What’s new at Zystrix? Read on… June 26, 2023 What’s going on around here? Just the best holiday of the year, that’s all. If you live in the USA there are lots of holiday events coming up for Independence Day. Not only that but I’d like to review some cool free plug-ins and also go over the real list of the best free guitar cabinet impulse responses for 2023… Happy 4th of July!!! Did you know that calling the USA celebration of the independence holiday July 4 th or the 4th of July is a colloquialism for Independence Day? Yup, it is. On July 4 th , 1776 the Second Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence which officially established the United States of America. The original thirteen colonies were now united independent states and free from the tyranny of King George III, the monarch of Britain. Independence Day in the USA is often associated with fireworks, parades, cooking outdoors, picnics, concerts, music, and various ceremonies. It’s my favorite time of year. Oh, and don’t forget the occasional opportunistic politician who dampens the entire mood by droning on about what she or he feels about the holiday. Forget that. So in the spirit of a perfect celebration, Happy Independence Day to all! Cool Free Plug-ins I tried about 50 free plug-ins the other day and thought these were the best of the bunch. Click the link and see what you think. MERICA by Analog Obsession MERICA by Analog Obsession sounds suspiciously like a very popular paid console plug-in mixer channel EQ. The mid-range is quite detailed and it’s perfect for dialing in those old warm analog tones. This plug-in really shines on ROCK or METAL guitars. It’s got three band EQ, but the High Shelf, unlike the original fixed version, has a greater choice of 5K, 7K, 10K, 12.5K, and 15K which is handy for dialing in synths and cymbals. The original Low Shelf had 4 cutoff points but the MERICA adds one more for five at 50, 100, 200, 300, and 400 cycles. The original mid-range contains 7 Mid frequencies: 360Hz, 700Hz, 1.6KHz, 3.2KHz, 4.8KHz, 7.2KHz, 10KHz with the MERICA offering two less at .4K, .8K, 1.5K, 3K and 5K which is plenty from my experiments. The drive quality is very pleasant and warm with a distinct smooth tube-like American style, although it would have been nice to be able to control this from mild to extreme with a pre or trim knob. But this is a minor complaint. To get that sound I tried jammimg the front end (flat EQ turned up) with OK results. I also ran a first MERICA into a second MERICA with the second controls all set to neutral or noon. Think of it as the first MERICA being a tone pre-amp and the second as a master volume. I also tried both methods at once for another drive sound. There’s a work-around for everything. But anyway, with a price of free (make a donation) this plug-in is a fantastic deal and easily competes with the Scheps 73 by Waves ($30 USA). Click here to download MERICA by Analog Obsession. Cesium by GreenOak This chorus effect is like no other I can think of -- thick stereo with lots of movement. Oh sure, with some tweaking it can sound similar to the famous Roland Juno synth type chorus of the 1980s (download and listen to the free OSL Chorus by Oblivion Sound) or sort of similar to the free download called Space Modulator by Valhalla (download it here), but it’s also very powerful in it’s own way with some interesting and extreme evolving shifting effects. It even has a cool looking interface that’s a cross between the Waves Maserati series design and the underwater PC video game called BioShock 2. Excellent. It’s hard to believe it’s free -- get one now before someone wakes up. Click here to download the Cesium by GreenOak. Tungsten by GreenOak This plug-in is a delay that’s also a sonic paintbrush for creating exquisite ambient textures and atmospheres. Do you need a cool delay pedal for your guitar? This one competes with the Boss Tera Echo TE-2 pedal although they are not at all the same, and it’s also an instant cure for digital delay boredom. With so many environmental design options available you are bound to create something you like. Yeah, baby. And like the Cesium mentioned above, this GUI also looks a lot like a cross between the Waves Maserati series design and the underwater PC video game called BioShock 2. Maybe it’s something dredged from an old Jules Verne sunken submarine. Where’s Captain Nemo? Click here to download the Tungsten by GreenOak. Chorg 770 DV by KBplugs If you like retro synth sounds you may like this plug-in. It’s a model of the original Korg 770 that was new way back in 1976, except this one is stereo by adjusting the L/R Sep slider (a nice improvement). This synth is very stable and it worked perfectly for me on a couple of DAWs. The sounds are mostly space-age, weird naughty noises, and buzzy things -- cutting edge for 1976. And there aren’t a lot of presets available, so I fiddled with it for a while and came up with over 100 of them you can have for your projects. Here’s the complete list of free Chorg 770 presets below. Chorg 770 Free Presets Click here to download the free Chorg 770 synth plug-in. If you’d like to hear some of the presets, here’s a few MP3 samples below. If you’d like to download all the free Chorg presets listed above you will find that link below the MP3 samples. Enjoy. 1950s Space Movie 04 1950s Space Movie 08 Air Raid Complexity Computer Voice Dark Side Lagoon 01 Look Overhead Waterfall Crickets ********* Download all Chorg 770 free synth presets or Download all Chorg 770 free synth patches. *************** Sonicrusher by Linda Audio This compressor offers more bells and whistles than most others. If you like to tweak your compression then you’ll love this one. I compared it side by side to a very popular LA2A plug-in and I have to say that after a little tweaking I got it to sound the same, at least to my ear. If you decide to try this simply begin with the preset LA2A Vocal, this will get you very close, and then do any minor tweaks from there. However, like the name implies, this compressor really shines doing a drum crush. It’s not as easy to get there as the free Xtressor NUKE by Kiive Audio (download and test the Xtressor NUKE by Kiive Audio here), but it has many more available options that really make this machine shine. For a big honkin’ drum sound simply go to the preset called Fatso Drums or Fatso Drums 2 and tweak from there. Add some of the Crush knob if desired and fine tune the overall with the Dry/Wet control for more drum stick attack. This plug-in is also very handy at taming down the occasional unruly bass guitar and giving it balls. Try the free Bass Grinder by Audio Assault (download the Bass Grinder by Audio Assault here) and then add the BOD by TSE Audio for fine tunng the bass sound (download the BOD by TSE Audio here) followed by the Sonicrusher by Linda Audio (link below) ending with the Kolin by Analog Obsession (see Kolin link next article below) for tube-like limiting at the end of the chain. It’s serious arena bass. There’s a lot to discover in the Sonicrusher by Linda Audio, but the learning curve is worth it. I like the Modern/Vintage switch, and the clipping control in the Crush section is an excellent addition. Although I was able to get around on it pretty easily over time (the sections have slightly different colors), I wish it had an owner manual -- a very small complaint. Killer plug-in. Click here to download the Sonicrusher by Linda Audio. Kolin by Analog Obsession NOTE: This Zystrix review for the Kolin originally appeared in the website plugins4free. If you like the T-Racks Brick Wall Limiter ($50 USA) you’ll love this. It does one better than the T-Racks with the ability to dial in the original signal for more snap. Makes ROCK and METAL guitars sound thick and juicy. An amazing plug- in for free. Click here to download the Kolin by Analog Obsession. PEDALz by Analog Obsession This free guitar pedal plug-in is pretty cool because it offers 5 different classic guitar distortions. #1. is the DOD 250, #2. is the Marshall Guv’nor, #3. is the Roland Boss Overdrive, #4. is the Big Muff, and #5. is the Marshall Supa. It’s got 6 control knobs for Pre-Tone, Bass, Treble, Model (choice or type), Drive, and Output. My favorite one is the Marshall Guv’nor (model #2) because of the grind, although the DOD 250 is pretty good too. The DOD 250 reminds me a little bit of the original MXR Distortion Plus, and they both came out at about the same time in the late 1970s. The Marshall Supa pedal first came out in about 1966 and it is a relatively simple design 4-transistor distortion similar to the Tone Bender. Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page both used the Supa on stage as seen in old stage photographs. The Big Muff was a hit in the late 1960s and can be heard being used in the original Woodstock album. The original Boss Overdrive SD-1 first came out in 1977 and was used by many guitarists in many recordings over the years. If you are looking for some old classic guitar tones check out the PEDALz distortion pedal plug-in. It beats everybody for classics -- a winner. Click here to download the PEDALz by Analog Obsession. DReverb by Stone Voices This free reverb has gotten a design face-lift and features more controls than the old DReverb Lite. It can also produce some very large and lush reverb abience because of a time-length control that goes all the way up to 100 seconds. But it also does some nice small rooms and offers over 30 presets. I prefer the small rooms. There’s no futuristic sounds here, just great reverb. The spaces seem clean, realistic, and believable without any flutter or wierdness on the ends. I have one small complaint; I wish there were a way to lock and unlock the dry and wet levels when scrolling through presets. But that’s very minor. For realism this reverb competes with paid reverbs like the Fab Filter Pro-R, Waves Reverb, Valhalla VintageVerb, the old Alesis Wedge (click here to download free Alesis Wedge impulse responses for your DAW reverb convolver), and it even competes with the free download called Room Reverb by Elephant DSP (click here to download Room Reverb by Elephant DSP) and the Supermassive by Valhalla (download the Supermassive here). DReverb is a nice addition to your reverb arsenal, but don’t take my word for it… Click here to download the DReverb by Stone Voices. IVGI2 by Klanghelm NOTE: This Zystrix review for the IVGI2 originally appeared in the website plugins4free. This plug-in sounds suspiciously like a very famous high-end late 1960s wooden console record player all- tube amplifier. This thing kicks some serious ass. I remember back in the day rattling the walls with a sound like this, and if you opened the windows you could still hear it roaring as you walked down the street. And if you saw the folks driving home you’d have to hurry and run back to the house and shut it off before they figured out their expensive hi-fi equipment was seriously melting down from the blaring music. I love this amplifier. If you need vintage tube attitude you can’t go wrong here. Click here to download the IVGI2 by Klanghelm. The Best Free Guitar Impulse Responses in 2023 I already know where to download the best free guitar cabinet impulse responses of 2023, but maybe you could use the list. This list is pretty much the same as last year. And here’s a shocker, the top dog is still… Djammincabs. Surprise. There isn’t anything that even comes close for bass or guitar. #01. Djammincabs (never requires email signup) #02. Allure IR Pack by Line 6 (requires email signup) #03. faIR Modern Rock #04. Free Redwirez IR Library (requires email signup) #05 God’s Cab by Wilkinson Audio #06. Kalthallen Cabs Free #07. SNB Impulse Response Files #08. Soundwoofer #09. Free Celestion Impulse Responses #10. Albrecht Productions Oh, and here’s a couple of websites that still don’t have their guitar cabinet impulse response list correct. Can you guess what they would get on a free guitar cabinet impulse resonse list test? Drool. Click on their links below and tell them at the bottom of their page that Djammincabs is still the best. And hell, you can even tell them Fred at Zystrix sent you. Thanks so much. Make Music With Me Produce Like a Pro Satan’s Amp of Doom I got a question the other day about the “Satan’s Amp of Doom recipe” -- it was a reference to a Zystrix review regarding the free download Poulin HyBrit head. Here’s the link for How to Build Satan’s Amp of Doom (recipe) once again. Don’t touch that dial… Stay tuned next time… Next time we’re going over some other free plug-ins I found that you may like. Remember, the rules are #1 no e-mail needed, #2. no password or pass-key needed, #3. no extra downloads needed for the plug-in to operate correctly, #4. stability and ability to work in many DAWs. And if I get the time I am also going to compare and contrast two new but popular guitar distortion pedals. I hope you enjoy it. I hope everyone has a fun and safe Independence Day 2023. Remember, if times get tough take life with a little grain of salt, some lime, and a shot of tequila. Or try 50/50 Campari and Beefeater with some fresh lime -- my favorite -- heck, it’s a holiday. Knowledge, art, and music for all…

ZYSTRIX POPULAR FREE DOWNLOADS Introducing the next generation in guitar cabinet impulse responses. Try the new Djammincabs Maxxx 4x12. All of these cab IR files are based on old, new, and boutique 4x12 cab curves. All are recorded in beautiful 24-bit 48K mono and will work on most free and paid digital convolvers. Hear the guitar IR breathe fire with pure attitude. Don’t be suckered in with high-dollar sales pitches, there ain’t no guitar IR downloads better than these. Choose from many cab sound recording styles: cone, edge, angled, arm away, inside cab, back of cab, or back of room. Djammincabs is the world leader in guitar cab IR invention -- no other guitar IR company can imitate these. Djammincabs Maxxx 4x12 makes it easier for you to design your own personalized sound -- even your own Metal IR pack. If you can’t find a cabinet or combination you like here, then you don’t like 4x12 cabinets. This guitar IR download also includes a Tactical Munitions Manual with suggested uses and detailed cab combinations. This is the best free guitar impulse download available anywhere. Djammincabs Maxxx 4x12 “Murder Your Competition.” I feel brave. I want to try them now. Here’s my email... Djammincabs for Guitar Download Free Guitar Impulse Responses Click here to download over 200 Free Guitar Cabinet Impulse Responses. Djammincabs for Bass Guitar Download Free Bass Impulse Responses Click here to download over 200 Free Bass Guitar Cabinet Impulse Responses. Best Free Guitar Impulses. The Top 11 Best Free Guitar and Bass Cabinet Impulse Responses for 2022 (in alphabetical order…) Find, download, and test the best free guitar cabinet impulse responses for 2022. FREE BASS LOOPS SAMPLES DOWNLOAD ROYALTY FREE BASS LOOP SAMPLES FREE BASS LOOPS Over 200 samples are included in the collection Download the complete collection of 24-bit bass loops here. NOTE: This download size is approximately 369 Megs. Free Pendulate Synthesizer Presets Original Newfangled Audio Pendulate synth patches/presets Click here to download over 240 Free Pendulate Synth Presets (patches) Synapse Audio Dune Synthesizer Download Over 200 Free Synapse Audio Dune 2 and Dune 3 Synthesizer Patches and Presets Click here to download over 200 FREE Synapse Audio Dune 2 or Dune 3 synthesizer patches or presets. NOTE: This synth patch download is slightly over 1 Meg in size. Free Reverb Impulse Responses Choose from hundreds available in 48K 24 bit WAV format including new original reverbs. CabSpace Over 400 Guitar Isolation Booth Reverbs Download over 400 Free Zystrix Original Reverb Impulse Responses, and over 200 Free Zystrix Original BONUS Reverb Impulse Responses. Download all the Alesis MIDIVerb 4 reverb impulse responses. Download all the Lexicon MPX-1 reverb impulse responses. Download all the Alesis Wedge reverb impulse responses. Download over 50 Reverb Relics from the past. Click here to download free reverb impulse responses. Free Drum Samples Only Available from Zystrix Free Gong Samples and Sounds Free Snare Drum Samples and Sounds Free Bass Drum Samples and Sounds Free Oriental Cymbal Samples and Sounds Free Oriental Bells Samples and Sounds The Ultimate Original Drum Sounds List Download over 2000 original slammin’ rock bass drums. Download original Gongs, Cymbals, Broken Cymbals, and Bells. Download Over 200 Free Original Bass Drum Sounds and Samples. Download over 200 Original Free snare drum sounds. Click here to download Drum Kit Sounds. Dangerous Neighbors The SW Michigan Power Trio. Free Rockin’ Music Downloads The music for the next book will be out in 2023. Production is a little behind but there’s a sneak peek demo of how it’s supposed to go for the first tune on the album. This tune is called Sting of Death and it’s the backing music for the first chapter. Click here to download recent Dangerous Neighbors. Download tunes from the 80s to today. Use the special codes on the Embalmed for Life page (see the DOWNLOAD FREE AUDIO BOOKS link below) and get free downloads for the complete album and the free horror audio book The Fluid - Embalmed for Life. Click here to download various music from Dangerous Neighbors. Download Free Synth Samples for Intros, Interludes, and Endings Listen to example #01 by clicking here (MP3 Sample) Download FREE professional quality stereo sample packs that slowly evolve over time. All samples are in 48K 24 bit WAV format and are about 20 seconds long or more. If you like suspense, psycho, outer space, or terror then this collection is for you. These range from paranoia to sci-fi, cinematic gore to strange industrial horror, and creepy creatures to insane laboratories. Click here to download all the synth Intros, Interludes, and Endings. DOWNLOAD FREE AUDIO BOOKS The Fluid, Embalmed for Life There are Free Audio Book codes for Audible downloads (must sign up). There are also free sample downloads of the book reading. There are free downloads of music samples. There is a free “Look Inside” download of the paperback. There is a free glossary of the largest list of mortuary slang in the world. The Free Dangerous Neighbors Album The Fluid, Embalmed for Life comes included as part of the audio book and parts are available here as a free download. The paperback book is available for sale at Amazon dot com. I have no control over these sales; because of the Amazon agreement I cannot offer complete paperback or complete audio books here. I’m sorry for any inconvenience. Click here for free audio books, book reading samples, music samples, etc. NEW RULES NOTICE -- What Zystrix does with your download information… Take me back to the top of the page. 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