FB-60
Price: Free
A polyphonic analogue-style synth with classic chorus and effects built in.
Synth
Windows VST3 · Mac VST3 / AU
Free Pickings
Free synth plug-ins for Windows and Mac
These three instruments cover analogue-style polyphony, wavetable synthesis and fast four-voice parts. Start with the sound you can already hear in your head, then check the workflow.
Free with a Fat Berry account. Each plug-in has its own perpetual licence; no card is needed.
3 plug-ins
In this group
Every product below is active, free and available as its own download.
How to choose
Pick by the job, then compare
These are different tools, not 3 versions of one.
- Classic polysynth or modern wavetable
- FB-60 is the 1982-style polyphonic instrument with its chorus and effect sliders. FB-985 is the wavetable instrument, with three oscillators and 68 original wavetables. Pick FB-60 for warm, familiar subtractive parts; pick FB-985 when the movement should come from the wavetable itself.
- Four voices, sequencer, one screen
- FB-XD pairs two oscillators with a multi-engine and a 16-step sequencer. It is the quickest of the three for a short part that needs movement without a separate modulation setup.
Listening check
Play the same eight-bar part on two candidates at matched loudness. Keep the one whose filter and envelope respond the way your hand expects; the oscillator choice matters less than that.
Also free