Two absolute (and free) classics are Charlatan 2 and Synth1. Charlatan 3 beta is worth a look too, as the Charlatan philosophy is all about bare minimum controls.
Softube's started to make some good emulations, I'm happy with Model-80 and Model-84; lack of polyphony in Model-82 felt blocking, but I've found happiness in Zenology and TAL-Bassline for polyphonic SH101 goodness. I'm always amazed how far you can get with such a bare synth if it's got a nice filter and clever design. TAL's got a lot of other good emulations that are also simple, such as TAL-U-NO-LX and the new TAL-Pha. Synapse Legend and Obsession are also worth a look, as is G-Force OB-X (which has some interesting tricks up its sleeve to only give you extra control when you need it). And u-he Repro deserves a mention, as well as Zebralette which is free. u-he also has the free Tyrell N6 which hits a nice balance between number of controls and flexibility. Then there's Podolski and Triple Cheese, if you're looking for something a bit more esoteric and exploratory.
Here are others I think fit the bill (free):
- g200kg SmallQoo (the simplest synth i've ever seen that still felt competent, tiny UI though..)
- Archetype Instruments Lokomotiv (basically an EDM machine geared towards supersaws but isn't just a one trick pony)
- TAL NoiseMaker (obvious choice)
- tesselode Mika Micro (super simple, but very competent)
- nakst Apricot (a nice clear basic synth. FL plugin or CLAP only - no VST3)
- Kilohearts One (became free recently, pretty darn good)
- Dead Duck Software Deducktion
- Phuturetone GR-8
- ML-VST PG-8X (emulates a Roland JX-8P)
- Full Bucket FB-7999 (Korg DW-8000 emulation, has that 80s digital vibe)
- Full Bucket One (Crumar One emulation)
- Full Bucket Fury-800 (Korg Poly800; simple but has a unique envelope type)
- Full Bucket MonoFury (Korg MonoPoly emulaton; 4 voices only, like original)
- LinPlug FreeAlpha 3
- 2Dat OBXd
- MauSynth
- Soda Devices Lith (simple enough; bit of a cpu hog)
- Synapse Junglist (cool wavetable+FM synth that reminds me of Subtractor in Reason)
- Propellerhead Subtractor (it's Reason-only, but it's a darn tootin' classic, deserves its own bullet point)
- Full Bucket Kern (not the best filter in the world, but it's designed to be as minimal as possible)
- shiru chipwave (interesting chiptune style synth; harsh digital sound, but simple and limited, just throw on reverb)
- Bojo Impulse (ancient and ugly, but redeemable IMHO)
Non-free options:
- Baby Audio BA-1 (a Casio CS-01 on steroids. sounds more like a Juno 60 to me but is super simple!)
- Korg Legacy synths (MS-20, Polysix, MonoPoly)
- TAL J8 (basically two Jupiter-8's in one, still somewhat simple)
- SonicProjects OP-X PRO-II (an OB-X emulation with warm/vintage vibe, but can go beyond if needed)
- Sonicbits Silk (a fairly synth that can only do saw and supersaw, but still with surprising depth)
- GForce OB-E (technically complex since it has 8 separate synths in one, but it's manageable, and 100% delivers in sound)
- Martinic AX73 (emulation of a lesser known Akai 80s synth)
- FabFilter One (a bit expensive for a one osc synth, but it also plays with limitations and challenges you)
- Arturia stuff (though I can't personally vouch for them)
- Cherry Audio stuff (not a huge fan; but their Jupiter-4/6, MS-20, Elka and Memorymoog simulations seem redeemable)
Got loads more, but a lot of them are discontinued or magware, or just not that good. Like Steinberg Model-E is simple but doesn't sound too good.
Softube's started to make some good emulations, I'm happy with Model-80 and Model-84; lack of polyphony in Model-82 felt blocking, but I've found happiness in Zenology and TAL-Bassline for polyphonic SH101 goodness. I'm always amazed how far you can get with such a bare synth if it's got a nice filter and clever design. TAL's got a lot of other good emulations that are also simple, such as TAL-U-NO-LX and the new TAL-Pha. Synapse Legend and Obsession are also worth a look, as is G-Force OB-X (which has some interesting tricks up its sleeve to only give you extra control when you need it). And u-he Repro deserves a mention, as well as Zebralette which is free. u-he also has the free Tyrell N6 which hits a nice balance between number of controls and flexibility. Then there's Podolski and Triple Cheese, if you're looking for something a bit more esoteric and exploratory.
Here are others I think fit the bill (free):
- g200kg SmallQoo (the simplest synth i've ever seen that still felt competent, tiny UI though..)
- Archetype Instruments Lokomotiv (basically an EDM machine geared towards supersaws but isn't just a one trick pony)
- TAL NoiseMaker (obvious choice)
- tesselode Mika Micro (super simple, but very competent)
- nakst Apricot (a nice clear basic synth. FL plugin or CLAP only - no VST3)
- Kilohearts One (became free recently, pretty darn good)
- Dead Duck Software Deducktion
- Phuturetone GR-8
- ML-VST PG-8X (emulates a Roland JX-8P)
- Full Bucket FB-7999 (Korg DW-8000 emulation, has that 80s digital vibe)
- Full Bucket One (Crumar One emulation)
- Full Bucket Fury-800 (Korg Poly800; simple but has a unique envelope type)
- Full Bucket MonoFury (Korg MonoPoly emulaton; 4 voices only, like original)
- LinPlug FreeAlpha 3
- 2Dat OBXd
- MauSynth
- Soda Devices Lith (simple enough; bit of a cpu hog)
- Synapse Junglist (cool wavetable+FM synth that reminds me of Subtractor in Reason)
- Propellerhead Subtractor (it's Reason-only, but it's a darn tootin' classic, deserves its own bullet point)
- Full Bucket Kern (not the best filter in the world, but it's designed to be as minimal as possible)
- shiru chipwave (interesting chiptune style synth; harsh digital sound, but simple and limited, just throw on reverb)
- Bojo Impulse (ancient and ugly, but redeemable IMHO)
Non-free options:
- Baby Audio BA-1 (a Casio CS-01 on steroids. sounds more like a Juno 60 to me but is super simple!)
- Korg Legacy synths (MS-20, Polysix, MonoPoly)
- TAL J8 (basically two Jupiter-8's in one, still somewhat simple)
- SonicProjects OP-X PRO-II (an OB-X emulation with warm/vintage vibe, but can go beyond if needed)
- Sonicbits Silk (a fairly synth that can only do saw and supersaw, but still with surprising depth)
- GForce OB-E (technically complex since it has 8 separate synths in one, but it's manageable, and 100% delivers in sound)
- Martinic AX73 (emulation of a lesser known Akai 80s synth)
- FabFilter One (a bit expensive for a one osc synth, but it also plays with limitations and challenges you)
- Arturia stuff (though I can't personally vouch for them)
- Cherry Audio stuff (not a huge fan; but their Jupiter-4/6, MS-20, Elka and Memorymoog simulations seem redeemable)
Got loads more, but a lot of them are discontinued or magware, or just not that good. Like Steinberg Model-E is simple but doesn't sound too good.
Statistics: Posted by cyrb — Mon Feb 19, 2024 4:47 am