Free Alpha by LinPlug

Free Alpha has an average user rating of 4.30 from 10 reviews

User Reviews by KVR Members for Free Alpha

Reviewed By Funkybot [all]
January 24th, 2003
Version reviewed: 2.01 on Windows

This is another fantastic bit of freeware, and definately a must have in any VST arsenal. It's fully featured and then some, with polyphony, glide, a mod matrix, a huge selection of waveforms, and four different filter types, not to mention a chorus! I mean really, as far as features go this is one of, if not the most fully featured freeware synths. The oscs are probably on the duller side, as they aren't as bright, or in your face as some other synths, but it's a nice break from things. On the flipside to that I'm not sure if the leads FreeAlpha produces would cut through a busy mix without some help from other plugs. Also it doesn't seem to alais very much at all at the higher frequencies, I suspect the dull nature of the oscs could have something to do with that though. The impressive thing here is really the mod matrix, which is very nice to have around on a freeware synth. The GUI is professional and very well laid out, featuring the stock Linplug look. The presets are actually some of the better ones on a freeware synth, especially the pad sounds, something about the seeming simplicity and mellowness of some of the preset pad sounds really had me excited. I really think FreeAlpha could really shine as a pad machine, for those times when you really need something cool, but subtle to just round out a mix. All in all this is an excellent analog synth, especially for newbies who can't afford some of the bigger stuff. Kudos to Linplug for giving it away for free.

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Comments & Discussion for LinPlug Free Alpha

Discussion: Active

bruhmannbd
27 September 2012 at 9:36pm

Hello Forum I'm newbie, I installed free alpha on my MacBook Pro and now Pro Tools wont work> Is there some setting I missed?

BlackWinny
1 November 2013 at 4:23pm

The new page for Alpha and Free Alpha is this one :

http://www.linplug.com/alpha.html

The choice among both is made using the tabs at the bottom of the page.

skotterz
3 November 2013 at 7:02pm

does anyone know if the alpha can work with other DAWs? So far in my research it appears Pro Tools is a requirement, but why would they limit it? I'm using Ableton Live 9.

BlackWinny
3 November 2013 at 10:20pm

Here at home:

with Cantabile Lite: no problem.
With Band-In-A-Box 2013: no problem.
With Magix Samplitude Music Studio 17: no problem.
With Mutools Mulab: No problem.
With SAVIHost: no problem.
With VSTHost: No problem.
With BigTick Zen: No problem.

Beware! Like many VST's Free Alpha is provided to be installed as 32-bit but also to be installed as 64-bit (in the case of FreeAlpha you must launch the same installer twice and make your choice each time).

32-bit VSTs must be used only with 32-bit DAWs.
64-bit VSTs must be used only with 64-bit SAWs.

So... always the same recurrent question which in 95% of the cases resolve the problem: are you sure that you try to use FreeAlpha 32-bit (named "freealpha.dll") with Ableton Live Lite 32-bit and that you try to use FreeAlpha 64-bit (named "freealpha 64.dll") with Ableton Live Lite 64-bit?

THIS POST HAS BEEN REMOVED

skotterz
3 November 2013 at 10:57pm

blackwinny, thanks very much for the reply. (I use Ableton Live 9 Suite, 32-bit, by the way.) I read the 'Read Me' system requirements for Alpha too quickly, misreading that ProTools was required for it to work. .. my bad - it works just fine. i'm trying out the free version as I'm keen to use its microtuning capabilities.

BlackWinny
17 April 2014 at 4:33pm

I've just found an old (2007) but good review here, with a rather deep description of this free edition (with even audiogram curves of the filters).

chris 444
4 September 2016 at 8:35am

unfortunately no recent link for download ?

ace89tony
19 September 2016 at 3:06pm

No So the company themselves are giving the plugin for free @.

https://www.kvraudio.com/product/free-alpha-by-linplug.

for now...................

NWSM
14 September 2017 at 3:18am

How to scroll the next Presets after "LD intrusive Lead 2 vv".

There is no scrollbar, cant drag and pull, mousewheel no function...

If i click the browser-button, in the wrapped alpha panel, in bitwig 2.1, i have more presets available...if i choose one of the not visible presets, the preset view in alpha itself jump to the first preset (Alpha !!! BT), but play sometimes the choosed preset not always. Its confusing.

dr0ppa
29 November 2018 at 11:11pm

I accidentally deleted my set of original presets that come with this plug-in... could someone re-upload the original stock presets that come with this?

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