The 12 greatest freeware synths of all time!
01 U-HE BAZILLE CM
MAC/PC, 32/64-BIT
We’d stress that this list is ‘in no particular order’, so this number one does not actually mean ‘the best’ and it’s sheer coincidence that this entry is one of our own. But u-he’s Bazille CM is a cracker, a patchable modular synth with a sequencer and enough power to wrestle incredible sounds from. Of course, any plugins in the cm Suite aren’t technically ‘as free’ as other freeware as you need to buy this magazine, but they are free with the mag so we’re including them. OK? u-he.com
02 GREEN OAK CRYSTAL
MAC/PC, 32/64-BIT
Almost as old as this magazine’s editor, Green Oak software Crystal has, like Synth1 after it, been a mainstay in the freeware music scene for many a year. And it’s easy to understand why… at least once you look past those aged looks, as it still sounds very good.
With a relatively simple operation but powerful LFO and modulation sections, it’s easy to get something complex out of Crystal. And not a synth to be pigeonholed particularly, you can also get some pretty varied sounds out of it too. Crystal has also made a great (but sadly not free) transition to the iOS platform). greenoak.com
03 MATT TYTEL HELM
PC/MAC/LINUX 32/64-BIT
Some freeware has been around the block a few times… and looks like it. Not so Matt Tytel’s Helm. With the kinds of looks, graphics, movement and click and
