Free Audio Plugins & Softwares for Windows

bolsterisers

bolsterisers is a free compressor VST plugin developed by whiteLABEL. Compatible OS(s): Windows.

whiteLABEL’s collection of bolsterisers are described as “naive dynamics” plug-ins.

An Imaginary History

The bolsterisers hark from a time before compression as we now know it. A long-obscure English experimentalist engineer and gentleman scientist by the name of Edwin Pierfax III derived his naive design of the original bolsteriser during a nap on the lawn with his cat Tiswold. He is said to have announced one day during afternoon-tea that he had “found a method to aid in the bolsterising of signals to an extent most satisfactory”.

He set to work at once.

Fast-forward nearly ninety years and the bolsterisers are reborn in digital form. After various component-level tests, it was decided to power-up the devices and take some measurements with a view to recreating these fantasy beasts in software – and here they are in their equally naive digital implementations.

In their day, there was no working language of audio compression, so some of the terminology associated with the bolsterisers is a little out of keeping with the modern production lexicon. Today, the devices would be characterised roughly as follows:

Rev (A) – Softknee RMS Compressor

Rev (B) – Hardknee Peak Compressor

Rev (C) – Hardknee Booster

Rev (D) – Softknee Booster

Rev (E) – Side-channel Hybrid

http://dazdisley.co.uk/whiteLABEL/

Boing2

Boing2 is a free rompler VST plugin developed by xoxos. Compatible OS(s): Windows.

Boing2 is a physically modeled BOwed strING synthesizer. Oscillation is produced by a friction calculation applied to a dispersive waveguide string oversampled at rates of up to 16x. The string loop includes a mass-spring modeled bridge. The body resonator consists of a mass-spring modeled “air tone” and a 5 band banded waveguide.

https://www.kvraudio.com/developer/xoxos

Boids

Boids is a free equalizer VST plugin developed by ToneCarver. Compatible OS(s): Windows.

The Boids plugin is a hybrid Granular + Delay plugin that features a 2D “Boid” swarm as a set of modulators for the grain and delay parameters. This plugin grew out of an interest to accomplish two different goals:

Finding a way to manage grain swarms visually.

Creating delay-based ambiance that has subtle, not quite random, variations.

The Boid Swarm represents a set of flocking boids (a boid is a “Bird Android” – see Craig Reynolds work: www.red3d.com/boids). There are a few simple rules that each boid uses to determine where it will fly to on the next swarm advance. These include rules for how fast to fly, how near to fly to other boids, how strongly to move to the center of the flock, how strongly to follow a leader boid, and how strongly to match the position and direction of nearby boids.

The swarm space that the boids fly in is treated as a 2D coordinate system where the X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) position of each boid can be used to modulate controls. A swarm may contain up to 200 boids.

The plugin supports multiple grain streams and multiple delay taps (up to 200 each). Each grain stream and delay tap is associated with one of the boids in the swarm. The X position, Y position, Radius position and ID number of that boid associated with the grain stream or tap can be assigned to modulate the controls that define how that specific grain or tap will be produced.

For example, the X position of a boid can be assigned to control the pan value for the delay taps. For each delay tap, the X position of the boid associated with that delay tap will determine its pan position in the output stereo field. Different taps will have different pan values depending on the location of the boid associated with the tap. In this configuration delay tap signals will move through stereo positions as the boids move through the swarm space.

Each of the parameters for the grain streams and delay taps can be modulated using the position of the boid associated with the grain/tap (and/or traditional LFO modulators).

https://tonecarver.wordpress.com/

Blue Cat’s FreqAnalyst CM Edition

Blue Cats FreqAnalyst CM Edition is a free spectrum analyzer VST, Audio Unit, DirectX plugin developed by Computer Music. Compatible OS(s): Windows, macOS.

Blue Cat’s FreqAnalyst CM Edition is a spectrum analysis plug-in, exclusively available for free on the cover-DVD with Computer Music Magazine (CM 130), which also includes a tutorial to get started with the plug-in.

Blue Cat’s FreqAnalyst CM is a frequency analyser for Windows in VST and DX formats. It offers average, instant and peak modes, curve comparison functionality, and lots more. If you’re serious about perfecting your tracks, FreqAnalyst CM will give you invaluable insight into what’s really going on in your mixes.

http://www.computermusic.co.uk/

Blowfly

Blowfly is a free software synthesizer developed by DocNashSynths. Available format(s): for Windows .

Blowfly generates a sound-scape by applying random motion (within user-defined parameters) to the control points of a Bezier curve that defines a single cycle of the sound. Thus, both the shape and wavelength of the curve change from one cycle to the next.

Blowfly can be considered a ‘method showcase’ product as it introduces a novel dynamic stochastic synthesis technique via a functioning product, so as to bring it to the attention of other developers who may then choose to evolve and incorporate it into their existing or future products.

Of course Blowfly is useable as-is, as a stand-alone, unrestricted synth for producing a variety of new sounds and textures, just lacking in ‘trimmings’ like the ability to save and load patches.

{See video at top of page}

http://flexibeatz.weebly.com/

Blood Bucket

Blood Bucket is a free software synthesizer developed by Insert Piz Here. Available format(s): VST for Windows.

Blood Bucket is apparently a pointless experiment in synthetic stupidity. Two oscillators are combined in a variety of ways to modulate a third oscillator and presets are named after parts of the human head.

http://www.thepiz.org/

Blofeld Virtual Editor

Blofeld Virtual Editor is a free midi controller VST plugin developed by Softknobs. Compatible OS(s): Windows.

Blofeld Virtual Editor is virtual instrument that allows you to remotely control the parameters of the Waldorf Blofeld hardware synthesizer. The plugin can synchronize its state with any of the Waldorf Blofeld patches. This allows simplified editing of existing patches.

Features:

Control of all Waldorf Blofeld parameters.

Total integration with DAW.

Multi-timbral usage possible (though, Multi mode is not supported).

Arpeggiator editing with visual feedback.

http://www.softknobs.com/

bLO-FIsh

bLO-FIsh is a free software synthesizer developed by Opulent Audio. Available format(s): VST for Windows.

bLO-FIsh is a 3 Oscillator LO-FI synth. Not an emulation of any particular “chip”, bLO-FIsh incorporates classic chip-type (8 bit, video game, etc.) sounds with traditional analog synth elements.

Generators:

3 Wave Oscillators with Sine, Saw, Ramp, Triangle, Square and two different widths of Pulse waves.

Audio rate is switchable between standard 16 bit/44 khz and 8 bit/22 khz LO-FI mode.

Graphic amplitude ADSRs and volume controls.

Output routing to one filter, both filters, or no filter.

Hard sync feedback loop.

Filters:

2 Parallel SV Filters with Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass and Band Reject modes.

Graphic ADSRs routable to cutoff, resonance, or both. Knobs to control amount of envelope applied.

Pan and volume controls.

Effects section:

No frills distortion device.

Efficient reverb unit. Normal, gated and freeze modes.

Modulation devices:

2 Tempo-synced LFOs with 20 waveforms and wave modifier options.

1 Free-tempo LFO, 2 Graphic ADSRs (modulation also from velocity, aftertouch and mod wheel).

16 step tempo sync gate that mixes independently with all 3 oscillators.

6 slot modulation matrix with 8 sources and 63 targets.

More:

Phrase Arpeggiator with several modes, tempo synced.

Designed to be quick and easy to use. Large, visible, color coded interface.

Most parameters are controllable via MIDI.

Monophonic or 8 voice polyphonic operation with retrigger and portamento/glide.

Small to medium CPU hit, depending on system and patch used.

70+ presets.

PDF manual.

https://opulentaudio.blogspot.com/

Blittr

Blittr is a free glitch and stutter and buffer synth and lfo VST plugin developed by ArcDev Noise Industries. Compatible OS(s): Windows.

Blittr is a buffer-sampling, stuttering glitchbox in the tradition of DFX’s Buffer override. It features integrated modulation LFOs, XY pad and a useless-but-cool-looking wave scope.

http://www.device.arcanedevice.com/

Blip2000

Blip2000 is a free audio and studio utility VST plugin developed by WOK. Compatible OS(s): Windows.

Blip2000 is a “matrix-sequencer” plug-in.

Features:

Clear and easy interface.

Number of steps selectable (up to 16).

Note per line selectable from 3 octaves with display.

Several play modes (forward-backward and so on).

Syncs to host – clock divider adjustable.

Sequence transpose by MIDI input.

MIDI output channel selectable.

Automatable in the DAW.

Sequences can be saved as VST plug-in presets.

Random play.

MIDI-output; any plug-in or synthesizer can be used as sound source.

Low on CPU.

Blip2000 is free.

http://www.wokwave.com