Free VSTs and Effects

VSTs and effects are a part of digital music production, giving you access to amazing synthesisers and brilliant sample based instruments.

They tend to come in two formats,
- VSTs - Virtual Instruments, used on all major computer systems.
- AUs - Audio Units, an instrument format more commonly associated with Apple computers and devices.

Do keep this in mind when downloading and installing plugins.

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Vital - VST+AU

  • Free Synth with a whole host of built in presets and more avalible directly avalible from VitalAudio for a small fee.

  • Free presets avalible online from producers like Black Lotus Audio

  • Looks a bit complex at first glance but a whole host of tutorials are avalible on YouTube.

Kiloheats - VST+AU

  • A collection of 30 mixing and audio plugins for free, all in one installer.

  • All of the effects can be controlled by automation for some interesting sounds.

Native Instruments Kontakt Start - VST+AU

  • Includes a vast range of Synths and Sampled Instruments

  • Additionally includes a library of samples to use in your music.

  • Includes a copy of Kontakt Player giving you access to other instruments from 3rd parties that support Kontakt Player.

  • Additionally includes a copy of Reaktor Player, containing a nice sized collection of premium audio effects, along with the components to build your own unique effects.

  • Please Note: If using this plugin set on a newer Mac using Apple’s M1 Cores, not all components work natively and will be needed to run in Rosetta.

Waverazor LE - VST+AU

  • A dark, futuristic synth released by Tracktion.

  • LE comes with two libraries for around 30 presets each.

  • Gets updated fairly regularly, occasionally with new presets.

Dexed - VST+AU

  • A free Yamaha DX7 based synth with a really pleasant built in set of presets

  • Can be easily expanded with DX7 cartridge files.

  • Create unique audio using thisdx7cartdoesnotexsist.com 

  • Low Processor usage meaning it can run anywhere.

Ample Sound Cloudrum - VST

  • A Steel Tongue Drum with a wide range of notes.

  • A pleasant tone from each note

  • Plugin is free forever and gets some occasional quality bumps.

Ample Sound Bass P Lite II - VST

  • A pleasant sounding Bass Guitar that also has the ability to read tab files

  • Gets occasional updates to improve its audio quality.

Ample Sound Guitar M Lite II - VST

  • An acoustic guitar VST that supports tab files to auto play.

  • Has a built in strumming pattern generator.

iZotope Vinyl - VST+AU

  • A audio effect and distortion plugin to give music an old time feeling.

iZotope Ozone Imager - VST+AU

  • Visual equaliser plugin with a massive amount of versatility.

iZotope Vocal Doubler - VST+AU

  • Allows you to create two distinct voices from a single audio clip.

Spitfire Audio LABS - VST+AU

  • Spitfire LABS is a free sample based VST that includes samples from a wide and vast range of instruments.

  • At the time of writing there are 49 packs available to download and use.

  • Each sample is of incredibly high quality with some packs being in the multiple gigabytes large.

BBC Symphony Discover - LABS Add-on

  • An orchestral plugin created by Spitfire Audio.

  • Available for free if you are willing to fill out a form and wait 14 days.

  • Usable with LABS.

Know of any free plugins you’d recommend? Get in touch

Give us your suggestions and feedback