MI-03 Bassline is a free emulation of the classic TB-303 – but with a couple of twists! This week’s collection of the best free plugins also features a one-knob atmospheric reverb and a unique saturation plugin. Have fun!
Music Instinct Mi-03 Bassline
We’ve seen our fair share of free acid synths in this weekly column, including 303 Deluxe, RF-AB303, and BassMatrix. But Roland’s accidental icon continues to inspire developers to try their hands on a 303 emulation – often with their own spin. The new Mi-03 Bassline by Music Instinct is no exception.
According to the developer, Mi-03 uses a “high-quality, alias-free waveform engine”. Unlike the original, the plugin allows you to continuously vary the waveshape from sawtooth to triangle to square. Moreover, the filter section has also been greatly expanded with an adjustable envelope curve and an acid knob. In addition, Mi-03 features a second (ADSR) envelope for the VCA – another thing the classic TB-303 doesn’t have. There’s also a built-in distortion section with lots of options for sound shaping.
The bottom section houses a rather powerful sequencer that allows you to edit sequences graphically with the mouse. It’s got swing, accent, glide, and modulation, as well as the option to create two separate sequences and copy patterns between them. You can even drag & drop MIDI to your DAW. Those are some pretty powerful features for a free TB-303 emulation!
Speaking of “free”: While you can download Mi-03 Bassline for free, the developer asks you to name your own price if you like it. We strongly suggest doing so, as they obviously put a lot of effort into creating it!
Mi-03 Bassline is available for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU, and standalone formats.
ZAK Sound Atmospheres
Atmospheres by ZAK Sound is a one-knob reverb plugin that specializes in dreamy, otherworldly soundscapes. It’s based on the developer’s unique Deep Waters reverb, which uses water sounds to create unusual, organic textures.
While Atmospheres doesn’t have many knobs to play with (in fact, there’s only one), that’s the beauty of it. Simply turn up the Mix knob and let the plugin do its thing. However, there is one more important feature: The Randomizer button lets you change a bunch of parameters and reverb types with a single click, putting a palette of surprising sound options at your fingertips. It’s not entirely clear what it does, although I presume that it randomly switches between various states of the Deep Waters engine hidden in the background.
Atmospheres is available for macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU formats.
Integraudio Blowdio
Blowdio by Integraudio is a free tape saturation plugin with four distinct flavors: Studio, Cinematic, Vintage, and Lofi. You can further shape the sound using the Lowpass, Wow, Digitize, Softclip, Hot In, and Darken features.
In addition to this, Blowdio lets you dial in just how vintage you want the tape emulation to be. With Dust and Flutter knobs and the option to change the playback head position, it’s a pretty versatile tape simulator / saturator if you’re looking for those tasty lo-fi vibes.
Blowdio is available for macOS and Windows.
Looking for more free plugins like Mi-03, Atmospheres, and Blowdio? Check out our archive!
Image Sources:
- Mi-03 Bassline: Music Instinct
