Free Audio Softwares Hosting Audio Unit Effect Plugins

Live Performer

Live Performer is a free host and wrapper application developed by Solaria SRL. Compatible OS(s): macOS.

Live Performer is a new Audio Unit Host for macOS designed for capture your music inspiration.

It offers an always recording mode so you can improvise with your keyboards and all your MIDI events will be always recorded.

Live Performer is also meant for play live, with a rack of 4 Audio Units and Low Latency support.

Full features:

MIDI.

– Input by Keyboard, Mouse/trackpad or MIDI Keyboard
– Auto MIDI Recording
– Live Chords Detector
– Live Keys hi-lighter
– MIDI Monitoring
– MIDI Instrument Out
– Host Tempo Sync
– Transpose
– Velocity Override.

Audio.

– AU Instruments
– 4 Effect Inserts
– Sample Rate
– Low Latency Buffer
– Independent volume control for Input and Output.

Mac App Store
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/live-performer/id1230212898?ls=1&mt=12

Beta – Not Snadboxed
https://rink.hockeyapp.net/apps/ea32e44ec1014ecebb9304328fdd92ba

http://liveperformerapp.com

inTone 2

inTone 2 is a free multi fx and mixer and host Stand Alone plugin developed by Audified. Compatible OS(s): Windows, macOS.

inTone 2 is a multichannel FX processor, software mixing console, virtual instruments host and a flexible multitrack zonal player.

inTone can be anything. It is a simple jamming tool as well as sophisticated playback machine. It is a live production mixer that processes multiple audio inputs with studio plug-ins.

inTone plays files and allows you to play virtual instruments, with ability to change a track, effect or instrument configuration in no time! It is also a multitrack recorder, but you can make it be something completely different.

Use inTone2 to perform, train, record, play multiple tracks…

It’s a host for amp simulating software, that spares you from lifting heavy gear. It’s a truck loaded with equipment that will meet any band’s raider. inTone 2 is a universal tool, that finds its place on stage, club or pub, in band’s rehearsal rooms, at music schools, in home studios, in a touring bus, at a park bench, at a party… Just about anywhere, where you desire to make music.

inTone for free

Last, but not least – inTone has its free version too. It is called inTone 2 Solo. inTone 2 Solo limits are not in functionality, only in track numbers. inTone 2 Solo features almost 40 FX plugins, one track player, one audio track one instrument track, one AUX and one master chain.

Pedals

Both versions of inTone are equipped with FX bundle called Pedals, which are also sold separately to use with DAW systems.

http://www.audified.com/

Impromptu

Impromptu is a free development tool plugin developed by Impromptu. Compatible OS(s): macOS.

Impromptu is a Mac OS X programming environment for composers, sound artists, VJs and graphic artists with an interest in live or interactive programming. Impromptu is a Scheme language environment, a member of the Lisp family of languages.

Time plays a major role in the Impromptu environment allowing accurate real-time scheduling of events and code. Impromptu is a dynamic environment designed for the creation and manipulation of running programs in live performance.

Impromptu is a programmable AudioUnit host. A powerful environment for creating AudioUnit graphs of arbitrary complexity with precise programmatic control over individual AU nodes. Musical material can be precisely scheduled for performance by any AudioUnit instrument node and parameters, program changes and presets can be programmatically changed on-the-fly as well as directly via the AU’s user interface.

Graphics routines can be applied with the same temporal accuracy as audio material allowing artists to tightly integrate audio and visual components. OpenGL, live video processing, vector drawing routines, image rendering, CoreImage filters, text rendering and quicktime movie support are a few of the graphics features available for artists to play with.

Impromptu also includes a bidirectional ObjC-Bridge allowing Scheme to instantiate and call ObjC objects and ObjC objects to call back into the Scheme interpreter. For those times when only C will do.

http://impromptu.moso.com.au/

Hosting AU

Hosting AU is a free host application developed by Ju-X. Compatible OS(s): macOS.

Hosting AU microDAW is a micro-sized Digital Audio Workstation for Mac OS X that hosts Audio Unit synth and effect plugins, comes with 4ch+1 mixer with ext-audio input, 32-bit recorder, Music-Typing kind of feature called “LazyKey”.

You can think it like using a 4ch MTR that is expandable with plugins without experiencing any “slow” motion.

Visit www.ju-x.com for more information, completely free download without any limitation.

http://ju-x.com

Helio Workstation

Helio Workstation is a free arpeggiator Stand Alone plugin developed by Peter Rudenko. Compatible OS(s): Windows, macOS.

Helio is a lightweight free music sequencer for OS X, Linux, Windows, iOS and Android.

Aimed to be a perfect sketching tool, Helio features high-performance core, linear-based sequencer with clean interface, integrated version control providing intelligent synchronization between devices, saved undo history, translations to many languages and more.

And it’s free and open-source.

{See video at top of page}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wDp6rpRXks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7yEOJAQRdM

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Peter_Rudenko

GarageBand

GarageBand is a free sequencer and DAW stand alone application developed by Apple. Compatible OS(s): Windows 64b, iOS.

GarageBand for Mac turns your Mac into a simple any time, anywhere recording studio. It’s the easiest way to create, perform and record your own music on a Mac whether you’re an accomplished player or just wish you were a rock star.

Key features:

Record with any USB or MIDI keyboard, guitar or microphone.

Mix your track using professional effects and settings.

Use thousands of included pre-recorded loops to add “virtual musicians”.

Make your guitar sound like it’s playing through your favorite vintage amp.

GarageBand for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch turns your iDevice into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio — so you can make music anywhere you go. Use Multi-Touch gestures to play pianos, organs, guitars, drums, and basses on your iDevice. They sound and play like their counterparts, but let you do things you could never do on a real instrument.

https://www.apple.com/

Element

Element is a free routing and wrapper VST, VST3, Audio Unit, AAX, Ladspa, LV2 plugin developed by Kushview. Compatible OS(s): Windows 64b, macOS.

Element is a modular AU/VST/VST3 audio plugin host for live performance and the studio. Chain plugins together into effects racks and instruments.

As an Instrument: Play virtual instruments by loading synth plugins. Use multiple graphs to switch programs instantly.

As an Effects Rack: Chain effect plugins in parallel or series. Route audio from anywhere to anywhere.

Runs in your DAW: Element is a standalone plugin host, but can also run as a plugin in your DAW. Open a new pipeline between you and your tools.

Current Features:

Play virtual instruments and effects live.

Chain Multiple Effects Plugins together.

Create nested sub-graphs.

Run in your DAW as an AU/VST/VST3/AAX Plugin

Function as Plugin Wrapper.

Run VST and AU plugins in Pro Tools.

External Sync w/ MIDI Clock.

Graph Importing and Exporting.

MIDI Mapping.

Flexible connectivity via Patch Bay and Graph Editor.

Internal DSP building blocks.

Loads all major plugin formats AU / VST / VST3.

Placeholder Nodes. When Plugins are missing, this passes the audio through.

Built in Virtual Keyboard.

Route plugins to each other any way you want by enabling points on the grid.

Draw cables between nodes to make connections.

More….

Feedback

Want to report a bug or request a feature? See the Element issue tracker on Github.

Compatibility

Because Element runs on both Mac and PC, and all major plugin formats AU/VST/VST3.

https://kushview.net

Contra (FREE)

Contra (FREE) is a free development tool and wrapper VST, Audio Unit, AAX plugin developed by Audio Vitamins. Compatible OS(s): Windows, macOS.

A free version of the popular mixing comparison tool Contra.

Features:

Automated hands free comparison.

Compare up to 3 different plugins. (8 in paid version).

Audition lengths up to 2 bars (32 in paid version).

Internal delay compensation engine.

Automatic gain matching.

Recallable setups as presets, including 3rd party plugin parameter settings.

Low CPU and memory usage.

Ability to load AU and VST plugins into ProTools 10,11 and 12.

{See video at top of page}

https://www.audiovitamins.com

Cabbage

Cabbage is a free development tool VST, Audio Unit, Ladspa plugin developed by Cabbage Audio. Compatible OS(s): Windows, macOS, Linux.

Cabbage is a framework for audio software development. Using simple markup text and the Csound audio synthesis language users can target Windows, OS X, Linux and Android with a single piece of source code.

Cabbage Studio (Beta) is a Csound based DAW with a fully functional patching interface and development environment. Develop, prototype and test Csound based audio instruments on the fly using an integrated development solution that includes an embedded source code editor and rapid GUI designer. Cabbage Studio isn’t just for users familiar with Csound, it can load a number of different plugin formats including VST, AU, and LADSPA and comes with over 100 high end audio plugins ready to use out of the box.

Cabbage for Android will let you run any of your Cabbage plugins on an Android smart phone.

Cabbage AU (Beta) is a dedicated AudioUnit front-end for Cabbage. Unlike the Cabbage VST interface, CabbageAU is a single plugin. Once loaded into a DAW, users can open any Cabbage instruments they wish and load as many instances of CabbageAU as they want. Saving the DAW session will also save the instruments associated with each instance.

Cabbage Features:

Cross Platform: Cabbage can be run on Windows, OS X and on Linux.

Standalone Software: Cabbage instruments and effects can easily be exported and run as standalone software without the need of a host program or DAW.

VST Export: Users can export instruments and effects as fully functional plugins to be run inside your favourite host/DAW.

Share: Users can share plugins/instruments as text files to be used on Windows, OS X, Linux and Android.

Python Scripts: Custom Python scripts can be embedded directly into an instrument’s underlying source code.

Multichannel: Cabbage can be run as a multichannel software, both in standalone and in audio plugin mode.

Automate: Csound can be used to automate any of the plugin controls, and to save and load session data.

MIDI Instruments: Not into audio processing? That’s Ok, Cabbage lets you easily build MIDI only instruments.

Signal Gen: Users have up to 1300 different signal generators/modifiers available.

Control Widgets: Csound can be used to control the state and behavior of any widget. This means widgets can be programmed to move around the screen, change colour or size, morph or fade into other controls, as well as lots of other funky operations.

GUI Controls: GUI controls, include sliders/knobs/buttons, xy-pads and waveform/envelope editors, checkboxes, text editors, file browsers, etc. GUIs can be implemented directly in simple mark-up language, or via drag and drop once in Edit mode.

Theme with SVG: Customise your Widgets with Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg’s).

OSC Support: Both desktop and Android versions of Cabbage support OSC. Cabbage instruments can be built to take control of other instruments, or indeed third party software over a shared network.

For details on the Csound language please the Csound homepage.

{See video at top of page}

http://cabbageaudio.com/

Automap

Automap is a free audio and studio utility VST, VST3, Audio Unit, RTAS plugin developed by Novation. Compatible OS(s): Windows 64b, macOS.

Automap is free software that comes with all Novation controllers. It gives you instant access to your DAW and plug-ins so you can get hands-on control of your music software. It features a software edit page that graphically shows what is assigned to which knob, fader or button on the hardware. Automap 4 has a re-designed GUI and now features a notification system that pops up in the corner of your monitor to tell you what you are controlling when you move a knob, slider or button.

Automap 4 was launched with Novation’s new Impulse controller keyboard range in Summer 2011. The v4.1 update now enables Novation’s top of the range SL MkII controllers to work with Automap 4 for instant assignment and convenient control. Other Novation controllers and keyboards are now also compatible with Automap 4 including: Nocturn, Launchpad, UltraNova, ReMOTE SL, Nocturn Keyboard and the SL Compact.

Automap is the original music software control technology. It was launched in 2006 and has evolved over the years with significant workflow improvements. Automap 4 is simple to set up and start using right away, and gives you unparalleled control over your DAW and plug-in instruments/effects.

http://www.novationmusic.com/