Ableton Free Chiptune Vst

Posted By admin On 22.12.20
  1. Ableton Free Chiptune Vst Download
  2. Chiptune Vst Ableton Free
  3. Ableton Free Chiptune Vst Plugin

Ableton Live has a pretty good selection of VST instruments and synthesizers, but you may want access to a bigger collection of sounds. If that’s the case, you should check out the Xfer Records Serum wavetable synthesizer. It got a lot of attention when it was first introduced years ago because of its unique ability to minimize aliasing. The Free Music Archive offers free downloads under Creative Commons and other licenses. We also offer a very large repository of free birthday songs you can use in your projects. Chipsounds is a vst instruments plugins developed by Plogue, a free Chiptune Synth VST plugins that you can use on any VST Compatible hosts such as Steinberg Cubase, Nuendo, Wavelab, FL Studio/Fruityloops, Ableton Live, Adobe Audition, LMMS, Reaper, SONAR, Mixcraft, Acid Pro, etc.

Ableton Racks are awesome! They allow you to group effects or instruments, map multiple parameters to a single macro and create parallel chains. I’m using these features to “pimp” Ableton’s stock effects every day so if you’re looking for some free Ableton racks you definitely came to the right place!

Click on the button below to start your free download and make sure to read the entire post for further details. You may also like this list of free Ableton templates.

Mastering Rack

When your mixdown is perfect you usually don’t need much processing on the master. However, there are some effects that can help to “glue” all individual tracks together and give you track that final touch. My general recommendation: less is more! If you’re making big changes on your master channel you should probably go back to the mixing stage! Output vst plugins.

This is what the macros from my Ableton mastering rack do:

  • Bass Mono sets a crossover frequency. Everything below will be mono (50 – 200 Hz).
  • Glue decreases the threshold of Ableton’s Glue Compressor (0 – -30 dB).
  • Shine is a high-shelf filter you can use to boost the side signal (0 – 6 dB).
  • Freq controls the high-shelf filter’s frequency (4 – 22 kHz).
  • Clean Up reduces low midrange frequencies (0 – -5dB).
  • Focus adjusts the exact frequency for “Clean Up” (200 – 500 Hz).
  • Gain increases the input gain of Ableton’s limiter (-24 – 24 dB).
  • Release adjusts the release time of Ableton’s Limiter (0.01ms – 3s).

I’d highly recommend to pick another limiter like the one from Ozone 9 if you really want to achieve a professional master. However, if you just want to render a quick demo or a rough mix Ableton’s Limiter will probably be good enough.

Vocal Rack

Mixing vocals is extremely complex and a single free Ableton Rack will never be able to make any vocal sound perfect. However, if you’re new to mixing or just want to enhance a rough demo this Ableton Live rack might be something for you.

  • High Pass controls the frequency of a high-pass filter (80 – 250 Hz).
  • Air boosts the top end with a high-shelf filter (0 – 15 dB).
  • Clean Up cuts muddy frequencies in the low mids (0 – -8dB).
  • Focus controls the exact frequency of the “Clean Up” cut (200 – 800 Hz).
  • De-Ess decreases the threshold of the de-esser (0 – -40dB).
  • Reverb is a simple dry/wet control to add space (0 – 50%).
  • Delay is also a dry/wet knob for the delay (0 – 40%).

Basic Chord Rack

The chord rack is meant for producers who are new to music theory. Placing it on a MIDI track it will automatically create a fitting triad, based on the key you’ve selected. Additionally you can enable the octave function via macro 3. Since the rack doesn’t cover inversion I’d recommend resampling the MIDI. Afterwards you can try to transpose single notes of each chord an octave up or down.

  • Base shifts the origin of the scale (default is C)
  • Minor/Major switches the minor scale to a major scale.
  • Octave adds an octave of the fundamental tone.

1 Knob Wash Out

My 1 Knob Wash Out is actually inspired by the famous Bass Kleph Easy Washout. It one has one macro (Wash Out!), which is meant to be automated. You can slap it on your master, groups or individual tracks to create huge build ups and transitions.

“Wash Out!” controls a total of 6 parameters:

  • High-pass frequency (26 – 932 Hz)
  • High-pass resonance (0 – 30%)
  • Echo dry/wet (0 – 40%)
  • Reverb dry/wet (0 – 60 %)
  • Stereo Width (100 – 80%)
  • Gain (0 – 5db)

Easi 808

My “Easi 808” is the only instrument rack in this list and just like every 808 bass it’s based on a simple sine wave. You can adjust things like attack, glide time, distortion and cutoff. There’s even a mono compatible chorus effect built in.

  • Attack increases the pitch envelope and decreases the attack time (0 – 80%).
  • Attack Time adjusts the pitch envelope’s duration (20 – 140 ms).
  • Glide Time sets the time a slide from one note to another takes (0.10 – 200 ms).
  • Soft Clipper increases the Soft Clipper’s input gain (70 – 100).
  • Gain adjusts the amount of distortion (0 – 20 %).
  • Mix adjusts the balance between the clean and distorted signal (0 – 100 %).
  • Spread detunes frequencies above 150 Hz (0 – 100%).
  • Cutoff sets the low-pass filter’s cutoff (10 Hz – 22 kHz).

LoFi Rack

My LoFi rack emulates a bunch of characteristics and effects that are typical for vintage studio gear. You can use it to detune your source sound, decrease the frequency range, add distortion and vinyl crackles. If you produce LoFi and don’t want to spend 80 bucks on the RC-20 Retro Color you should definitely try out this one!

  • Hi Pass adjusts the frequency of the high-pass filter (100 Hz – 1kHz).
  • Low Pass controls the low-pass filter’s cutoff (500 Hz – 22kHz).
  • Cabinet adjusts the balance between the Cabinet’s dry/wet (0 – 100%).
  • Crack increases the volume of vinyl crackles (0 – 1).
  • Detune increases the amount of detuning (0 – 17.2 Hz).
  • Gain sets the input and output gain for Ableton’s Pedal (-35 – 35dB).
  • Drive adjusts the dry/wet of Ableton’s Pedal (0 – 100%).
  • Output controls the overall output volume of this rack (-10 – 10dB).

Reverb Rack

What bothers me the most about Ableton’s Reverb is that changing settings, such as room size or decay will also change the Reverb’s volume. That’s why I added 2 utilities to this rack which automatically counter those changes. Furthermore, you’ll get two independent controls for dry and wet instead of only one knob. To top things off you’ll get 2 filters, so you have control over Reverb’s frequency range.

  • Dry controls the volume of the dry signal (-inf – 6dB).
  • Wet adjusts the volume of the wet signal (-inf – 6dB).
  • Size controls the room size (0.22 – 500).
  • Time sets the decay time (200ms – 6s).
  • Pre sets the pre-delay time (0.5ms – 100ms).
  • Width controls how stereo the reverb is (0 – 120).
  • High Pass adjusts the frequency of the high-pass filter (150 Hz – 1kHz).
  • Low Pass controls the frequency of the low-pass filter (300 Hz – 10kHz).

Recommended: Speaking of reverb you might like this smart:reverb review.

Sauce Rack

My “Sauce Rack” is something I like to add to most of my Trap and Hip Hop melodies. It comes with 4 different effects, adding stereo modulation, reverb, pitch modulation and delay. For each of those effects you get 2 macros so you can adjust them to your liking.

  • Spread controls the dry/wet parameter of Ableton’s Chorus (0 – 99%).
  • Amount sets the modulation amount in milliseconds (0 – 2.17ms)
  • Reverb controls the Reverb’s dry/wet (0 – 100%).
  • Decay adjusts Reverb’s decay time (200ms – 5s).
  • Detune adjusts the amount of frequency shift modulation (0 – 15.1Hz).
  • Speed sets the speed of frequency shift modulation (0.01 – 3.73 Hz)
  • Delay controls Echo’s dry/wet (0 – 50%).
  • Feed controls Echo’s feedback (0 – 50%).

Soft Clipper

Ableton’s Glue Compressor, comes with a cool soft clipping feature, which works wonders on Trap and Hip Hop kicks. Problem? The output volume drastically changes when you increase the gain. With this Ableton effect rack you can drive the input gain and afterwards adjust the output so true bypassing is possible. You can also filter the wet signal or mix in the dry sound.

  • Gain increases or decreases the input and output gain (-35 – 35 dB).
  • Dry increases the volume of the dry signal (-inf – 6dB).
  • High Pass sets the frequency of the high-pass filter (10 Hz – 10kHz).
  • Low Pass sets the low-pass filter’s cutoff (200 Hz – 22kHz).
  • Output adjusts the output gain (-10 – 10dB).

Easi Sidechain

My “Easi Sidechain” rack comes with 2 controls, empowering you to sidechain any track within seconds. Just keep in mind that this rack is only suitable for 4-to-the-floor house and techno beats, since it’s LFO based. If you own a copy of LFO Tool you probably won’t need this one.

  • Amount adjusts the amount of volume modulation applied to the incoming signal (0 – 100%).
  • Shape changes the modulation curve (0 – 100%).

Gain Rack

Best free guitar amp vst 2015. My “Gain Rack” doesn’t have any effects loaded yet, but it allows you to simultaneously crank up the input and reduce the output gain. Obviously this only makes sense if you place another effect between the two utilities.

  • Input boosts the input gain and attenuates the output gain (-35 – 35dB).
  • Output boosts or attenuates the output gain (-inf – 35dB).

Conclusion

So as you can see, Ableton Racks are really useful and you can use them to build some amazing multi effects. If you haven’t download those racks yet make sure to get your copy now. It’s free 😉

Having the right Chiptune VST plugins can be of huge help when you're making chiptune!
However, finding the Chiptune VST best suited for you and your needs can sometimes be a tough task..
The internet is full of information, and, while that’s a good thing, it can also be a little overwhelming when you try to find an amazing chiptune VST.
What you’ll soon realize in this search is that there are many factors to consider.
What starts off as a simple task can turn into one that stretches for days or even weeks.
So, to save you from sorting through them all, we’ve crafted a list of the top 10 Chiptune VST plugins to help you find the perfect one for you.
But before we get into it, what exactly makes a VST ‘the right’ one?

Features To Consider


In this modern day and age, computers are much faster than ever before, but processing power continues to be an issue.
One important thing to consider before purchasing or committing to any VST is what the processing power needs are. Can your computer handle the software that you’re using?
If yes, great! But if it can’t, no worries! You may instead want to look for a more lightweight VST that can do as good of a job as a heavier one.
Aside from processing power requirements, simplicity is another important factor when choosing a great VST to suit your needs.
Do you want to hit the ground running and make chiptune music right away? Or do you prefer to get neck deep in the settings and customize each and every last detail of your sound design process?
Some VSTs will be simple enough to allow you to ‘plug n play,’ whereas others will require a lot more education on your part in order to master chiptune sound design.
When factoring in simplicity, it’s also important to consider the user interface (known as UI). Simple VSTs often have an easy-to-use interface, while the more complex VSTs might be a lot harder to grasp.
This is crucial to keep in mind, because UI can affect creativity, which is extremely important to music production. This is because creativity is influenced by everything you hear, feel, do, or see (UI). So, if you don’t like how your VST looks, it could slow down your efficiency when producing chiptune music.
Lastly, emulation specificity is another big feature to consider. Chiptune music originally was created from gaming systems, such as the NES or Gameboy, with each of those systems producing different types of sounds.
With that in mind, chiptune VST plugins have been created with the capacity to emulate sounds created by certain systems. Knowing what type of sound you want to create will greatly speed up the VST selection process and ensure you use something that you’re happy with.
With these features in mind, let’s get started.

Option 01: Magical 8Bit Chiptune VST


Main Features:
  • 5 waveforms - square, 2x pulse, pseudo-triangle, low-res noise

  • ASDR envelope settings

  • Pitch bend

  • Velocity control

  • Frequency sweeping

  • 32 Voices

Note: For full specifications and download, visit YMCK.
Are you a fan of old, primitive 8 bit game consoles?
If you are, then the Magical 8bit Plug may be the perfect VST for you to make some old school electronic music!
This is because this VST allows for use of the pseudo-triangle or low-resolution noise, which are key when creating 8 bit or chiptune music.
Another important feature about the Magical 8bit Plug is that it focuses on simplicity, which makes creating great chiptune sounds quick and easy.
To top it off, the Magical 8bit Plug is lightweight and will work on both macOS as an audio unit and on Windows as a VSTi.
If you want to see what this VST can do for yourself, check out this awesome animated Youtube video featuring music made by Magical 8bit Plug. It’s set to what appears to be an old school video game.

Option 02: Chipsounds


Main features:
  • Hybrid synth/sampling synthesizer

  • Control/Modulation/Effects/Mixer tabs

  • Arpeggiator

  • Wave Sequencer

  • Pitch and Amplitude Modulation

  • Emulates 15 vintage 8-bit era sound chips

Note: For full specifications and download, visit Plogue.
Looking for something a little more robust than Magical 8bit Plug? Then Chipsounds may be the VST for you.
Chipsounds is one of the more popular chiptune VST plugins this year, and we can definitely see why.
The first reason is because it gives you a lot of control over your sound design process, which is huge when trying to set yourself apart from other producers.
Another cool feature is that Chipsounds can run on both Windows and macOS as a standalone application.
Additionally, it can also run as a VST, AU, RTAS, or AAX plug-in allowing for flexible usage with different systems.
To see this VST in action, check out Plogue’s introductory Chipsounds video.

Option 03: ymVST


Main features:
  • Polyphony support

  • 3 step arpeggiated chords

  • Knobless UI

  • Angel sync-buzzer effects

  • SID effect

Note: For full specifications and download, visit preromanbritain.
If you’re a fan of the authentic Atari sound, then ymVST is a blast to the past…almost.
To the casual observer, the UI may look complicated. But it was actually made to replicate a traditional non-software music production setting with a more ‘authentic interface.’
This means there’s no knobs or sliders. Yet it also comes with all of the great chiptune quality sounds that can be made by the other more complex VSTs available on the internet today.
So, if you’re used to a more traditional method of chiptune production, ymVST may be right up your alley.
Unfortunately for Mac owners, ymVST is only available for PC users.
Ableton Free Chiptune Vst

Option 04: basic 65


Main features:
  • Monophonic synth

  • Double arpeggiator

  • Mod envelope

  • (2) LFOs

  • (3) Oscillators

Note: For full specifications and download, visit vst4free.
Inspired by the Commodore 64, basic 65 is a monophonic synth which takes the legendary SID chip from its hardware predecessor and adds more features to ‘take a step further’.
With a clean interface, this VST should be relatively quick to pick up and allow you to get started programming in your favorite chiptune sounds with ease.
Making it even simpler, there are over 128 presets available for you to choose from.
And with the basic 65 being an update to the already popular basic 64, you’ll know that you’re using a VST that has had a lot of prior problems solved.
However, similar to ymVST, the basic 65 is only available for use on Windows which makes that one key detraction in a production world heavily Mac reliant.

Option 05: Super Audio Cart


Ableton Free Chiptune Vst Download

Main features:
  • 5,500+ samples

  • 1,200+ factory snapshots

  • ‘Hold’ arp steps

  • Modulate cutoff & pan with each step

  • Use arp steps to modulate other parameters

  • Free SNESVerb plugin

Note: For full specifications and download, visit impactsoundworks.
Super Audio Cart provides a revitalized take on an old-school chiptune production scene.
The interface looks modern which makes it similar to other software on the market today such as Omnisphere or iZotope Ozone. In other words, it’s easy to plug n play!
When purchasing, you’ll be capable of replicating sounds from the NES, FC, SNES, GB, 2600, C64, SMS, and GEN console systems. Add in the fact that you’ll receive over 6,000 samples and 630 unique sound sources and that makes purchasing the Super Audio Cart even more appealing.
However, it’s currently priced at $149 through impactsoundworksand also requires Kontakt to run, which can be a problem if you’re on a budget.
Not sure if this is right for you? Take a listen to some chiptune created by Super Audio Cart here to get an understanding of its capabilities.
Learn secret sound design techniques used by the Pros in our free Advanced Sound Design Guide.

Option 06: Retro Boy


Main features:Ableton Free Chiptune Vst
  • Subtractive emulator

  • Single oscillator

  • Vibrato & decimation effects

  • Polyphony: 1-4

Note: For full specifications and download, visit sbaud.
As you may be able to tell from the specs, Retro Boy brings you back to the past. For example, it’s extremely lightweight on the processor with only a single oscillator.
It’s a classic, subtractive chiptune VST synth with seven waveforms - 12.5% pulse, 25% pulse, square, saw, triangle, sine, and noise.
Because of its simplicity, most computers should be able to run Retro Boy easily enough making that one of the key highlights of this VST.
And although you could probably figure out Retro Boy’s capabilities quickly enough yourself…
You can also check out a demo before downloading by clicking here!

Option 07: ICECREAM


Main features:
  • Dual oscillators

  • 4 Octaves per oscillator

  • Amp/Filter ASDR

  • Harmonics switch

  • Glide and glide rate

Note: For full specifications and download, visit vstplanet.
Are you thinking what we’re thinking? If you are, you’ll understand how cool (pun intended) this VST looks.
It comes with a pretty standard set of features: two oscillators with volume and octave controls, filters, a sequencer, and EQ.
However, what makes this VST stand out is the colorful interface.The playfulness of this interface and color scheme will definitely take you back to the days of playing Super Nintendo as a child.
And even if you haven’t touched a Super Nintendo, you’ll still feel like a kid playing the newest gaming system.
This might jumpstart your creativity and bring your chiptune music to the next level.
To take a listen to all of the creative possibilities that can come about from using the ICECREAM VST, check out this Youtube video.

Option 08: Nintendo VST


Main features:
  • Simple UI

  • Nintendo emulation

  • Portamento

  • Pitch bend

Note: For full specifications and download, visit mattmontag
If you want to create chiptune music in the vein of Nintendo using something simple, Nintendo VST may be what’s right for you.
Created by Matthew Montag, the Nintendo VST is lightweight and can quickly be picked up by anyone.
That’s because the volume, duty cycle, pitch, and fine pitch adjustments are easily made with a max of three knobs for each setting (LFO steps, loop point, step time, and tempo sync).
And if you want to understand how the Nintendo VST works, Matthew has you covered! He’s meticulously detailed much of his VST development process on his website.
To see how the Nintendo VST was created, click here.

Option 09: AdLibXRom


Main features:
  • Replicates Adlib Music Synthesizer Card

  • Two oscillators

  • 40 Multi-sampled sounds

Have you ever heard of the AdLib soundcard? If you have, you may find yourself in love with this VST.
The AdLibXRom replicates the sound of the AdLib Music Synthesizer Card which was famous in the early nineties.
Featured within the soundcard was the YM3812 synthesizer chip which utilized FM and additive synthesis.
Today, the AdLibXRom brings things back with the option of using the main or noise oscillator.
Additionally, it features over 40 multi-sampled sounds making usage even more interesting.
Note: For full specifications and download, visit samplescience.

Option 10: 38911 Bytes


Main features:
  • Single oscillator

  • 4 Waveforms

  • 3 LFOs

  • 4x16 Step sequencers

To any producer not familiar with Chiptune production, this VST may look a little confusing.
However, if you’ve been around the Chiptune production scene, this may just make you feel at home.
The interface was designed to provide an old-school feel.
There is only a single oscillator, but it does come with multiple waveforms such as Saw, Triangle, Pulse, and Pitched Noise.
Another highlight is the 4x16 step sequencers which also come with 11 different BPM rates.
Has the visual design of 38911 Bytes caught your attention? If so, we’d recommend that you learn more here!

Conclusion


Finding the best chiptune VST to suit your needs depends on your situation and what you’re looking for.
We’ve highlighted some of the best chiptune VST plugins that we think you’ll find particularly useful, each with its own unique characteristics and features.
To reiterate, here are some of the most important features to be aware of when choosing the best chiptune VST for your music production needs:
  • Processing power requirements

  • Simplicity

  • UI (User Interface)

  • Emulation specificity

We’ve compiled some amazing VSTs for you to try out and now we want to hear your thoughts!
Have you had any experience using any of these chiptune VST plugins?
Are there any others that we should have mentioned or replaced?
Let us know in the comment section below!

Chiptune Vst Ableton Free


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Ableton Free Chiptune Vst Plugin