Free Resources
VST Instruments
A. Retro / Vintage Instruments
- Dexed — FM Synthesizer
Based on: Yamaha DX7. The synthesis engine closely models the original DX7 and can even work with DX7 SysEx patches.
Good for: 1980s FM bells, electric pianos, basses, metallic percussion, glassy pads.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Dexed — Official Download (GitHub Pages) - Fury-800 — Vintage Poly Synth
Based on: Korg Poly-800 from 1983. Includes the original-style DCO architecture, paraphonic filter, sequencer and chord memory, with some useful modern additions.
Good for: Retro RPGs, synthwave, menu music, 1980s game-score textures.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Fury-800 — Official Download (Full Bucket) - FB-7999 — Hybrid Digital/Analog Synth
Based on: Korg DW-6000 / DW-8000 synthesizers. This gives you that distinctive mid-1980s combination of digital waveforms and analog-style filtering.
Good for: Fantasy games, eerie pads, digital bells, retro leads and atmospheric music.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
FB-7999 — Official Download (Full Bucket) - FB-02 — Classic FM Module
Based on: Yamaha FB-01 from 1986, with additional TX81Z waveforms. It recreates the FB-01 FM sound-generation system and includes its original ROM sounds.
Good for: DOS-era/late-80s sounds, FM bass, bells, mallets, digital keys and retro soundtrack writing.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
FB-02 — Official Download (Full Bucket) - Bucket Pops — Vintage Drum Machine
Based on: Korg Mini Pops-7 rhythm machine from 1966. The 15 drum voices are modeled rather than simply sampled.
Good for: Old electronic soundtracks, quirky menus, lounge music, early electronic music and stylized retro games.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Bucket Pops — Official Download (Full Bucket) - TyrellN6 — Classic Virtual Analog Synth
Based on: A proposed hardware synthesizer concept developed by Amazona and u-he; it uses a classic virtual-analog architecture rather than copying one specific vintage synth.
Good for: Analog basses, pads, leads, arpeggios and vintage-style poly-synth sounds.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, native Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
TyrellN6 — Official Download (U-He)
B. Modern Instruments
- Vital — Wavetable Synthesizer
Based on: Modern spectral-warping wavetable synthesis rather than vintage hardware. You can stretch, shift, smear and manipulate the harmonic structure of wavetables.
Good for: Modern game music, basses, evolving pads, leads, UI sounds and aggressive sound design.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Free version: Full synth engine; paid tiers mainly add more presets/wavetables/content.
Vital — Official Site (Vital – Spectral Warping Wavetable Synth) - Surge XT — Hybrid Synthesizer
Based on: A formerly commercial synthesizer that became free/open-source and has continued to receive major community development. It combines numerous oscillator, filter and modulation techniques.
Good for: Almost anything—retro, modern electronic, cinematic, ambient, experimental and game music.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Surge XT — Official Download (GitHub) - Zebralette 3 — Spectral Synthesizer
Based on: The oscillator technology developed for u-he’s Zebra 3. It combines spectral waveform editing, wavetable/additive rendering, oscillator effects and advanced modulation.
Good for: Animated textures, digital leads, strange ambience, evolving game environments and sound design.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Zebralette 3 — Official Download (U-He) - Cardinal — Modular Synthesizer
Based on: The VCV Rack ecosystem, redesigned as a completely self-contained free plugin. It currently bundles well over a thousand modular modules.
Good for: Generative music, modular synthesis, experimental textures, sequences, drones and complex sound design.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Cardinal — Official Site (Cardinal) - Odin 2 — Hybrid Poly Synth
Based on: Modern hybrid synthesis with classic analog waveforms, custom waveforms and modeled filter types including Moog Ladder and Korg-35-style designs.
Good for: Bass, leads, pads, cinematic synth parts and general-purpose game scoring.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Odin 2 — Official Download (thewavewarden) - Pendulate — Chaotic Synthesizer
Based on: A unique double-pendulum mathematical oscillator, combined with a Buchla-259-inspired wavefolder and Buchla-292-inspired low-pass gate.
Good for: Creature sounds, strange basses, sci-fi, glitches, experimental music and unusual SFX.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Pendulate — Official Free Download (Eventide Audio)
VST Effects
A. Retro / Vintage Effects
- TAL-Chorus-LX — Vintage Chorus
Based on: The famous chorus circuit/sound of the Roland Juno-60.
Good for: Widening synths, pads, guitars and MIDI instruments with an instant 1980s character.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
TAL-Chorus-LX — Official Page (Plugin Boutique) - Chow Tape Model — Tape Machine
Based on: Originally developed as a physical model of the Sony TC-260 reel-to-reel tape machine, then expanded to model a wider range of tape behavior.
Good for: Tape saturation, soft compression, wow/flutter, vintage coloration and degraded soundtrack effects.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
ChowDSP Free Plugins (chowdsp.com) - Chow Phaser — Vintage Phaser
Based on: Schulte Compact Phasing ‘A’, a classic hardware phaser. It models quirks such as the behavior of light-dependent resistors.
Good for: 1970s psychedelic effects, vintage synths, guitars, pads and moving textures.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Chow Phaser — Official Page (chowdsp.com) - iZotope Vinyl — Lo-Fi / Record Aging
Based on: The coloration and artifacts associated with old records and playback systems rather than one specific hardware unit.
Good for: Dust, mechanical noise, wear, filtering and making pristine digital audio sound decades older.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
iZotope Vinyl — Official Free Download (iZotope) - Softube Saturation Knob — Analog Saturation
Based on: Modeled analog-style output distortion rather than one specific named device.
Good for: Adding harmonics and weight to bass, drums, synths, dialogue and full mixes.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows
Note: Free, but requires Softube and iLok accounts.
Saturation Knob — Official Download (Softube) - Valhalla Freq Echo — Psychedelic Echo
Based on: A Bode-style frequency shifter combined with an analog echo emulation.
Good for: Dub echoes, 60s/70s psychedelia, sci-fi effects, barber-pole phasing and runaway feedback.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Valhalla Freq Echo — Official Download (Valhalla DSP)
B. Modern Effects
- Valhalla Supermassive — Reverb & Delay
Based on: Original modern feedback-delay-network algorithms rather than a hardware emulation.
Good for: Enormous reverbs, atmospheric game worlds, ambient delays, space effects and evolving tails.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Valhalla Supermassive — Official Download (Valhalla DSP) - TDR Nova — Dynamic EQ
Based on: Modern parametric EQ combined with frequency-selective dynamics rather than vintage hardware.
Good for: Dynamic EQ, resonance control, de-essing, frequency-selective compression and corrective mixing.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows
TDR Nova — Official Download (Tokyo Dawn Records) - TDR Kotelnikov — Compressor
Based on: A modern digital dynamics architecture designed for transparent compression rather than modeling an analog compressor.
Good for: Mix bus, mastering, orchestral material and transparent dynamics control.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows
TDR Kotelnikov — Official Download (Tokyo Dawn Records) - Kilohearts Essentials — 30+ Effect Bundle
Based on: Modern modular effect building blocks rather than hardware emulations. The free collection currently includes compressors, filters, delay, distortion, chorus, pitch shifting, bitcrushing, transient shaping, tape stop, reverb and much more.
Good for: A complete starter toolbox for sound design and mixing.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Kilohearts Essentials — Official Free Bundle (Kilohearts) - MeldaProduction MFreeFXBundle — Large Effect Bundle
Based on: MeldaProduction’s modern DSP ecosystem rather than vintage hardware.
Good for: EQ, filtering, modulation, analysis, distortion, dynamics, utility processing and experimentation.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
MFreeFXBundle — Official Download (MeldaProduction) - Voxengo SPAN — Spectrum Analyzer
Based on: Modern FFT spectrum analysis; it does not emulate hardware.
Good for: Frequency analysis, stereo/mono comparison, mid-side analysis, clipping detection, true peak and loudness monitoring.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows
Voxengo SPAN — Official Download (Voxengo)
Free Resources
Free VST Instruments
A. Retro / Vintage Instruments
- Dexed — FM Synthesizer
Based on: Yamaha DX7. The synthesis engine closely models the original DX7 and can even work with DX7 SysEx patches.
Good for: 1980s FM bells, electric pianos, basses, metallic percussion, glassy pads.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Dexed — Official Download (GitHub Pages) - Fury-800 — Vintage Poly Synth
Based on: Korg Poly-800 from 1983. Includes the original-style DCO architecture, paraphonic filter, sequencer and chord memory, with some useful modern additions.
Good for: Retro RPGs, synthwave, menu music, 1980s game-score textures.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Fury-800 — Official Download (Full Bucket) - FB-7999 — Hybrid Digital/Analog Synth
Based on: Korg DW-6000 / DW-8000 synthesizers. This gives you that distinctive mid-1980s combination of digital waveforms and analog-style filtering.
Good for: Fantasy games, eerie pads, digital bells, retro leads and atmospheric music.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
FB-7999 — Official Download (Full Bucket) - FB-02 — Classic FM Module
Based on: Yamaha FB-01 from 1986, with additional TX81Z waveforms. It recreates the FB-01 FM sound-generation system and includes its original ROM sounds.
Good for: DOS-era/late-80s sounds, FM bass, bells, mallets, digital keys and retro soundtrack writing.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
FB-02 — Official Download (Full Bucket) - Bucket Pops — Vintage Drum Machine
Based on: Korg Mini Pops-7 rhythm machine from 1966. The 15 drum voices are modeled rather than simply sampled.
Good for: Old electronic soundtracks, quirky menus, lounge music, early electronic music and stylized retro games.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Bucket Pops — Official Download (Full Bucket) - TyrellN6 — Classic Virtual Analog Synth
Based on: A proposed hardware synthesizer concept developed by Amazona and u-he; it uses a classic virtual-analog architecture rather than copying one specific vintage synth.
Good for: Analog basses, pads, leads, arpeggios and vintage-style poly-synth sounds.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, native Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
TyrellN6 — Official Download (U-He)
B. Modern Instruments
- Vital — Wavetable Synthesizer
Based on: Modern spectral-warping wavetable synthesis rather than vintage hardware. You can stretch, shift, smear and manipulate the harmonic structure of wavetables.
Good for: Modern game music, basses, evolving pads, leads, UI sounds and aggressive sound design.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Free version: Full synth engine; paid tiers mainly add more presets/wavetables/content.
Vital — Official Site (Vital – Spectral Warping Wavetable Synth) - Surge XT — Hybrid Synthesizer
Based on: A formerly commercial synthesizer that became free/open-source and has continued to receive major community development. It combines numerous oscillator, filter and modulation techniques.
Good for: Almost anything—retro, modern electronic, cinematic, ambient, experimental and game music.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Surge XT — Official Download (GitHub) - Zebralette 3 — Spectral Synthesizer
Based on: The oscillator technology developed for u-he’s Zebra 3. It combines spectral waveform editing, wavetable/additive rendering, oscillator effects and advanced modulation.
Good for: Animated textures, digital leads, strange ambience, evolving game environments and sound design.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Zebralette 3 — Official Download (U-He) - Cardinal — Modular Synthesizer
Based on: The VCV Rack ecosystem, redesigned as a completely self-contained free plugin. It currently bundles well over a thousand modular modules.
Good for: Generative music, modular synthesis, experimental textures, sequences, drones and complex sound design.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Cardinal — Official Site (Cardinal) - Odin 2 — Hybrid Poly Synth
Based on: Modern hybrid synthesis with classic analog waveforms, custom waveforms and modeled filter types including Moog Ladder and Korg-35-style designs.
Good for: Bass, leads, pads, cinematic synth parts and general-purpose game scoring.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Odin 2 — Official Download (thewavewarden) - Pendulate — Chaotic Synthesizer
Based on: A unique double-pendulum mathematical oscillator, combined with a Buchla-259-inspired wavefolder and Buchla-292-inspired low-pass gate.
Good for: Creature sounds, strange basses, sci-fi, glitches, experimental music and unusual SFX.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Pendulate — Official Free Download (Eventide Audio)
Free VST Effects
A. Retro / Vintage Effects
- TAL-Chorus-LX — Vintage Chorus
Based on: The famous chorus circuit/sound of the Roland Juno-60.
Good for: Widening synths, pads, guitars and MIDI instruments with an instant 1980s character.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
TAL-Chorus-LX — Official Page (Plugin Boutique) - Chow Tape Model — Tape Machine
Based on: Originally developed as a physical model of the Sony TC-260 reel-to-reel tape machine, then expanded to model a wider range of tape behavior.
Good for: Tape saturation, soft compression, wow/flutter, vintage coloration and degraded soundtrack effects.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
ChowDSP Free Plugins (chowdsp.com) - Chow Phaser — Vintage Phaser
Based on: Schulte Compact Phasing ‘A’, a classic hardware phaser. It models quirks such as the behavior of light-dependent resistors.
Good for: 1970s psychedelic effects, vintage synths, guitars, pads and moving textures.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows · ✅ Linux
Chow Phaser — Official Page (chowdsp.com) - iZotope Vinyl — Lo-Fi / Record Aging
Based on: The coloration and artifacts associated with old records and playback systems rather than one specific hardware unit.
Good for: Dust, mechanical noise, wear, filtering and making pristine digital audio sound decades older.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
iZotope Vinyl — Official Free Download (iZotope) - Softube Saturation Knob — Analog Saturation
Based on: Modeled analog-style output distortion rather than one specific named device.
Good for: Adding harmonics and weight to bass, drums, synths, dialogue and full mixes.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows
Note: Free, but requires Softube and iLok accounts.
Saturation Knob — Official Download (Softube) - Valhalla Freq Echo — Psychedelic Echo
Based on: A Bode-style frequency shifter combined with an analog echo emulation.
Good for: Dub echoes, 60s/70s psychedelia, sci-fi effects, barber-pole phasing and runaway feedback.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Valhalla Freq Echo — Official Download (Valhalla DSP)
B. Modern Effects
- Valhalla Supermassive — Reverb & Delay
Based on: Original modern feedback-delay-network algorithms rather than a hardware emulation.
Good for: Enormous reverbs, atmospheric game worlds, ambient delays, space effects and evolving tails.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, Intel + Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Valhalla Supermassive — Official Download (Valhalla DSP) - TDR Nova — Dynamic EQ
Based on: Modern parametric EQ combined with frequency-selective dynamics rather than vintage hardware.
Good for: Dynamic EQ, resonance control, de-essing, frequency-selective compression and corrective mixing.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows
TDR Nova — Official Download (Tokyo Dawn Records) - TDR Kotelnikov — Compressor
Based on: A modern digital dynamics architecture designed for transparent compression rather than modeling an analog compressor.
Good for: Mix bus, mastering, orchestral material and transparent dynamics control.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows
TDR Kotelnikov — Official Download (Tokyo Dawn Records) - Kilohearts Essentials — 30+ Effect Bundle
Based on: Modern modular effect building blocks rather than hardware emulations. The free collection currently includes compressors, filters, delay, distortion, chorus, pitch shifting, bitcrushing, transient shaping, tape stop, reverb and much more.
Good for: A complete starter toolbox for sound design and mixing.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
Kilohearts Essentials — Official Free Bundle (Kilohearts) - MeldaProduction MFreeFXBundle — Large Effect Bundle
Based on: MeldaProduction’s modern DSP ecosystem rather than vintage hardware.
Good for: EQ, filtering, modulation, analysis, distortion, dynamics, utility processing and experimentation.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac, including Apple Silicon · ✅ Windows
MFreeFXBundle — Official Download (MeldaProduction) - Voxengo SPAN — Spectrum Analyzer
Based on: Modern FFT spectrum analysis; it does not emulate hardware.
Good for: Frequency analysis, stereo/mono comparison, mid-side analysis, clipping detection, true peak and loudness monitoring.
Compatibility: ✅ Mac · ✅ Windows
Voxengo SPAN — Official Download (Voxengo)
