What is Audiobus? — Audiobus isan award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you useyour other music apps together. Chain effects on your favouritesynth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app likeGarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface outputfor each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive asynth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDIkeyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear.And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
Nembrini Audio has announced the release of Black Distortion a new free Audio Unit, VST plug-in and AAX plug-in for macOS and Windows.Nembrini Audio says:The. Free VST Plug-ins, Audio Units, AAX, DAWs, Audio Editors, Notation, etc. New Releases & Updates - Page 1. Audiomodern releases Gatelab - Free Plug-in for Mac, Win. Audio plugins,Free plugins for Logic Pro X,Free music software,free audio app and free plug-in downloads,free VST/AU plugins for your PC or Mac,32/64-bit, Freeware.
I've been playing around with moving my workflow to my laptop, trying out Ableton & Bitwig. I always have a huge problem discovering good effects and instruments to start sketching stuff out, and this seems way worse on desktop.
On iOS my workhorses are Zeeon, Redshrike (and the other Icegear plugins to a lesser extent) and Model D. But I don't know anything about synth sound design, so I'm not looking for 'an analog modelling synth, an FM synth, a Minimoog clone'. I'm looking for 'rich and complex, noisy and abrasive, warm and fuzzy'. A good set of presets is an absolute must; I need to be able to dive in and make anything that sounds good otherwise I just lose interest.
I don't mind paying for plugins (you should see my App Store bills...) but on the other hand I can't justify dropping £hundreds on one.
Any thoughts/ideas?
Comments
- edited April 2018
There's a huge variety on desktop but one good way is to get one which is available on both ipad and desktop so have a look at DRC which sounds great if you're after an analogue sound but is available on both platforms and can share presets. They often have discounts too.
or try PPG infinite. Both platforms..... and very complex sounds possible
I'll definitely check out DRC, it's been on my list to try on iOS for a while. As for the others, they look great, but they're out of my price range right now. I'm really just looking for something cheap (free to $20ish) that sounds good enough that I can try out desktop workflows.
(I know these have free trials but time limits and lack of state saving are a dealbreaker)
Use your iPhone/iPad as a sound source via USB cable?
- edited April 2018
@quarterto said:
I've been playing around with moving my workflow to my laptop, trying out Ableton & Bitwig. I always have a huge problem discovering good effects and instruments to start sketching stuff out, and this seems way worse on desktop.On iOS my workhorses are Zeeon, Redshrike (and the other Icegear plugins to a lesser extent) and Model D. But I don't know anything about synth sound design, so I'm not looking for 'an analog modelling synth, an FM synth, a Minimoog clone'. I'm looking for 'rich and complex, noisy and abrasive, warm and fuzzy'. A good set of presets is an absolute must; I need to be able to dive in and make anything that sounds good otherwise I just lose interest.
I don't mind paying for plugins (you should see my App Store bills...) but on the other hand I can't justify dropping £hundreds on one.
Any thoughts/ideas?
Did you see this article?
Apple's project 'Marzipan' will let iOS apps run on the Mac in 2018 - report
Edit... Think I will have to get a Mac..
@Jocphone said:
Use your iPhone/iPad as a sound source via USB cable?Yes, this. Studiomux works for some (I haven’t tried).
If you spend a bit of time with Simpler or Sampler, you can make Ableton instruments using your favourite iOS sounds and keep that warm fuzz going.
If you’re just after presets and not really interested in crafting your own sounds, then maybe just hunt around for Ableton Live packs? It’s not something I do, so I can’t really say where’s best for this, but I’ll point you at Sonic Bloom anyway:
http://sonicbloom.net/en/category/freebies/U-he makes fine softsynths (but yes, money).
- edited April 2018
You could just buy Logic and you have more synths and presets and FX and and and you ever will get for a grand on iOS even.
But i also think Abelton and Bitwig stock tools already should cover a lot ground.
So no need really to buy anything else if you learn your tools.
Since you didn´t search for a specific synth/tool you can go quite far with free tools (and f.e. U-he free synths are amazing and you get tons of presets for it).
If you search for the Zeeon sound Dagger get you there (and in terms of filters even better). It´s mono but there are ways to make mono synths polyphonic as well.
DRC has iOS and mac versions. Infinite has a Pro version for mac as well.
Model D is hard to cover for cheap or free. The free minimonster is quite nice.
There are tons of options but you might already covered. - edited April 2018
@RajahP said:
@quarterto said:
I've been playing around with moving my workflow to my laptop, trying out Ableton & Bitwig. I always have a huge problem discovering good effects and instruments to start sketching stuff out, and this seems way worse on desktop.On iOS my workhorses are Zeeon, Redshrike (and the other Icegear plugins to a lesser extent) and Model D. But I don't know anything about synth sound design, so I'm not looking for 'an analog modelling synth, an FM synth, a Minimoog clone'. I'm looking for 'rich and complex, noisy and abrasive, warm and fuzzy'. A good set of presets is an absolute must; I need to be able to dive in and make anything that sounds good otherwise I just lose interest.
I don't mind paying for plugins (you should see my App Store bills...) but on the other hand I can't justify dropping £hundreds on one.
Any thoughts/ideas?
Did you see this article?
Apple's project 'Marzipan' will let iOS apps run on the Mac in 2018 - report
Edit... Think I will have to get a Mac..
I wish i could believe that but it all sounds more like someone looked into the crystal ball.
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- edited April 2018
@Cib said:
You could just buy Logic and you have more synths and presets and FX and and and you ever will get for a grand on iOS even.Confirmed 100%
But i also think Abelton and Bitwig stock tools already should cover a lot ground.
So no need really to buy anything else if you learn your tools.I don't know Bitwig, on Ableton it depends what version you have. Ableton Suite is very powerful, including Analog (a good virtual analog synth), Operator (FM synth), Electric (electric piano model) and a few other physical models and a good selection of effects.
Model D is hard to cover for cheap or free. The free minimonster is quite nice.
There are tons of options but you might already covered.You can start with Steinberg's free 'VST Classics Volume 1' from https://www.steinberg.net/en/support/unsupported_products/vst_classics_vol_1.html
Not really an authentic Minimoog emulation, but all the authentic ones I know aren't free.On the other hand, as you've described the sound you're after, there are many fantastic freeware synths worth trying, like:
U-he TyrellN6 + Zebralette + TripleCheese, TAL BassLine + NoiseMaker, Dexed, Tunefish 4 (or Sprike), Datsounds OBXD, buchty SQ8L, and most synths from www.fullbucket.de. @Dawdles said:
@RajahP said:
@quarterto said:
I've been playing around with moving my workflow to my laptop, trying out Ableton & Bitwig. I always have a huge problem discovering good effects and instruments to start sketching stuff out, and this seems way worse on desktop.On iOS my workhorses are Zeeon, Redshrike (and the other Icegear plugins to a lesser extent) and Model D. But I don't know anything about synth sound design, so I'm not looking for 'an analog modelling synth, an FM synth, a Minimoog clone'. I'm looking for 'rich and complex, noisy and abrasive, warm and fuzzy'. A good set of presets is an absolute must; I need to be able to dive in and make anything that sounds good otherwise I just lose interest.
I don't mind paying for plugins (you should see my App Store bills...) but on the other hand I can't justify dropping £hundreds on one.
Any thoughts/ideas?
Did you see this article?
Apple's project 'Marzipan' will let iOS apps run on the Mac in 2018 - report
Edit... Think I will have to get a Mac..
So if/when this happens will there be 'mac version' IAP or something? If not it'll be a really confusing situation for pricing. Either -
- People with macs getting super cheap desktop apps ported from ios (dunno how Fabfilter etc will feel about that?)
- People without macs paying a lot more for some currently 'cheap' ipad apps (If devs start to charge equivalent desktop software prices)
- Some kind of universal reshifting of software pricing evaluation in general to somewhere inbetween current ios vs desktop prices.
Seems like it'll probably be bad news for at least one sector of devs or users? Though considering that things like Reaper, VCVRack (+ now Sonar on Windows) and so on are basically free, maybe it'll have no effect at all in practise and just carry on as things are.
I think it would depends on how this integrates. So if you could run iOS AUv3 as plug-ins in Logic or other DAW´s it could kill a market for some developers maybe. If you need to record them as audio stream and lost the DAW integration you have with plug-ins it doesn´t change much.
But i still doubt iOS apps on mac happen anytime soon.
It all has pro and contra. IOS and mac store apps let you load all licenses on all your devices. Not possible with most desktop plug-ins. But i prefer to buy from developers there instead of the app store.
We will see how it goes. One for sure....windows users are doomed anywayThis synth kind of reminds me what I love about ios, great for experimenting.
Also viking synth on ios has a desktop counterpart that is donationware.
Reaktor is a good option too as it's modular, you can roll your own hybrid monster synth or fx beasty, can also download loads of synths and fx from the user library for free, some have great presets, others leave you to find your own way noodling.
- edited April 2018The user and all related content has been deleted.
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Wow, thanks for all the suggestions folks. Lots for me to try out this evening!
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First, I would do some searches for best free or cheap VST/AU instruments available. Particularly on YouTube, so you can get see demonstrations. There are hundreds, but do check out:
Free Oberheim Clone - http://www.discodsp.com/obxd/
Syntronik Free
All U-he free synths
The Synthmaster Free Player has 500 presets. The paid one (now $14, often $ 9) has 1250. There are also free demo versions of Synthmaster and Synthmaster One.
Free Kontakt Player.I recommend buying a copy of Computer Music magazine on your iPad for $5. You will then get access to a ton of first-class instruments (including Alchemy Player), drum machines, effects, and utilities.
Also, don't neglect the free and cheap effects.
I highly recommend Black Cat Audio and Klanghelm (3 great freebies), AudioThing Filterjam, Softube Saturation knob, and Valhalla FreqEcho
I use the Black Cat Gain Suite all day long, every day.If you ever reach the point when you are ready to spend money, IMHO the absolute best purchase you can make is to get full Kontakt. First, it comes with a lot of great synth, drum and acoustic sounds, enough to keep you busy for years. Then it allows you to get hundreds of amazing instruments free all year round and even more during brief offers, particularly during the holidays. The only limit to the free stuff with Full Kontakt is how big your hard drive is, and how much time you spend finding out about freebies.
You can save money on Kontakt by upgrading from the free library Sennheiser Drumica, and then cut that price in half during one of their sales. Usually, there is one during the summer and one at Black Friday. The best deal is to get it with Komplete, but that sounds too rich for your taste.
@Dawdles it's a 3-4 year old i7 Macbook Pro, it should handle things just fine. Sonar looks great but I am on macOS, thanks anyway.
Although if anyone has DAW suggestions for Mac I'm all ears. Bitwig and Ableton look closest to what I'm looking for so far, but I'd prefer something simple with a really solid workflow to something with the depth and complexity of those two. The only absolute must-have is a session view/clip launcher that can record clips to tracks.
- edited April 2018
If you don't mind using Soundflower: nothing beats https://www.apple.com/mainstage/
You'll get all of the Logic goodness excluding the DAW / sequencer for 30 bucks.
I'm using it as an 'external' 'sound module' in Live.
@quarterto said:
@Dawdles it's a 3-4 year old i7 Macbook Pro, it should handle things just fine. Sonar looks great but I am on macOS, thanks anyway.Although if anyone has DAW suggestions for Mac I'm all ears. Bitwig and Ableton look closest to what I'm looking for so far, but I'd prefer something simple with a really solid workflow to something with the depth and complexity of those two. The only absolute must-have is a session view/clip launcher that can record clips to tracks.
Speaking as a Bitwig user, it sounds like it has all you need; a reasonably simple interface, with a clip launcher/recorder, and a huge library of built-in instruments, effects and samples.
It does have some very complex features, but you don’t have to use them all.@quarterto said:
@Dawdles it's a 3-4 year old i7 Macbook Pro, it should handle things just fine. Sonar looks great but I am on macOS, thanks anyway.Although if anyone has DAW suggestions for Mac I'm all ears. Bitwig and Ableton look closest to what I'm looking for so far, but I'd prefer something simple with a really solid workflow to something with the depth and complexity of those two. The only absolute must-have is a session view/clip launcher that can record clips to tracks.
I also use a macbook i7 from 2013 and it can handle still a lot. Synths like Repro are really next generation stuff but mostly you can turn HQ mode off and also they offer multi-core support which helps a lot.
Repro is really not cheap (i got for €69 Repro-1at intro and got the free update with Repro-5) so it was a very very good value for me). U-he synths are all just great from sound to GUI to workflow to options like microtuning etc.
Better not try them....or you want themThe Legend is a Moog clone and is $100. Rob Papen Predator 2 is $150. D-16 Lush 101 is $150. Sonic Academy ANA 2 is $140. Hard to get 'really good, really cheap'.
Here's a site that might be helpful https://bedroomproducersblog.com/
Also KVR https://kvraudio.com/plugins/windows/macosx/vst-plugins/vst3-plugins/audio-units/aax-plugins/rack-extensions/instruments/paid/most-popular
Which version of OS are you using? iOS 11 and High Sierra (and I believe iOS 10 and Sierra) support InterDevice Audio/MIDI, or IDAM. This effectively turns your iOS device into a fully-integrated sound module. Plug your iPad into a free USB port, open up Audio MIDI Setup on your Mac, and click “Enable” on the iPad icon. After this, just set your audio ins and MIDI outs and you’re good to go.
If you want native AUs, I’m a big fan of Sinevibes. They’re well-designed, affordable, quirky, and CPU efficient. I don’t use very many of their instrument plugins but their effects are top-notch.
Korg Gadget for Mac also nets you nearly 40 plugins. It’s pricy up front but there are no in app purchases and seriously — you get roughly 40 instruments and effects, all of which sound good and most of which sound great.
- edited April 2018
I'll say it again: nothing beats https://www.apple.com/mainstage/plugins-and-sounds/
Really good. Really cheap. Mac only though.
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
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
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
Mac Audio Recording
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
Mac Audio Software
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
Mac Audio Driver Download
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
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
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.