KVR freeware picks of 2021

[ElmerJFudd]

Worth a try, price is right.

 

WhispAir wavetable synth

 

[video:youtube]

 

GR-8, an inspiring 8-voice virtual analog synthesizer with built-in effects and an arpeggiator.

 

[video:youtube]

[Baldwin Funster]

I love good freeware synths from KVR. But I got HUNDREDS I downloaded in the past I haven't even tried yet. And i probably never will get to all of them.

[KuruPrionz]

Thanks, I'll check these out, could be fun with my Triple Play.

 

I still don't get why plugins end up festooned with umpty bajillion knobs when sliders are so much more effective.

Putting cosmetics before utility speaks volumes but not in a good way.

[ElmerJFudd]

From my experience with software developers who get into too soft synthsâ¦

They love music and synths

They are similarly obsessed with hardware synths they can only not afford as an adult

Before building the GUI they have worked out all the parts, code, working pieces underneath and now need to dream up an interface to make all their parameter ideas useable.

They may or may not be good graphic artists, and may or may not have to enlist a friend or hire one to complete the GUI of their dreams.

[AnotherScott]

I still don't get why plugins end up festooned with umpty bajillion knobs when sliders are so much more effective.

Putting cosmetics before utility speaks volumes but not in a good way.

Why do you find sliders so much more effective, and do you have the same preference regardless of whether we're talking about hardware or software?

 

The vast majority of real synths I've used have been knob-based rather than slider based, so that may bias me. But for something with lots of parameters in limited space, I think knobs may be preferable. In hardware, as an example, I prefer the operation of the Roland Boutique models with knobs rather than sliders, because the sliders' travel is too limited and are more finicky to subtly adjust, especially one-handed. Obviously, we're also talking about the problem of limited space there, but screen space can be limited as well, and it's nice to see lots of parameters on one screen instead of having to page to multiple screens to see the same number of controls. To fit as many sliders on the screen as the knobs we're seeing in that first screen shot, I think each slider would have to have a very short travel area (making it harder to see fine gradations), so it may not be merely a matter of cosmetics. Once you map to a controller, though, your hard controls can certainly be sliders if you prefer. (Though if it's possible to map to an endless encoder that will essentially always be in sync with its onscreen value, I think that would be ideal.)

[Stokely]

My issue with knobs in software is that they can be tricky to turn and get exact with a mouse--but it depends on how they are implemented. I much prefer non-skeuomorphic interfaces that are flat...Replika from Native instruments gives me trouble but only at the very ends of the knob range (?) and my Plugin Alliance plugins that look like old consoles are a PITA to actually dial in (but I do like them!). U-he's plugins are fine despite having a lot of knobs.

 

I've thought about going to a trackball or other sort of input device and this is one of the reasons....

 

Not in this freeware bunch, but I highly recommend Valhalla's free SuperMassive plugin. Just sounds so darn good, I use it more than any of my other reverb plugins and not just for big shimmery things. I also like the flat vector-based look and feel, totally resizable and clean. Doesn't look like some old rack unit but end of the day it's a darn hunk of code....

 

I also like the free limiter available on Tokyo Dawn Lab's page, it's technically by a different "company" but it's the same guy before he formed TDL (I have bought a few of their plugins as well.)

[AnotherScott]

My issue with knobs in software is that they can be tricky to turn and get exact with a mouse--but it depends on how they are implemented.

Yes, implementation makes a big difference. But that's really a separate issue about inherent slider-vs.-knob benefits... and there's also the possible variable of whether you're manipulating by mouse, by touchscreen, or by mapped control surface.

[KuruPrionz]

I still don't get why plugins end up festooned with umpty bajillion knobs when sliders are so much more effective.

Putting cosmetics before utility speaks volumes but not in a good way.

Why do you find sliders so much more effective, and do you have the same preference regardless of whether we're talking about hardware or software?

 

The vast majority of real synths I've used have been knob-based rather than slider based, so that may bias me. But for something with lots of parameters in limited space, I think knobs may be preferable. In hardware, as an example, I prefer the operation of the Roland Boutique models with knobs rather than sliders, because the sliders' travel is too limited and are more finicky to subtly adjust, especially one-handed. Obviously, we're also talking about the problem of limited space there, but screen space can be limited as well, and it's nice to see lots of parameters on one screen instead of having to page to multiple screens to see the same number of controls. To fit as many sliders on the screen as the knobs we're seeing in that first screen shot, I think each slider would have to have a very short travel area (making it harder to see fine gradations), so it may not be merely a matter of cosmetics. Once you map to a controller, though, your hard controls can certainly be sliders if you prefer. (Though if it's possible to map to an endless encoder that will essentially always be in sync with its onscreen value, I think that would be ideal.)

 

First, please show me the thumb and finger on a mouse. Then, I'd love to see the knob that always turns in the direction you try to "mouse" it towards and never goes in the opposite direction.

Next, please show me a dysfunctional slider on a plugin. You click on it, you move it in one of two directions and it goes exactly where you put it, every time.

 

Actual instruments are different, knobs are fine when the knobs are 3 dimensional and one has fingers and thumb to grasp and turn them. It's not a fetish for me, it's strictly pure function. 2 dimensional knobs on plugins straight up suck, they are fiddley and inefficient.

 

Regarding space, and cramming as much into it as possible, would there be anything wrong with a plugin that zoomed in where you have the mouse? You could temporarily make the area you are adjusting bigger while you are adjusting it.

 

Last but not least, ponder trying to use knobs on a touch screen, just a flippin' nightmare compared to sliders. You could easily work several sliders at once, good luck trying that with virtual knobs.

I don't require plugins to "look just like the original analog device", that's some sort of strange fetish that I don't have.

 

Out in the real world, sliders have their place and so do knobs, I don't quibble over those choices as long as the components are high quality.

[AnotherScott]

First, please show me the thumb and finger on a mouse. Then, I'd love to see the knob that always turns in the direction you try to "mouse" it towards and never goes in the opposite direction.

Next, please show me a dysfunctional slider on a plugin. You click on it, you move it in one of two directions and it goes exactly where you put it, every time.

This gets back to what was mentioned in another post, implementation, and also how you're interacting (mouse vs. touchscreen vs. control surface). For example, I have iOS synths that have knobs, and the way the touchscreen works is you move your finger the same way you would on a slider. That is, you put your finger on the knob, move up to increase value, move down to decrease value, so operation is identical to slider. But the screen can better indicate the set value better than it could on a slider of the same height. (Whether that's an issue could depend on other aspects of the design.)

 

would there be anything wrong with a plugin that zoomed in where you have the mouse? You could temporarily make the area you are adjusting bigger while you are adjusting it.

That's also viable, though it does also have a tradeoff (a zoomed section will mean you can no longer visually see some amount of X while you are adjusting Y).

 

Last but not least, ponder trying to use knobs on a touch screen, just a flippin' nightmare compared to sliders. You could easily work several sliders at once, good luck trying that with virtual knobs.

The approach I described at the top of this post works for that... you can simultaneously move two knobs same as moving two sliders, because it's still a slider motion. Though I don't know that I'd ever move two controls at a time, personally.

 

For me, really, either can work fine, depending on implementation.

[Stokely]

Yeah KuruPrionz kind of hit my issues with knobs, at certain points you end up contorting your mouse hand and I've had knobs sudden start moving the wrong direction (again Replika is the worst one in that regard).

 

Good points of discussion, hopefully we are not taking away from the free plugins!

 

I don't envy plugin makers anymore than I do DAW or video editing software makers. There's just a ton of functionality to present to the user. I know a couple user interface designers (not musicians) and if I showed them any DAW or sequencer I ever worked with (maybe not Voyetra on Dos!) they'd keel over with a brain injury. If they try to clean up the screen by hiding stuff in menus and tabs, users complain. Put it all the screen, users complain

 

I'm glad I made the move professionally to databases, front end work is fun but thankless

 

One thing that I'd like to see in any and all plugins--the ability to have them be reskinned, and ideally by the community. That seems to be a pretty hard thing to do with most of them, but people can pull off some amazing changes--including changing knobs to sliders. That way everyone can have their cake and eat it too! Heck I have Reaktor and could make my own, if I had the ability and knowledge to make my own ;-)

 

Anyway back to the regular discussion. I'm afraid to try out any of these plugins because I already have too many. I need plugins anonymous.

[Tusker]

Thanks for mentioning SuperMassive, it's amazing. Supermassive's sister plugins (SpaceModulator and FreqEcho) are of equally high quality, if a bit more specialized.

 

For warmth, Softube's Saturation Knob and Klanghelm's IVGI2 are simple and good sounding.

 

On the instrument front, Spitfire's "Labs" line of free instruments are excellent. A visit to piano book, (a community of people sharing sampled instruments) can be rewarding. U-He also has great freebies (Zebralette and Tyrell N6 in particular).

[KuruPrionz]

First, please show me the thumb and finger on a mouse. Then, I'd love to see the knob that always turns in the direction you try to "mouse" it towards and never goes in the opposite direction.

Next, please show me a dysfunctional slider on a plugin. You click on it, you move it in one of two directions and it goes exactly where you put it, every time.

This gets back to what was mentioned in another post, implementation, and also how you're interacting (mouse vs. touchscreen vs. control surface). For example, I have iOS synths that have knobs, and the way the touchscreen works is you move your finger the same way you would on a slider. That is, you put your finger on the knob, move up to increase value, move down to decrease value, so operation is identical to slider. But the screen can better indicate the set value better than it could on a slider of the same height. (Whether that's an issue could depend on other aspects of the design.)

 

would there be anything wrong with a plugin that zoomed in where you have the mouse? You could temporarily make the area you are adjusting bigger while you are adjusting it.

That's also viable, though it does also have a tradeoff (a zoomed section will mean you can no longer visually see some amount of X while you are adjusting Y).

 

Last but not least, ponder trying to use knobs on a touch screen, just a flippin' nightmare compared to sliders. You could easily work several sliders at once, good luck trying that with virtual knobs.

The approach I described at the top of this post works for that... you can simultaneously move two knobs same as moving two sliders, because it's still a slider motion. Though I don't know that I'd ever move two controls at a time, personally.

 

For me, really, either can work fine, depending on implementation.

 

The Whisp Air at the top has 82 knobs, you own a MIDI controller with 82 knobs? I bet is't fun to assigning all of those!

 

7 of those knobs are near the top and 4 are near the bottom. Even if you can "slide" them with a touch screen, what happens when you go beyond the boundaries of the plugin graphic? A slider defines it's entire range on the graphic real estate of the plugin.

 

There are LOTS of us who use a mouse. A plugin that only works properly on a touchscreen or using a MIDI controller is limiting it's audience, especially a plugin with 82 knobs. There are solutions but I don't see any of them being implemented. FWIW, I am a big fan of the Eventide Physion and Micro-Pitch since they manage to sound great and do many things with a few simple controls and all are sliders. It can be done, it just isn't sometimes.

 

All that said, I do use plugins with knobs sometimes, I just dislike their layout so they need to sound great and serve a useful function of some sort. And expect to be considered as a bit lower on the favorite list, used when other options are not available. Cheers, Kuru

[AnotherScott]

The Whisp Air at the top has 82 knobs, you own a MIDI controller with 82 knobs? I bet is't fun to assigning all of those!

True, you're not going to assign 82 knobs, but you can at least assign the ones you use most frequently.

 

7 of those knobs are near the top and 4 are near the bottom. Even if you can "slide" them with a touch screen, what happens when you go beyond the boundaries of the plugin graphic?

I agree, the 4 knobs at the bottom could be problematic for a vertical manipulation approach. The ones on the top look like they might have enough space.

 

There are LOTS of us who use a mouse.

I think a mouse with a scroll wheel could work very well to increase/decrease the value of any control you point it at, whether it's visually represented as a knob or a slider. Though I've never used a mouse on a soft synth, personally. Maybe I'll feel this is more of an issue if I actually try it. ;-)

[Tom Fiala]

OT: My Andromeda has 72 knobs! Pretty close! lol

[KuruPrionz]

The Whisp Air at the top has 82 knobs, you own a MIDI controller with 82 knobs? I bet is't fun to assigning all of those!

True, you're not going to assign 82 knobs, but you can at least assign the ones you use most frequently.

 

7 of those knobs are near the top and 4 are near the bottom. Even if you can "slide" them with a touch screen, what happens when you go beyond the boundaries of the plugin graphic?

I agree, the 4 knobs at the bottom could be problematic for a vertical manipulation approach. The ones on the top look like they might have enough space.

 

There are LOTS of us who use a mouse.

I think a mouse with a scroll wheel could work very well to increase/decrease the value of any control you point it at, whether it's visually represented as a knob or a slider. Though I've never used a mouse on a soft synth, personally. Maybe I'll feel this is more of an issue if I actually try it. ;-)

 

I haven't tried the scroll wheel yet, thanks for the suggestion. I have a Wacom tablet and pen I've never tried either, it might be amusing at least.

[Pianoman JC]

Another Supermassive fan here. Sounds great and I use it a lot. Can"t beat the price.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JC

[Marzzz]

The Whisp Air at the top has 82 knobs, you own a MIDI controller with 82 knobs? I bet is't fun to assigning all of those!

 

I own a MIDI controller with nearly an unlimited number of knobs, and it is fun setting up a preset then assigning the knobs:

 

Electra One

 

Right now I am using it to completely control Repro-5, Tal-J-8 and Memorymode. This thing truly is a "game changer"

 

[KuruPrionz]

The Whisp Air at the top has 82 knobs, you own a MIDI controller with 82 knobs? I bet is't fun to assigning all of those!

 

I own a MIDI controller with nearly an unlimited number of knobs, and it is fun setting up a preset then assigning the knobs:

 

Electra One

 

Right now I am using it to completely control Repro-5, Tal-J-8 and Memorymode. This thing truly is a "game changer"

 

That is a great widget! I can't keep up with all this funs!!! It could be handy with my Triple Play set up, I have a few "knob heavy" synths in play there.

[David Emm]

KVR is too much of an attractive nuisance for me. I'm in the regroup phase of a new Mac, which has meant tossing stuff I didn't use at least 25% of the time.

 

I previously racked up nearly SIXTY different instruments. Some were Logic's vanilla super-basics, but many were crow vs. shiny object acquisitions. How many did I really explore for their often much more capable second and third inner layers? You too, huh?

 

In an Oblique Strategies move, I simplified decisively to focus on Memorymode and the ME80 for analog. They're less about menu-diving & patch banks, more about shaping it in the now. I became a Valhalla adherent a few months ago, which helps everything along. I nixed MPE for now because between these two and Chromaphone, I'm getting ample velocity/pressure expression. Developing what I would consider decent MPE capability doesn't feel time-effective. Just a Me thing.

 

Robert Fripp said Eno was his favorite synthesist because he played "with his ears rather than his fingers." I'm amused to be going there more. I don't have the time to casually eat shiny KVR snack-synths anymore.

[Stokely]

I know how it goes with all the plugins. I probably have more than 60 especially if you count all the Komplete instruments separately (actually just Reaktor alone could count as hundreds...)

 

For synths I go more and more to Repro (uhe's Prophet 5). I always wanted a P5 and this thing sounds amazing. Certainly that's a specific sound. For "general synth" I often use Alchemy, which used to be a standalone plugin by Camel but Apple bought it and made it part of Logic years ago. And Thorn gets a fair amount of use as a more modern edgy synth. I have a bunch of others (including Diva) but I need to get deeper on less plugins, otherwise I tend to just preset surf across all of them.

 

I have way too many of everything for writing and mixing, other than limiters maybe and ironically I'm using a free one (Limiter 6). Those freaking holiday sales where you save 95% on something get me every time.

[Marzzz]

Robert Fripp said Eno was his favorite synthesist because he played "with his ears rather than his fingers."

 

All DX7:

 

[video:youtube]

[David Emm]

Dat's nice, as always. We usually think of FM, additive and some physical modeling as "spiky," but no, its still synthesis. At first, I thought of Chromaphone as a percussion resource, but I've learned how to coax some real cream from it. Don't just use the sticks, pull out the brushes, too.

 

Eno is still Eno, but its a good lesson in being mindful of an instrument's varied strengths. It tickled the bleep out of me to learn he'd treated Gabriel's vocals on "The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging," from "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway." You can hear some great Eno-ism in it.

[Steve Nathan]

FWIW: While looking at the two at the top of this thread, I ran across Surge which imho has a rich sound and an interesting approach with a lot of unexpected flexibility. More than worth the price.

Surge