The Best Freeware Soft Synth VSTs In 2019: Am I Missing One?

[mrsugmad]

Synth1 is discontinued!?! I'm chocked!

Alas yes.


In fact it is not totally sure that Synth1 is definitely discontinued.

What happened is that Ichiro Toda had his website hosted by Geocity. And Geocity was a hosting service owned by Yahoo!. And at the 31 March 2019, Yahoo! definitively stopped their hosting service Geocity, at 0h00. So as all the others in the same case, Ichiro Toda's website disappeared at the same instant.

Today is July 24, near to 4 full months after the definitive end of Geocity... And Ichiro Toda never gave any news in any place nor forum (at my knowledge). Knowing that the very last version of Synth1 was the version 1.13 beta3 released the 10 July 2014 (more than 5 years ago now), it is quasi-sure that Synth1 can be considered as discontinued after a very long life as probably the most popular freeware synth ever.

Let's hope !

... but the more the time passes by, the more I'm pessimist.

If you still use synth 1 (Which I do), you must try the Synth 1 librarian (free/donationwaare)
It REALLY HELPS !
You can do a search for, say "Saw lead" or "pad" and it will bring them all up for you to check out.

https://www.kvraudio.com/product/synth1 ... utrino-sky

[McLilith]

Synth1 is discontinued!?! I'm chocked!

Alas yes.


In fact it is not totally sure that Synth1 is definitely discontinued.

What happened is that Ichiro Toda had his website hosted by Geocity. And Geocity was a hosting service owned by Yahoo!. And at the 31 March 2019, Yahoo! definitively stopped their hosting service Geocity, at 0h00. So as all the others in the same case, Ichiro Toda's website disappeared at the same instant.

Today is July 24, near to 4 full months after the definitive end of Geocity... And Ichiro Toda never gave any news in any place nor forum (at my knowledge). Knowing that the very last version of Synth1 was the version 1.13 beta3 released the 10 July 2014 (more than 5 years ago now), it is quasi-sure that Synth1 can be considered as discontinued after a very long life as probably the most popular freeware synth ever.

Let's hope !

... but the more the time passes by, the more I'm pessimist.

For anyone who might want to know, Synth1 is still available for download at this site:

http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?id=245

UPDATE: Synth1 has a new official home. This is the preferred link now:

https://daichilab.sakura.ne.jp/softsynth/index.html

.

[BlackWinny]

Synth1 is discontinued!?! I'm chocked!

Alas yes.


In fact it is not totally sure that Synth1 is definitely discontinued.

What happened is that Ichiro Toda had his website hosted by Geocity. And Geocity was a hosting service owned by Yahoo!. And at the 31 March 2019, Yahoo! definitively stopped their hosting service Geocity, at 0h00. So as all the others in the same case, Ichiro Toda's website disappeared at the same instant.

Today is July 24, near to 4 full months after the definitive end of Geocity... And Ichiro Toda never gave any news in any place nor forum (at my knowledge). Knowing that the very last version of Synth1 was the version 1.13 beta3 released the 10 July 2014 (more than 5 years ago now), it is quasi-sure that Synth1 can be considered as discontinued after a very long life as probably the most popular freeware synth ever.

Let's hope !

... but the more the time passes by, the more I'm pessimist.

For anyone who might want to know, Synth1 is still available for download at this site:

http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?id=245

There is no need to go to VST4Free.

Go to the KVR Product page.
Just beside the wide picture you have a column of infos, which begins by "Product", "Developer", "Price", and "Type/Tags". Click the link of "Product". It drives you directly to the true page archived on the worldwide service ArchiveDotOrg.

And this page is the backup of the real one ! And the zip files that it contains are working.

Not only VST4Free is rarely up-to-date at the very last versions, but in addition their product pages offer very rarely all the links of the original product page.

[Halonmusic]

Synth1 is discontinued!?! I'm chocked!

Alas yes.


In fact it is not totally sure that Synth1 is definitely discontinued.

What happened is that Ichiro Toda had his website hosted by Geocity. And Geocity was a hosting service owned by Yahoo!. And at the 31 March 2019, Yahoo! definitively stopped their hosting service Geocity, at 0h00. So as all the others in the same case, Ichiro Toda's website disappeared at the same instant.

Today is July 24, near to 4 full months after the definitive end of Geocity... And Ichiro Toda never gave any news in any place nor forum (at my knowledge). Knowing that the very last version of Synth1 was the version 1.13 beta3 released the 10 July 2014 (more than 5 years ago now), it is quasi-sure that Synth1 can be considered as discontinued after a very long life as probably the most popular freeware synth ever.

Let's hope !

... but the more the time passes by, the more I'm pessimist.

If you still use synth 1 (Which I do), you must try the Synth 1 librarian (free/donationwaare)
It REALLY HELPS !
You can do a search for, say "Saw lead" or "pad" and it will bring them all up for you to check out.

https://www.kvraudio.com/product/synth1 ... utrino-sky

I could never get that stupid thing to work. Worst plugin i have ever tried.

[BlackWinny]

If you still use synth 1 (Which I do), you must try the Synth 1 librarian (free/donationwaare)
It REALLY HELPS !
You can do a search for, say "Saw lead" or "pad" and it will bring them all up for you to check out.

https://www.kvraudio.com/product/synth1 ... utrino-sky

You should have read this thread:

• Patch Librarian for Synth1 (freeware)

The link points to a post where I proposed to host the Synth1 Librarian so that the development may be running in better conditions.

It's not yet done simply because the developer is currently loaded by his job, and also because since last September I'm very diseased, so the hosting on my own website (currently in construction) is simply delayed.

[BlackWinny]

Good news !
Ichiro Toda transfered his old website to a new domain four days ago:
https://daichilab.sakura.ne.jp/softsynth/index.html

In addition he made this comment (in Japanese, not in English):

This is the first post of 7 years! I am alive. I guess nobody is looking at it, though. . .

With the closure of Geocities, Daichi Laboratory (or almost Synth1's HP) has disappeared, so we moved to the following.

https://daichilab.sakura.ne.jp/

It is unlikely that we can update synth1 for a while, as we can't get time together because of our core business.

Also, because my best friend who helped me with the Mac version and the iPhone version has passed away, this work is also suspended indefinitely. I am really sorry.

[BlackWinny]

Then... I don't know who updated the KVR product page (was it an administrator ?) but I suggest him to update it again with the new URL.

[amanamission]

I would have to say Synth Master Player takes the cake.

[inkwarp]

Vember Surge is an amazing open-source synth.
Others listed here like Synth1 and u-He Tyrrel are also very good/

[Russell Grand]

Why no photo of Surge?

Cool list, though like BBFG# pointed out, you're missing a lot of phenomenal synths! I think BlackWinny got 'em all, though.

[Russell Grand]

I would have to say Synth Master Player takes the cake.

Yeah, there's some great sounds in that one.

[Russell Grand]

Hmmm looks like Hive dropped his list link then bailed on this thread. Weeeak.

[BlackWinny]

2019 was a great year for Full Bucket Music with ModulAir in February and SequencAir in June.

[BlackWinny]

We could cite also T-Force Alpha Plus 2 by Mastrcode Music

The version 2, totally new is from April 2019.

Not my cup of tea because the style it is focused on, but I recognize that it seems to be an excellent synth having a lot of lovers.

[BlackWinny]

There is also Lith by Soda Devices, released in November 2019 (and currently the synth of the monthly OSC if I recall correctly).