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 Forum index » Instruments and Equipment » Windows as a music workstation
Free software for windows...
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mosc
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Thanks for the links. Those synths are really pretty, but it isn't intuitive to play them. The author even says they aren't for beginners. I'm not a beginner but I still find them too complicated to approach without any documentation. But, I'm still a noobee with soft synths.
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destroyifyer



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PostPosted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:35 pm    Post subject:  SynFactory update Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

StudioFactory
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GaryRea



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:44 pm    Post subject: Re: Free software for windows... Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

mosc wrote:
I think that it may be possible to put together a pretty amazing electro-music kit using just a PC with a sound card and free music software. Let's use the topic to list free music software that runs on Windows. We have have separate topics for Linux and OSX.

If you know of any free software, please let us know about it. Include a URL to the homepage or whatever is appropriate and let us know your experience with it. Please don't post links to bootleg copies of commercial software.

Let's try to keep on-topic as much as possible. Start new topica in the Instruments and Equipment section for in-depth discussions of different programs.

I'd say we can include any sort of music software, sequencers, synthesizers, realtime processors, MIDI and audio, etc.

I'll edit this post with guidelines as we go along, if necessary.


Well, as you obviously know by now, four years later, yes, it certainly is feasible and, in fact, I do it all the time. Very Happy

I've been using a PC, VSTi's, a software sequencer (Acoustica Mixcraft 4.0) and a MIDI keyboard (Ensoniq ASR-10 sampler). Works for me.

Gary

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GaryRea



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

diskonext wrote:
While kvr indeed lists about everything, it'd be good to hear from people who've actually used stuff. It can be quite tedious to do the whole download->install->test->get dissapointed cycle over and over again.

All of this stuff listed below is Windows-based, exclusively, except for PD, CSound and SuperCollider.

Okay, so my little gem for today was: Muzys. Sequencer and VST host (mutli channel ASIO fully supported) which I managed to get up and running within minutes. Very intuitive, tho a bit ugly, felt rock solid. Alas, no longer in production, and it didn't feature audio inputs, so was useless for me.

Buzz is pretty cool in it's own unique way, have spent years with it. Tested ASIO input with it today, but was very dissapointed, lots of crackle and hiss.

Of course, PD, one of the fathers and children (d'oh) of Max.
CSound, DSP DIY.
SuperCollider is supposed to be out for Windows as well, right?

Renoise is a kick-ass tracker + VST host, which is free. Unless you want ASIO support etc. MIDI integration (MIDI input, that is) frankly bites, but that's my opinion.

Tracktion (sp?) is possibly still free to download, haven't checked. Looked like a solid sequencer / VST host, with loads of built in effects.

Synthedit, to create custom VSTs.

MidiOX and MidiYoke: MIDI filtering, monitoring, rewriting, rerouting, virtual MIDI ports, you name it, they got it.

Yes. That's about it!

-diskonext


I know this thread is ancient, so I'm probably covering what's already been talked to death, but, this area happens to be my main interest, so...

I did my first CD in Computer Music magazine's Computer Muzsys (software sequencer), with various VSTi's, all of which were freeware from KVR Audio, plus my old Ensoniq ASR-10 as a MIDI keyboard.

Since then (2004), I've bought Acoustica Mixcraft 4.0 ($64.95 for the download version) and I've been using it since 2007 with a bunch of VSTi's from KVR, Tweakbench, Land of Cockaigne, Linplug and various other sources. I've also tried making my own synths in Synthedit, but ran into some snags and never got much out of it. Oh, I almost forgot; I used Reason 3.0 from 2006 to 2007, before discovering Mixcraft. Reason's a great rompler, though too limited for my needs, since it can't do audio recording and doesn't support VST.

Gary

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DES



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PostPosted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Wow - time to knock the dust off this thread....

While reading thru KVR the other day I came across this link:

http://www.elektrostudio.ovh.org

There is a 10-pack of free soft synths - both plugin and stand alone. They are emulations of vintage synths and do a really nice job of it. I've been playing around with Rhythmus which is an old perucssion box emulation - but it has some suprises as well. Think of Oxygene or Equinox era JMJ percussion.... Real fun!

There is also some nice emulations of a Mellotron, Micromoog, String machines (not sure if it;s the Elka or Solina...) and even an Oberheim 2-voice, which is the only one I've seen...works like the real thing.

The documentation is non-existant...that might be why it's so fun to play with these...you never know what you will come up with next. Some of the synths have control panels that open up other features as well.

Have fun!
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mosc
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 4:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Thanks for posting this, Dave. I've listened to some of the demo audio and it sounds really good. I'm going to kick the tires on this.
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DES



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PostPosted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Well, the price is right! Very Happy
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droffset



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PostPosted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

GaryRea wrote:


Since then (2004), I've bought Acoustica Mixcraft 4.0 ($64.95 for the download version) and I've been using it since 2007

Gary


Wow. I didn't know this existed, but it's basically what i need. The tutorial videos on the website sold me. Thanks for pointing it out!
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robsol
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I have spent some time looking around for free software and have come across some interesting ones during my travels...

VSTi synths and samplers

Shortcircuit - a very comprehensive sampler, in two different versions. Version 1 (Shortcircuit 1 (v1.1.2)) is the most stable, but version two has some added features.

http://www.vemberaudio.se/shortcircuit.php


Disco DSP Highlife - very interesting sampler that encapsulates other vsti's and reduces your overhead. Unfortunately I have not been able to get it to work in Adobe Audition, but people rave about it.

http://www.discodsp.com/highlife/


Oxe - FM synth, good sounding and fun to play with. It is an 8 operator synth with feedback, and a simple matrix interface for the operators. Two of the operators are not "operators" in the traditional sense, but filters.

http://www.oxesoft.com/


Atlantis - quite a complex beta stage synth, and well equipped in the modulation department. It also has a version of just the effects part which you can load up separately. I have played with if for some time but have yet to run into any bugs.

http://jeremyevers.com/?page_id=13


VST's

Antress Modern Plugin pack - This is a great collection of classic dynamics emulations, and they sound great! Highly recommended! They look good too. To download, you could get the full pack and try them one by one, or just download a single one at a time. I'm using a lot of these!

http://antress.webng.com/


Kjaerhus Classic series - surprised nobody has mentioned these yet. Wink

http://www.kjaerhusaudio.com/classic-series.php


Karma FX Plugin Pack - their modular have been mentioned earlier in this thread, and is not available for free any more, but their effects are. They are comparable to the Kjaerhus classic series in many ways, very good effects units. Scroll down past the modular.

http://karmafx.net/


Voxengo Tempo Delay - quite a quirky but very noice sounding dual delay.

http://www.voxengo.com/product/tempodelay/


E-phonic Retro Delay - this one is not easy to control always, but is smooth sounding and has some hidden surprises. I love my delays, me. Smile

http://www.e-phonic.com/plugins/retrodelay.php


Non-music applications

Need to create a cover for your next CD? These are two essential packages. It will take you some time to learn how to use them, but they produce great results.

Gimp - Open sounce image editor. It is well maintained and can do 95% of what photoshop can do. You can also download and animation package for it, but the basic package does simple Gif animations straight out of the box.

http://www.gimp.org/


Terragen 2 - landscape generator. Brilliant for planet images and weird stuff. I have been using this for a year or two, and still do not understand what I am doing. It is great fun though! Free for non-commercial use. The free version has some limitations but is still quite powerful.

http://www.planetside.co.uk/


I have to go now but will likely post more in the future. Smile

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robsol
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 10:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

OK, a few more VST's:

Basslane - bass management tool. Helps you get a centered, tight bottom end (no not that one).

http://www.otiumfx.com/basslane.php


Flux Bittersweet 2 - SPL Transient Designer-like tool to alter the attack portion of your drum tracks or bass instruments.

http://www.fluxhome.com/products/Freewares/bittersweet2


Digital Fish Phones Dominion - more of the same. I personally prefer Bittersweet, but this one is free too and not bad at all so I have added it here.

http://www.digitalfishphones.com/main.php?item=2&subItem=4


I'm a big fan of the EMS VCS3, and here are two emulators. Don't expect them to sound exactly like the analogue predecessor, and if you have no experience with the VCS at all you might be wondering what's going on at first, but they are fun to play with.

KX-Synth-X16 - looks different from the original but all the parts are there, including the mod matrix and the joystick (but not the sequencer). Not all of the parameters are automatable, apparently, I have not checked this.

http://www.vstcafe.com/2009/04/kx-synth-x16-free-modular-synth.html


Cynthia - this one looks the part and also sounds decent. It also includes the sequencer so you can make Pink Floyd running sequences all in the box.

http://ninecows.dk/cynthia/

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Sam_Zen



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PostPosted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 8:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The KX-Synth-X16 indeed is a setup like the VCS3, but Cynthia is a model of the Synthi A suitcase.

I'm a big fan of Terragen too. So far I used 0.9
What are the limitations in Terragen 2 ? Pixel dimensions ?

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robsol
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

You are right about the Synthi-A, Zen - sorry about that. It is very clear from the name too. The post was a bit rushed.


The limitations in TG2 are, from memory; max render size 800 x 600 pixels, detail - max 1, anti aliasing - max 3, and no more than three populations. You can import as many single objects as you wish (as far as I know...).

It is more advanced than TG 0.9 and is well worth the extra effort you put in if you like to experiment with landscape rendering. I haven't really started yet. Very Happy

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Sam_Zen



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PostPosted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 5:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Found a collection of quite peculiar tools coded by the Russian painter Victor Khashchanskiy.
Some of them can render sound from a bitmap and vice versa. plus e.g. a Doppler effect.
The complete package including the Jpeg plugin can be found here

Haven't explored it yet, but it seems to have tools for analysis : Wavesurfer

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PostPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

My nephew coded a tool for for illustrating the concepts of Fourier Series, Fourier Transformation, Fourier Analysis, and Harmonic Analysis :
Sixty Wheels

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PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 5:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

More than an audio grabber : EAC

Exact Audio Copy is a so called audio grabber for audio CDs using standard CD and DVD-ROM drives.
The main differences between EAC and most other audio grabbers are :
* It is free (for non-commercial purposes)
* It works with a technology, which reads audio CDs almost perfectly.
If there are any errors that can’t be corrected, it will tell you on which time position
the (possible) distortion occurred, so you could easily control it with e.g. the media player.

EAC also includes a small wave editor that has some neat functions
that could be very handy when handling extracted audio files.
As a restriction only CD-compliant uncompressed, 16 bit, 44.1 kHz stereo samples files can be used.

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Johan Zwart



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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Free TC Electronic M30 Reverb
http://www.tcelectronic.com/freetcreverb.asp?utm_source=harmony-central&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=m30

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 10:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

A very efficient tool to use the mousewheel by Nir Sofer : Volumouse
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MusicMan11712



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PostPosted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 6:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

>> . . . check out visual analyzer: http://www.sillanumsoft.org/

original post:
http://electro-music.com/forum/post-191380.html#191380

Thanks for mentioning this, Howard. Jan called the link to my attention today when I was looking for a 'scope to use while developing sounds. I just started using it, and it looks great.

--Steve
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 8:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Looks promising indeed.

Here's an app to play loops :
http://www.louigiverona.ru/?page=projects&s=software&t=tapeloops

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

NickSonic wrote:
I wrote some programs to do electro-music on Windows.
Some of them are a bit old, and they might be too much oriented towards my personal use. However a few of them might be useful. There is stuff to convert pictures into audio textures, to generate audio and MIDI from a WACOM tablet, from a virtual glove etc...
It's all free.
The website is: www.nicolasfournel.com
Nico

Hi. I found your website with Wmidi about 3 weeks ago through an internet search, but just found your post here. I have started to use it with a vintage tablet (circa 1999, pre-usb version!) and really like the software. Thanks for making it available!! If you ever decide to revise it (or the manual), let me know; (or, if you would make the code open source).

BTW, I had been thinking how nice it would be to have several virtual tablets available at once--then I saw Midiplanes--and wondered about a version of Wmidi like that. Of course, uploading pictures for the virtual tablet and the color/hsv analysis to CCs is absolutely wonderful--I have found the pictures serve as performance templates: when I draw all over my son's hair, I get some effects; when I scratch his nose with the stylus, I get others; etc.

Anyhow, Wmidi is a great tool--complete with 272 scales/modes, no less. Again, thanks for sharing it.

--Steve
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freewave



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PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 1:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

What software do I need on my computer to run the Atlantis synth app? I downloaded it from home site but see that is just dll files. Any help would be appreceated.

Regards Ron
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DES



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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 10:52 am    Post subject:
Subject description: SynC Modular released FREE to the public
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SynC Modular released FREE to the public

http://www.syncmodular.com/

Very similar to Reaktor. The programmer - Dr. Sync - actually went to work for Native Instruments and stopped development of SynC Modular right around the time Reaktor 4 came out.

It's not an easy synth to work with - but it can be fun! Thre are some resource on the web for it to. It used to have a very active news group as well.

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

freewave wrote:
What software do I need on my computer to run the Atlantis synth app? I downloaded it from home site but see that is just dll files. (...)

hi ron,

you need a vsthost to run the dll. look here: http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm


best regards

eike
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freewave



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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Thanks Eike Thought I needed one of those but wasnt sure.

regards Ron
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mosc
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

klangumsetzer wrote:
you need a vsthost to run the dll. look here: http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm


Thanks for the suggestion. I downloaded it and it works very well on my XP machine here.

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