Synth1 by Ichiro Toda Software Synthesizer

It can look quite unappealing at first - that's okay, you can set your own background colour to make it much more bearable.

After you get around the interface, you'll realize that this packs quite the punch for being free, and for the absurdly low CPU usage it has. It's a virtual analog synth, sure, but it can do so much more with its variety of modes available. FM synthesis, ring modulation, many filter choices, the crummy FX that you can use to a sound's advantage, the list keeps going.

And if you do not want to make your own sounds, that's fine - there's literal tens of thousands presets online, that you can use (In fact there's so much that it can get super overwhelming fast).

Put it this way - I have dozens of other, professional synths, recreations or otherwise, and yet this still offers enough flexibility and features while keeping it relatively simple. 100% recommend it.

i no purist. like: "its gotta be 100% analog! 100% Vintage! 100% hardware synths!" but i have and collect analog/vintage/hardware synths; never the less. i use VSTs and analog/vintage/hardware synths meshed together and specifically if im using alot of vintage on a track. VSTs like this kick ass to utilize to creamy vintage synths.... and its f*ckin free!

what can I say? I dodged synth1 for years but finallyinstalled it because I needed some versatile VST power with a low CPU hit for dozens of instances doing draft seuqences for songs that are getting really dense arrangements.... between this and sforzando for Emu soundfonts I can build up a really good, really dense arrangement with a close approximation of what all the sounds will be apart from bass.... from there the good plugins and hardware synths can come out and I can really sculpt sounds and mix.... but Synth1 has been staying in place for some sounds that belong more 'in the background' -- Synth1 sounds very 'flat' and as a result fulfills this role well and is also great for densely layered, unison or harmonized parts against real analog synths like a moog....

anyway, this is just a no-brainer for me and I'm sorry I ignored it for so long

If you're new (and I mean VERY new) to creating electronic music, this is one of the best synths you can have. It's got pretty much all the essentials of subtractive synthesis (and more), so it's a great learning tool. It's also absolute amazing for creating a eurobeat brass. Honestly, if I didn't have Harmor, I could just use this because it's that good.

So many free patches; plus its easy to program and its a classic modeled after the Nord Lead 2.

A very long standing and well known soft-synth in the production world comes in the form of Synth1 made by Ichiro Toda. Not to be confused with a piece of software with a similar name, Sylenth1, Toda’s magnum opus is a great tool for any producer’s workshop, especially because it’s completely FREE to download. Synth1 supplies users with two oscillators, FM modulation, ring modulation, and modulation envelopes. Its simplicity both visually and functionally makes it easy to pick up from scratch and I would recommend it as an amazing learning tool to use before making a jump to a more complicated product.

Many will agree that Synth1’s best quality is that it does an excellent job of mimicking the feel of a hardware synthesizer (it was originally meant to emulate a Nord Lead 2). You can achieve very clean and large sounds that some other synthesizers would have trouble doing without compression or internal EQing. Synth1 has very lacking effects panel compared to the newer software synthesizers, though it makes up for that in ease of use and still provides effective options (compressor, ring modulator, decimator, distortion, phaser). The interface itself, while rudimentary and in need of a visual update, provides a very good representation of working with an actual piece of hardware and allows users to become comfortable with the product quite quickly, myself included. Don't be put off by appearance though, Synth1 has a great personality and is very functionally sound. After personally messing around with Synth1, the presets provided seem a little bit outdated. Fortunately, however, the large Synth1 user base has developed an enormous databank of preset sounds if you’re looking for starting blocks in your productions.

Synth1 does a very good job of sticking to its strongest aspects. With a lack of content focused updates, the software has been able to hammer out all of the bugs over years of steady maintenance and careful attention. The built in arpeggiator and filter leave nothing to be desired and allow for automation in all DAW platforms. Overall, Synth1 is an amazing VST synth, especially for beginning producers or someone new to sound design. So far in my journey through the production world, I have yet to find a software synthesizer that provides such a straight forward approach to creating sounds and helping someone write music. If you can master Synth1, you’ve basically learned everything they would teach through a mid-level sound design class in most production schools.

This thing can make any sound you want, there's 80s sounds, Dubstep sounds, FM sounds, just so many. It's cool.

Verrry good for dubstep wobbles and YAHs. Excellent effects and epic presets! (As long as you have the right packs)

Easily my favourite VST for the time being. Holds up as a pretty decent synth even against paid synths like Sylenth1, Serum, ect.

Easily manipulated, it's basically a run-down version of Serum. It is honestly the best of the best for freeware synths.