“Legendary tone”: Behringer has officially released Vintage, its free VST synth plugin (yes, really this time)

It’s been a protracted birth - first we thought it was available; then we were told that it wasn’t - but Behringer has now finally released Vintage, its free VST synth.

To recap, some people managed to download Vintage this earlier this month, but then we were told that its short-lived availability was down to an “accidental leak”. In between, Tone2 Audiosoftware was forced to clarify that it had nothing to do with Vintage’s development (some had noted similarities between Vintage and Tone2’s Saurus synth).

Vintage does now have a proper page on the Behringer website, though: we’re told that it’s  “based on meticulous modelling of legendary analog vintage synthesizers” and is the first in a new series of software instruments. It was created with the help of Stefano D'Angelo of Orastron, who - according to his LinkedIn page - previously worked for Arturia.

Vintage offers two oscillators with hard sync and a choice of waveforms (sine, square, saw, noise and sub-oscillator), two 12/24 dB filters that can be switched between low-, high- and band-pass as well as notch and formant modes (plus filter envelopes), and a noise generator.

There are also two amp modules with an ADSR envelope, and dual LFOs. All of which is said to combine to produce a “legendary tone” that gives you the “soul of vintage synthesizers”.

Although it’s free, Behringer says that Vintage is valued at $99. It’s never sold for this price, so we’re assuming that this is just what the company thinks it’s worth. If you think it’s deserving of your cash, you can make a donation that will go to the Playing for Change Foundation.

Vintage is available for PC and Mac and runs in VST/AU/AAX formats. Find out more and download it via the Behringer website.

Behringer Vintage

(Image credit: Behringer)
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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