Free Fridays! Fave New Freeware Picks – Pultec-Style EQ, Libraries Galore, Retro Synth, Guitar-Inspired Sequencer, more!

Perusers of SonicScoop – the wait is over…along with the Summer weather, Free Fridays 12 has finally arrived!

Back for another installment of the beloved Freeware Fridays, we here at SonicScoop managed to fish up five exceptional freeware audio tools and instruments using only a piece of string, a rather large paperclip and some bacon. After sorting through all of the Rosie O’Donnell lookalikes, we decided to share the newly discovered freeware with our readers*. Let’s take a dip, shall we?

27 Free Instrument Libraries – by Pettinhouse (Andrea Pettinao)

Are you a library book? Because you’re totally getting checked out.

First up is a vast indie collection of free sampled instruments from Pettinhouse, a.k.a. Andrea Pettinao. This sole individual is responsible for 27 individual sound libraries of acoustic and electric instruments from drums, bass and guitar. The sound libraries are all available for NI Kontakt, but should work with any sampler. Although these particular sound libraries are all free, Andrea has given the option to donate for any price users are willing to pay. Here are a few words from the man himself:

“Hi, my name is Andrea and I’m a sound designer who creates guitar bass and drum sample libraries for Native Instruments Kontakt.

My products are the perfect solution for producers, songwriters and soundtrack composers, especially where there is a need or speed of production.

Innovative and usable sample libraries for your music! This is what I create, sample libraries with innovative features to help you to achieve quickly the sound you need.”

Luftikus – Analog-Modeled EQ by lkjb Plugins

The next plugin is a straight forward analog-modeled EQ with a simple interface almost resemblant of a Pultec EQ. This indie plugin was developed for KVR’s DC12 plugin contest. Here are a list of features:

Lufkus analog-modeled EQ.

“Summery

Luftikus is a digital adaption to an analog EQ with fext half-octave bands and additional high frequency boost. As an improvement to the hardware it allows deeper cuts and supports a keep-gain mode where overall gain changes are avoided.

Features

Bands and Shelves

Luftikus has half-octave bands at 10, 40, 160 and 640 Hz, completed by a high shelf at 2.5 kHz. For adding sparkle to recordings a further high frequency boost at 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 kHz can be used. The overall design was improved to allow deeper cuts. The range -5 to +10 is the original range while below -5 results in cuts unavailable in hardware.

Modes

The hardware adds overall gain which can lead to clipping. To counter this an output trim as well as the “Keep Gain” mode is available. While the trim allows manual adjustments the “Keep Gain” mode will keep (more or less) the overall loudness by reducing gain in non-boosted areas.

The “Analog” mode models a more analog behavior while in “Mastering” the controls become stepped and the “Analog” mode performs better.”

ASR Rez – Sample Instrument by Fingerpushers

An instrument with features and an absolute minimal interface? Here.

This freebie is a cool retro feel to it – Simple variations of saw and square waves with resonance for a light squelch flavor. The instrument’s interface is designed for use with Kontakt 4 for Windows only. Here is what Fingerpushers says about ASR Rez:

“Here is something you don’t see every day: sounds from an Ensoniq ASR sampler with resonance! This instrument was recorded using the Resonant Filter from Waveboy Industries.

Content: 70 megabyte. Requires Native Instruments Kontakt 4.”

MIDI Sequencer – by Cythar

Here is an a different freeware plugin – A MIDI sequencer that is laid out like the six strings of a guitar. Now guitar players will have no excuse on how to not program arpeggios! The pattern sequencer can be programmed to play back whatever you decide to load into it. As expansive it is, there is currently no english version of a manual available but that should make it even more fun! As with Pettinhouse, Cypher has included a donation option for those who wish to name a price. The MIDI Sequencer is available for Mac, Windows and…Linux?! Here is what Cypher says about the MIDI Sequencer:

The guitar-inspired MIDI sequencer.

“96 crazy oscillating strings.

A pattern-oriented, polyphonic MIDI step-sequencer, which makes its own path. 16 parallel patterns with six tracks and 16 bars – equating to 256 bars & 96 tracks. The six pattern tracks imitate the strings of a guitar and will be tuned e.g. to “EAdgbe”. With some clicks you can set a guitar chord to the pattern tune – then by enabling a few events or triggers the sequencer will start a solo or plays with the chords. More offset-, mute functions and a tricky song mode will pep-up your set. With CYTHAR you can program drum sets, melodies, arpeggios and complete songs. If this is not enough try out Rebeca!

With the simple accessibility of all settings the user interface is designed for life and jam performances. The drag and drop features make CYTHAR to a powerful and fast editor. In future we want to release a specialized touchscreen version.

For now every CYTHAR Sequenzer is still in development and only available as a beta version. In the download area you will find some downloads for Linux, Windows and Mac versions for different CPU architectures and different system distribution or drivers.

At the moment we are working on the english translation of the CYTHAR manual and hope you will find your own way to use the sequencer at this time.”

FreeAlpha 3 – Synthesizer by LinPlug Virtual Instruments

Lastly, we have a meaty, no gimmicks freeware synth. Although it isn’t the full version of Alpha 3, FreeAlpha 3 will gladly take on the user task of creating interesting sounds. This is one of those synths that is great for beginners. FreeAlpha 3 is available for Mac and PC as VST, AU and RTAS formats – Here is what LinPlug says about Alpha 3:

Back to basics with FreeAlpha 3.

“Focussed on the essential modules of a subtractive synthesizer Alpha 3 offers true hands on operation. Everything is where you would expect it, nothing is more complex than it needs to be. Nothing is less powerful than it needs to be. Alpha 3 is the sum of all our experience in synthesizer manufacturing.

Just when you are tired of the over-complex synthesizers of today, and when you want to return to the roots, the beginning of all synthetic sound, the times when a Synthesizer could be fully programmed, then the Alpha 3 is the right synthesizer for you. Get the synth that you can control.”

*No Rosie O’Donnel lookalikes were harmed during the making of this freeware post.

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