best FREE bread&butter presets synth?

[excuse me please]

Piano, what about this?
https://output.com/blog/best-free-piano-vsts

Bass Guitar:
https://happycomposer.com/free-bass-guitar/

Trumpet:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-trumpet-v ... nstruments

Sax:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-saxophone ... nstruments

Brass:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-brass-vst ... nstruments

Violin/Cello:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-violin-vs ... nstruments

Flute:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-flute-vst ... nstruments

Organ:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-organ-vst ... nstruments

Hohner Clavinet emu Ticky Clav 2:
https://www.2getheraudio.com/instruments/ticky_clav_2/

[wwjd]

A lot of very good free suggestions here, but the request was for one plugin to do it all. Don't see anything in the free column yet that can do it all...

IK,R? I think I discovered a hidden niche. Or, no one else has ever needed this, and I'm just an oddball.
Still... all my hardware synths covered most of the bread and butter -- I think that is how synths all started at the dawn of Synthdom: trying to mimic real intruments: flute, oboe, piano, strings...

[wwjd]

Piano, what about this?
https://output.com/blog/best-free-piano-vsts

Bass Guitar:
https://happycomposer.com/free-bass-guitar/

Trumpet:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-trumpet-v ... nstruments

Sax:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-saxophone ... nstruments

Brass:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-brass-vst ... nstruments

Violin/Cello:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-violin-vs ... nstruments

Flute:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-flute-vst ... nstruments

Organ:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-organ-vst ... nstruments

Hohner Clavinet emu Ticky Clav 2:
https://www.2getheraudio.com/instruments/ticky_clav_2/

All very good, and thank you, but seeking ONE VST to rule them all.
It's for common usage by unskilled bandmates

[Super Piano Hater 64]

The “one plugin” rule is the crazy part. I still say a soundfont is the only way to make it work.

[BONES]

That's probably the way to go - find a free soundfont player and some free soundfonts to cover all your needs. It shouldn't be too hard to do. Maybe something like Zampler could do the job?

Maybe to you. Not to my ears. Not comparing to libraries I spent hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars on.

I would suggest that the money you spent probably influences your perception more than somewhat.

But I guess everybody has different expectations.

I can't see any reason to spend even hundreds of dollars on anything that is going to be sitting in a mix with half-a-dozen other instruments. In that situation, for me, the impression of a piano will do and the right reverb will make it sound as epic as I need it to. e.g. I used Olga to play the piano part in THIS SONG.

It's the part that starts at around 1:42. It doesn't really sound like a piano but it does the job of a piano well enough, which is all you need most of the time. I reckon it sounds great here, it was jsut what I was looking for.

[DJErmac]

Once upon a time, there was Proteus that would 100% fit your request (yeah I know, already been suggested). It contains all kinds of sounds, from real instruments to synths.

If it works on your machine, you’re in luck. Mine doesn’t want to load the soundbanks since ages.

Do not expect super highly detailed realistic instruments, as it’s very old and very light, but quality is there for sure.

[LoveEnigma18]

AIR Music Xpand!2

Not free, but available for $5 here (great seller btw) and should cover your needs pretty well.

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=544271

[BONES]

It's iLok, though, so he wouldn't be interested.

[excuse me please]

Piano, what about this?
https://output.com/blog/best-free-piano-vsts

Bass Guitar:
https://happycomposer.com/free-bass-guitar/

Trumpet:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-trumpet-v ... nstruments

Sax:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-saxophone ... nstruments

Brass:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-brass-vst ... nstruments

Violin/Cello:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-violin-vs ... nstruments

Flute:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-flute-vst ... nstruments

Organ:
https://hiphopmakers.com/free-organ-vst ... nstruments

Hohner Clavinet emu Ticky Clav 2:
https://www.2getheraudio.com/instruments/ticky_clav_2/

All very good, and thank you, but seeking ONE VST to rule them all.
It's for common usage by unskilled bandmates

I know, sorry, but I just wanted to have a link to this thread as a reference. Saves my notebook.

Btw Years ago since I used a piano

[ATS]

Synth1

ditto, I remember when I first tried this I thought it had to cost something but it was really free!

[SparkySpark]

I think I discovered a hidden niche. Or, no one else has ever needed this, and I'm just an oddball.
Still... all my hardware synths covered most of the bread and butter

Well, unless you stole them, your hardware synths weren't free.

Point is, assembling soundfonts (or something other) and tweaking them to make them fit in terms of volume and sonic character would come at a price. This leaves
a) the Proteus freebie (which probably won't work today, at least it doesn't on my system),
b) a soundfont collection, though it will be a hassle to put it together
c) XPand!2, which serves your needs better in all respects than a) and b) but requires iLok (the money to spend is really small though).

Another option is to use a free DAW with onboard sounds. I'm thinking MuLab Free, or just MUX, if you only want the sounds and effects.

Whatever you choose, good luck!

[magicmusic]

you can try the free tx16w sampler which can play soundfonts, exs, akai and sfz formats too. there are alot of general midi and more banks out. you can also automatic sample https://www.tx16wx.com/

[zzz00m]

SampleTank 4 CS is free, and comes with 50 instruments (5 GB).

Includes 1 to 4 instruments in each of the following categories: Bass, Brass, Chromatic, Acoustic Drums, Electronic Drums, Ethnic, Acoustic Guitars, Organs, Strings, Synth (Arpeggio, Bass, Lead, Pad, Sweep), Voices. https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/s ... etank-4-cs

PDF with full ST4 CS sound list >>> https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/i ... uments.pdf

[syntonica]

There are several FREE GM Soundfonts out there for the downloading.
https://www.philscomputerlab.com/genera ... fonts.html

Get your favorite FREE SF player and have at it.
https://hiphopmakers.com/best-free-soun ... vst-plugin

The OP can just load the needed files on a USB stick to pass around to their bandmates.

[Halonmusic]

soundfonts might be the way to go indeed. lots of great stuff really