VLA-One by Studio9 Plugins: A Free Voice Levelling VST3 Plugin
VLA-One is a free voice levelling plugin developed by Studio9 Plugins for producers who want to bring quieter vocal details forward without relying entirely on conventional downward compression. Released in 2026, the plugin takes inspiration from upward-compression workflows and is particularly useful for vocals, spoken word, podcasts, acoustic recordings and other performances with inconsistent dynamics. What Is VLA-One? VLA-One, short for Voice Levelling Amplifier One, is a dynamics-processing audio effect created by Recording Studio9. The developer began the project after studying the behaviour of Waves MV2 and the discontinued VOLA2 by Sonic Anomaly. The objective was to create a simple…
Niner by Hyperfocus DSP: A Free Kick Drum Synth With a 909-Style Clap
Hyperfocus DSP has released Niner, a free open-source kick drum synthesizer for Windows, macOS and Linux. The instrument combines three independent kick layers with a parallel 909-style clap voice, several distortion stages, master processing, a 16-step sequencer and direct WAV or AIFF export. What Is Niner? Niner is a monophonic virtual instrument designed specifically for creating electronic kick drums. Instead of loading prerecorded samples, the plugin synthesizes each sound through three separate layers named SUB, MID and TOP. These sections can be balanced and processed independently before entering the master effects chain. A separate clap voice inspired by the Roland…
Vocal Gate: A Free AI Noise Gate VST3 Plugin for Voice Cleanup
Vocal Gate: A Free AI Noise Gate VST3 Plugin for Voice Cleanup Vocal Gate by Dan K is a free open-source audio plugin designed to remove coughs, sneezes, keyboard clicks, heavy breathing and other sudden microphone artifacts from spoken-word recordings. Released in 2026, the plugin uses a lightweight machine-learning model to distinguish clean speech from unwanted interruptions. It is particularly useful for podcasts, YouTube videos, livestreams, voiceovers and other forms of spoken content. What Is Vocal Gate? Vocal Gate is a free noise-gate effect created for speech rather than conventional musical instruments. A standard gate usually reacts only to signal…
RMS LEVEL LIMITER: A Free RMS Limiter Plugin for Smooth Dynamics
Push and Groove has released RMS LEVEL LIMITER, a free dynamics plugin designed to control average signal energy rather than reacting only to short transient peaks. Released in July 2026, the plugin combines an RMS-based gain-reduction stage with independent Safe Level peak control. It can be used on vocals, podcasts, drum buses, synthesizers, loops and stereo master outputs. What Is RMS LEVEL LIMITER? RMS LEVEL LIMITER is a free stereo audio effect developed by Push and Groove. A conventional peak limiter reacts to instantaneous level spikes. This plugin instead measures average RMS energy over a selected period and applies smoother…
Phlegetron by Igorski: A Free Dual-Band Distortion VST3 Plugin
Phlegetron by Igorski is a free dual-band distortion plugin released in 2026 for Windows and macOS. The effect separates incoming audio into two independently processed sections, allowing producers to apply different types and amounts of distortion across selected parts of the frequency spectrum. Its crossover and harmonic splitting modes make Phlegetron particularly useful for synthesizers, basses, drums and experimental electronic sound design. What Is Phlegetron? Phlegetron is a free audio effect developed by Igor Zinken under the Igorski name. Instead of applying one distortion algorithm to the complete signal, the plugin divides the audio into two bands named Lower and…
PartialString by Different Instruments: A Free FDTD Physical Modeling Synth
PartialString by Different Instruments is a free physical modeling synthesizer released in July 2026 for macOS, Windows and Linux. Instead of playing recorded samples or relying on a conventional oscillator, the plugin simulates the movement of a plucked string in real time. Its finite-difference engine can generate organic plucks, metallic tones, unstable textures, soft inharmonic sounds and slowly decaying pads. What Is PartialString? PartialString is a virtual instrument developed by Christian Baker under the Different Instruments name. The plugin uses finite-difference time-domain physical modeling, commonly abbreviated as FDTD. It numerically simulates how an excitation travels through a virtual string and…
Meter Core: A Free Mix Translation Meter Plugin for macOS
Meter Core by AutoFactory Audio is a free master-bus metering plugin designed to answer a question that conventional level meters cannot always solve: will a mix translate outside the studio? Released in 2026 for macOS, the plugin combines LUFS, true peak, RMS, crest factor, stereo correlation and mid-side monitoring with a collection of proprietary mix-translation indices calibrated against commercial references. What Is Meter Core? Meter Core is a free stereo master-bus analysis plugin available in Audio Unit and VST3 formats. It provides familiar loudness and dynamics measurements while also examining characteristics that can influence how a mix behaves on headphones,…
GreenWave by Replicat Audio: A Free Experimental Synth VST3 Plugin
GreenWave by Replicat Audio is a free experimental synthesizer plugin designed to combine familiar analog-style controls with unusual oscillator waveforms and deep modulation. The instrument includes two oscillators, two LFOs, multiple ADSR envelopes, stereo positioning and extensive unison. It is suitable for producers creating Synthwave, Ambient, Techno, experimental electronic music and cinematic sound design. What Is GreenWave? GreenWave is a free software synthesizer developed by Replicat Audio. It combines a recognizable subtractive synthesis workflow with a collection of experimental oscillator shapes. These custom waveforms are generated as complete oscillators rather than conventional wavetables. The plugin is currently distributed as an…
GRN Lite by FRCTL Audio: A Free Granular VST Plugin for Instant Textures
GRN Lite by FRCTL Audio is a free granular effect plugin designed to transform ordinary audio into evolving textures, shimmering clouds, glitch effects and atmospheric soundscapes. Instead of presenting producers with dozens of complex parameters, GRN Lite uses seven creative modes and two main controls. This streamlined workflow makes granular processing accessible without removing its experimental character. What Is GRN Lite? GRN Lite is a free audio effect based on the granular engine used in FRCTL Audio's full GRN plugin. The effect captures incoming audio and divides it into small grains. These fragments can then be scattered, layered and repositioned…
