01
Dexed
Digital Suburban · FM · VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
The DX7 in your DAW. Loads original sysex patches, so forty years of FM sound design is yours for nothing.
Free FM synths
From a faithful six-operator DX7 recreation to modern FM engines with stereo modulation, these free synths cover the whole FM spectrum: electric pianos, bells, basses and glassy pads.
02Six Sines
BaconPaul · FM · VST3, AU, CLAP, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
Six sine operators that can all modulate each other at audio rate. Strange, deep and MIT-licensed.
03Exakt Lite
Sonicbits · FM · VST2, VST3, AU · Windows, macOS
Four-operator FM with eight algorithms and drag-and-drop TX-style envelopes. Friendlier than a DX ever was.
04OctaSine
Joakim Frostegård · FM · VST2, CLAP · Windows, macOS, Linux
A four-operator FM synth written in Rust, with a trick nobody else has: modulation panned across the stereo field.
05Digits
Extent of the Jam · FM · VST2, AU · Windows, macOS, Linux
Casio CZ-style phase distortion synthesis, pushed further than the hardware and open-sourced in 2017.
06Magical 8bit Plug 2
YMCK · Chiptune · VST2, AU · Windows, macOS
The chiptune band YMCK’s own 8-bit console tone generator, rebuilt in JUCE and open-sourced.
07ADLplug / OPNplug
jpcima · Chiptune · VST2, VST3, LV2, Standalone · Windows, macOS, Linux
The Yamaha OPL3 and OPN2 chips of Sound Blaster and Sega Genesis fame, with selectable emulator cores.
More guides
Best free VST synths · Best free AU synths for Logic and GarageBand · Free synths with CLAP support · Best free synths for Linux · Best free synth apps for iPad and iPhone · Best open-source synthesizers · Free wavetable synths · Free virtual analog synths · Free modular synths