Hivetune has released Relica 2, a free subtractive synthesizer designed to recreate the sounds of the 8-bit era.

If you’re after NES-style leads, classic handheld console percussion, or chiptune sequences, this one is worth a look.

Relica 2 is the sequel to the original Relica synth from the same developer. It offers four classic oscillator shapes (square, sawtooth, triangle, and sine) and a few design choices that set it apart from typical retro synth plugins.

Antialiasing is off by default, so you get the raw grit of original retro hardware right out of the box. I love this aliased sound, as it stays true to the original hardware, but you can flip it on when you want something cleaner and more modern.

If, on the other hand, you want even more chiptune-style dirt, the built-in bitcrusher adds more grit and digital artifacts. What’s cool here is that it’s been fine-tuned by hand for each oscillator shape, so the distortion character changes depending on which waveform you’re using.

Another nice touch is that pulse width modulation is available on all four oscillator shapes, not just the square wave. Most synths lock pulse width to square waves only, so having it on sawtooth, triangle, and sine opens up timbres you wouldn’t normally have access to in a chiptune-focused plugin.

The vibrato engine adds pitch variation with adjustable rate, depth, and multiple LFO shapes. I also like the built-in BPM-synced arpeggiator, which, for that classic chiptune flavor, turns chords into cascading note sequences.

There’s a dedicated noise module with white, pink, and periodic noise types, and you can enable monophonic mode with portamento for smooth pitch glides between notes. The ADSR envelope covers everything from sharp plucks to longer atmospheric pads.

Relica 2 comes with over 30 factory presets, and you can save and load your own patches. The interface keeps everything on a single screen, so you can basically access the entire engine without menu diving.

If you’re into chiptune or retro game music, Hivetune also released the free Cactus Lite distortion plugin last year, which pairs nicely with this kind of sound.

I’ve tried dozens of chiptune-inspired synths in the past, and it’s pretty rare to get this kind of attention to detail for free. Hivetune has done a great job with Relica 2, so definitely check it out if 8-bit is your thing.

Relica 2 is available in VST3, AU, and standalone formats for macOS (11.0 and newer, Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows (10 and newer, 64-bit).

Download: Hivetune Relica 2 (FREE)

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Last Updated on April 8, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.