VITAL Spectral warping wavetable synth. This is by far the most insane synth that is free. Download the Best Free VST Audio Plugins for Mac OSX. Synths, Reverbs, Compressors.and much more. Just click and download. Versilian Upright No. Recorded at the Berklee College of Music, and packaged into a lightweight. Download the Best Free Audio Plugins. Synths, Reverbs, Compressors.and much more. Just click and download. Don’t forget, also, that every issue of our sister magazine Computer Music comes with an expansive library of free instruments, effects and much more. Pick up a copy or subscribe to get your hands on the full CM Software Library. Best free synth plugin. DiscoDSP OB-Xd Mac/PC/Linux (Paid iOS version also available) VST/AU.
- Free Au Instruments Mac Address
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Looking for good sounding free bass guitar VST instruments, AU plugins and sample libraries? You’ve come to the right pace! Check out our selection here:
4Front Bass
Format: VST, AU, RTAS, 32 bit + 64 bit
OS: Windows, Mac
Audio Example:
You’re looking for a simple bass plugin without any need for constant tone tweaking? Then 4Front Bass by George Yohng will be your best bet. I think it’s the first plugin I’ve ever come across that claims so unapologetically “This plugin has no settings”. And truly, it doesn’t need them. 4Front Bass is one of the most popular bass guitar plugins I’ve come across, and it’s simply because of its very useable tone.
Samsara Cycle Audio Om Bass 2
Format: VST, 32 bit
OS: Windows
Audio examples:
On Samara Cycle Audio, you can find a big collection of free VST instruments and effect plugins. One of them is Om Bass 2, a much-improved successor of the original Om Bass. This VST plugin is a fun one: With 128 presets to try and a ton of settings, you can shape your bass tone to your liking.
The bassoffers eight different styles (finger, generic, muted, pick, slap, sub, wah,pop) that differ greatly in tone. The “tone” knob will shift the sound moretowards a more full-bodied bass sound when you turn it to the left or a morebiting sound with present mids when you turn it to the right. You can then useenvelope shaper, EQ, delay, tremolo and distortion to adjust the details.
I found Om Bass 2 more realistic in the more “subby” tones. The more guitar-like tones are more on the synthetic side. Depending on your project, that may or may not be a good thing.
Ample Bass P II Lite
Format: Standalone, VST2, AU, RTAS, AAX (32 bit + 64 bit)
OS: Windows + Mac
Audio examples:
Ample Sound is known for its many guitar and bass sample libraries. What makes their products interesting for many users is that they don’t require Kontakt like many other sample libraries do. Instead, Ample Sound products come with their own player and can be embedded via VST, AU, RTAS and AAX or even played as standalone.
With AmpleBass P Lite II, the company has released a free lite version of its Ample BassP II, a sampled Fender Precision Bass. The free version comes with fewersamples, a reduced sample depth and a lower range of playable notes (instead ofB0 – F4, the lite version can only do D1-F4). What’s also missing arealternative articulations such as legato slides, palm mutes, slap, tap, staccatoand natural harmonic.
But let’stalk about what Ample Bass does haveto offer: 443 samples at 16 bit / 44.1 khZ, sustain, hammer on and pull off andaccent articulations are included in this free bass guitar plugin. It alsocomes with different velocity layers (and separate sample cycles for each one),an auto buzz system, poly legato and a capo feature. For a more realisticsound, you can turn up the fingering noise.
All these features make Ample Bass P Lite II not only one of the most realistic virtual bass instruments on the market, but also a dynamic and interesting instrument.
Get Ample Bass P Lite II on the Ample Sound website.
Free DirectBass 2.0
Format: Kontakt 3 and higher (full version of Kontakt is required!)
Audio examples:
Pettinhouse is a project by Andrea Pettinao. On his site, he not only offers about a dozen guitar, bass and drum sample libraries, he has also released free versions of many of his products. This Free DirectBass 2.0 is taken from his DirectBass 2.0 library and recreates a Yamaha TRB 5 string bass guitar. Like other Pettinhouse libraries, the realism of this free instrument is noteworthy, especially because this library is really simple to use. As this bass guitar was recorded directly (un-amped), it makes sense to process it with an amp simulator (I used Guitar Rig for the audio examples).
Autodafe Acoustic Bass
Format: Kontakt 5 and higher (full version of Kontakt is required!)
Audio examples:
This Acoustic Bass Kontakt library is a little different from other bass guitars on this list because it is, as the name implies, sampled from an acoustic bass (not an electric one). The library contains three instruments: acoustic bass, muted bass and picked bass. With each of these instruments, you have the option to adjust the ADSR envelope. If you’re looking for a more acoustic type of feel, this might be an interesting library to check out.
CoreBass Cherry Slides
Format: Kontakt 4 and higher (full version of Kontakt is required!)
Audio example:
So you’ve found a good bass library, but need some extra sound effects to make it sound more realistic or interesting? Then here’s a free bonus library: CoreBass Cherry Slides. 45 slides, no regrets.
Get Cherry Slides from Orange Tree Samples.
Alternatives
Didn’t findwhat you were looking for? Maybe one of the following bass plugins andlibraries is more to your liking:
Samsara Cycle Audio FabBass (VST / Windows / 32 bit)
Project16 Fingered Bass (VST, AU / Windows + Mac / 32 bit + 64 bit)
SpearGear: Raspier (VST / Windows / 32 bit)
VB-1 (VST / Windows + Mac / 32 bit + 64 bit)
Chronos (Kontakt 5+)
FS Ibanez Electric Bass Guitar (SFZ)
FS Washburn Acoustic Bass Guitar (SFZ)
Over toyou…
Do you happento know some other cool bass plugin or library? Let us know in the comments!
This post is for the Mac users.
When it comes to Mac OS X, the number of freeware plugins is very low, compared to the Windows world.
The popular “Save as VST” softwares (Synthedit and Synthmaker) are Windows only.
The “upgrade” politic of Apple is a sort of nightmare for developers (and sometimes users!), so many old free plugins don’t work anymore…
I have searched for free MAC plugins over the web and then tested !
– only free synth (not effects), in VST and or AudioUnit (AU) format
– the OS used is Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
– i tested the plugins in Ableton Live 9 / Renoise / some free VST & AudioUnit host softwares (Pedalboard, the JUCE open source plugin host, VSTLord, AULab, Ugly VSTi Interface…)
It’s a selection with free virtual analog synths, organ emulations, epiano emulations, drum synth, bass synth, FM synth, emulation of Oberheim / NordLead / DX 7 synth, chip synth, guitar emulation…
and here a list of 25 free synth plugins for Mac OS X :
1. Synth1 AU/ VST
The must-have free synth plugin is available for Mac since one or two years, it is in beta state, it still have some minor bugs with the UI, but it’s usable and you can benefit from the incredible amount of presets created for Synth1, including these 😀
=>
https://blog.wavosaur.com/synth1-presets-chris-bank-volume-2/ &
https://blog.wavosaur.com/chris-bank-synth1-reup/
I had some problems for saving preset in Ableton Live.
Synth1 can do an incredible variety of sounds.
The most versatile Synth in this list
2. OBXD AU / VST
OBXD AU
The free Oberheim OB-X OB-Xa OB-8 emulation !
work without any problem in my AudioUnit / VST hosts on Mac.
3. Tyrell N6 AU / VST
http://www.u-he.com/cms/tyrelln6
DL here : http://www.amazona.de/amazona-de-freeware-synthesizer-tyrell-n6-v3/
U-He loves the Mac, don’t hesitate to have a look at the other freeware on the Website, all are working without problems in VST or AudioUnit format. I have also selected Triple Cheeze and Zebralette from the same developer. These plugins are good and full featured.
TyrellN6 plugin comes with a big amount of presets, and a deep variety of sounds. It’s powerful and easy to program. It’s rock solid stable and have a nice UI too!
4. FreeAlpha AU / VST
FreeAlpha AU
This freeware from LinPlug sounds very good, it has punch and is easy to tweak. It can do punchy bass, but also nice pads and clean leads. Despite its simple look, it’s powerful and funky!
5. Crystal AU / VST
Free Au Instruments Mac Address
The old Crystal Synth is still top, and one of the best synth for complex / evolving PADS, with its multipoint envelopes, and the complete modulation matrix.
One of the best virtual synth, for more than 10 years!
6. TAL NoiseMaker AU / VST
TAL Noisemaker
Like U-He, TAL has many freebees for Mac OS X.
I have selected Noize M4k3r and Elek7tro but you also have other interesting plugins.
The “Noise Maker” plugin has two osc + sub, a good filter and the famous Chorus “a la Roland”, so you have all you need for your fat bass/lead. Certainly more agressive than Crystal, it completes well the sonic arsenal.
7. Dexed FM VST
Free Au Instruments Machine
The famous free Yamaha DX7 emulation ! It’s VST only (no AU for the moment).
Use the cart / load / save button to browse or import presets.
It can read / write sysex files for and from the DX7.
Now all your FM needs are fullfilled: you can do pop ballad or Detroit techno, vive la FM !
8. MiniSpillage AU (Drum Synth)
MiniSpillage AU
Now that we have the FM synth, the Pad synth, the Bass synth and Lead capable synths, we need a DRUM synth. The Minispillage plugin has three dedicated algo for bass drum, wood drum and hihat.
I tend to prefer “Drumatic” but Drumatic is Windows only.
9. ComboF organ AU / VST
After all these synths, we now need an emulation of our prefered organ : the Farfisa combo organ!
ComboF gives you the sound of the Italian electric organ we all love. Available for Mac and windows, in AudioUnit and VST!
10. MrTramp 2 e-piano AU / VST
MrTramp2
After the organ emulation, we need the electric piano! MrTramp 2 is the best (free or not) emulation of the Wurlitzer electric piano. It’s raining again ! Now you can sound like Supertramp ! Breakfast in America !! There are not so much controls but you don’t need more, and the sound is excellent.
11. Cheeze Machine AU
A dedicated string synth plugin for Mac ! The Cheeze machine from Big Tick is a kind of Arp Solina emulation. It has this phaser / chorus creamy sound.
it’s AU only and should work with your favorite Mac host software.
12. TripleCheese AU / VST
TripleCheeze plugin
Cheese again !
The U-He contribution to the first KVR Developer Challenge. It’s an original synth with unusual sound generation. Nice for plucked sounds. Works well on my Mac OS X Mountain Lion. Thanks to the comb filter, you can generate very original sounds.
13. Zr3 organ VST
We have ComboF for the Farfisa emulation, and for the Hammond B3 organ lovers, there’s Zr3.
It’s VST only and works nice in Ableton Live 9.
The only good free Hammond B3 emulation for Mac OS X.
14. TAL Elek7ro AU / VST
TAL Elektro
A perfect free synth for bass and perc sounds.
Don’t forget to check the other TAL plugins !
15. VST Speek AU / VST
Coming from here ! the funkiest text to speech in plugin format !
The best C64 Sam oldskool text to speech emulator, for all your techno voices.
Available in 32 & 64 bit, VST & AU
16. Zebralette AU / VST
Zebralette plugin
Coming with the demo of Zebra, the famous synth by u-He, Zebralette is a nice synth, with unusual sound, and powerful possibilities and plenty of special waveforms to play with.
17. Model – E VST
The antic VST from Steinberg, now free, and now available in VST format for Mac OSX.
It has been surpassed in all domain by many other synth (freeware included). But it can be useful and you can get some nice sounds out of it if you tweak it with love.
18. VB-1 virtual bass VST
VB1 bass
Another prehistoric virtual synth from Steinberg, this virtual bass plugin is free and available with Model E in the same package (see link above). Very simple sound, can be useful.
Freeware for Mac are rare so we take it!
19. MDA Piano ePiano DX10 & JX10 VST
NO GUI
Free Au Instruments Mac Free
These free VST work for Mac OS X, they don’t have UI, you’ll have to use the default interface supplied by your host.
– Piano & ePiano are sample based synth, the ePiano is very good, it’s a kind of Rhodes emulation.
– DX10 is a FM Synth, it has only two operators, but you can still get nice bell sounds out of it.
– JX10 is a very nice virtual analog synth, despite some bugs (the Windows version has the same), it can do some very nice leads.
20. 4Front R-Piano AU / VST
Another free electric piano emulation for your Mac!
It’s simple and has a nice clean sound. Perfect for deep house chords.
21. Chip32 AU
Chip 32 AU
This is the URL where you can also find the Cheeze Machine VST, and also the very good Clavinet emulation by Big Tick (TickyClav). Chip32 is a very simple plugin, perfect for your chip tune needs.
22. Spicy Guitar AU / VST
A free Audio Unit / VST emulation of an acoustic guitar ! It’s use a physical modelled synthesis, and is a great emulation. Here are coming the ukulele / banjo / Flamenco guitar !
23. Scythe VST
Scythe VST
A very simple VA Synth (VST only), with two oscillators, a filter, modulation envelope & some embedded effects : bitcrusher / phaser / chorus / delay.
It’s simple but efficient.
You can also generate random presets!
24. Automat AU
A virtual substractive synth with 3 osc, and filter for each osc, + many effects and modulations.
It’s audiounit only, and like Scythe, it has a random preset generator.
25. VOPM VST
Free Au Instruments
VOPM VST synth
A VST emulation of the Yamaha YM2151 Chip that was used in many arcade games, and is similar to the chip in the Sega Megadrive. It’s a 4 operator FM synth, with 8 algorithm.
here’s a lot of preset for VOPM : http://truechiptilldeath.com/blog/2010/05/04/opm-patches-out-of-most-genesis-games/
26. Bonus tracks ?
1) there’s also kickmaker, a free kick drum synthesizer in VST and AU format : http://teragonaudio.com/KickMaker.html
and C700, that can load sample in aiff and wav format :
http://picopicose.com/software.html
2) I also tried other free VST plugins for MAC , but with no luck (no one working in any host on my Mac OS X Mountain Lion), i think these are too old plugins, or maybe ppc plugins (even if they were said to work on Mac OS X).
For example :
the Delay Lama ! http://www.audionerdz.nl/download.htm
AU303 & AirySynth : http://airy.andre.online.fr/AU/index.html#au303
3) I’m working on a port of Rave Generator VST for MAC, here you can find a beta (x64 only, VST only) :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/149376535107031/835302689847742/
3) I’m also working on a port of CreakBox (the TB303 plugin) for MAC OS X (i already have converted it to VST2.4 then to 64 bit), see link ( @ 6. and in the comments) :
https://blog.wavosaur.com/best-free-tb-303-emulation-sotware-vst-plugins-standalone/
4) i’ll do another posts with the free effect plugins for MAC ! It seems there are more effects available for free than synths.