Being an electronic music producer, the sounds, effects and VSTs you have access to are critically important when it comes to producing quality music. Nowadays, you no longer have to spend the big bucks on various physical instruments as there are tons of free virtual instruments available right here on the internet.
This list will provide you with the ultimate free VST instruments every producer must have. Next to being free, we've made sure to select only the best VST instruments in terms of quality. With that being said, there is no reason these awesome VSTs shouldn't be in your DAW of choice.
High-quality VST plugins don't always have to be expensive
If these VSTs are so impressive, why would they be free you might ask? Well there are various reasons why VST developers might hand out some of their creations free of charge. These free VSTs are also called freeware.
Free plugins can be given out to the people as a way of promoting their brand or, to offer users a premium version of the same VST with more tools and functionality. This is similar to what companies like Ableton, Pro Tools and Cubase offer with free edition entry-level demos of their software. You'll get to use an entry-point of the rest of a developer's software line. Free vst plugins can also be older versions of a new VST instrument. Developers also like to give out VST plugins for free to see how their users experience the VST, giving them important user experience feedback.
Finding the right ones
Knowing this, with a little bit of digging in the crates (virtually) you'll be able to find some of the best high-quality synths, effects and production tools that can help you make better beats. While some might ask you to give up your email address, to sign up to a newsletter, most of these are completely free of charge.
Keep in mind, that although most of these VSTs listed here are impressive and full of quality, they might lack some of the functionalities of paid-for plugins, such as expansive preset libraries, free updates or expanded feature sets. But it all come down to what you need, and even at an entry-level, these VSTs can be a massive upgrade to your sound arsenal.
We've organized this list based on instrument type, and what the VSTs are used for. We've made sure to include the best free VSTs for each aspect of music production. Let's start off with all-in-one workstation plugins that can play multiple instruments.
Best free all-in-one VST Workstation Plugins
Spitfire labs
Developer : Spitfire
OS : Win 32Bit, Win 64Bit, Mac 32Bit
Format : VST, AU, AAX
Spitfire Labs is one of the best free VST instruments available on the internet today. Spitfire Labs hosts an entire collection of free sample instruments put out by the developers at Spitfire Audio. Each of these instruments could easily be sold for around $50 to $100, that how high-quality they are. The VST features a really lush soft piano patch that sounds absolutely incredible. There are various free string libraries included that sound like something out of a dramatic Hollywood movie scene. Using just the string section of Spitfire Labs can get you a long way when producing. The VST also features a drum kit that sound very natural. Other drum sample libraries tend to go for a more processed sound. The Labs drum kit sounds very authentic and less processed. Labs is available for Mac and PC.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Komplete Start By Native Instruments
Developer : Native Instruments
OS : Win 32Bit, Win 64Bit, Mac 32Bit
Format : VST, AU, AAX and Standalone host
Like labs, Komplete Start is a collection of instruments rather than just one VST. It's all free and definitely worth adding to your DAW sooner rather than later. Komplete Start comes with 7 free synths, 9 sampled instruments, some drum kits, vintage synths, modular synths and even a couple of effects too. Komplete Start features some really high-quality sounding instruments. It also features some old-school sounding sounds with the likes of various 70s and 80s synthesizers that sound really cool. Komplete Start comes with the Kontakt 6 and Reaktor 6 players. Kontakt 6 is a sampler. Reaktor synth is a synth engine. Both of these tools have lots of resources available with tons of synths and effects you can download for free. Komplete start is available for Mac and PC.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Bass Guitar VST Plugin
Ample Bass P Lite II
Developer : Amplesound
OS : Win 64Bit
Format : VST2, VST3, AU, AAX and Standalone host
Ample Bass P Lite II is the perfect bass guitar VST instrument, and it even sounds better than most paid bass VST plugins. This is as close as you're gonna get to a real bass guitar from a VST instrument. Now you're not gonna get as much control over the controls and parameters with the Lite version as you would with the paid version, but it still sounds great and you should have this amazing bass VST uploaded to your DAWs sound selection.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Sampler VST Plugin
Grace by One Small Cue
Developer : One Small Cue
OS : Win 32Bit
Format : VST
Grace by One Small Cue is one of the most user-friendly sampler VST plugins available for free. The plugin offers all of the most essential features that you'll need from a sampler vst plugin. Now even though the interface might look complicated to operate, it's actually very easy to use and incorporate into your workflow. Grace is compatible with WAV, AIFF, and SND audio formats and it even supports SFZ patch import. This makes the VST capable of loading various free downloadable SFZ sound libraries.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free 808 VST Plugin
Xsub by Hexloops and SimplySounds
Developer : Hexloops and SimplySounds
OS : Win 32Bit, Win 64Bit, Mac 32Bit
Format : VST
Xsub by Hexloops and SimplySounds. Xsub is a high-quality 808 sub bass VST that uses anolog synthesizers, digital sine waves, guitar amps and other gear. It features a total of 36 different bass sounds all spanning over two octaves. Some of the sounds are more 808ish while others are smooth sounding bass samples. A lot of the presets featured in this 808 vst are a bit distorted, making it a little more on the gritty side.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Brass VST Plugin
Layers by Orchestral Tools
Developer : Symphony Orchestra
OS : Win 32Bit, Win 64Bit, Mac 32Bit
Format : VST, AU
Layers is a free orchestral sample library powered by SINE Player. SINE player is a freeware virtual instrument plugin developed by Orchestral Tools. This massive library features 17 GB of high-quality orchestral multi samples. The samples are neatly organized into four individual categories. These are Full Orchestra, Woodwinds, Strings and Brass. In order to download a free copy or Layers you have to visit the product page and fulfill the checkout process. After completing you will be able to download and install the SINE Player on your PC or laptop. When launching the SINE player for the first time, enter your account credentials. After logging in, download the Layers sound content from the "My Licenses" tab in the Sine Player.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Guitar VST Plugin
Ample Guitar M Lite II
Developer : Amplesound
OS : Win 64Bit
Format : VST2, VST3, AU, AAX and Standalone host
Another VST by Ample, Ample Guitar M Lite II is actually an acoustic guitar emulator. As most of us know, emulators usually do not produce a very authentic sound. This however, sounds really amazing! The free VST gives you the option to add in some effects, and you can even double the guitar with the press of a button, adding width and fullness to the sound. Every producer should download this amazing free guitar VST.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Piano VST Plugin
SoundMagic Piano One
Developer : SoundMagic
OS : Win 64Bit, Mac 64Bit
Format : VST, AU
The SoundMagic Piano One is a great piano VST with a nice bright tone. It gives you some basic controls and features you can adjust to manipulate the sound and output.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Tape Stop VST Plugin
Glitch 1.3 by Illformed
Developer : Illiformed
OS : Win 64Bit, Mac 64Bit
Format : VST, AU
Glitch is a renowned vst plugin that has been around for quite some time. What's cool about this one, is that it's actually a combination of a crusher, stretcher and tape stop all at once. The only downside is that the company behind Glitch – Illformed no longer supports it. So no unfortunately that means no more updates in the future.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Synth VST Plugin
Surge by Surge Synth Team
Developer : Surge Synth Team
OS : Win 64Bit, Mac 64Bit
Format : VST3, AU
Another awesome synth VST that used to be a premium synth, but the developers turned it into an open source program. The synth is extremely powerful with tons of features to keep you satisfied throughout the years. The synth allows subtractive synthesis, wavetable and FM. It features over a thousand preset patches, a 183 wave tables and tons of effects. Surge is available for Mac, PC and Linux.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Drum VST Plugin
Drumatic 3 by E-Phonic
Developer : E-PHonic
OS : Win 32Bit
Format : VST, AU, AAX
This lovely free VST instrument features a large array of drum sounds from algorithms instead of just samples. The VST uses analog synthesis to recreate sounds you'd normally find on an analog drum machine, or modular and analog synthesizers.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Orchestral VST Plugin
Spitfire BBC Symphony Orchestra
Developer : Symphony Orchestra
OS : Win 32Bit, Win 64Bit, Mac 32Bit
Format : VST, AU, AAX
The BBC Symphony is a very high quality orchestra library that is available for free, in return of filling in a short survey. The VST features some amazing orchestral sounds that any producer really, should have uploaded to their DAW. With this VST you get amazing orchestra sounds right out the box that you can use to fill up your instrumentals. It doesn't have as many variables as a paid orchestra VST, but it's still a very good option for orchestral sounds. It is available for PC and Mac.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Reverb VST Plugin
EpicVerb
Developer : KVR Audio
OS : Win 32Bit, Win 64Bit, Mac 32Bit
Format : VST
EpicVerb is a high-quality reverb plugin that's very flexible, allowing a lot of customisation. DAWs like FL Studio and Ableton come packed with great quality reverb plugins out the box. For users of other DAWs, this plugin is a great addition to your library of effects. EpicVerb features a 3 band equalistation feature, which is a great for tweaking the reverb's tail frequency rangers. This reverb plugin has multiple reverb settings ranging from soft and silky, to harsh and aggressive reverb tails. It will give you absolute flexibility while being user-friendly at the same time. A great addition for any music producer.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Delay VST Plugin
TAL-DUB-III by Togu Audio Line
Developer : Audio Line
OS : Win 32Bit, Win 64Bit, Mac 32Bit
Format : VST, AU, AAX
One of many VST plugins of the TAL brand, this free delay VST is minimalistic and full of quality. Easy to operate with it's simplistic interface, the TAL-DUB-III has an alias-free saturated option, a non-linear 6gB low pass and a 3 dB high pass filter included in the feedback path of the device. You can set your delay times up to 4 seconds, and also add the following sync patterns: 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1/1, 2/1 and tripled and dotted notes. This free delay plugin is a great VST or beginner producers with it's super easy to use interface keeping things simple. It also still has enough features to experiment with different delay parameters and effects.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Compressor VST Plugin
MCompressor by Melda
Developer : Melda Production
OS : Win 32Bit, Win 64Bit, Mac 32Bit, Mac 64Bit
Format : VST, VST3, AU, AAX
MCompressor is a great free compression plugin that's very versatile, allowing users to customize the shape of the compression. MCompressor features a lot of cool features, for example, source level indication inside the shape graph. The features are not very suited for beginner level producers, so if you're not familiar with compression yet, we'd suggest to try a simpler compression VST.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Distortion VST Plugin
Krush by TriTik
Developer : TriTik
OS : Win 64Bit, Mac 64Bit
Format : VST, AU, AAX
Krush is a multi-faceted bitcrusher that offers multiple control settings to set the distortion type. These are - Drive, Downsample and Crush. With drive, you can add more of a traditional distortion effect, that applies a decent amount of saturation throughout its range. Downsample is a great function to create more gritty 8-bit sounds. Crush enables the bitcrusher controls and can destroy any signal. This free Compressor VST also features a filter section with low-pass and high-pass functions including controls for frequency and resonance. Krush's second row of parameters features modulation controls for distortion and filter settings. With Krush you get the option to sync the modulation to the tempo of your current session, while also taking out some of the guesswork. Last but not least, there are dry and wet sliders to set the balance. This plugin is great for electronic genres and sound designers.
Click here to download this VST for free ➜
Best Free Modulation VST Plugin
Goodhertz Trem Control
Developer : Goodhertz
OS : Win 64Bit, Mac 64Bit
Format : VST, VST3, AU, AAX
Goodhertz Trem Control is a great sounding modulation VST plugin and feature-rich tremolo that varies from a subtle vintage vibe to experimental chop in the blink of an eye.
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So to make sure I’m understanding this (I’m new to producing) do these mean I can use the free VSTs here for commercial use? For example, if I use Komplete Start By Native Instruments to create my own melodies and my own loops can I use it commercially?