2023 is almost over. Christmas has come and gone. The New Year is around the corner, but is it too late to say I come bearing gifts? Because if not, Backstreet's back in black, with a sack of goodies I found all over the internet.

That's right, it's Decemberlist 2023, so kick back and dig in as we dive into the best and the baddest music production freebies I could get my carpal tunneled hands on. We got samples, we got instruments and FX, and for the extra nerdy little trendsetters, the easiest AI vocal conversion you've ever heard of. Producers around the world rejoice!

Normally I write a giant post, but I'll save that for later. Onto the list!

Glaze Features recorded live vocalists for vocal textures and runs, promising to cover a LOT of ground in terms of genres, but I think this one is going to be essential for HipHop and R&B in particular. Check out the project video. Glaze is available for Kontakt 7.6 and higher.

Maim - lofi glitch, mp3 compression. This plugin promises to utterly destroy your audio in ways you can hardly imagine.

_efx Refract by Arturia is free until January 4th, after which it will… not be free. The plugin offers harmonic distortion and other cool little doo-dads. Must register, after which you will be afforded a license.

If you're registering, it will send you a funny looking email with a htm document. Don't worry, it didn't brick my PC or trigger my antivirus. You're safe. But it does come with an annoying software manager for licenses.

Producer Grind Sample Kits - Free drum and sound kits in the search bar ;) They come with licenses. The freebies start at the bottom of page 1. Must have an account.

The infamous Spinz 808 is on there. Name a vibe, they probably got it covered. There are enough packs that I had to start shoveling them onto an SD card, believe it or not. Multiple genres covered, and some of them are BIG.

Venus Theory - Noctua (requires registration, ilok)

I saw the announcement for this instrument on VT's channel. It has been in development for a year, shocker, and it sounds pretty damn good. I can see the soundscapes and quirky instruments like EMF Detectors being used in industrial, cyberpunk, and all sorts of genres. Perhaps hybrid filmscore and hip-hop.

Also unfortunately requires UVI's software manager to install, but that's really the only drawback. Personally I can't wait until music production software sites cut that out. If you want me as a loyal customer, one application I can't delete without losing access to your plugin is a surefire way to make sure I don't become one. Two is pushing it.

Steinberg HALion - Taped Vibes (free with registration)

Thanks to @Garf_Richards on X! This one is a HALion piano, which immediately sparks a nostalgia in me I can't put a finger on.

Versilian Studios Freeware - Versilian Studios has a variety of free instruments in sfz format, in other words, that work with the free instrument player Sforzando. There are pianos, orchestral instruments, a jazz drum kit, and legacy discontinued software you can dive into to your hearts' content.

Pianobook - This site is more than just what it says on the tin. User created sample packs, kontakt instruments, sfz instruments, and more. I couldn't possibly name how many drum sets, pads, keys, guitars, and more that I found on here. It was even the inspiration behind my own projects, Saudade Drums Remastered and the CTK-2400 Project

Unison Audio - Zenmaster

Likely released as competition for Cymatics Origin (which I also recommend) If you're looking for some quick vinyl flavor, might as well cop it. You can't really knock free!

Cymatics also has OODLES of free samples and plugins, including an analog chorus, déjà vu, Diablo Lite, and Space Lite.

Although many sites promising free samples and plugins are absolute junk, Cymatics has delivered year after year, and I'll be the first to cop. No, this is not a paid advertisement. This is my honest opinion. I have Origin myself and the paid version of Diablo. I use them religiously in my productions.

And finally, I promised you a thicc write-up somewhere in here. Figured I might as well go in on the tangential project I've been working on all week, because I think the next app I'm about to talk about is SO cool.

Replay Vocal AI

Got a little how-to video for this completely free application, allowing you to turn your acapellas into entire choirs of different vocalists in minutes, or in my case seconds! It will take multiple models and takes for a true choir, but the conversions themselves are quick, and the applications for use in your music don't end there.

To show you I mean what I say, I've recorded an entire 19 minute script on my webcam mic and converted it into studio quality using a model based on my own songs and voice acting. Basically, it's a MASSIVE spoken word demo.

You've probably seen my AI voice covers and originals, which I recorded in realtime with so-vits-svc, one of the most popular methods out there. Well, this has been a game changer for me, and here's why.

So-vits is great for converting your voice in live chat, not so much in the studio because it requires big brain programming, virtual audio cable wizardry, and tons of editing takes. It eats up so much data, and it's a freaking hassle.

Replay RVC offers the ability to record your best takes beforehand and process them without any programming knowledge or complications. It comes ready to use after install and prompt access to models from weights.gg. There's everything from Hatsune Miku to a literal trumpet you can use. You can convert instruments to voice and vice versa too. It's super convenient and ready to get wacky.

So, I finally bit the bullet and paid for monthly Colab to make this video popping. I got my new voice models running in a matter of hours, converted all the takes in a few minutes, and converted them again for the other models I tested, some of which I also made.

If you'd like to attempt this yourself and upscale your bad recordings or experiment with turning an actual instrument like an electric guitar for a WILD ass vocoder, I'll be happy to train models for you for a small fee (to cover the compute costs -- I only have so many hours!) I'll also prep datasets and troubleshoot models/installation.

Hit me up if interested here, on X (OGAdrean), or Discord (ADR3-N). YT comments also get my attention.

That wraps it up for our end of year freebies. If you've seen any more lying around, feel free to drop them here. You can also ask @LD-W for an invite to the Newgrounds Audio Pub server, where he regularly posts free and discounted audio production resources. Really great place to stop in and recharge your batteries, as well!

Onto more pressing matters, like how many couches I've had to move this week, and whether or not I've finally broken a nail. The answer is 3 and no respectively. But I am still running playlists for Spotify and other platforms -- so if you're an artist looking to get playlisted, check in here!

Other news, Lyudi Invalidy has made its way to Spotify and YT safe and sound, no issues with my cover license whatsoever. You can stream it below.

And I am still doing free and paid track reviews for music producers and audio engineers both here and on X. If you're looking for quality, unbiased feedback on your compositions from the perspective of an experienced audio critic, tailored to your budget and individual needs, reach out to me via PM, X, or Discord. Paid items go to the top of my list, but I usually am able to get to all but the thickest albums in before a week is out.

I also do track writeups and album analysis, if you're looking for someone to write articles on literally whatever.

Other projects I'm working on include F-gents' Line of Work series voice acting, a free metal cymbal project I do in my spare time, several, several singles including one coming to us all the way from the annals of 2016, and finishing off Adreanaline sample pack. Now that the bulk of my audio engineering work is through and I have all my fancy new models in place, I'm free to get back to doing these little writeups every so often, collabs, and catching up on my mails.

While I'm here, I wanted to say it's been great being with you all this year. I hope you all have had a Merry Christmas and will soon have a very happy New Year.

I won't append a long list of @'s, but I'd like to thank all of my supporters, patrons, and commissioners. You have made it possible to continue to focus on what matters to me most, music and the vast content creation community we have cultivated on and off of Newgrounds.

I can't imagine a better decade to have been alive doing what I love. The possibilities are endless.

Thank you again, and if I'm not the first to tell you, I'll see you all next year!

-Adrean

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