Martin Lüders Officially Releases PG8X v2.0

Martin Lüders’ fantastic PG8X virtual synthesizer was featured in our news section quite a few times in the past, most recently last year when a new public beta version of the plugin was uploaded to KVR Audio (the synth was also listed as one of the top picks in our 2015 freeware VST roundup).

And now, after several years of development, a stable 2.0 version of PG8X has officially been released. The developer states the “the plugin now seems stable enough to call it officially out of beta“. There are apparently still some issues that will need to be fixed in a future version of the plugin, however none of the major features will be affected. The official website has received a substantial facelift and the v2.0 ZIP archive is now proudly featured in the downloads section, along with a handy selection of links to websites containing patch collections and other useful stuff.

I won’t go too much detail about the plugin’s feature set because we talked about it quite a few times already here at BPB. This v2.0 release is not very different compared to the beta that was covered in our news section in April last year. Still, most of the bugs have been ironed out since then, and PG8X is now better than ever. This synthesizer is one of my favorite virtual instruments ever and one of my Top 3 freeware synths (along with Tyrell N6 and Charlatan). It is my go-to instrument for 80s style bass patches (place an arpeggiator in front of PG8X and you’ll find yourself in synth bass heaven) and, of course, the perfect source of analog pads, thanks to that wonderful sounding chorus module.

If you haven’t used PG8X before, you mustn’t waste another minute. Go download the latest version of this excellent freebie and give it a try. What has started as a fairly decent SynthEdit creation back in 2011 is now a wonderfully polished and great sounding cross-platform synth for PC and Mac. Being a rather faithful emulation of the Roland JX-8P synthesizer, this virtual instrument will be a fantastic addition to your plugin arsenal if you’re looking to add some of that late 80s vibe to your music. For more info about PG8X, check out our news article from last year and the discussion at KVR audio.

Download

PG8X is available for free download via Martin Lüders’ website (1.56 MB download size, ZIP archive, 32-bit & 64-bit VST plugin format for Windows & Mac OS).

18 Comments

Krisse
on May 17, 2016 6:24 am

There is no more AU on Mac just VST and standalone

- Tomislav Zlatic
  on May 17, 2016 12:13 pm
  
  Thanks for the info!
  
Alex
on May 17, 2016 7:02 am

Nice!!!!! Presets please!

- Tomislav Zlatic
  on May 17, 2016 12:14 pm
  
  Check out the KVR Audio forum thread linked in the artice, there are quite a few presets to be found there.
  
- Esol
  on May 17, 2016 3:27 pm
  
  Its pretty easy to make your own presets though. ;)
  
- Niedec
  on May 17, 2016 8:38 pm
  
  Here’s some presets from KVR: http://www.kvraudio.com/product/pg-8x-by-ml-vst/downloads
  
  And here are some more: http://www.synthzone.com/mschreier/
  
  And some more: http://llamamusic.com/super-jx/patches.html
  
  Those are all the ones I’ve found. Lots of great sounds in there.
  
Pisces
on May 17, 2016 12:59 pm

Don’t know if its just the sounds i make, but I found I when I recreated my patches in this new version.. The synth edit version sounded better… Any views on this anyone?

- Tomislav Zlatic
  on May 17, 2016 8:16 pm
  
  This one always sounded better to me (even the old betas), but it’s all a matter of taste really.
  
Bryan Lake
on May 17, 2016 6:04 pm

A pure labor of love. Martin put his soul into this thing. One of the best :D

- Bryan Lake
  on May 17, 2016 6:42 pm
  
  However, MIDI Learn is too eager to learn. Anyway to switch off this auto learn function?
  
  - Bryan Lake
    on May 18, 2016 2:07 am
    
    Never mind, I had to close the MIDI learn window. Solved :)
    
    - Tomislav Zlatic
      on May 18, 2016 12:20 pm
      
      Cool! :D
      
Electric Cheetah
on May 18, 2016 3:42 am

Wow, what a wonderful synth, and thanks NIEDEC for posting the links to the patches. I aggressively downloaded everything and got it all unpacked and setup. It’s as if I’ve just found an amazing synth with tons of presets, and Tomislav’s enthusiasm is well-founded. A great find, and welcome after a hard day at work!!!

Unsign
on May 18, 2016 8:49 am

This is the NEWS of the day!
Great plug.
I go in the studio! :)

Andreas
on June 5, 2017 7:17 pm

Hi Guys

I’m almost as new as can be to this plugin/DAW based way of creating music. Nonetheless it’s a great way to make music.

I don’t if it’s because I all new to this or I just don’t get it!
I have had a really hard time figuring out how to install the new PG-8X VST on my Mac pro and onto Ableton live 9.
Can someone please guide me through, step by step? :-)

I downloaded the two mac files, but I don’t know how to install them and get it to work in Ableton Live 9
I downloaded it from this page https://sites.google.com/site/mlvst0/pg8x-2

I hope someone can help me

Best Regards
Andreas

- Tomislav Zlatic
  on June 6, 2017 2:09 am
  
  Hi Andreas, have you downloaded the PG-8X_2.0.13_MacVST.zip file from the product page?
  
Atme
on October 13, 2018 8:21 pm

Fantastic sound, the PG-8X is one of the closest emulations in existence. Martin Lueders is a genius!

Atme
on January 11, 2019 2:20 am

The more I use and listen to PG-8X the more I am optimistic about digital emulations of analogue equipment/gear. This PG-8X synth plugin is proof that digital emulations can get very close to the sound of analogue hardware. It only takes a talented programmer with good and sharp ears.

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Martin Lüders Officially Releases PG8X v2.0

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18 Comments