Hatis
Peasant
https://hatis.bandcamp.com/
Posts: 21
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Post by Hatis on Jul 2, 2021 5:52:26 GMT -5
I came up with an idea to share with you my list of free VST plugins that are useful in creating Dungeon Synth music. If you have some additional items to add, feel free to do so!
INSTRUMENTS:
DSK Darkness Theory Simple yet really inspiring plugin capable of creating layered pads. TBH I used it only as single waveform generator to create some of my sounds. The waveforms are not very great quality which adds to their charm, however bear in mind that it may require some additional work to mix them with other tracks.
Dulcet Nice VA softsynth, I used it on some of my songs. Definitely worth checking out.
Zebralette Extremely powerful plugin which can be used to create almost every sound. I use it on almost all of my songs.
Phadex Really interesting one, emulating the Phase Distortion synthesis (used in Casio CZ synths). I'm still learning how to use it but it looks very promising. HERE you can find a tutorial made by the plugin's author.
K1V Software emulation of Kawai K1 rompler. Sounds amazing. I think it will be my new main sound generator!
EFFECTS:
Ferric TDS Since I discovered it, I cannot imagine my life without it. Really nice, studio-quality emulation of pro tape recorder. Classic Tape preset is your new best friend! Also, I use an additional instance at the end of my master bus effects chain, with a Mix Glue preset (yeah, I'm very lazy, so I often use unmodded factory presets, haha).
SSQ SSL consone EQ section emulator. I use it on my every mixer channel.
KarmaFX Reverb LINK (to a bundle containing reverb, delay and eq) Really nice and easy to use Reverb plugin.
Lo-Fizer You want to go to the extremes, don't you? Speaker Sim can do miracles on you crystal-clear, modern VSTs.
E-Phonic LOFILINKMy favorite bitcrusher. Haven't used in in DS yet, but I know its time will come. Soon.
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Post by andrewwerdna on Jul 16, 2021 16:30:05 GMT -5
Damn, nice! Most of these are new to me. The K1V is particularly exciting, so many great useful rompler sounds there. The Phadex looks really cool too, maybe a bit of a learning curve but seems powerful. Thanks for the recommendations.
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Post by criecziel on Jul 17, 2021 9:29:03 GMT -5
I use TAL Reverb ( LINK) and Vital ( LINK). Highly recommend the latter, I create 100% of my sounds with the free version and some EQ. If I were to use drums or realistic instruments in my music, I'd probably use Spitfire Labs ( LINK).
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Hatis
Peasant
https://hatis.bandcamp.com/
Posts: 21
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Post by Hatis on Jul 21, 2021 3:07:38 GMT -5
I used TAL's U-NO( LINK), which is pretty good Juno emulator, but not for DS. I definitely should check out their other VSTs.
Yeah, I'm amazed by its capabilities. I almost bought the original synth but in the last moment I discovered this VST! And it takes sooo less space hahah!
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Post by jorvvik on Jul 28, 2021 9:55:21 GMT -5
I’m not sure if this is suitable but Valhalla do some free effects which could be very useable in DS. Specially the Valhalla Supermassive reverb.
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Post by myrrys on Oct 30, 2021 4:30:33 GMT -5
Dexed is great Yamaha DX7 emulation. Not the easiest one to use, but it has tons of good presets like these by Finatales and these Sega Genesis ones. Roth-Air is one of my favorites to use in pretty much everything I make. Easy way to add more air and crispiness to an instrument, or the whole song. Probably not good choice if you are going for that low-pass, deep in the darkest pits of underground sound.
TDR Nova is one of the best parallel dynamic equalizers out there. One of those things that should not be free, but is. Mjuc Jr. Nice little compressor. I don't know if it's the layout/design, but it feels perfect for slow and sluggish sounds. Tape Cassette 2. Simple cassette emulation. Nothing special imo, but does what it's meant to do. I find myself adding this even after bouncing audio from real cassette. Spitfire Labs has all kinds of sound libraries that are one way or another weird, warped or otherwise unique sounding. They also have this free BBC symphony orchestra edition. If I remember correctly, you need to do a survey and wait some time to get the free version. Melda Production MFreeFXBundle is bundle of 37 free plugins for mixing and mastering. Basically everything you would ever need. For example I use MStereoScope a lot to check how my mix sounds in mono, or sides only. The installer has all of their stuff as download options, so make sure you only check the free ones.
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Erang
Verified Account
Posts: 139
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Post by Erang on Oct 31, 2021 19:12:18 GMT -5
I've discovered the K1V few weeks ago and was going to make a post about it on FB as well. Such a great sounding VST, definitely! I second the Ferric TDS that I also use very often. I'll add the "Wow & flutter" vst to the list: awesome for this tape/vhs warble touch > plugins4free.com/plugin/602/I've made a short list on Youtube 4 years ago of free and commercial VST I used in the past (I should probably post an update): www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jiwvCt5uq4
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Post by myrrys on Nov 1, 2021 5:16:21 GMT -5
I had completely forgot about Wow & flutter, used it a lot years ago. Great little plugin. Sadly it doesn't work on my current system. There's plenty of similar stuff but something in that outdated GUI look made it inspiring to use.
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Post by ETRI'RITH'RILLIA on Nov 2, 2021 22:02:17 GMT -5
I've discovered the K1V few weeks ago and was going to make a post about it on FB as well. Such a great sounding VST, definitely! I second the Ferric TDS that I also use very often. I'll add the "Wow & flutter" vst to the list: awesome for this tape/vhs warble touch > plugins4free.com/plugin/602/I've made a short list on Youtube 4 years ago of free and commercial VST I used in the past (I should probably post an update): www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jiwvCt5uq4
The K1v was the first VST I ever got working and I loved it so much I bought a real K1 when one came up for sale!
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Post by Damage Cloud on Jan 25, 2022 22:28:18 GMT -5
I find the best free tool for that lofi digital keyboard sound is... soundfonts. like it works the exact same as cheap 90s casio keyboards, you take a sample (or set), and you play it back while looping parts to sustain, nothing fancier. usually with a lower bit depth to save storage. i personally use sforzando www.plogue.com/products/sforzando.htmlI love K1v but it crashes fl studio after a few minutes for some reason
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Post by scuttlegoat on Feb 3, 2022 6:40:08 GMT -5
Not the usual "casette tape" effect (which I also use), but I find this plugin incredibly useful: Izotope VinylIt emulates the sound of a vinyl record pretty well. You can select the age, electronic rumble, wear, warble (with selection of algorithm for it) and even set it to a specific decade to get that retro production sound. I like putting it on voice and environmental samples and setting it to a 70s setting with some wear and crackle.
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Post by Damage Cloud on Feb 5, 2022 0:31:58 GMT -5
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Post by RangerRick on Aug 4, 2022 13:07:27 GMT -5
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Post by gambali on Aug 7, 2022 17:09:06 GMT -5
The K1v is ridiculously good.
I've been liking it so much I picked up a K1m because I thought it might be even better for recording.
So far I prefer the plug in.
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Post by automatedhero on Aug 21, 2022 10:03:54 GMT -5
Roth-Air is one of my favorites to use in pretty much everything I make. Easy way to add more air and crispiness to an instrument, or the whole song. Probably not good choice if you are going for that low-pass, deep in the darkest pits of underground sound.
Do you have a link for this? I can't find it anywhere
Thanks
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