Free Drum Synth Mac

Jul 13, 2020 If you look at the beats section with free drum machines or drum synths, it will be much smaller. Here you can find free drum machine/instrument plugins that are based on samples or even on pure synthesis. This is a VST version of the Linn drum machine. This musical instrument was created in order for the author to get rid of the “Linn Drum Computer’s” inferiority complex. The T-Rex 606 is a rompler made from a Roland TR-606 drum machine VST. In the style of the popular 500 series synth modules comes an all new software drum synthesizer that delivers full control of all electronic drum sounds in an easy-to-use, comprehensive interface. Drum Synth 500 from AIR Music Technology has everything needed to create an endless variety of custom electronic drum sounds for all styles of music. Sonic Academy’s Kick 2 v1.1.4 is a drum synthesizer allowing you to quickly and precisely create drum sounds and tune them to your tracks. It combines an eight Partial synthesized sub-oscillator, 3 part sampled clicks, EQ, and effects to create a wide variety of free drums vst, percussive, and even bass sounds.

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MiniSpillageFree Drum Synth. 3 synthesis algorithms, lots of sound. An AU plugin for Mac OS X.

Impakter by de la Mancha. With over 300 eclectic drum samples modelled after drum machines. Download the Best Free Audio Plugins. Synths, Reverbs, Compressors.and much more. Just click and download.

It’s been a while since I surveyed the market for free software synths, so I thought I’d give it go and see what’s new and what has stood the test of time. Some of these instruments were released as prototypes or were the early experiments of developers just entering the market.

Free stuff is not always actually free. Often you will follow a link only to find out that it’s a free “demo”. Aren’t all demos supposed to be free?? In other cases, free software is dangled like a carrot in order to get your email address or to entice you into buying other products, preset libraries, add-ons, etc.

Well, business is business, and I suppose everyone needs to make a buck. I really don’t mind spending a few dollars for some shareware now and again to support a budding developer. But it behooves even the most experienced consumer to proceed with caution when the word free is thrown around.

What follows are some awesome sounding instruments in no particular order that are indeed free with very few strings attached. And if you can stomach a little extra spam, some of these may prove valuable additions to your stockpile of synths.

Free Drum Machine Vst Mac

1. TyrellN6 by u-he

Free Drum Machine Mac

Virtual analog with classic architecture, plus extras.
Two oscillators, noise, ring modulator.
Two LFOs with eight waveforms that are host-syncable.
Audio source mixer with authentic overdrive and filter feedback.
Twin filter related to Diva (early model).
Unison with up to eight voices.
Analog-type ADSR envelopes, loopable or LFO-triggered.
Small modulation matrix with depth modulation from a second source.
Chorus effect with three modes.
MIDI learn / unlearn for hardware control.
Resizable UI from 70% to 200%.
Skinnable UI.
Over 580 factory presets.

This thing is responsive as hell and sounds sweet! I love the stained and grungy aesthetic of the interface. It’s really hard to believe it’s free. But it serves its purpose I suppose because it truly whets the appetite for more stuff from u-he.

2. Dexed

Dexed is an emulation of the classic FM synth: Yamaha DX7.

From the Github page:

“Dexed is a multi-platform, multi-format plugin synth that is closely modeled on the Yamaha DX7. Dexed is also a midi cartridge librarian/manager for the DX7. Do not expect this to be a perfect clone of a DX7 since this will take years in the open source world and multiple collaborators before getting there … Since Dexed is modeled on the DX7, the Yamaha DX7 Operating Manual can be used as a reference documentation.”

The interface is a little cluttered and is more functional than it is aesthetically pleasing, but there are a ton of sonic possibilities with this for those willing to dig in.

3. MiniSpillage

“MiniSpillage is a free professional quality drum synthesizer plugin featuring high-resolution 64-bit DSP processing.
MiniSpillage includes three exclusive drum synthesis algorithms along with distortion effects and resonant filters.”

Bass Drum – Single oscillator bass drum synth with pitch sweep, internal FM and harmonic controls.
Wood Drum – Flexible wooden drum model synthesizes natural and synthetic timbres from log drums to toms.
Hi-Hat – Six oscillators closed and open hi-hat generator with a noise source and dual resonant filters.

This is a great free option for those that want to create their own drum sounds with modulation, filtering and distortion effects.

4. Crystal Synth by Green Oak

This is one is a bit frustrating and takes a while to get anything remotely usable. The interface is on the clunky side. But a little patience can be rewarding.

5. Lokomotiv

Drum Synthesizer Vst

Lokomotiv is an analog retro synthesizer that is impressive from the first launch. Its austere interface is surprisingly responsive and sounds immediately great.

Oscillator:

Mathematically generated high definition Oscillator without using wavetable or interpolation.
Silky smooth 9X detuned sawtooth wave.
Pulse wave with self PWM.
Shape morphing sub-oscillator.

Filter:

MG ladder modeling multimode filter featuring Zero Delay Feedback technology.
Routable filter Drive (Pre/Post).

Modulator:

Natural Curved ADSR Envelope generator.
One-shot LFO which can be used as envelope.

Specification:

1X OSC (Saw+ Pulse) + One Sub OSC, Noise Generator.
1X multimode Filter with Drive.
1X LFO, 1X Envelope Generator.
Eight polyphonic voices, Mono and Legato mode supported.
64 Factory presets included.
Native 64-bit, Mac and Windows OS supported.

6. Digits from Extent of the Jam

This one sports a subdued color palette with beefy growls, preset chords and brass sounds. A bit of crackling when parameters are modified, but worth the time to download for sure.

7. Spitfire Audio – LABS

Not long ago, Spitfire Audio released an ongoing series of completely free instruments called LABS. These are very, very simple sampled instruments with just a handful of controls and they sound really, really good. So far the collection includes:

Charango
Electric Piano
Amplified Electric Cello Quartet
Drums
Strings
Soft Piano

If you’ve used any of the Spitfire Sample Libraries before, you know how well they’re recorded, and these instruments are no exception. While you won’t get the flexibility or deep sampled variety of a full-scale library, you will get a great sound that can be slightly varied to taste. While these are sampled instruments as opposed to synths, they’re free and so good that I felt they warranted inclusion.

8. TAL NoiseMaker

This is one my of favorite choices. The interface is accessible, clean and to the point and thick, beefy sounds are possible from the get-go. Really nice!

From the developer: “TAL NoiseMaker is an improved version of TAL-Elek7ro and has a completely new synth engine and a lot of improvements in sound and usability. The synth also includes a small effect section with a reverb, chorus and a simple bit crusher effect. A display shows the knob and slider values. This allows more control over the synth. A ring modulator and a syncable triangle are also part of this synth.”

TAL NoiseMaker includes new filter types and the self-resonating 6 dB low pass and notch filter. Its improved amplitude ADSR is very suitable for slow pads and for really fast envelopes. 128 factory presets included, 80 made by Frank “Xenox” Neumann.

Features:

Three Oscillators. Osc 1, +/- 24 semitones, fine tune, phase control (saw, pulse, noise). Osc 2, +/- 24 semitones, fine tune, phase control (saw, rectangle, triangle, sine). Sub Osc (rectangle).
Osc 1 PM for pulse waveform.
Osc 2 FM controlled by Osc 1.
Osc 1 & Osc 2 sync to sub osc (saw, pulse, rectangle, triangle (bipolar sync)).
Adjustable master tune and transpose.
Up to six voices.
Portamento in mono and poly mode (off, auto, on).
Ringmod modulates Osc 1 with Osc 2.
Self resonating 4x oversampled filters (24 dB LP, 18 dB LP, 12 dB LP, 6 dB LP, 12 dB HP, 12 dB BP, Notch).
Filter ADSR (negative and positive).
Volume ADSR
Routable ADSR, modulates Filter, Osc 1, Osc 2, PW, FM (negative and positive)
Two LFO’s with different running modes: free, sync to host, triggered by note. Modulates filter, Osc 1, Osc 2, FM, PW, LFO rate, Panorama and Volume. Sine, Triangle, Saw Square, S&H, Noise. Positive and Negative modulation. Phase control.
Adjustable Velocity-dependent control over volume filter contour and cutoff.
Adjustable Pitch Wheel control over Cutoff and Pitch.
One pole HP filter.
Detune, detunes notes randomly.
Juno chorus with different modes.
A built-in reverb and delay.
Adjustable filter drive.
Bitcrusher affects Osc 1 and Osc 2. It’s a pre-filter stage effect.
MIDI Learn for all knobs.
Panic button.
Easy to use, no hidden panels.
256 great presets (Presets by Frank “Xenox” Neumann, The Unshushable Coktor, Alexandra Sendy, TAL, Patrick Kunz).

9. Thump by Metric Halo

Thump is a unique audio processor that allows you to synthesize low-frequency audio to add low end to a track or generate another sound entirely. Thump looks at the pitch and dynamics of its audio input and uses this information to control its oscillators. You can add low end to drums, augment a bass or even create synthetic drones.

Thump is ideal for beefing up a kick drum, adding low end to percussive tracks, recreating classic drum synth sounds and more. You can use Thump’s envelope driven, percussive sub-harmonic synth for the following things (among others):

Build low-octave support for bass drum, tom, snare and other percussive tracks.
Create kettle drum sounds from regular drum tracks.
Recreate the sounds of classic drum synths like the TR-808.

The effect of Thump is similar to generating a sine wave or other waveform on a gated track that is side-chained to a transient on another track such as a kick. But Thump allows more control, two oscillators that can be changed on the fly and more pitch specific envelope control. If you like kicks that are thick as hell and challenge the range of human hearing, you will like Thump a lot.

Syn Drum Download Free

NOTE: the instrument requires a transient input to be activated so you would use it like an insert rather than a standalone synth.

10. Synth 1 by Daichi Laboratory

While the interface is a bit nasty and pixelated, Synth 1 by Ichiro Toda is modeled after the Nord Lead 2 Red Synth and sounds decent. It doesn’t take long to get a few usable sounds and the onboard arpeggiator is great for experimenting. (Manual)

11. PG-8X by Martin Lüder

“The PG-8X is a virtual synthesizer, inspired by the Roland JX-8P with the PG-800 programmer. The synth architecture is a standard 2-oscillator -> Filter -> VCA design. These elements can be modulated by a common LFO and one of two envelopes. The PG-8X is patch compatible with the JX-8P and can read and write JX-8P Sysex data”. (Manual)

Conclusion

While these instruments may not be the best things in life — they are free. And it has been my experience that there is something to be learned from every piece of software, as there is from all types of music. Experimentation and exploration yield untold rewards for the adventurous, and freeware is a great place to start your journey or a means to unshackle yourself, at least temporarily, from the financial constraints that plague us all.

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Check out my other articles, reviews, interviews and my video tutorial series, Synthesis 101 available exclusively on The Pro Audio Files.

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Chowdhury DSP has just released his newest plugin, the ChowKick – a freeware kick modeling synth plugin.

Ah, the kick. Widely considered the foundation of any modern song – unless you’re doing ambient, orchestral, piano ballad, or singer-songwriter stuff. But outside of that, the most important element to building a song around.

See also: BPB Analog Kicks – 200 FREE Kick Samples From 6 Analog Machines

Most of us have more kick samples than there are atoms in the known universe. Still, they tend to just stay there – even more thorough drum kits that separate kicks into categories (acoustic, electronic, analog, 808, etc.) are great, but it’s not a perfect solution.

Over the last few years, I’ve personally found it a lot more rewarding to use drum synth plugins to model my own stuff. It’s a cool little sound design experience, and you get to create exactly the sample you’re looking for.

When it comes to the free stuff, however, most plugins are either sample-based or try to emulate classic drum machines.

Jatin Chowdhury, known better as Chowdhury DSP, creator of one of the best drive pedal emulations of all time – the ChowCentaur – is back with a fantastic kick drum synth plugin.

ChowKick is very well laid-out – you can control the shape on the left. On the right is the resonant filter, so you can really shape the pulse you’ve created into sounding like a drum sound.

You even have an oscillator at the top – something that should be mandatory for anything that makes sounds.

The user can control the number of voices, change resonance modes between Linear, Basic, and Bouncy, and even play the kick like an instrument for that 808 bassline. And if you mouse over stuff, it tells you exactly what each control parameter does.

Here’s how the developer describes ChowKick:

“Chow Kick is a kick drum synthesizer based on creative physical modeling of old drum machine circuits. Along with a highly parameterizable pulse shaper, Chow Kick uses a resonant filter with several nonlinear modes, creating a wide range of possibilities for sound designers. The kick drum can also be easily “tuned” with incoming MIDI notes to match the key of your song!”

Great-sounding plugins don’t always come with sleek interfaces, but this one is a true one-two punch.

Oh, and it’s available for iOS as well! AND it’s open-source! Really no reason to miss out on this one at all.

Now we’re just waiting for the ChowCowbell.

Free Drum Synth Machine

More info:ChowKick(8.69 MB download size, EXE installer, available in VST/AU plugin format for Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS)

Drum Synth Vst

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