JC303, XTMax, Pneuma Pro: Free Plugins of the Week
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JC303 by Midilab is an open-source clone of everyone’s favorite acid bass synth! Other free plugins of the week include Kiive Audio’s XTMax compressor and the impressive Pneuma Pro synth by Ronan Fed.
Midilab JC303: Open-source TB-303 Emulation
Midilab is an open-source initiative dedicated to creating professional-grade music software. The group of developers has taken Robin Schmidt’s Open303 clone of the famous Roland TB-303 and ported it to the JUCE framework to make it accessible across a variety of platforms and plugin formats.
JC303 offers a complete emulation of the TB-303’s sound engine, with the added bonus of a continuously variable waveshape from sawtooth to square. You can tweak the classic acid filter to your heart’s content, and dial in the desired amount of envelope modulation and accent.
While JC303 does not include an emulation of the TB-303 sequencer just yet, the developers point out that that’s definitely in their plans for the future. For now, download the free plugin emulation of the sound engine and enjoy some classic acid tones!
JC303 is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST3, AU, and LV2 formats.
Kiive Audio XTMax: Punchy Free Compressor
Kiive Audio XTMax is derived from the developer’s excellent XTComp, which emulates the famously gritty Empirical Labs Distressor. While the free version obviously doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles of the full XTComp plugin, you still get plenty of features for adding edge and punch to your mixes.
In addition to large input and output knobs, the ratio of which also defines the amount of compression, XTMax offers three selectable attack and release times each. There’s also a nice gain reduction meter. What’s more, you can adjust the Knee continuously from Hard to Soft, and there’s even an adjustable sidechain filter and a mix knob. Great stuff!
Kiive Audio XTMax is available for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
Ronan Fed Pneuma Pro
Here comes a new software synth from Ronan Fed with a seriously impressive feature list. In addition to four multi-type oscillators with sync and FM, Pneuma Pro offers two sample oscillators, a sub oscillator, and noise. These are routed to a pair of filters, each of which offers its own AHDSR envelope. And with four additional envelopes and four LFOs for modulation, Pneuma Pro can deliver some extremely motion-rich sounds.
But that’s not all. The synth also offers a step sequencer, arpeggiator, and chord generator. There’s also a bunch of built-in effects for even more sound shaping possibilities. To get you started, Pneuma Pro comes with no less than 768 presets. Not too shabby for a free software synth!
Pneuma Pro is available for Windows in VST and VST3 formats.
Looking for more free plugins like JC303, XTMax, and Pneuma Pro? Check out our archive!
- Midilab JC303: Midilab
- Kiive Audio XTMax: Kiive Audio
- Ronan Fed Pneuma Pro: Ronan Fed
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