With the festive season almost in full swing and the temptations of black Friday in the mirror, it would be an understatement to say that many synth enthusiasts feel the pinch in their wallets. Thankfully, even if you have no cash to spare to buy new synths, it is still possible to breathe new life into your older synths thanks to free firmware updates. Here’s a roundup of all the latest synth updates that can be downloaded for free if you own the hardware. 

Pērkons 1.1 update

By Erica Synths

Erica Synths has released the 1.1 firmware update for the Pērkons HD-01 drum synthesizer. Some of the highlights of this free update include chromatic MIDI note input, MIDI note velocity input, a new digital noise algorithm, the option for inverse ODDs behavior, the option to save FX parameters within the KIT, and improved trigger/MIDI note recording. 

Visit the official website to download the update and view information on how to update the firmware (https://www.ericasynths.lv/news/perkons-11-update/). 

3rd Wave OS 1.6 update

By Groove Synthesis

Groove Synthesis has released the free 3rd Wave OS version 1.6 update for the 24-voice wavetable synthesizer. The most significant addition is the inclusion of the complete set of classic Prophet VS waves that can be used to recreate many of the sounds of this legendary instrument. Check out the official website to download a pre-release version of 3rd Wave OS 1.6, VS waves and instructions (https://www.groovesynthesis.com/support/). 

SpectraNoise Firmware Update for Spectraphon
By Make Noise

Make Noise announced that a new firmware update will soon be released for the Spectraphon. The team is still hard at work finalizing the firmware, but in the meantime released a YouTube video highlighting the two new oscillator modes, Chaos, and Noise. Check out the official website for more information on the Spectraphon and the YouTube video below to hear sounds made by it in the two new oscillator modes (https://www.makenoisemusic.com/modules/spectraphon). 

Supermassive 3.0.0

By Valhalla

Valhalla has released the 3.0.0 update for the ValhallaSupermassive plugin. This free plugin is based around feedback delay networks, and Valhalla describes it as a bunch of concepts they have had in mind over the past few decades, but could never find a home for. In addition to fixing a rendering issue in Reaper, the 3.0.0 update also adds two new Echo/Reverb modes. 

The first, Leo, is the largest, densest, and lushest mode in Supermassive, with a very slow attack, long to very long decay, and high echo density. It also offers balanced modulation and lots of control over high and low frequency decay. According to Valhalla, Leo is perfect for big synthesizer sounds in addition to realistic cathedral sounds or other long reverbs.

The second is Virgo, which is the smallest and sparsest mode in Supermassive. It features fast attack and could be mistaken for a stereo delay until the Density control is turned up. Valhalla recommends Virgo for pointillistic echoes, spring-ish reverb sounds, and complex delays that create more space around your music. 

Visit the official Valhalla website for a no-strings-attached free download of Supermassive 3.0.0 (https://valhalladsp.com/shop/reverb/valhalla-supermassive/). 

Analog Rytm OS 1.70 Update

By Elektron

Elektron has announced the availability of the 1.70 OS update for the Analog Rytm MKII. In addition to bug fixes, users who update from OS1.61E to 1.70 will find a range of new improvements for their hardware. The update adds five new machines: the SY CHIP, RAW, BD ACOUSTIC, SD ACOUSTIC, HH LAB, and an Euclidean mode for the sequencer. Users can now also set a specific number of sequencer steps as record length in the sampler if they want loops with the exact length. In addition, pad scales and fold functionality have been added when playing the PADS in CHROMATIC mode. Selected pattern pages can now be looped, and a new LED brightness setting parameter has been added. The latest update adds plenty of other improvements, so check out the release notes for the complete list (https://www.elektron.se/en/analog-rytm-mkii-os-release-notes).