KVR Developer Challenge 2023 is now live! Everyone interested can download 21 freeware VST plugins. KVR Audio forum members can now vote for their favorite entries.
This is the ninth edition of the KVR Developer Challenge. Audio developers were invited to submit new plugins or sound libraries for a chance to win one of the five available cash prizes. The prize pool is sponsored by KVR Audio forum members.
Previous editions of the KVR Developer Challenge brought us legendary freeware plugins like Nova-67P (which later evolved into TDR Nova and became one of the best currently available free EQ plugins), Triple Cheese by u-he, Youlean Loudness Meter, Multiply by Acon Digital (one of the best free choruses), Emissary by Ignite Amps, and many more amazing freebies.
This year’s plugin lineup is equally exciting, and I’m sure that everyone will find at least one keeper among the many available freebies.
We are currently testing the entries and will feature our favorite ones in separate news articles. Until then, I will quickly mention some of the KVR Developer Challenge 2023 plugins that instantly caught my attention.
Wave Breaker by Press Play
First up is Wave Breaker, a transparent true-peak stereo limiter plugin developed by Press Play.
Wave Breaker promises highly precise limiting with true-peak detection and look-ahead audio analysis to ensure full transparency. The plugin also features 4x oversampling and a great-looking waveform display borrowed from Press Play’s free Wave Observer audio analysis plugin.
If you’re looking for a transparent limiter that can handle complex mastering tasks, definitely check out Wave Breaker. I am currently testing it, and my first impressions are, well, impressive.
MONSTER OctaChord by Monster DAW
Monster DAW develops some of the best Maize Sampler plugins on the market, and MONSTER OctaChord is no exception.
It is an easy-to-use chord generator that can help you find inspiration when working on a new song. The controls are easy to understand even for a complete beginner, so this is an excellent tool to help you get started with making music on a computer.
The developer also provided a complete tutorial video to help you figure out how to use the plugin.
My prediction is that MONSTER OctaChord will be one of the top three picks this year.
Solaris by Adam Szabo
Solaris is a free shimmer reverb effect developed by Adam Szabo.
If the developer’s name sounds familiar, that’s probably because you used his fantastic Phazor plugin at some point or listened to some of his music (Adam is also a music producer).
His latest plugin is one of my favorite KVR Developer Challenge 2023 entries so far, packing a huge-sounding reverb into a clean and highly intuitive interface. Just like the fan-favorite Valhalla Super Massive, Solaris will magically transform a basic sound into a complex soundscape.
It’s one of those reverbs that makes everything sound better. Yes, you probably won’t use it on your lead vocal, but it’s a must-have in any sound designer’s toolbox.
Check out some of the included presets in the demo video below.
Several BPB readers already recommended Solaris in the comments section, and our readers are rarely (if ever) wrong! Definitely give this reverb a try if you’re looking for an inspirational sound design tool.
To download the free plugins, simply visit the KVR Developer Challenge 2023 page linked below. You don’t have to be a registered KVR Audio forum member to download the plugins, but an account is required if you want to vote for your favorites.
A big THANK YOU to everyone at KVR Audio for creating another incredible developer challenge, and here’s looking forward to the next one!
More info: KVR Developer Challenge 2023
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18 Comments
sen
onTwo months of Loopcloud for ($2) with free copy of Kilohearts Snap Heap until 1 August
https://www.loopcloud.com/cloud/subscriptions/plans
Tomislav Zlatic
onThank you!
alex
onJust tried the Solaris by Adam Szabo and I like it very much.
Gery Zenz
onwas the first plug-in in the list that I tried. Great sound and very low cpu load. Adam is a great developer and his phazor is still one of the best phaser vst
Neytcev
onSad that it is not available for Macs!
Satya
onCoz it’s made with flowstone . N flowstone does not support mac
alex
on+1. I still use the Phazor all the time and it’s been around for over a decade :)
Georg
onThank you for recommending this. The audio demo sounds amazing. If anyone of you doesn’t know Adam’s classic track “Altra”, I encourage you to check it out.
arnaud
on“The northern trumpet” for full kontakt is quite impressive too. Happy EWMcontroller players !
Drew Lake
onAn AMAZING line-up this year! I also recommend Solaris as well. It will also be interesting to see what direction Kirsty Roland’s Synthcraft goes too.
sean
onI love the Solaris demo! I hope theres a Mac version eventually. I want this SO bad!
L
onAgus Hardiman (Monster DAW) makes great plugins for free. This dude absolutely rocks!!! Kudos all day, any day, twice on Sundays!
CoopMusic247
onRight now my vote easily is going to Solaris. I dont see how the big companies, well, this is just so good.
bmovie
onRight now my favorites are Solaris at no. 1 and Wave Breaker at no. 2. OctaChord would have interest me more if it was a MIDI plugin and not a rompler. There’s more stuff I want to try like Synthcraft, The VST2 Wrapper, Alien Step Mutha and ForkHZ. I also tested lkjb’s BassTame and it’s good.
JEP1928
onThe Best pick for EQ
AFEQ (a mastering plugin that prevents frequency cramping which is nice)
EQcoder (FFQ based Vocoder; like Rea-Fir)
Tomislav Zlatic
onThank you, great tips!
Tomislav Zlatic
onSolaris is fantastic! I still haven’t tested Wave Breaker as much as I’d like (another busy week), but I’m hoping to spend more time with it this weekend.
4113ND3
onWave Breaker and Solaris have the most mainstream appeal I feel. If I hadn’t already bought expensive limiters and bus compressors, I would no doubt have use for this. I do use their Wave Observer plugin a lot! I don’t know if the pure sound of Solaris is as good as Valhalla Shimmer, but I think this a serious alternative for that with more features. I’ve been using granular pitchshifting combined with reverb plugins for my shimmer stuff, but I can see myself using this for faster work flow.
If we’re looking for more unique tools I think SynthCraft might appeal to developers and people looking for more technical stuff.