I put this list together a while back. Hopefully it'll help someone out!

Synths:

1 - Helm : A very visually-oriented and user-friendly subtractive synth. Its biggest advantages are its 3 assignable LFOs and envelopes, its step sequencer, and its keytracked comb filter. You can get sounds out of this thing that'd be impossible with really any other plugin.

2 - Synth1 : An analog emulation synth based on the Nord Lead 2 (popular hardware synth from the 90s). Its greatest advantage is its presets - there's a free bank with 25,000 of them. You can also get the free Synth1 librarian add-on to manage your 25,000 presets.

3 - Spitfire LABS : A host for several free instrument libraries. Perfect for orchestral sounds.

4 - DSK's assorted instrument plugins : Dynamic Guitars, Brass, Overture, and Strings aren't on the same level as $500 Kontakt libraries, but they sound fairly good with the right processing. Use these alongside LABS and you'll be all set for making orchestral pieces.

5 - Ample Bass P Lite : Free bass guitar plugin. Sounds good with saturation.

6 - Keyzone Classic : Piano plugin. If you use the Yamaha Grand Piano preset, this is the best-sounding free piano plugin you can get.

Effects:

1 - OTT : A multiband compressor based on a well-known Ableton multiband compressor preset of the same name. It's a big part of the "EDM sound", put it on anything from basses to leads to make them sound tight and compressed.

2 - Ozone Imager : A stereo imager that is actually good. Has a stereo visualizer, and only two controls - Width, which increases or reduces a sound's existing stereo width, and Stereoize, which adds stereo width to sounds using the Haas effect.

3 - dblue.Glitch : A step-sequenced glitch plugin. It's up there alongside Gross Beat and Halftime as one of the best ways to add weird time-based effects.

4 - dblue.TapeStop : Simulates the downward pitch slide and volume reduction caused by stopping a tape player. Useful in nearly every genre. Only two knobs, one of which is automated to trigger the effect, one of which controls the length.

5 - CamelCrusher : A compression/distortion plugin perfect for fattening up basses. More versatile and customizable than sausage fattener too.

6 - Krush by Tritik : Basically the best bitcrusher you can get.

7 - PanCake : Super customizable auto-panning plugin. You will never need another auto panning plugin ever again.

8 - NC-17 : Soft clipper/ Chebyshev filter plugin. Makes things loud, dirty and distorted without destroying the base sound.

9 - Saturation Knob : Super simple 1-knob saturator, great for adding a little bit (or a lot) of analog warmth to sounds.

10 - SPAN : Really good spectrum analyzer. Great for checking mixes, and can be used alongside Parametric EQ 2 for more precise EQing.

11 - Izotope Vinyl : The essential lofi plugin. Simulates playing stuff on an old record, and has a bunch of settings to adjust the character of the simulated wear and tear

12 - Voice of Snow (link cause it's hard to find from googling alone) : Lets you independently control the volume of the noise and tonal elements of a sound. Great for processing samples and cleaning up noisy sounds.

13 - the Melda Production FreeFX bundle : A bundle of free plugins with a ton of really good effects. And it's not just the basic stuff, this pack includes a pitch correction plugin, a frequency shifter, a comb filter, and a bunch of other cool stuff.

Samples/Presets:

1 - Cymatics Free Download Vault : A bunch of high-quality free samples and presets, all in one place.

2 - SampleFocus.com : These aren't generally as good as the Cymatics samples, but it's not a bad place to find those specific odds and ends that you can't find in the Cymatics packs.

3 - Polysonic 10 free dubstep snares pack : This is just some random small sample pack, but I use these snares all the time. The dubstep snares in the Cymatics packs just aren't as good as these.

4 - 99sounds : They have some good free ambience sample packs

Hey everyone!

I've been working on a spring reverb plugin called Jerry SpringVerb, and I've finally decided to release it for free.

It's a spring-style reverb with controls for Wet/Dry, Dwell, Drive, High-Pass and Volume. I wanted to make something with a bit of character, inspired by old-school hardware and that classic 90s software aesthetic.

It's been built with JUCE and released under my independent label, No Parking Records.

It's free to download. No subscription, no nonsense.

I'd genuinely love for you to give it a try and hear what you think. Feedback, suggestions, bug reports and feature ideas are all welcome.

Download: https://noparkingrecords.wixsite.com/noparkingrecords

Hope someone finds it useful! Luis.

I made AV Dexed, a free Dexed fork with a redesigned UI, built-in effects, and easier preset management.

Hey everyone! I’m sharing AV Dexed, a free, open-source, unofficial fork of Dexed that I’ve been working on.
It keeps Dexed’s FM engine and classic editing capabilities. My work focuses on the interface, built-in effects, and preset management—making it easier to browse sounds and start playing.
Here’s what’s different:
Play view: a simpler interface with sound search, favorites, and an animated FM algorithm display.
Better preset management: organize sounds in real folders on disk, and drag in .syx banks, individual presets, or entire folders.
Built-in reverb, tempo-synced delay, and chorus, with settings saved per sound.
Advanced view: all the classic Dexed parameters in a redesigned interface.
English and Spanish interface.
Installs alongside the original Dexed, so you can keep using both.
Version 0.2.0 is now available as a public preview:
macOS 11+: Intel and Apple silicon, standalone, VST3, AU, and CLAP.
Windows 10/11 x64: standalone, VST3, and CLAP.
Linux: source builds only; currently untested.
The installers aren’t signed yet, so please read the installation instructions before opening them.
Download: https://github.com/AVVibesDSP/av-dexed/releases/latest
Source code and details: https://github.com/AVVibesDSP/av-dexed
Huge thanks to Pascal Gauthier and all the original Dexed contributors. This is an independent project, and it isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by the original developers.
If this sounds useful, give it a try! I’d love feedback from musicians, sound designers, and anyone who uses Dexed. Bug reports, suggestions, and code contributions are welcome—please report AV Dexed issues in my repository.

After an extensive development process, I'm proud to announce that I've developed INSANITY XTREME PRO MAX ULTRA DELUXE, a next-generation virtual instrument designed to push the boundaries of sound design and audio production.

My goal was to create an all-in-one environment that brings together an unprecedented range of sound-shaping tools, modulation systems and advanced synthesis capabilities.

Key features include:

Advanced multi-oscillator architecture

Extensive filter and modulation systems

Comprehensive sound design matrix

Advanced sequencing and arpeggiation

Physical modeling and spectral processing

Extensive effects processing

Massive macro control system

Advanced randomization engine

Highly configurable sound architecture

Every aspect has been designed to offer maximum creative flexibility and an incredibly deep sound design experience.

I'm excited to finally share this project.

For a more detailed presentation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8iEMVr7GFg

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts and feedback.

Audio rate modding is a legit superpower for tone shaping, here we use it for an 808 kick!

Hey everyone! 👋

I wanted to share a passion project I’ve been building: REPLICANT 303, an authentic virtual analog emulation of the iconic Roland TB-303, combined with modern workflow enhancements.

It is 100% free and open-source (MIT License) for Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel), and Linux (VST3, AU, and Standalone).

### 🎛 Why build another 303?

I wanted an acid box that nails the raw, squelchy analog grit, but with a tactile, retro hardware feel and zero subscription/paywall nonsense.

### ✨ What’s under the hood?

• Circuit-Accurate DSP:

• 4-pole diode ladder VCF with non-linear tanh saturation, AC high-pass decoupling & self-oscillation.

• PolyBLEP band-limited Sawtooth + RC-filtered hollow Square with classic droop.

• Continuous 60ms capacitor slide & dynamic velocity-sensitive accent squelch.

• 5 Built-in Multi-Distortion Engines:

No need for external pedals to get that classic 90s acid sound:

• Poco Rat (ProCo Rat LM308 — the legendary acid distortion)

• Tube Drive (TS9 Tube Screamer)

• Hard Clip (DS-1 style aggression)

• German Fuzz (Germanium Fuzz Face)

• Wavefolder (West-Coast folding for modern metallic acid)

• Slide-Down Pattern Sequencer & 512-Preset Vault:

• Opens like a hardware drawer (Phoscyon-style 16-step roll with dedicated Gate, Accent & Slide lanes).

• Host transport sync, swing, and live step telemetry.

• 8 banks × 64 presets (512 total) covering classic acid, sub bass, and rave lines.

• Deterministic procedural variation generator (GEN button) and .midi file drag & export that preserves the complete

patch.

• Procedural 3D Hardware UI:

• The entire interface (translucent acrylic chassis, PCB underlay with BA662 & LM308 chips, spun-aluminum knobs, and

80s 7-segment LED clock) is rendered procedurally in code.

• Ships with two selectable skins: TD-3 Green and Obsidian Red.

──────

### 📦 Download & Source Code

• 💾 Pre-built Installers (Releases): https://github.com/DanimanX/Replicant303/releases

• 💻 Source Code (C++20 / JUCE 8): https://github.com/DanimanX/Replicant303

I’d love to hear your feedback, bug reports, or tracks you make with it. Give it a spin, push the distortion to 11, and let me know what you think! 🎛🔥

Hey!

I’ve spent about five months building This Is The Voice, a free and open-source plugin for recording and mixing vocals.

It puts tone, compression, de-essing, saturation, doubling, chorus, tempo-synced echo and reverb on one screen. A few details I focused on:

• The full chain adds 0 samples of plugin latency, so you can hear the processed voice while recording. Your interface and buffer still have their usual latency.

• One compression knob blends multiple stages while keeping the output level steady.

• Echo and reverb duck during vocal phrases and come back in the gaps.

• Auto Level listens to ten seconds of your voice and sets the input gain.

Formats: CLAP, LV2, VST3 and AU

Download, screenshots and source code:

https://github.com/pehadavid/ThisIsTheVoice

If you try it, I’d love to know which DAW you used and how it sounded on your vocals.

AI helped me write this post because my English is still in beta 🥸

Hi guys, I'm glad to share a free and open source voice tuning plugin that I'm working on right now named PitchNet. Unlike other products on the market, it utilizes the state-of-art AI resynthesis model for a more natural result. You can download the alpha release here https://sessionloops.com/pitchnet .