EIGHTYSIX, MOODYSIX, Filtronix: Free Plugins of the Week
Two Iconic Polysynths and a Circuit-Modeled Filter Plugin
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EIGHTYSIX, MOODYSIX, Filtronix: Free Plugins of the Week · Source: Morphoice, Overload Audio, Push and Groove
This week’s round-up of the best free plugins brings you not one, but two legendary polysynths of the ‘80s, plus a filter to boot. Check out EightySix, MOODYSIX, and Filtronix!
Free Plugins of the Week
Morphoice EIGHTYSIX: Free Juno-6 Emulation for your DAW
Normally, another Roland Juno emulation wouldn’t be anything to write home about. But when Morphoice releases a component-level emulation of his own, meticulously restored Juno-6, you can be sure it’s excellent. After all, the developer caused quite a stir in the freeware world last year with the awesome, Yamaha CS-80-inspired Unstable synth.
Like the original, EIGHTYSIX features a single oscillator with simultaneously usable sawtooth and pulse waves, as well as a sub-oscillator. The pulse width can be modulated manually and via LFO. Needless to say, the software synth also includes precise emulations of the timeless Juno filter, ADSR envelope, and sine wave LFO, as well as the iconic chorus effect. According to Morphoice, each component was precisely modeled to match the behavior of the hardware.
In addition, EIGHTYSIX features reverb and delay effects based on the developer’s Darkstar plugin. The final version will also include an arpeggiator, a hold mode, and extensive tuning controls (including voice drift), but those aren’t yet implemented.
At the time of writing, EIGHTYSIX is available as a free beta. According to the developer, the final version may be a paid plugin, so grab it for free while it lasts!
EIGHTYSIX is available for macOS and Windows as a VST3 plugin.
Overload Audio MOODYSIX: Free KORG Polysix Emulation for your DAW
If you wanted an affordable analog polysynth in the ‘80s, you basically had a choice between the Roland Juno series and the KORG Polysix. And today, you can choose between two free plugins: while the aforementioned EIGHTYSIX takes on the Juno, MOODYSIX by Overload Audio is an emulation of its main competitor from KORG. Like the original, it features a single oscillator per voice with sawtooth and pulse waves, PWM, a sub-oscillator, the iconic SSM2044 filter, and an effects section with chorus, phaser, and ensemble.
However, the developer hasn’t stopped there. In addition, MOODYSIX includes three popular hardware mods for the Polysix. The NoisySix mod adds white and pink noise generators and an extended LFO. Polysex adds pitch envelope modulation and voice spread. And the ModyPoly mod offers a smooth portamento/glide function that works across all voice modes.
All in all, MOODYSIX is like owning an original Polysix decked out with three of the most popular hardware mods – all in a free plugin!
MOODYSIX is available for macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU formats.
Push and Groove Filtronix: Four Circuit-Modeled Filters
Now that you’ve got two excellent free software synths, you might want some additional circuit-modeled filters for sound shaping. Filtronix by Push and Groove offers precise component-level emulations of four of the most iconic analog filter designs. In addition to the classic Moog-style ladder filter, there’s an Oberheim-style state-variable filter, an OTA filter like that of the Prophet-5, and a CMOS-based filter inspired by the EDP Wasp. As of now, Filtronix only includes low-pass versions of the filters, but multi-mode support is planned for a future update.
In addition to Cutoff and Resonance controls, the plugin offers an Analog knob for dialing in a “warmer, thicker, more organic filter tone”. It also features selectable filter slopes (12dB/24dB), as well as Drive and Mix controls.
Filtronix is available for macOS and Windows in VST and AU formats. A version for Linux is in the works.
Check out our archive for many more free plugins like EIGHTYSIX, MOODYSIX, and Filtronix!
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