Size 0.86 MB midiPads is a very configurable MIDI controller VST plug-in. It has editable configurations of up to 128 pads (buttons, x/y pads, sliders) with customizable text, colors,. Controllers Midi VST 160 Views READ MORE.
Synth arpeggios are popular in many different genres, including synth pop, trance and synthwave. While you can create arpeggios manually, they’re typically created by using an arpeggiator. But where do you get one of those?
Many synthsand sequencers, as well as many modern DAWs, have built-in arpeggiator effects.If you’re not happy with these or your synth or DAW doesn’t come with an arpfeature, this page is for you. In the following list, I’m collecting the bestfree arpeggiator VST and AU plugins available today.
Note: The plugins on this page do not create any sound on their own – you will need a sound source (for example a synth plugin like Serum or Massive) to hear anything.
- Dec 15, 2020 Last Updated on December 15, 2020 by Facundo. Finding good plugins, especially free ones that sound great, can be quite a challenge. This is why I put together this extensive list of free Plugins; from Synth, to Piano, Orchestra, Guitar, Drums, Bass, and more.
- Here are the Best Free VST Effects Plugins that can be used with FL Studio, Reason. 10 Websites for Free MIDI Files & MIDI Songs. 10 Free Vocal VST Plugins.
How to usean arpeggiator in your DAW
Before weget to the list, here’s something a lot of new producers struggle with:
How do you usean arpeggiator plugin in your DAW?
While it’s hard to give a general answer, in most DAWs you will have to find a way to insert your arpeggiator plugin into the signal chain before your synth (or other instrument). Arpeggiators are not audio effects like reverbs or compressors, they are MIDI effects and should affect the MIDI data before it arrives at your synth. If you put an arpeggiator after a synth in the effect chain, you will typically not hear an effect at all! If you’re not sure how to add MIDI effects to your DAW, a look into the manual or a Google/YouTube search should help.
The Best Free Arpeggiator Plugins – A Collection
Arpimedes
Format: VST, 32 bit
OS: Windows
Audio examples:
You want to get the traditional arp sound but don’t want to spend a lot of time tweaking settings? Then you should check out Arpimedes by Tobybear. While it is the simplest arpeggiator VST on this list, it is also easiest to use. Set the speed, the number of steps (eight is the maximum), the number of octaves and the mode (up, down, up-down, down-up, as played, random) and you’re set!
This plugin is a good starting point when you’re new to arps but will probably not be sufficient if you need a little more control over your arp sound. As this one is an older release, it’s only available for Windows and runs in 32 bit.
Arpimedes is part of the Tobybear MIDIBag, which you can download here.
RandARP
Format: VST2, 32 bit + 64 bit
OS: Windows
Audio examples:
The cleanly designed RandArp is a VST plugin by CodeFN42. After choosing rate, note order and octave order, you have the possibility to play with certain settings that can then be randomized to your liking. These include number of octaves, velocity, gate, shift and swing. You can also choose the percentage of the note probability – this refers to how likely it is that a note is generated. Setting this below 100% means that more notes will randomly be skipped.
All in all, it should be noted that RandARP focuses (as the name suggests) almost completely on randomization features. There is no step sequencer where you can draw in notes and there is no feature to transpose notes (you’ll have to do that via MIDI), for example. So, if you want to design your arp sequences step by step, this will not be the right VST plugin for you. However, if you’re looking for an arpeggiator that helps you create ever-changing sequences, you definitely should check RandArp out.
RandARP canbe scaled up to 200% and comes with different skins for optimal usability. Althoughthe plugin is mostly self-explanatory, the download folder contains a 25-pagemanual that goes into detail on every feature and setting – perfect for anyone whowants to know how to get the most out of this free arpeggiator plugin.
You can download RandArp on the CodeFN42 website.
BlueARP VST
Format: VST, AU, 32 bit + 64 bit
OS: Windows, Mac
Audio examples:
You want to have maximum control over your arp sequences? Then you should try out BlueARP VST by Oleg Mikheev (also known as Graywolf). When I first opened this plugin, I was a little overwhelmed by all the settings and boxes. However, after playing around with it a bit and watching the following video by howtomakeemusic, I found it’s actually quite easy to use:
Besides atypical arp engine where you can control settings such as gate time, swing andnumber of steps, there is also a detailed step sequencer that gives you theoption to change velocity, step type and transpose the note (octave orsemitone). Step type includes normal, off, rest and tie. I particularly likethe tie feature, which creates a gliding effect between steps.
If you wantto play chords, you have the option of playing all the notes of the chord atthe same time or you can choose exactly when each note of the chord will beplayed.
Additionally,BlueARP has countless advanced features, like setting a range for filtering outinput notes or forcing the arpeggiated notes to a particular scale. If you usearp sequences a lot in your music, BlueARP will give you plenty of features to getthe exact sound you’re looking for. You can find more information about thedifferent features in the manual that’s included in the download files.
BlueARP can be downloaded on Graywolf’s website.
If you find yourself enjoying BlueARP, you might also want to check out these five free skins by satYatunes or these 20 free skins by Valentin Zechiu.
Kirnu
Format: VST, AU, 32 bit + 64 bit
OS: Windows, Mac
Audio examples:
BeforeBlueARP appeared on the radar, Kirnu by Arto Vaarala was pretty much the numberone recommendation when it came to free arpeggiator plugins. Like BlueARP,Kirnu boasts a powerful step sequencer which can help you modulate settingslike note length, gate time, accent, transposition and shift.
Of course,you also have control over the rate, note type (normal, dotted, triplet), sortorder (when you’re playing multiple notes) and octaves. You can even choosefrom a long list of scales (including modes) if you’d like your arp sequences tostick to a certain scale.
Despite itscompact design, Kirnu is a powerful arpeggiator that can do a lot of funthings. Here are some examples from the developer:
I found Kirnu a little confusing in the beginning because not all of its features are self-explanatory. The download files don’t include a manual either – luckily, I found it on the developer’s website. After reading more about its many features, I found it much easier to create interesting sequences with it.
Note: Kirnu isn’t the same as Kirnu Cream, which is its commercial successor (if you’re interested in the paid version, please be aware that some stability and compatibility issues have been reported lately).
Alternatives
Looking foralternatives? Here are some more arpeggiator plugins you can try:
- mucoder hypercyclic (note: more step sequencer than arp) (VST, AU / Windows + Mac / 32 + 64 bit )
- Xoxos arp4midi (VST / Windows)
Over toyou…
Your favoritefree arpeggiator plugin was not included in this list? Let us know what you’reusing!
Free is the magic number… particularly when starting your music production journey, or operating on a tight budget.
Adam Hignell takes a look at some incredible VST effects you can get for exactly zero dollars.
Award-winning AU + VST plugins for music composition.
- Use Captain Plugins to write your own Chord Progressions, Hooks, Melodies and Basslines
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- Available on Mac and Windows.
N.B Unless stated, the following Free VST Effects are compatible with Mac and Windows OS, although not necessarily Catalina/Big Sur at time of publishing.
Valhalla DSP Supermassive / FreqEcho
There are many reasons to love Valhalla’s plugins range. For starters, they’re kind to your wallet: Every plugin is priced at just $50, except for a smattering of equally brilliant ones that they give away for free!
But even if $50 is a step too far for your budget, they offer some of the baddest Free VST Effects plugins on the market. Foe example, you can get experimental with their FreqEcho plugin – it echoes incoming audio or MIDI while adjusting the frequency of the resultant echoes in a multitude of tempos and ratios. You can then adjust Mix, Feedback, Delay timing and Hi/Lo-pass filtering and pitch.
And then there’s SuperMassive, which is even more badass and far too well-designed to be a free plugin. It’s a clean, humungously powerful reverb which can also modulate, warp and delay in a myriad of increments, from subtle to bananas. It even comes loaded with a whole bunch of amazing sounding presets, categorised by style.
Check out the full range of Valhalla DSP Plugins here here.
TAL Chorus LX
It’s pretty old. It’s got a tiny user interface. And extremely basic controls. But, for me, it sounds closer to a genuine JUNO-60 Chorus pedal than any other software on the market. And that is something to celebrate!
In fact, many of TAL’s plugins are phenomenal, and free, but I guess they’ve gone on to bigger and better things, as updates and 64-bit versions are in short supply. The Chorus LX, however, is still going strong on my Live 10 / Catalina laptop! If you want warm, musical-sounding chorus effects, this is one of the best, and completely free.
NOVA DAWN – Tokyo
Nova Dawn Records is that rarest of things; a record label that makes audio plugins. With Nova, they’ve released an exceptional Free VST Effect EQ plugin that gives many paid-for competitors a run for their, er, money. A parallel, dynamic EQ, it can respond to incoming signals and execute complex EQ manouevres with ease. It’s also super clean-sounding and gives warm boosts without artifacts.
Voxengo Span
It’s all very well having a gymnastic EQ plugin that can show and execute cuts, boosts, passes and shelves in infinite, colorful detail. But sometimes you just need to see what is really going on. The simplicity of Voxengo Span is its secret weapon. There are no controls, save a very useful Hold function, and a couple of options for view-adjustment. All you have is a highly accurate waveform analyser. I put it on my master channel on every single track and get more frequency detail than from any premium plugin I can think of. It’s great. It’s free. Win/win.
Glitchmachines – Fracture, Cataract & Hysterisis
A triple-threat of audio and MIDI sound destruction, Fracture’s Free VST Effects are high-quality and easy to use. And capable of making sounds get very freaky, very fast.
Cataract is a MIDI effect which you can load up to 2 audio samples into, and set about warping the bejeezus out of them with Morph, Delay, Filter, 2 LFOs, Scan (kind of like a modulating gate effect) and even an 8-slot Mod Matrix. That’s enough processing power to turn the simplest audio snippet into a swirling, belching beast.
Meanwhile, Fracture and Hysterisis are Audio effects, so whack them on any audio channel and you can create almighty new sound textures immediately.
Hysterisis is a stutter machine, that can tempo adjust and delay incoming audio with a variety of modulation efects applied thereafter. Fracture is more geared towards adding, as they describe it, ‘Robotic articulations’. You can affect different parts of the audio signal with varying degress of LFO, filter, modulation and more, then mix and blend the signal parts into one composite outcome. These three effects all sound great on drums, vocals, synths and sound effects.
Cableguys – Pancake 2
Autopan is a very useful feature that comes with most DAWs as standard. Cableguys have taken this concept several steps further with Pancake, a juiced-up take on a regular pan tool.
You can set a tempo-synced pan timing, draw in the shape of the pan yourself or use on-board tools to create and tweak. Store up to 8 pan shapes for quick recall, and you can also control all of this with any MIDI controller or keyboard.
U-He – Protoverb
Midi Sound Effects Free Download
The good folks at U-He have struck again – this time it’s a rather excellent, if experimental, reverb plugin. Designed to aid research into fully-fledged reverb software, Protoverb users are invited to submit their best (and worst) reverb settings to aid the team’s research into performance and usability. A small proce to pay for a clean, capable and oftentimes impressive-sounding room-modelling reverb unit.
Reverbs can go from simple, clean stereo rooms to wild, distorted trails of destruction. You can achieve delicious or diabolical with ease! Add in some really cool presets and you’re well on your way to a superior reverb.
N.B Protoverb is VST only.
Looking for free instrument plugins? Check out our top selections here
About the author:
Adam Hignell is a music producer, mastering engineer, DJ and label-owner based in Brighton, UK. When not providing content and tech support for Mixed In Key, he produces music under the alias Don Dayglow, provides professional mastering and mixing services, and runs the independent Disco/House label Particle Zoo.
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