By rvltion909@yahoo.com
On 17th April 2007
Version: free
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Simply said this little guy has some GREAT sound quality. Its got a very basic interface with all the standard controls.
The thing that stood out to me right away was its sound quality. The filter got my attention right away. Its something you learn to appreciate after downloading loads of "freeware" products.
It comes with some great sounding presets. Props to Linplug for this gem! Straight to the point reliability and quality, not ground breaking but great promo product and one of THE best freebies I have.
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By Rabid
On 9th December 2003
Version: 2.?
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This is one of the better free VSTi’s. Quality wise it matches up with Triangle I and Triange II, both of which are mono. If you want that LinnPlug sound and don’t have the money, try this synth. If you are not sure how the LinnPlug sound will sit in your mix and don’t want to create a song with demos, try this synth. I like it best for the softer pads. The simple architecture does not have the modulation matrix of Delta III or Albino, but it still sounds good for simple part, and not every part in a song needs to be a complex pad. I also believe in using the most basic synth for the part as to help with CPU efficiency, along with the efficiency of the person writing the music.
Pros:
Free
Decent sound.
Good for basic pads.
Easy to use and learn.
Cons:
None for a free synth that works well and sounds good.
Robert |
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By Phaedo
On 17th July 2003
Version: 2.0
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It's a crime that this thing is offered for free. You've got a polyphonic 2 oscillator synth with effects, LFOs, and more routing options than a MiniMoog. And they're using it just to promote their other products.
A warning: this review is critical. That's not to say it's a bad review. Actually, the product is great.
There's a couple of nastinesses about the user interface. The full waveform name isn't displayed. The knobs to my mind sit rather uneasily between a 2d and 3d look. The worst bit, though, is the preset manager, which fails to open in the correct directory. This is, of course, a matter of taste. I just don't much like it.
On the other hand, the interface is simple and easy to use (unlike plenty of other synths). In particular, the ability to octave-shift the oscillators is very easy to play with.
Is the sound that "classic analogue"? To my ears, not quite, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The presets don't necessarily jump out at you, but there's a lot of workman-like, usable stuff in there.
There are, however, a lot of waveforms, and the jewel in the crown: polyphonic note stealing. Human played pads sound wonderful with this (you can also achieve the effect through careful editing, obviously...) It's a pity none of the presets have limited polyphony to show this off immediately.
As you've probably gathered, I use this thing for pad sounds. Synth basses don't really interest me, and, good though it is, I think there are better free synths for leads.
Feature-wise, I'd say it was "just right". There's enough features to be useful and creative with it, but it doesn't have the kitchen sink and if you want more, you can go buy Albino...
Have to admit, I've never actually read the manual or used the technical support, so I've given them 10. I've never seen it crash either, so that's a genuine 10.
Value for money and value for time is excellent. I guarantee that if you download it and start messing around, it won't be an hour before you can find something to use on a tune. I wouldn't have Alpha dominate the tune but frankly, too many synths try to.
If you've got too many synths already, you really don't need another. On the other hand, if you're starting out, or you just want a different texture for one song, go get it, it won't disappoint you. This isn't one of those free synths where you get what you pay for. It's one of those that leaves you feeling like you've stolen from the developer. |
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By Permanent4
On 23rd May 2003
Version: 2.03
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If you have never worked with analog synthesis and want to learn the basics, or if you have fond memories of those old Roland and Alesis hardware synths from the 80s, FreeAlpha should be the first VSTi you download.
This little gem offers warm analog sound, excellent filters, a wide variety of waveforms to play with, and a very simple layout that practically explains itself. It also offers room for growth with its modulation matrix, which can produce some interesting results with a little experimentation. Beginning sound designers can tweak to their hearts content and find much potential here.
FreeAlpha is usually my first call VSTi for synth bass sounds and saw leads, but It's also quite useful for pads and square leads. The sound is full and rich, and it's as rock-solid stable a synth as I've ever used. It doesn't come with a wide array of presets, but really, with a synth like this, you'll be making your own in no time. It's top-notch, it's easy to use, and its free. What more could you want from a VSTi? Go click that Download button. |
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By x_bruce
On 22nd March 2003
Version: 2.x
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The freeAlpha is one of my favorite Juno/80's sounding synths. The feature set is actually substantially better than the Juno but it has a warm character that fits well in literally any type of timbre.
In particular synth strings, basses, synth swells and synth pianos are easy to program and have a certain 'rightness' to them. You have nothing to lose trying freeAlpha, it's free and a small download.
Although far from being a programming monster freeAlpha is fairly simple which is in it's favor. In a cluttered arena of analog-like synths and one synth does everything freeAlpha is refreshingly direct and highly effective for the style of sounds it was developed to create.
High marks because I turn to this over shareware and commercial synths. |
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By kritikon
On 28th February 2003
Version: 2.0
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I won't go into all the features on this little beauty, as it's already been said, so I'll say why I use it so much as a solid workhorse for stock analogue synth sounds.
a) it has an accuracy feature - turn it down from 100% and you get progressively more subtle instabilities in the sound - which gives a very analogue feel to it - it becomes far less sterile than many VSTi's out there.
b) it's warm sounding - no nasty bright high end (which many people like) but nevertheless wasn't a feature on most analogue synths. The blurb says they tried to get that warmth, and Linplug got this right. The filters lose some of their effectiveness on high notes, but I like that - so do most genuine analogue synths.
c) very easy to programme - it's laid out simply and sensibly - no menus and switching between pages.
d)The mod matrix - excellent for a freebie. Not as many options as I'd like, but it's free, so you can't expect the world. And it often surprises with it's gritty edge if you modulate the oscillator symmetry - sounds like a kind of oscillator sync (very useful) for leads.
e) the filters - maybe it's just me, but I actually prefer the Freealpha filters to the ones on their DeltaIII which is alot posher. DeltaIII filters sound a but white-noisey in high resonance to me, but the Freealpha ones self-oscillate comfortably and musically.
f) it's a workhorse - you can get all the standard analogue sounds you need and know that it will sit in a mix properly. The Roland Junos were popular for this - thay weren't amazing, but you can find a use in any track for it. Same with Freealpha - it maybe won't have your jaw dropping, but you come back to it again and again, for basses, pads, e-pianos, brasses etc.
It's one of my most used VSTi's. It won't sound like Darth Vader, no arp, no amazing character, but it's very well programmed and very musical and warm which is what makes a useable synth. |
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By Funkybot
On 24th January 2003
Version: 2.01
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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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By warbug
On 1st December 2002
Version: 2.03
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this synth has a very nice low end to it, which not many other synths have compared to the high priced "professional" models. if you want bread and butter type sounds this synth will deliver them. very stable never had a problem with it crashing.
free alpha was used in cubase 5.0
p4@1.5GHz with 512 rambus
and a MOTU 828 |
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By jzero
On 24th July 2002
Version: 2.0
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Not the sexiest synth out therem but extremely fat sounding analog sounds out of this freebie. Great for bass, tons of waveforms. Excellent on-board chorus. Modulation matrix is cool but the synth needs a second LFO and a mod-destination for the LFO rates. Clean interface and very stable. Presets are fine, but I prefer to program it.
Can't believe they don't charge for this one! |
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Last edited : 27th September 2003
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By Crossinger
On 26th August 2001
Version: 2.0
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Well, after the Release of the 2.0 version, it's time to revamp my first review. FreeAlpha has become a wonderful, full featured and fat sounding little tool. I instantly found some unfinished tracks where I could use FreeAlpha. Next to my Everyday-Bass TauPro, this one seems to become my favourite Analog-Synth! :-)
(My former review: My first contact to VSTi's. Compared to Muon's Atom (for free, too) this one sounds thin & plastic. Very digital filters and even the complex modulation possibilities won't compensate for its "cheap" sound.)
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Last edited : 15th July 2002
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| Latest 10 reviews from a total of 10 |
