Mensla MS-3 is a new 1-oscillator waveshaper Synthesizer plugin with drawable waveforms and built-in FXs for macOS and Windows.
Good news for all free plugin hunters. The year is over for many, but not quite yet for others. In addition to a new FX plugin (crunchrr), we can welcome another free synth for 2024. It was developed by Mensla, known to some for his MS-2 plugin.
It’s a free experimental Synthesizer with a unique GUI design. It uses a hybrid mix of subtractive, FM, and other synthesis techniques. With MS-3, Mensla has unveiled his second free synthesizer plugin for macOS and Windows.
Mensla MS-3
MS-3 is a single-oscillator Synthesizer for macOS and Windows. It uses a waveshaper, which allows you to draw your own shapes. You start with a simple line, but by double-pressing it, you can extend it and connect it with other segments. These extensions make the basic sound more complex and richer.
In the GUI shown, you can see an example of a more complex waveform. In the same section, you can work with feedback and run the signal out and back in the synth for more characterful, dirty sounds. Let’s move on to the middle section. Here, you can fine-tune the oscillator with various controls, such as octave and semi, and adjust the left/right phase and pitch.
Then, it goes into a dual filter with a resonant lowpass and non-resonant highpass section. From here, you can refine your sounds with a multi-FX processor, which includes distortion, bit-crusher, delay, reverb, and comb filter. A solid set of features, especially the distortion and comb filter, allows for very nasty sounds.
On the modulation side, it has two ADSR envelopes but no LFO. There is also an oversampling feature. If you want to push your CPU to the maximum, give it a try and raise it to 32x.
First Impression
The free MS-2 Synthesizer from Mensla in 2023 was very well received by the community. The special GUI design took some getting used to. MS-3 looks clearer and easier to use.
However, the feature set of MS-3 offers a lot to play with. Mensla has also built a visualizer into the MS-3, which doesn’t work for me. All in all, it is a great last 2024 minute free synth release.
Mensla MS-3 is now available for free download. It runs as a Windows VST3 and macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel) AU plugin. The official page has details on how to install it.
More information here: Mensla
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