AAS Player

Name: AAS Player
Author: Applied Acoustics Systems

by Applied Acoustics Systems · Synth · Free preset player for AAS synths

Not rated yet

AAS Player is a free plugin that plays more than 650 starter presets from AAS's physical modeling synths.

It also plays any AAS sound packs you own without buying the full synth. It is free.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: free, electric piano, virtual analog, beginner-friendly, chord generator, macro controls, mallets, strings, physical modelling, sound design, subtractive.

What it does

AAS Player is a free preset player for Applied Acoustics Systems' physically modeled instruments. It plays starter presets and AAS sound packs without the full synths, using a "simple interface focused on what matters most."

Starter presets: over 650 free, hand-picked presets from Chromaphone 3, Lounge Lizard EP-5, Ultra Analog VA-3, Strum GS-2, String Studio VS-3 and Multiphonics CV-3, with more added in new releases.
Same engines: the sounds run on the same physical modeling technology as those six instruments, so electric pianos, mallets, guitars, strings and analog-style patches all play from one plugin.
Sound pack player: loads AAS expansion packs you buy, such as the 22 Chromaphone 3 and 22 Ultra Analog VA-3 packs, 20 for Strum GS-2 and 14 for String Studio VS-3, with no synth required.
Curated controls: a small set of macros and key parameters taken from the full instruments, such as per-layer levels and modulation or timbre macros.
Browser: a rebuilt browser with filters and search that shows each sound's pack and engine.
Version 2.0: a larger, cleaner interface and the adjustable parameters; version 1 did not let you edit patches.

AAS Player 2.0 is free. Sound packs are sold separately.

Source: Applied Acoustics Systems product page

When to use it

AAS Player is a preset player with only light tweaking, unlike Vital, a full free synth with deep editing. Its value is free access to AAS's modeled electric pianos, mallets, guitars and strings, which are hard to get from sample-based free instruments, and a cheap way into AAS sound packs before buying a full instrument such as Chromaphone 3 or Ultra Analog VA-3. Because the controls are curated, it suits players who want ready sounds more than sound designers.

Best for: trying AAS sounds for free, and playing AAS sound packs without the full synths.
Genres: any; the library spans keys, basses, pads, plucks and percussion.
Look elsewhere if: you want to design sounds from scratch; the full AAS instruments or Vital allow that.

What producers say

Version 2.0 has been welcomed as a much better free player; older reviews faulted the original for allowing no edits, which 2.0 partly fixes.

Bedroom Producers Blog (October 2026) liked the larger, cleaner interface and rebuilt browser, and summed up: "It's free; it comes with great sounds, and lots of them."
KVR user (one review from 2012, original version, 3 out of 5) found the presets "pretty good" but disliked having "no way to personalize the presets."

Where to buy

Applied Acoustics Systems: Free

Tutorials and reviews

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