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How about a thread of awesome free audio tools for anyone looking to learn/develop their production skills during lockdown 2.0? I'll start:
TAL offer a number of plugins for free, including this reverb I use a lot:
https://tal-software.com/products/tal-reverb-4
https://tal-software.com/products/tal-reverb-4
I heard @Jon_Hopkins_ mention Soundhack's Bubbler granular delay on @SongExploder (a really interesting episode of a very cool podcast) and have used it on almost every project since. It's available as part of the Freesound Bundle here:
http://www.soundhack.com/freeware/
http://www.soundhack.com/freeware/
Supermassive delay/reverb by @valhalladsp is really too good to be free, yet here it is: https://valhalladsp.com/shop/reverb/valhalla-supermassive/
[aside] I used Supermassive a lot on my recent release "Between Land and Sea" to create huge drones, which I then turned into sample instruments - a cool way of getting unique synth sounds from any kind of raw audio. https://alexrothmusic.bandcamp.com/track/between-land-and-sea-2
Paulstretch is an awesome app (there's a plugin version too) for stretching or shortening audio files without changing pitch. I've used it a lot to create ambient textures from field recordings etc. https://xenakios.wordpress.com/paulxstretch-plugin/
Tube Saturator Vintage by @Wave_Arts is great for adding warmth/grit to a track and as "glue" in a mix:
https://wavearts.com/products/plugins/tube-saturator-vintage/
https://wavearts.com/products/plugins/tube-saturator-vintage/
The simple yet very effective Saturation Knob by @SoftubeStudios came bundled with my @WeAreFocusrite interface but is also available for free on its own. I use it loads to fatten up bass and get a heavy, crunchy drum sound https://www.softube.com/saturationknob
[aside] Check out the Saturation Knob in action on the tuba and drums in this recent track I produced: https://alexrothmusic.bandcamp.com/track/emerge-entangled
There are 2 awesome @Glitchmachines plugins available for free: Hysteresis (glitch delay) and Fracture (buffer effect). Both are really good for mangling sounds and creating electronic textures. https://glitchmachines.com/
I like FuzzPlus3 from @audiodamage for its vintage fuzz pedal sound and the feedback feature: https://vst4free.com/plugin/2274/
Finally, @AconDigital's Multiply is a doubler/chorus effect that thickens up lead parts really well. I used it on @WaclawZimpel's alto clarinet on a track that's coming out next month.
(Follow me on @Bandcamp to get notified when it comes out:
https://alexrothmusic.bandcamp.com )
(Follow me on @Bandcamp to get notified when it comes out:
https://alexrothmusic.bandcamp.com )
Shout out to all the aforementioned developers for making such amazing tools available for free. I'd love to hear from other producers about free audio software I haven't mentioned here...
Oh also: Sonic Visualiser is a free, open-source app for analysing audio files visually. I'm using this in a project atm to create sonograms of field recordings that I'm then inverting & loading into Logic's Alchemy synth to modulate the spectral content:
https://www.sonicvisualiser.org/
https://www.sonicvisualiser.org/
