The Best Free VSTS!
This article lists a comprehensive list of the best free vsts. When used together the list is a complete sonic arsenal that wont cost you a penny! Enjoy.
Music production is a lusty game, with more avenues for you to explore as you go on. The more you know, the more you realise there is too know. Addictive.
The desire to learn, the key to each level up. Each level up has knowledge that leads to new methods, new toys & new levels…
Once bumbling around in your DAW is long gone you might feel ready to level up with your sound design tools. The key to production is the same as when you started. Use quality tools, and learn them inside out the muscle memory is the path to accessing your creative flow. Adding select new tools to your arsenal will advance your current skill set with new techniques.
You could spend thousands of bucks, hundreds, fifty or none, plus the cost of the time taken over deciding where the money would be best spent you could be broke and with no time to actually produce. That would be sad considering the time and the $ that you’ve invested in getting yourself to this stage.
Check out these FREE and QUALITY tools that will expand your horizons, and teach you how to make and shape your sound. Each of the 10 plugins will help you reach the goal of producing professional sounding, loud, tracks. The list covers the spectrum of tools you’ll need, are too professional standard, free, flexible and creative. IN our opinion, these are the best free vsts!
The list is a complete toolkit for any producer; Monster synth’s that will get you deep into synthesis. Modulators, verbs, and delays to help you fill your stereo field. The EQ, compressors, and distortion, to shape and gel mix down your tunes.
The TAL-Noisemaker is a fully featured synthesizer with three oscillators, along with an array of effects and options. It is as comfortable creating soft and lush pads as it is creating harsh EDM lead lines and even drums. The synth panel is intuitive, easy to use, no hidden menus, and an array of presets bundled with it to help you get started quickly.
TAL-BassLine is a virtual analog bass synthesizer especially made for bass, acid sounds and effects. It’s based on a robust core and has the usual controls of analogue hardware synthesizers. A unique -18dB low pass filter with a lot of asymmetric and random components introduce a warm and analogue sound. You can get wild and acid-y or deep and rumbling.
The VK-1 Viking Synthesizer is a lovingly created emulation of an Moog Voyager an analog monophonic hardware synthesizer. It’s a beast, with three oscillators, two modulation channels, and an LFO, accurate transistor ladder filter emulation give this synthesizer an authentic sound that is hard to match. Everybody loves a Moog.
Spitfire Audio are a team of talented folks who are consistently releasing unique instruments for free. The Labs series offer instruments that are unique, ranging from overdriven cellos to high-quality live drums, to strings recorded on vintage mics from a professional ensemble. They are run through the Spitfire audio app, simple to use and each lots of instruments is stunning.
Camel Crusher; an interesting plugin that offers distortion, a filter and compression that can all be run in parallel, creating a very unique character. You can download it here.
The filter is a warm, analog-modeled resonant low-pass filter. Compression is high quality, and easy-to-use, with ‘Phat’ mode, that literally makes your sound Phat. There are presets for a starting point and you can randomise all of the effects, and the midi learn function is handy.
Known and loved by producers with good reason. A deceptively simple combination of distortion, compression, and filtering add up to some meaty results. Presets ranging from “Annihilate” to “Tube Warmth” give great options for radically changing your sound quickly. Use to it warm bass and beef your kick. One of the best free vsts out there, many professionals swear by Camel Crusher.
TDR Nova is a dynamic EQ, with a built-in Equaliser so you can see how and where you are changing the sounds. You can master with it, use it on you channels and busses or simply use it to learn how the spectrum is affected by your moves. Parametric equalization, Dynamic equalization, Frequency selective compression, Multi-band compression, Wideband compression are all at your fingertips.
One of the bests free vsts out there. Alot of professional artists swear by TDR Nova. If you would like to learn more about dynamic EQ Joshua Casper has written an article for ask.audio that is well worth a read.
TAL-Reverb-4 a standalone version of the high quality reverb implemented in TAL-Sampler. Free, simple, and almost universally loved, the TAL Reverb 4 is a great free plugin to give your sound some space. Based on the classic sound of vintage reverb units, it is capable of a lot more than its simple interface suggests. The Reverb-4 doesn’t chew your cpu and puts out lush and warm analogue space in your mix.
TAL-Chorus-LX is a 1:1 standalone version of the chorus implemented in TAL-U-NO-LX. Built to emulate the JUNO-60’s famous chorus sound, and it does a cracker of a job. The effect is lush and the interface is simple.
TAL also offer a solid tube distortion, bitcrusher, flanger and simple EQ. All the tools to make an mould a sound. Get them all here.
This is my top choice for a dealy. The Freq Echo is a Bode-Style Frequency Shifter + Analog Echo Emulation = Skull Melting Chaos.
Perfect for dub, and all of your psychedelic needs, while still being diverse. Sonic results range from subtle chorusing and double tracking to barberpole phasing and flanging to endless glissandos and runaway echos. Can be run in parallel and filtered for control.
Dimension Expander created by Xfer Records is a free spacial tool. Serum by Xfer and Massive from Native Instruments, Wavetable Synths both come with a dimension expander built in. This standalone plugin has a simple 2 knob interface to control a delayed, chorus effect that widens your sound without phasing. Its a neat trick, and extremely handy especially with your pad sounds. Applying the dimension expander to certain elements in a build up and automating it will give some dynamic and stereo value to your mix by moving the sound across the placement of the speakers. Virtually, this will allow some elements to stand out during specific sections of the build or area you apply it to. You can use it on backing vocals to separate them from the lead, a cleaner way of processing then adding lots of reverb which can get muddy pretty easily.
OTT is a multi-band compressor also created by Xfer Records that makes over-the-top compression simple. It’s a free recreation of a popular multiband upwards/downwards compressor setup used by many dubstep & electro producers, the style of compression can be used across any genre OTT the artist is a Psychedelic Dub artist. The upwards compression
The interface is functional and simple to use with three available frequency bands for precise adjustments over your lows, mids, and highs that deliver clean, digital tones and is ultra light on your CPU. Of all of the best free vsts OTT is neck and neck with Camel Crusher for the most used utility.
Thinking about you want to achieve and why in your next productions rather than focusing on sourcing plugins, will provide a platform and direction to learn the plugins in.
You could be writing an EP while you learn the new skills the tools on this list provide. At this point quantity rules over quality and finishing multiple tracks will have you utilizing new methods, building new skills, and honing current skills.
Acquiring with intention leads to finishing goals with your time and you’ll be in the mode of writing music every day.
Sam Malta founder of edmprod, shares all sort of nuggets of info. He’s responsible for the Guide to writing an EP in 30 days, laying out an intuitive graspable workflow and process. With some dedication, a workflow, these 10 best free vsts and you’ll have everything need.
Each of these plugins are stellar. They are best free vsts out there, and they are all super fun to work out. Enjoy!
*****If you really want to spend some cash, get yourself some isolation pads for your monitors. They will control a lot of reflections in your near field space making mixing so much easier to control, a worthy spend.
