

The competition at the budget end of the plugin synth market is fierce, but if you want a synth that sounds great, is easy to use and comes with loads of presets, NI's Super 8 might well be your best option. Mac/PC | VST/AU/AAX | $99/£89 | Buy at Native Instruments Download it now and it could quickly become your go-to for rich, vintage poly sounds.ĭownload DiscoDSP OB-Xd Best synth plugin under $100 While other freeware synths are undoubtedly more adventurous or original than OB-Xd, none are likely to match the broad appeal of this excellent virtual analogue. Sonically, this is up there with many paid analogue emulations and, while it lacks the bells and whistles of something like Arturia’s V Collection synths, OB-Xd does build on the design of the original with a morphable filter design and voice variation controls. OB-Xd lives up to its inspiration on both fronts. This is an emulation of Tom Oberheim’s classic OB-X polysynth, an analogue classic beloved for its thick, rich sound and easy-to-use interface. It remains our favourite freeware synth, though, based largely on its blend of simple usability and excellent sound. OB-Xd isn’t the flashiest free synth, and nor is it the newest, despite being updated to version 2.5 in recent months.

Typically, you’ll find banks of presets, too: pre-programmed sounds that can simply be loaded up and played or used as starting points for further editing and sound design. You can also program notes for it to play using your mouse, and each synth will come with its own set of controls for adjusting the sound.
