Smoke Mono 1, MPE Emulator, Spectaverb: Free Plugins of the Week
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Smoke Mono 1, MPE Emulator, Spectaverb: Free Plugins of the Week · Source: DLP, Attila M. Magyar, Plea Tech
Smoke Mono 1 is a free software synth by legendary producer Mike Dean! Also in this week’s round-up of freebies: a plugin that turns any MIDI Keyboard into an MPE controller, and a free reverb for huge, evolving atmospheres.
Free Plugins of the Week
Smoke Mono 1: Free Software Synth from Mike Dean
Legendary hip-hop producer Mike Dean has released a free software synth! Smoke Mono 1 is a monophonic virtual-analog synth that, according to Mike, “does the one thing a mono synth is supposed to do — cut through everything.”
The architecture is fairly simple, but if massive basses and screaming leads that cut through the mix are what you’re after, that’s usually a good thing. Smoke Mono 1 features a pair of analog modeling oscillators, each with saw, square, triangle, and sine waveforms, as well as a sub oscillator and noise. There’s also a massive unison mode with detune.
The filter is a Moog-style ladder affair with a custom saturation circuit that preserves the low end – perfect for earth-shattering basses. For modulation, Smoke Mono 1 offers two ADSR envelopes and an LFO with triangle and square waveforms plus sample&hold. Instead of an arpeggiator, the free version of Smoke Mono 1 offers a note repeat function.
The software synth comes with a selection of presets designed by Mike Dean. In the future, there will also be a Pro version with additional features, such as a full arpeggiator and step sequencer, a multi-mode filter, a stereo delay, an extended modulation matrix, additional presets, and more.
Smoke Mono 1 is available for macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU formats.
MPE Emulator: Turn any MIDI Keyboard into an MPE Controller!
More and more hardware and software synths understand MPE data, but not all MIDI keyboards are up for the task – in many cases, not even the keyboards of the synths themselves. MPE Emulator is a free plugin that lets you turn any MIDI keyboard into an MPE controller – sort of. The plugin takes channel aftertouch, pitch bend, or CC data and transforms it into polyphonic MPE data according to a set of user-definable rules.
For example, you can set up rules to apply aftertouch selectively to the lowest, highest, oldest, or newest note, either across the whole keyboard or restricted to a range of keys. While this obviously doesn’t fully replace an MPE controller, it’s often sufficient. For example, it’s often enough to be able to apply modulation to a melody while the chords in the left hand remain unaffected. MPE Emulator lets you do that with any MIDI controller.
MPE Emulator is available as a VST/VST3 plugin for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Plea Tech Spectaverb: More than Reverb
Spectaverb by Plea Tech is a free multi-effect plugin that can turn simple sounds into massive, evolving washes of sound. It does that by running three effects chains in parallel to create space and texture and impart a vintage character, followed by a final reverb and limited stage.
The first chain creates space using spectral shaping and stereo diffusion. The second adds noise, filtering, flanging, and flutter to generate movement. The third chain is an LFO-driven saturator that adds warmth and modulation. You can also add extra effects like spatial panning, chorus, and granular shimmer.
With a simple and straightforward interface and a neat visualizer that resembles a 3D tunnel, Spectaverb is designed for hands-on sound design.
Spectaverb is a VST plugin for Windows only.
Check out our archive for many more free plugins like Smoke Mono 1, MPE Emulator, and Spectaverb!
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