Massey TapHead Medium is one of my favourite Garageband plug-ins. Ryan WSo I stumbled across Massey Tapehead recently, only to be dismayed at my newer Yosemite system and Garageband 10 not being able to use 32 bit plug-ins.
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Free VST downloads: Bonch-Bruevich (Tube stage emulation by Syntler) - Crush. Tube distortion. OSX Win64 Win32. Top Ten Free VST Plugins.
Please note: There is an updated version of this post. Some of the plugins are different so you may still want to browse this older post as well.You can find the newer post here:We continue reviewing the best free audio plugins around (in my humble opinion). These plugins are all compatible with Mac and PC platforms. If you haven’t seen the first part yet, here is the link (I suggest you read the introduction):Let’s get busy.17.
Blue Cat’s ChorusBlue Cat’s Chorus is a true bread and butter plugin – simple to use, does what it’s supposed to and sounds great. Despite the simple looks, it’s is capable of a versatile array of effects. It comes with a good batch of presets too which is always great for a plugin like this. I especially like the harmonic effects it can produce.
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They even have a collection of different skins up for download. It comes bundled with five other plugins. I’ve chosen the chorus to represent them, but the rest are good too (especially the flanger and phaser!).Platform: Mac & PC, 32 bit and 64 bit.16.
Brainworx BXCleansweepThe BXCleansweep v2 is a very useful plugin. It’s a hipass/lopass filter that is designed to go into every channel of your mix as the first plugin. It’s job is to eliminate any unwanted low/high frequencies in the mix.
It’s a high quality plugin designed to tackle a precision job, and does it very well. You can be sure it won’t be creating any unwanted artifacts in the sound.Platform: Mac & PC, 32 bit and 64 bit.15. Klanghelm IVGIIVGI is a distortion/saturation plugin that emulates the analog console sound. It reacts dynamically to input signal and models a lot of things like crosstalk.
In my experience IVGI works best as a tool to add sublime character, used subtly across the mix. It can sound very good even on the master. A beautiful and well executed plugin!Platform: Mac & PC, 32 bit and 64 bit.14.
U-he ZebraletteZebralette is the little brother of U-he’s premium workhorse synthesizer Zebra 2. It sounds lush. There aren’t a ton of presets, but almost all of the presets sound great and are highly usable. There’s lots to tweak too. Highly recommended.Platform: Mac & PC, 32 bit and 64 bit.13.
Native Instruments Reaktor 5 PlayerReaktor 5 Player is a great free introduction to this Native Instruments powerhouse. It comes with three Reaktor instruments, totaling more than 200 sounds. It’s also possible to expand it by lots of (paid) synthesizers and multi-effects. Reaktor is a modern classic and you should definitely take advantage of this free offering.Platform: Mac & PC, 32 bit and 64 bit.12. Native Instruments Guitar Rig 5 PlayerI love Guitar Rig.
This free version offers 17 cabinet emulations plus 13 effects and sound modifiers. Guitar Rig is not only good for guitarists. You can use it on all kinds of things and it is possible to get very creative with it. Above all I like the sound quality.Platform: Mac & PC, 32 bit and 64 bit.11. Native Instruments Kontakt 5 PlayerKontakt 5 Player is the no-frills version of one of the world’s best software instruments. It is offered with Kontakt Factory Selection which contains 50 top quality instruments. Editing capabilities are time-limited, but it’s worth the download for the sound libraries alone.
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It can also be expanded with 3rd party libraries as well as NI’s own expansions. This one is a no-brainer.Platform: Mac & PC, 32 bit and 64 bit.10. Klanghelm DC1AI just love simple concepts that are well executed. This lovely compressor definitely falls into that category.The Klanghelm DC1A has no other controls but the input and output levels and a “relaxed” mode. You control the amount of compression by driving it harder from the input.The more you drive it, the more saturation you introduce. The relaxed mode eases things up and reduces coloration.And it sounds GREAT.Platform: Mac & PC, 32 bit and 64 bit.9.
U-he Tyrell N6 V3Tyrell N6 V3 is a great sounding, classic soft synth. You say the free Kontakt 5 Player “can also be expanded with 3rd party libraries” but you CANNOT play 3rd party libraries on the free Kontakt 5 player for longer than 15 minutes (practically useless). From the Native Instruments website:“Q: Can I load any 3rd party sample library into the KONTAKT 5 PLAYER?A: No, you can’t. Only 3rd party libraries which have been produced forKONTAKT 5 PLAYER may be loaded.
Non-licensed libraries can be used for15 minutes at a time in demo mode and without the ability to save yourwork.”This means much of the free content that can be found on the Internet created by users in.nki Kontakt format is not useable unless you actually buy the full Kontakt 5.
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January 2023
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