Download the presets via the developer’s Facebook page, and you’ll have a very capable – and surprisingly varied – synth on your hands. And it’s from this programmer that software gets its interface. The PG-8X is based on the legendary JX-8P, an analogue subtractive six-voice synth with digitally-controlled oscillators and a separate programmer, the PG-800. Roland’s synth legacy from the 1980s is impressive, and the freeware community has paid homage to them in abundance. It’s also just recently been updated to version 2. With help from some other free plug-ins, you can quickly create a vast palette of impressive sounds. The dual-oscillator plug-in features some modern additions to expand on the sound-shaping possibilities of the original, including a continuously blendable multimode filter.

OB-Xd from discoDSP’s is a faithful reproduction of the rich-sounding synth, implementing randomised micro-tuning to achieve similar tones. The OB-X was a fat and warm-sounding 80s hardware polysynth that barged its way to prominence with the help of Jean-Michel Jarre, Herbie Hancock, Van Halen and Queen – among plenty other artists. To get to grips with FM synthesis using Dexed, head to our workshop. You can also load in original DX7 patches so that you can grab more presets from those who have spent the time mastering the hardware FM synth.

Dexed is an open-source DX7 clone, and while it sports a bit of an intimidating interface, it’s much easier to navigate than the original hardware. The DX7 was incredibly popular in the 80s and 90s, though, and you can hear it presets on countless pop hits. Frequency modulation (FM) synthesis has a bit of a rep of being difficult to master, mostly due to Yamaha’s DX7 – the hardware FM synth that defines the genre.

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