I'd have to say NastyDLA as I just love it :)

I like the LISP de-esser from Sleepy Time. Its so easy to use

By FAR I'd recommend the TDR Feedback Compressor II by Tokyo Dawn Records: How I survived without this before is beyond me. BEST compressor I've heard yet. So versatile.

almost all of the above plus Sonalksis FreeG

Klanghelm's new ..... I have other ideas, but since no one said this yet, I had to. I would have paid for this one. By the way, didn't the OP say that he wanted to exclude synth-edit? the VoS/Bootsy plugins are some of the last free plugins to stay on my system, but aren't the synth-edit? And to the OP; the problems with synth-edit and synth-maker seem to be on a system to system basis, try some and see if they work for you. I have seen such varying results, even with similar systems. But varying from zero problem usage all the way to BSOD's. Maybe you will be a lucky one!

sfz+, hands down.

My favorite freeware plugin would have to be Blue Cat Audio's FreqAnalyst. Works great with the new Monitoring FX feature in REAPER 4.5! The other plugins in their Freeware Pack are really good too.

Synthedit and synthmaker... these are new terms to me. Can someone explain? Are they a language of some sort used to create the plugs? What's the difference? How can you tell which is which?

Btw the Variety of Sound stuff is Synthedit though it does not look like it. :) I would recommend you . Best free Room reverb on this planet. Sonds like one algorithm from an really professional & expensive unit. This one could be a Valhalla one. Regards Sebastian

I use to use the cs12/1.56 (the others are great as well) on the master bus. Quick and easy tool for correcting some nuances of my mix. Works as well on single tracks, so if it's got to be just one...