U-he Tyrell N6 3.0 is a major update of its free Synthesizer plugin with native Apple Silicon support, MTS–ESP microtuning, and more.
15 years ago, the German music tech online magazine Amazona.de released the Tyrell N6, a free Synthesizer they developed in collaboration with U-he and Mic Moogulator from the Sequencer forum.
It’s a very popular free Synthesizer plugin that hasn’t been maintained for a long time. That’s now changing. U-he has taken over the distribution and released Tyrell N6 3.0 today, a major update with many improvements. It’s now in beta, and it’s still 100% free.
U-he Tyrell N6 3.0
Tyrell N6 3.0 is a free update and remains the same Synthesizer plugin. It’s a virtual analog/analog modeling Synthesizer with two oscillators, a sub-oscillator, noise, a multi-mode filter, two LFOs, two envelopes, and a chorus effect.
For me, it’s a perfect free synth to learn synthesis with because of its straightforward, logical layout. It’s not an emulation of a vintage synth, but a rather a combination of the best elements of various classics:
Because of its logical layout, it’s a perfect free synth to learn synthesis with. It does not directly emulate a classic but instead combines elements from various synths. The feature set was created with the help of the Amazona community.
For example, the oscillators are Roland-like, while the feedback functionality in the mixer comes from the Moog Minimoog.
U-he Tyrell N6 3.0 brings the plugin to the 2025 maintenance level. First of all, the plugin now runs on modern computers again. This includes native Apple Silicon support, including the latest macOS Sequoia.
It also ships with CLAP and improved VST3 support. However, AAX and CLAP are now 64-bit only, and macOS 32-bit has been discontinued.
The Tyrell N6’s user interface has also received a facelift. It now has better GUI performance and includes a modern preset browser. It introduces sound set installation via drag & drop, new GUI scaling options (50% & 60%), and updated user guides.
Further, this major update includes support for MTS–ESP micro tuning, which allows you to use custom scales. Other changes are:
- revamped preset library
- Makeshift configuration section added
- User–definable MIDI CC control instead of Breath and Expression
- VST2 > VST3 migration
- Improved parameter automation in Pro Tools
- Windows installer now comes with an uninstaller
Alternative GUIs & Free Presets
If you’d like to give the U-he Tyrell N6 3.0 a new look, visit Plugmon’s website. The Japanese designer offers two beautiful alternative skins (photo above) for the Tyrell N6. You can also download a preset library with 144 free presets for the plugin.
First Impression
This is excellent news from U-he. I’m happy to be able to use the Tyrell N6 on modern systems again.
U-he Tyrell N6 3.0 is now available as a free download. The current build is in beta. It runs as a VST, VST3, AU, CLAP, and AAX plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel), Linux, and Windows.
More information here: U-he
Nice to see. It’s one of my faves and sounds great.
I taught a digital music production class and free synths like this were indeed great for learning/teaching basic synthesis.
Can this new v3 import presets for previous versions?
sure