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It’s the end of the month, and your bank account is empty…
…again.
Oops.
Type of plugin: VSTi What it does: Dexed is a frequency modulation synth that's designed to look and sound a lot like the well-known Yamaha DX7. It's the best freeware DX7 emulator that you'll find, which makes it an obvious choice. Read more about VST plugins. What is an AU Plugin? AU or Audio Units are software plug-ins developed for the macOS and iOS operating systems. Like VST plug-ins, they may either generate sounds, as in the case of instrument plug-ins, or process them, as in the case of effects plug-ins. With six nostalgic degradation processes to run your audio through, this VST/AU/AAX plugin from XLN Audio will send your sounds back in time like there no tomorrow – or if there is, it’s in 1981. RC-20 starts with its Noise module, which offers 16 types ranging from Vinyl and Tape through electronic noises, cassettes and VHS, white noise.
And as much as you might feel like buying that new Waves plugin…
(You’ve had your eye on it for months, right?)
It’s probably not a good idea.
But if you’re still looking to expand your plugin library, don’t worry.
Sometimes, the best things in life are free…
Here are 7 of my favorite free plugins. Each of them offers something new and unique (no boring EQs or compressors). Download them all to extend your sonic palette and ultimately, craft better-sounding tracks.
Hello Composers! Mike here, with a quick guide on the Best Solo Violin VST Libraries. =) The Violin is such a wonderful and expressive instrument. The dynamic range and amount of playing styles and articulations you can play is simply incredible. Played in solo, the violin is excellent for carrying the main melody of your. Violin vst plugin free. 10 Best Free Violin VST Plugins of 2020 Adding a violin to your tracks can be challenging. You will need to set up your studio, microphones ( condenser or dynamic, whatever you are using), and hire a violin.
And if you’re looking to dive deeper, I also put together a list of five plugins I use on every mix. If you’re wondering which plugins I recommend, download the list below to make sure you’ve got my top tools for the job.
1. iZotope Neutrino
Neutrino is the baby brother of Neutron—iZotope’s newest channel-strip plugin. While Neutron has a number of innovative features, Neutrino spins off the best of them.
Neutrino tames undesirable resonances caused by poor room acoustics, cheap gear, and heavy-handed processing. iZotope calls the effect “spectral shaping,” and it can sound similar to gentle, low-ratio multiband compression. This can make tracks sound smoother and more polished—like sanding the rough edges off a freshly cut piece of wood. I find Neutrino particularly useful on electric guitar tracks, which often have lots of harsh resonances.
2. Voxengo SPAN
People say “don’t mix with your eyes.”
Meh.
The truth?
Tools that provide visual feedback, when used properly, can help you make better mixing decisions.
A spectrum analyzer is one of these tools. It plots the frequencies of sounds out on a graph, which allows you to “see” what tracks are comprised of.
SPAN is my favorite spectrum analyzer. You can control the ballistics and response of its graph, which makes it flexible enough for a wide variety of tasks. You can even route multiple tracks into SPAN and compare their frequency content.
(P.S. Voxengo has a few other free VST plugins. They’re worth checking out too, but SPAN is my favorite.)
3. Brainworx bx_solo
Bx_solo is a no-frills, stereo-imaging plugin. While it’s the least sexy of this bunch, it can still be pretty useful.
I like to add bx_solo to my mix bus. While I rarely push the stereo width past 100%, collapsing it to zero is an easy way to check for mono compatibility. The mid and side solo buttons are also useful. It’s great to have this one around—you never know when you might need it!
4. HOFA 4U Project Time
Mixing is a race against time.
The more time you spend on a mix, the more attached you become to what it sounds like. This makes it progressively harder to make good mixing decisions. Given enough time, even the worst mix will start to sound decent.
This is one reason I recommend mixing quickly and impulsively. You’ll get to the finish line faster, retain more objectivity, and ultimately, craft better mixes.
The first step towards more efficient mixing is to track how much time you spend doing it. Without this information, it’s easy to get lost in a black hole of endless tweaking.
Project Time makes this easy. Add it to a track, and it will start counting. The timer automatically stops when you close the session, and starts when you open it up again.
Keep an eye on Project Time, and you’ll train yourself to mix faster and more efficiently. It’s also an invaluable tool if you bill by the hour!
5. MeldaProduction MFreeFXBundle
MeldaProduction makes some great plugins. They’ve earned the praise of many notable engineers, including mastering guru Ian Shepard.
The MFreeFXBundle contains 30 free VST plugins. They range from workhorse tools like a compressor and EQ, to less common effects like a ring modulator, flanger, and oscilloscope.
If you’re looking to fill some holes in your plugin library, this is a great place to start.
6. Flux BitterSweet
BitterSweet is among the best transient shapers out there. It can produce results on par with studio mainstays like SPL’s Transient Designer and Waves’ Trans-X.
This simple plugin can achieve a wide variety of effects. Turn the knob to the right to add punch to drums, enhance the pluck of an acoustic guitar, or boost the consonants in a vocal performance. Turn the knob to the left to soften tracks and push them back in the soundstage.
7. iZotope Vinyl
Sometimes a little crackle is a good thing.
Vinyl will make tracks sound like they’re being played on a turntable. You can vary the intensity of the effect by controlling the volume of different types of noise, the degree of wear and tear, and the decade your sound is from. The results range from subtle filtering to Edison phonograph.
This plugin is great for special effects, like filtering down a vocal or making an intro sound tiny.
Moving Beyond Free Plugins: My Favorite Plugins
I hope these 7 free plugins help you craft tracks that sound fresh and unique.
If you’re looking to dive deeper, I also put together a list of 5 plugins I use on every mix. If you’re wondering which plugins I recommend, download the list below to make sure you’ve got my top tools for the job.
Before you go—what’s your favorite free VST plugin? Share your pick in the comment section below.
Bonus: 3 More Free Plugins for Mixing
3 Free Plugins I Use in Every Mix
It’s the end of the month, and your bank account is empty… …again. Oops. And as much as you might feel like buying that new Waves plugin… (You’ve had your eye on it for months, right?) It’s probably not a good idea. But if you're still looking to expand your plugin library, don't worry. Sometimes,
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I’ve been storing a list of websites where you can download a large number of free VSTs to play around with VSTs . Its not a complete list, but the amount of VSTs that are on all these sites combined should be enough to keep you pre-occupied for quite a while If you’re interested in getting more cool VSTs check out VSTBuzz – a music software deals website!
The starred ones are my favourites, but the other sites in the list are well worth checking out aswell for some great little gems.
Tweak Bench : Great site. Really nice clean lay out, and allows you to donate money towards any vsts you like.
VST Categories: Synths, Samplers, Percussion/Drums
KVR Audio: Absolutely excellent site. Probably the “Daddy” of all VST and audio technology sites. Has a news section with the latest news in music technology. Developers challenges – competitions for people to make the best VSTs, banks and patches, the ability to rate plugins, huge community on the forums. One stop resource for pretty much all of the plugins out there.
VST categories: All
Rekkerd : Rekkerd only hosts good plugins. Some of the best ones hosted on there are the DSK ones – well worth a look at.
VST Categories: Instrument, effects, synths
Delamancha : Really nicely laid out site – easy to search, easy on the eyes. Has a freeware section, and a paid section (with demos). NB – All software on here is Windows ONLY
VST Categories: All
Don’t Crack : Brilliant website – well laid out, easy to navigate, has all the VSTs you need. Has RTAS, and MAS formats aswell. Allows you to sort by OS. This site has a huge amount of information and options on it – well worth checking out!
VST Categories: All
VST4Free: Pretty well laid out website. Lots of great VSTs on it. Easy to sift through
VST Categories: Drums, Synths, Instruments, Samplers, Vintage
VST Planet: Nicely laid out site. Good range of popular vsts and an “Editors Choice” list of plugins which is cool
VST Categories: Synths, Drums, Piano, Bass Synths, Organ
Gersic: “The Giant Plugins List” – really does have quite a lot of VSTs on it. 1957 in fact. Contains VST effects aswell as VST instruments. Good description for each plugin and pictures of all of them.
VST Categories: Ambience, Analog, Bass, Beat Slicer, Chip/LoTech, Drum, Frequency Modulation, Granular, Other, Phase Distortion, Physical Modeling, Sample Based
GTG Synths: Nice short list of only about 15 VSTS – quality over quantity on this site.
VST Categories: Synths, samplers, drums/percussion
AM VST : Nicely laid out site – great feature is that it gives you minimum system requirements for each vst. Only about 10 vsts on here.
VST Categories: Synths
Home Musician VST plugins : 29 free vst plugins – mainly synths – some vst effects too.
VST Categories: Synths
Free Plugin List : Easy to navigate – can search for Mac OS, or Windows, which is handy. Has wide range of plugins – random plugin selection also.
VST Categories: Mixed
More Sites Like Plugin Vst Presets
Sad Glad : 670 VST plugins. Not a very attractive website, but it does the job. No ads anywhere on it. Directs you to the original homepages of the plugins, so if you’re searching for something specific, you’re better off just going to its website, rather than here.
VST Categories: All
Free Music Software: Clean site, easy to navigate. Has a number of good plugins on it.
VST Categories: Bass, ,Bass Guitar, Brass, Drum Machine, Drums, Electric Piano, Emulators, Exotic Instruments, Flute, Guitar, Lofi, Mellotron, Music Generator, Nature Sounds, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Saxophone, Strings, Synths
Audio Mastermind : Has one of the largest collections of vsts out there. Has pretty much everything you could want on it – 17348 links and 1112 categories.
VST Categories: All
The sound engine is closely modeled on the original DX7 characteristics. 144 DAW automatable DX7 parameters available from one single panel. . Multi platform (OS X, Windows or Linux) and multi format (VST, AU, LV2). Free additive synth vst.
Free Trap Vst Plugins
TPG : Small amount of plugins – only about 12 overall. Quite harsh on the eyes – lots of retro synths on here.
VST Categories: Synths
VST Central : I’m having a hard time deciding if this is laid out well or not. In some ways its good and in other ways its difficult to follow. Handy in that it lists the OS for each VST, but not easy accessible in that you can’t sort by category – you have to search for a keyword, and hope it brings up what you want. Most of the links are user submitted which is different from the rest of the sites.
VST Categories: All
Shuttlebug Records : Mainly VST effects – some good ones on here, not much to offer though.
Free Vst Plugins Download
VST Categories: Synths, Effects
Free VST Blogspot : Some good VSTs on here. Not a huge range to offer, but worth a quick look
VST Categories: All
Free Loops : Generic VST site – has all the usual vsts on it, raning from instruments and synths to effects.
VST Categories: All
Destroy FX : Some good plugins on here, not a huge range, but whats on offer is good.
VST Categories: Mainly synths
Jeroen Bree Baart : Well laid out – allows you to download all of the vsts in a free .zip bundle which is nice.
VST Categories: All
Numerisson : Only windows VSTs on here. A good selection of VSTs
VST Categories: Synth and FX
Free Vst Sites
MDA : Well laid out – has a nice option to download all of the vsts in a bundle (one bundle for Windows and another bundle for Mac OS) – which is always nice
More Sites Like Plugin Vst Plugins
VST Categories: All
Vst Plugin News
There you have it – a list of plenty of plugins for you to play around with. Honestly, I can say I havent tried many at all. However, one of my favourites that is just a lot of fun to play around with is Toad by Tweakbench – recreate those classic Nintendo sounds!