VL1 is a freeware emulator of the world famous classic calculator annex mini-synthesizer from the eighties made by Casio. VL1 is not a sample player, it is a real emulator that emulates the original hardware. All sounds are generated by software equivalents of the original circuits and the calculator actually works. This also means that ADSR sound programming is fully functional! VL1 was written in honour of Casio’s little VL-TONE that has given me many hours of pleasure and fun.

Preamp Emulator is a simple tool available as a VST plug-in that can be incorporated in any music program designed for sound creation and processing. Free disc space 3 MB of hard disk space. The Emulator had a very basic 8-bit sampler –; it only had a simple filter, and only allowed for a single loop. The initial model did not even include a VCA envelope generator. It came in three forms: A two-voice model (only one of these was ever sold), a four-voice model, and an eight-voice model. Eventide has painstakingly modeled every section of the analog signal chain to recreate the sounds of the original H910.The original H910 was a 100% software-free, analog and digital processor that predated the earliest practical ADC or DSP chips by several years. A powerful creative tool, the H910 plug-in for AAX, VST and AU is a faithful recreation of the original hardware. Use the H910’s pitch changing ability to create specific musical intervals and perfect harmonies, spread guitars, fatten snares, apply subtle organic de-tuning to synths or add slap-back delays to vocals. So, let’s dive in. Here are our Top 10 Free VST Plugins of 2019. These definitely sets the standard of how good and thought-out a free VST can be. Our collection features some newer and some older. But with all great classics, they hold the test of time. Dexed (by Digital Suburban).

VL1 is a PC-only VSTi plugin (VST V2.3 or later).

How to use the VL1 VSTi

Stand-alone
Download Hermann Seib’s excellent SAVIHost, unpack it and rename the file “SAVIHost.exe” to “VL1.EXE”. Put this file in the same folder as the file “VL1.DLL”. Launch “VL1.EXE” and use the mouse to play the virtual instrument. All keys and sliders are fully functional in all modes. When you move the mouse over a key or slider, a tool tip will show up displaying in a more readable manner what the key is for. You may want to read the original Casio VL-TONE user’s manual to better understand what you can do with it (see the Download section).

VSTi
Copy the file “VL1.DLL” to the plugin folder of your favourite VST 2.3-compatible host. Make the host recognize VL1 by rescanning its plugin folder(s). You may have to restart the host program for this. Once your VST-compatible host recognizes VL1 you can use it as any other VSTi. VL1 will create two channels, one for the rhythm sounds and one for the synthesizer. The synthesizer is always on MIDI channel 1, the rhythm sounds are on MIDI channel 2. Currently there are only three rhythm sounds that live on the notes C3 (60), D3 (62) and E3 (64). You can use as many instances of VL1 as you like and your system can support.

Quick start guide

The VL-TONE is fairly simple to operate. Switch to “Play” mode, choose a sound and play the keyboard. However, there are some things that need a bit more explaining. A short description of these features follows below. Detailed manuals can be found in the Download section.

Rhythm
Rhythms need two keys to get going: first press the “Rhythm” key and then select the rhythm by pressing one of the white keys in the range left B … right D, as indicated by the tool-tip that pops up. You can then change tempo by pressing one of the tempo buttons. Note that you need stereo as rhythms are panned hard right whereas the synthesizer is panned hard left.

Recording
You can record and edit a melody of up to 100 notes. For this you should switch to “Rec” mode. Press “ML-C” to clear the memory and play your melody. Don’t worry about timing, because you can correct that afterwards. You can play along with a rhythm if you prefer, but note that the rhythm is not recorded. Stop recording by pressing “Reset”. (There are other ways to stop recording.) Now you can listen to your melody by pressing “Auto Play”. You can retime or edit your melody by stepping through it with the “One Key Play” keys. Delete a note by pressing “Del”, insert a note by playing it at the right position. These two operations will beep. When the memory is full the display will show a row of dots. Note that the tempo setting has an influence on the record timing.

ADSR
The best feature of the VL-TONE is probably ADSR programming. ADSR is a well-known acronym for most synthesizer players. For those who don’t know it, ADSR stands for Attack-Decay-Sustain-Release and in the case of the VL-TONE it relates to how the volume of a note evolves over time. See the manuals for the details, next will follow only a brief description.

Set the preset switch in the ADSR position and switch to “Cal” mode. Clear the memory by pressing “ML-C”, punch in a number, any number, and hit “M+” (or “M-“). Go back to “Play” mode and hit the keyboard. The sound you hear depends on the number you entered.

So how does the ADSR sound relate to the number? Easy: a sound is made up of 8 digits in a row, where every digit can have a value from 0 to 9:

• the first (most left) digit controls the wave form, the “sound”; 0=piano, 1=fantasy, 2=flute, 3=violin, 4=guitar1, 5=guitar2, 6=horn, 7=elektro1, 8=elektro2, 9=elektro3
• digit 2 is for the Attack of the volume, 0 is fast, 9 is slow;
• digit 3 is for the Decay of the volume, 0 is fast, 9 is slow;
• digits 4 & 5 control the Sustain of the volume; This is a bit more complicated as it is not a traditional sustain. If both are 9 you will get a continuous full-on constant sustain. For other combinations you will get different kinds of curves.
• digit 6 is for the Release, when you release a key. 0 is fast, 9 is slow;
• digit 7 is for vibrato, 0 is fast, 9 is slow;
• digit 8 (most right) is for tremolo, 0 is fast, 9 is slow;

Note that the sign of the number and its decimal point (if any) are ignored.

For the last time, refer to the manuals in the Download section for more detailed explanations.

Features

The goal when programming VL-1 was to get as close to the real thing as possible. During development I stumbled upon a number of subtleties that I had never noticed before and I have tried to emulate these as well. Some things however are different:

• automatic power down after some six minutes of inactivity has been left out
• the DC-clicks when changing between modes have not been implemented
• rhythm and melody have separate outputs
• finally MIDI (melody on channel 1, rhythm on channel 2)
• access to the individual rhythm sounds (C3, D3 & E3 on MIDI channel 2)
• automation of parameters

Some things have not yet been done

• tune (on the back of the VL-TONE)
• synchronization of rhythm and recorded melody with host
• separate simulated speaker and line outputs
• more memory for ADSR presets
• more rhythm sounds

Some things have to be done better

• automation
• other host-plugin related things
• rhythm noise sound

Finally some things that will probably never be implemented (by me)

• hand-over-speaker simulation, use a filter plugin instead
• low-battery distortion, use a distortion plugin instead
• AU, LADSPA or other plugin formats

VL-TONE versions

I know of several versions of the VL-TONE:

Casio VL-TONE with small LCD (white)
This is one that I picked up on eBay for 1 euro because it didn’t work. Luckily it was very easy to repair.

Casio VL-TONE with large LCD (white)
This is the first VL-TONE that I bought in 1981 or so.

Liwaco LW-610 (bordeaux red)
This model has French print on it. It seems identical to the small-LCD Casio VL-TONE.

Realistic Concertmate 200 (white)
Identical to the small-LCD Casio VL-TONE, but with different branding.

Elektronika IM-46 (black and white)
Thanks to Kirill Surovtsev I am now aware of a Russian version, the Elektronika IM-46 or Elecim 46. It seems to have the large LCD. More pictures are here.

If you know of other VL-TONE versions, please drop me a line.

Download

V1.0.1.0 (22/12/2006)
This version fixes a problem brought to my attention by David Boeser. The problem was due to the new handling of live MIDI events (f.i. when you play an external MIDI keyboard) as introduced in VST V2.4. This new handling interfered with the MIDI event handling of the VL-TONE emulator (VST V2.3), resulting in stuck notes and no more sound.

V1.0.0.0 (7/12/2006)
This is the first release.

Source code
The source code was lost for a long time, but recently I stumbled upon it when cleaning up some hard disks. I don’t know if it is complete. It was done with Visual Studio 6.

Schematics
Analog board only, I will not do the digital board.

Manuals
English, from www.oldschool-sound.com
French, contributed by Harry
German, contributed by Daniel Balle
Russian, found on a soviet file sharing server
Swedish, contributed by Patrik Markusson

Song books
Concertmate melodies, contributed by George Portier

License

“VL1.DLL” (the software) is not for resale and may not be sold nor distributed without prior written approval of the author. “VL1.DLL” may only be obtained by downloading it from www.polyvalens.com

“VL1.DLL” may be used in commercial productions as long as these productions do not include the software itself.

If you are unsure if what you want to do with this software is covered by this license contact the author at www.polyvalens.com

Credits

All trademarks are property of their respective owners.
“VL1.DLL” is copyright Clemens Valens (www.polyvalens.com)
VST Plugin technology by Steinberg (www.steinberg.de)
The real thing was made by CASIO (www.casio.com)

Contact

When it comes to VST synths, you can decide on whether you want to buy one, or you want to download one for free. Naturally, the best VST synths are really the one that you’re gonna have to buy. But there are a few gems out there that are for free.

However, there are so many “free VST synths” that downloading them all and installing them on your computer and DAW can be too time consuming.

So for this article, we’ve researched and compiled ten of the best free VST synths. That’ll eliminate a lot of trial and error for you.

Interested in seeing what they are? Keep reading…

The 10 Best Free VST Synths to Use

Check out these other studio and music production gear:

# 1 – Synth1 by Ichiro Toda

If there is one free VST synth that you want to get yourself familiar with, it is the Synth1 by Ichiro Toda. This synthesizer is actually a favorite among many music producers, and is often the one that’s most recommended.

Synth1 is an analog modeled subtractive synthesizer. It’s functions are modeled on the Clavia Nord Lead 2 Red Synth.

It features 2 oscillators, which can be modulated via FM, ring, synchronized, modulation envelopes. Using the 4 types of filters, you can sculpt some cool and interesting sounds, adding distortion for effects.

It has 2 LFOs, an arpeggiator, and tempo delay. These functions are synchronized with the host digital audio workstation’s BPM.

As far as effects goes, you get the ability to add stereo chorus and flangers.

In writing notes, you have legato mode as well as portamento for interesting slides, yet the ability to play up to 16 notes polyphony.

You have a total of 128 presets, and its controls can be automated.

Synth1 was optimized for light CPU load using SSE instructions. Definitely the first choice in “freeware” soft synthesizers.

Demonstration

# 2 – FireBird 2 by Tone2

After Synth1 we have FireBird, a synthesizer that was actually premium synth you had to BUY until the developers at Tone2 decided to release it for the masses after 15 years of development.

Tone2 is responsible for some of the best VST synthesizers on the market, many of which are used to create chart topping hits, FireBird 2 is one of them. So this is definitely recommended for your collection.

FireBird 2 is a subtractive synthesizer with a very intuitive and easy to use interface to navigate its 437 preset sounds. That’s a lot of presets for a free VST synth…

H910 Vst Emulator Free Apk

FireBird 2 features Harmonic Content Morphing, which utilizes a large range of standard waveforms that can emulate the sound of many instruments, acoustic or synthetic (kind of like wavetable synthesis).

The synth comes with 38 types of filters, including your standard low-pass filters, comb-filtering, EQ, Phaser, Vocal filters, plus FM and AM modulation, to name a few. It also comes with an arpeggiator, so no need to use an external arpeggiator with this device.

You can also customize its look as it has several skins you can download or create to change the interface.

Overall, another very good synthesizer to use, which has been used commercially on chart topping hits.

Demonstration

# 3 – Crystal by GreenOak

If you want a synthesizer programmed by the same person that made Omnisphere, one of the titanic synths in existence today, look no further than the Crystal by GreenOak.

This synthesizer is unique also because it’s available for iPhone. There are many user reviews talking about how great this synth works as a possible free alternative to Omnisphere (there’s another alternative below as well). Of course, don’t expect the same power, nor does it come with any samples.

However, that less power means it won’t be a resource hog on your computer (something Omnisphere is known to be). And you can find free and paid for soundfonts (.sfz files) all over the internet.

In terms of features, it’s credited as utilizing both subtractive synthesis as well as FM synthesis technologies. It’s modulation controls offers 90 parameters, multi-stage envelopes, tempo sync, delays, built-in effects for chorus, flanger, filters, echoes. It has everything you’d need in a synthesizer, which is great for someone learning. You can also use automation, as MIDI controls.

Overall, another good option for a free synthesizer.

# 4 – TAL-NoiseMaker by TOGU Audio Line

Next on the list we have TAL-NoiseMaker by TOGU Audio Line. We came across this synth because it was actually recommended (along with Synth1) as one out of two best free vst synth to use by a professor on synthesis. Mainly because it consists of all the aspects of synthesis that you need to be familiar with, as a beginner, plus its ease of use.

Looking at this synth, you can see why. Everything is laid of clearly, you don’t have to searching around too much for controls that you need when designing a sound.

This actual version was designed as an improved version of TAL-Elek7ro, which comes with an entirely new synth engine, with a few effects like reverb, chorus, low pass filter, and a bit crusher. You also get ring modulation as a synch-able triangle.

The ADSR is very suitable for slow pads or fast envelops attacks. It comes with 128 factory presents, 80 of which were designed by Frank “Xenox” Neumann.

It total, you receive 3 Oscillators, which can each be programmed individually for phase modulation, frequency modulation, or to generate sawtooth, pulse, noise, triangle, sine, square, or rectangle waves.

You get up to 6 voices, which is not a lot but not bad, which can be played in legato, portamento, or polyphonic.

All knobs can be learned via MIDI and automated within your DAW.

Overall, considered an incredible synth, chock full of features, and won’t disappoint as freeware plugin device.

Demonstration

# 5 – Dexed by Digital Suburban

Dexed by Digital Suburban This is a dedicated FM synthesizer, which is excellent for those looking for a frequency modulation synthesizer either to learn, or to general specific sounds. It’s actually designed based on the Yamaha DX7.

This soft synth was created for the intention of being a tool or companion to the original Yamaha synthesizer, particularly for those studying FM synthesis. However, it can be the go-to free synthesizer for those wanting to make some vintage sound genres like Synthwave, which were created using the vintages synths of the day like Yamaha DX7.

Many have considered it an improvement on the actual Yamaha model, plus it being lightweight, it won’t be resource hog on your CPU.

Expect it to work with your digital audio workstation, and to find lots of patches and presets on the web for you to download and to use.

Demonstration

# 6 – MiniMogueVA by Voltkitchen

If you’re looking for a free alternative to Arturia’s Minimoog, or G-Media Minimonsta, then this MiniMogueVA is your choice!

The MiniMogueVA has so many good reviews that it had be on the list. As the name suggests, it’s modeled to match the original Minimoog synthesizers designed by the legendary Bob Moog. Expect the sounds it produces to be particularly rich and juicy, great for funk style music, electronic bass music, and the sub bass in dubstep wobbles.

It features 3 oscillators, one with tuning control, the other two with fine-tuning sliders, and the ability to turn the third oscillator into LFO with dedicated modulation knobs.

Though the original Minimoog had no noise generators, this one actually comes with a the ability to create pink and white noises from the third oscillator.

As to be expected, you get chorus, and delay effects among others, as well as the ability to use MIDI learn to control your software device.

Many people overwhelmingly consider this the absolute best free VST synth on the freeware market. The Minimoog sounds featured in Omnisphere are great, so it’d be awesome to give this a whirl.

Demonstration

# 7 – Proteus VX by E-MU Systems

E-MU systems is the maker of pro audio gear, from hardware synthesizers, audio interfaces, wireless audio transmitters, and digital-analog converters, software instruments, and even audio cables. They’re well known for their quality products, but they also have hidden gem in the “freeware” market: Proteus VX, a free VST synth.

Actually, it is rompler, meaning that it also utilizes samples as well synthesized sounds (like Omnisphere, hence, a worthy free alternative). It was base on the Proteus 2500, a vintage hardware synthesizer. It has the same sounds and factory bank as the original version, plus the ability to control it via 16 MIDI CC controls.

It features “High Voice Polyphony,” which is dependent upon the power of your system, and 54 different filter types, including multi-pole resonant filters, phasers, flangers, vocal filters and multi-parameter morphing filters.

Another cool thing about it is that it offer 24-bit 192kHz high quality audio playback. So you can expect an actual pro level audio quality from a synth that’s actually for free!

Being drag-and-drop based, you have select your presets easily, plus it can be used VSTi within your DAW, or as a stand-alone application.

Only downside… it isn’t supported anymore. Meaning that there aren’t anymore updates. But you can grab it and see it works on your system.

Demonstration

# 8 – Superwave P8 by Superwave

The Superwave P8 is a virtual analog subtractive synthesizer that’s considered the go-to emulator of the vintage synth Roland JP8000. This one perhaps one of the few if not only best free VST synth on this list that is more suitable for an advanced user than someone who is just starting out. It features many controls and parameters that can be overwhelming to a beginner, but satisfying to a pro.

Now, about its sound, which should be the primary reason to using a synthesizer. Considering that it’s loosely modeled off the Roland JP8000, its users have considered it one of the best sounding free VST synths on the freeware market. Expect it to have a fairly unique sound suitable for trance, new age, electronic music, house, or even pop. The pads are what many users consider its most attractive asset, because of the richness and thickness of the sounds that the P8 produces.

It features 2 oscillates that will producer sine, sawtooth, ramp, triangle, pulse waveforms, as well as white noise and pink noise. You can control the oscillators with using fine-tuning, detuning, and synchronized modulation. Its filters consist of 2 resonant filters, low pass, band pass, and high pass. It has 2 controlled amplifiers by level, pan, and on/off switch. The effects I see is simply a pair of mono delays, which can be controlled. You get up to 8 notes of polyphonic operation, portamento controls, and 64 high quality presents, all which can be controlled using MIDI CC control with “learn” capability.

If you aren’t familiar with it, and you already know your way around synthesizers, give it a try yourself. Chances are, from other reviews I’ve read, it is worth looking into.

Demonstration

# 9 – OB-Xd by discoDSP (prev. Datsounds)

There is a challenge with curating this list of best free VST synths, because, so far, many of the VST synths we have named can really be considered the “best” free synthesizers you can download. And discoDSP’s OB-Xd is constantly referred to as the “best” as well. And listening to its sounds, utilizing it’s interface, and working with its features, it’s hard to not see why this synth isn’t actually THE best. But, so are many of the others on the list…

So, what makes this one unique?

H910 Vst Emulator Free Download

For starters, it was modeled on the Oberheim OB-X, OB-Xa and OB-8 synthesizers. These classic vintage hardware synths were famous back in the day, and contributed to many hit records. Right now, they continue to enjoy their legacy in this freeware plugin.

The developers claim that they are not “copying” the originals, but rather take the same features and improve upon them. Whatever that means, it just sounds good to me.

Expect all the features you should find in a standard synthesizers, as well as some cool sounding features like the “continuous blendable multimode filter,” which is a filter allowing you to blending different filter types (such as high-pass, band-pass) in different dB modes. Also, it works on 32 bit or 64 bit versions of Windows OS, as well as Mac.

If you want the classic sounding vintage synth Oberheim for practically nothing, or at least to get yourself familiar with it, give it a trying and download it.

Demonstration

# 10 – 44 S by GTG

H910 Vst Emulator Free Pc

Finally we have a synthesizer crafted by someone who creates synths strictly for personal use. Yes, the 44 S by GTG is synthesizer created by a musician and synthesist, and offered to the public for free.

Actually, there are many synthesizers by this creator for free, so you can take a look at his entire collection, starting with this GTG 4 S.

This particular synth was design to give a flat sound that you can sculpt. You can use the filters for creating interesting and pleasing distortions in the resonance. It also feature filter modulation, pulse-width modulation, and the ability to track the LFO with the keyboard.

This definitely another synthesizer to consider to try using. It is free, and has a good sound. Check it out.

Demonstration

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are several options for downloading and using free synthesizers. Compiling this list was not as not a simple task, as there are several options that are actually very good. But you can know that this list covers practically all the 10 best free synth plugins that you can download.

We hope you enjoyed this post, and enjoyed discovering some possibly new free toys for your plugin collection.

If you have any thoughts, suggestion, or even question, please comment below in the comment box. We’ll be happy to know if you’ve ever tried one of these, or what you think is the best free synth plugin on the internet today.