Charlatan

Simplicity goes a long way. In the world of free synths, Charlatan is the very definition of simplicity. It has a barebones subtractive synthesis engine with two oscillators, a single multi-mode filter, two ADSR envelopes, an LFO module, and unison. That’s it. But the lifelike oscillators, fat resonant filter, and snappy envelopes make it an excellent tool for creating authentic analog synthesizer sounds. It’s my favorite synth for classic analog bass and lead sounds.

Charlatan can sound Juno-like when paired with a chorus effect. Try using it with a free chorus plugin like TAL-Chorus for vintage analog pads and keys. It’s also very light on CPU, making it a good choice for layering multiple instances in a busy project.