Just a Sample, BP-909, Tubeshifter: Free Plugins of the Week
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Just a Sample, BP-909, Tubeshifter: Free Plugins of the Week · Source: Binyamin Friedman
Happy New Year everyone! Let’s kick off 2025 with three excellent free plugins. Just a Sample is an easy-to-use but very versatile sampler, BP-909 is a free 909-style drum machine for Windows, and Tubeshifter is an analog-modeled tube saturator.
Free Plugins of the Week
Just a Sample: Versatile Open-Source Sampler
Just a Sample by Binyamin Friedman is a free and open-source sampler plugin for macOS, Windows, and Linux. You can import samples via drag&drop or record directly into the plugin. Then, Just a Sample lets you adjust the start and end points, change the pitch (applying extreme settings can yield some pretty wacky results!), and add loops with equal-power crossfades. There’s also a simple attack/release envelope. You can zoom in to the sample level for precise editing.
Moreover, you can choose between standard playback and a Bungee mode based on the Kupix Bungee time stretcher, which lets you manipulate the time and pitch independently. In Waveform mode, the plugin loops single cycles of samples, effectively acting like a wavetable synth. It’s also got built-in reverb, chorus, distortion, and EQ effects. And if you’re brave enough, you can disable anti-aliasing for a lo-fi effect.
Just a Sample is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST3 and AU formats.
Bipolar Audio BP-909: Free 909 for Windows
BP-909 by Bipolar Audio is a free sample-based drum machine for Windows that brings the sound of the legendary TR-909 to your DAW. Being a ROMpler, it’s based on processed samples, so it isn’t a complete emulation of the 909, but rather a snapshot of the drum machine in a certain state. However, you get five presets to choose from, as well as a selection of 909-style controls for manipulating tune, decay, and other parameters.
At the time of writing, BP-909 is only available for Windows. However, the developer says that a Mac version is in the works. If you’re not on Windows, you can also download the samples in WAV format and load them into the sampler plugin of your choice.
BP-909 is a VST and VST3 plugin for Windows.
Frostwave Audio Tubeshifter: Analog-Style Tube Saturation
Tubeshifter by Frostwave Audio is a simple but great-sounding tube saturator plugin for macOS and Windows. In addition to the all-important Drive knob, there’s a Colour knob that acts like a tilt EQ, letting you control the tonal balance of your signal with a single knob. It’s also got a Mix slider for dry/wet control. Simple but useful!
Tubeshifter is available for macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU formats.
Looking for more free plugins like Just a Sample, BP-909, and Tubeshifter? Check out our archive!
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One response to “Just a Sample, BP-909, Tubeshifter: Free Plugins of the Week”
Great stuff. I have 13x Make Noise Maths (best module for iambent ever) and have just ordered another 🤓
Happy new year!