/2020 at 7:09 AM, kurt soderquist said:

It irritates me though because every time I close it down it resets it's settings to default, so I have to remember to open it every time and adjust things.

Cakewalk is supposed to handle this for you and if it isn't, please report it in the Feedback forum. The devs did extensive work on plug-in settings retention a few revs ago and will want to know if you have a plug-in that is not cooperating.

Are you saving your settings as a preset within the instrument, or as a Cakewalk VST preset, or just exiting the project and reopening it? Any of those conditions should keep the settings, but they should be noted when you report it.

As for taste in Rhodesalikes, my current fave is A|A|S Lounge Lizard Session, which is on sale for $24. Before that, it was the freeware Dead Duck EPiano. I must have bark and growl when I lay into it. I used to own a Stage 73, so I know what the real deal sounds like and how it responds, how the tines "bark" when you hit harder, and I have to have some of that in an emulation. Both Lounge Lizard and EPiano are hybrid modeled/sampled, which seems to work best for my playing style.

[KSband]

6 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

Cakewalk is supposed to handle this for you and if it isn't, please report it in the Feedback forum. The devs did extensive work on plug-in settings retention a few revs ago and will want to know if you have a plug-in that is not cooperating.

Are you saving your settings as a preset within the instrument, or as a Cakewalk VST preset, or just exiting the project and reopening it? Any of those conditions should keep the settings, but they should be noted when you report it.

As for taste in Rhodesalikes, my current fave is A|A|S Lounge Lizard Session, which is on sale for $24. Before that, it was the freeware Dead Duck EPiano. I must have bark and growl when I lay into it. I used to own a Stage 73, so I know what the real deal sounds like and how it responds, how the tines "bark" when you hit harder, and I have to have some of that in an emulation. Both Lounge Lizard and EPiano are hybrid modeled/sampled, which seems to work best for my playing style.

Thanks, I posted in the Feedback section.