ExtraBold by nakst is a free 3-oscillator synth that’s great for exploring subtractive synthesis! This week’s collection of freebies also includes Malibu, a wonderful tremolo pedal emulation by VZtec, and Endless, an atmospheric reverb by DDMF. Great stuff!
nakst ExtraBold is the subtractive sibling to Fluctus, the developer’s equally excellent free FM synth that came out a couple of years ago. While traditional subtractive synthesis may not sound all that exciting at first, ExtraBold offers a great combination of features and ease of use. It also looks fantastic!
Each of ExtraBold’s three oscillators supplies a continuously variable waveform from sawtooth to square. PWM and sync are also available. The filter offers a choice of four modes: diode ladder low pass and high pass and a couple of comb filters. You’ll also find a noise generator and ring modulator in the mixer section, offering more sound design possibilities.
The center row hosts four LFOs, each of which can deliver three variable shapes. And this is where the developer chose to do things a bit differently: Instead of offering a flexible (but complicated) modulation matrix that allows you to map any modulator to any control, the modulation sources and destinations are pre-defined. This makes ExtraBold a great synth for beginners just getting into subtractive synthesis. But because there are so many LFOs, you still have plenty of sound shaping options at your fingertips.
What’s more, ExtraBold also offers an effects section with three slots. Each of these can hold an effect from five different categories: delay, reverb, tone, chorus, or distortion.
nakst ExtraBold is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux in CLAP and AU formats.
VZtec Malibu: Surf’s up!
Malibu by VZtec is an emulation of the reverb-tremolo pedal of the same name by Argentinian manufacturer Singletone. In fact, it was developed in collaboration with the pedal maker. The two developers say that the plugin sounds so close to the original that you can use it to test the pedal before buying it.
Like the pedal, the Malibu plugin offers a combination of harmonic or standard tremolo and reverb. Check out the audio examples on the website – it really sounds quite wonderful! All the controls you’d expect are there: Intensity, mode, speed, and volume for the tremolo, as well as mode, dwell, and volume for the reverb. You can also reverse the order of the effects if you like.
Furthermore, the Malibu plugin offers a choice of two modes. In Original mode, the plugin behaves exactly like the hardware, including artifacts like noise and harmonic distortion. In Extended mode, additional features like a true-stereo audio path, zero noise, and zero distortion are available. Fantastic stuff!
Malibu is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in AU, VST, VST3, LV2, and CLAP formats.
DDMF Endless: Free Atmospheric Reverb
Endless by DDMF is a free reverb that specializes in atmospheric, otherworldly soundscapes. According to the developer, it’s great for film scores, ambient textures, or “larger-than-life sounds”. With features like granular processing, shimmer, and detune, Endless allows you to create huge reverbs that sound unlike anything from the real world.
Endless is available for macOS and Windows in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
Looking for more free plugins like ExtraBold, Malibu, and Endless? Check out our archive!
Image Sources:
- nakst ExtraBold: nakst
- VZtec Malibu: VZtec
