Dead Duck Software Free FX and Instruments

[Starship Krupa]

A very nice collection of original 32/64-bit VST's, and an interesting tribute to some of the venerable mda synths and pianos in the form of giving them actual modern GUI's.

I've given his compressor quite a workout and it works well. Since the mda ePiano is my all-time favorite Rhodes clone, having a GUI for it makes me so happy.

Really, I'm having a tough time thinking of a more comprehensive, better quality collection of free VST's floating around under one brand these days. Guy comes outta nowhere....

http://deadducksoftware.blogspot.rs/

[Rolling Estonian]

And this is why high end vst companies are frantically trying to figure out how to keep making money. It's going to be an interesting couple of years. Looking forward to checking some of these out this weekend! Thanks man!

M

[Ianpb]

And this is why high end vst companies are frantically trying to figure out how to keep making money. M

I've often pointed to the unjustifiably high price of plugins. Sure, it takes time and skill to do the programming (something my brain can't deal with) and GUI, but once completed it's not as if a huge capital outlay is required to set up a production process; it's effectively just a matter of copy & paste. If these 'high end' plugin companies applied more reasonable prices to their products they would manage to sell a far greater quantity whilst reducing the stimulus for piracy. Far too many short-sighted and rapacious developers fail to understand the basic rules of capitalism.

[Starship Krupa]

We can use the freebies, the people who want to can use the "unjustifiables," and the music can flow. It all seems good to me. I have more plug-ins now than I will probably ever learn to use!

[Rolling Estonian]

I wouldn't say unjustifiable at all, I know the higher end plugs have their worth to some, but truth be told, the coding hasn't really changed in years. For instance, aside from some newer products, Waves core plugs have been the same since they were introduced, some really old. The higher ends are now having constant blow out sales and charging for 'upgrades', which is arguably justifiable.

I'm not trying to hijack the thread, and not trying to ruffle any feathers, just wondering what the future holds for all of this tech. Crazy stuff.

M

[CazaroTaro]

I have been reviewing the DD Compressor as it is the only native sidechaining compressor I have found that is both free and available in 32 and 64 bit VSTs.

I have found the following:

a. Works in Mixcraft 32 bit and 64 bit versions, build 405.

b. Attack times from 0.1 msec to 200 msec

c. Release times from 50 msec to 1000 msec

d. Sidechain can be internal or external; selected via a switch on GUI.

e. The sidechain (internal or external) can be gain adjusted (Trim) and hi-pass filtered. The hi-pass filter seems to be 6 dB/octave based on my testing. The range of the hi-pass filter is 10 Hz to 2000 Hz.

f. You can listen to the sidechain signal (switch on the GUI) to validate you have the right one, and to hear the effect of trim and filter adjustments.

g. The compressed and dry signal can be mixed.

h. There is no auto-gain makeup for the output signal. There is a manual makeup gain knob.

i. The input, output, and gain reduction are shown in a graphical display.

j. The CPU usage seems to be 1.5x to 2x that of the Acoustica Compressor VST. This is based on the CPU meter in Mixcraft. Note that the Acoustica Compressor does not sidechain – the comparison is only to give folks an idea of the CPU usage.

By and large, I am impressed on features and performance.

Cazar