- Download over 400 Free VST Plugins and Free VST instruments.We have searched the web for the best free VST plugins to download. These are the best VST plugins that can be used with music software like FL Studio, Ableton Live, Pro Tools, Reaper, and more.
- Virtual Studio Technology was introduced back in 1996 and has made a massive impact on the way we make music today. We’ve put together the best free VST plugins and Effects, free Arpeggio plugins, free utility and effects plugins, and Free quality tools that are available at no cost. Sometimes the best things in life are free.
Discover, download and learn how to use the most popular free and paid vst plugins on Splice. Here are the Best Free VST Effects Plugins that can be used with FL Studio, Reason, Ableton Live, and other VST supported software. Tutorial: How to Install VST Plugins. Best Free VST Effects Plugins. Instructions: Click each link below and look around each website for the download link or button. We’ve selected 10 VST effects plugin that we know you’ll love. Grab all ten and try them out. Tell us what you think of them in the comment section! And check out other VST plugins we recommend: The 7 Best Free Synth VST Plugins; 8 Free VST Plugins that Will Inspire You In Strange Ways; Every Free VST Plugin You Need For Mixing Perfect Vocals.
Time to update your producer toolkit.
There’s no shortage of innovative VST plugins out there right now. The hardest part is picking from the thousands of available ones.
Don’t worry, we got your back. We’ve hand-picked a selection of plugins to make it easier for you. Oh, and they’re free!
The theme of this selection is effects – they’ll give your mix that extra crunch, oomph or whah.
Here are 10 free VST effects plugins that’ll add flavour to your sound:
1. Best free echo VST: Valhalla Freq Echo
The Freq Echo is a frequency shifter with analog echo emulation. My personal favourite.
It adds chorus, phasing and flanger effects. Go ahead and create some wild glissandos and runaway echos.
It’s great for dub and psychedelic effects. Use it for beefing up basslines.
If you’re a fan of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire you’ll love it.
Compatible with Mac OS and Windows (VST/AU in 32 and 64-bit, AAX 64-bit, RTAS).
Download it here.
2. Best free fuzz VST: FuzzPlus3
Here’s the updated FuzzPlus distortion VST pedal emulation from Audio Damage.
The central knob is the fuzz distortion. There’s also a Korg MS-20 style low-pass filter. And you can feedback the signal for some extra juice.
Amazing on synths and drums for meaty, distorted effects.
Use the presets or save your own.
Compatible with Mac OS and Windows (VST/VST3/AU 32 and 64-bit).
Download it here.
3. Best free EQ VST: MH Thump
MH Thump adds low end to your track. It recreates that nice thump you get on a vintage TR-808 drum machine.
It’s an audio processor that analyzes an audio input – say your drum track. Then it synthesizes a low frequency signal to add some body.
There are two independent oscillators and many knobs for fine-tuned control.
Go ahead and beef up those beats!
Compatible with Mac OS and Windows (VST/AU/AAX 32 and 64-bit)
Download it here.
4. Best free bitcrusher VST: Krush
Krush is a very interesting bit crusher VST.
It creates that crunchy digital bit reduction effect. But it can also imitate a warmer analog effect with the drive and resonant filter.
If there can be such a thing: the Krush is a very elegant bit crusher.
The Dry and Wet faders allow you to play with how much of original signal and the effect you want.
The modulations can be free form or synced to a rate of your choice. Save and recall presets easily.
Compatible with Mac OS and Windows (VST/AU/AAX 32 and 64-bit)
Download it here.
5. Best free overdrive VST: Mercuriall Tube Screamer 808
Meet the Mercuriall Tube Screamer 808 – your new overdrive VST effect plugin.
It’s modeled after the holy grail of tube screamers: the Ibanez TS-808 pedal.
Make your guitar sounds grungier. Flip between the TS-808 and MOD modes with the metal switch.
MOD will give you a slightly darker sound.
Compatible with Mac OS and Windows (VST/AU/AAX 32 and 64-bit).
Download it here.
Vst Effects Plugins Download For Windows 10
6. Best free tremolo VST: Pecheneg Tremolo
The Pecheneg is a tremolo VST effect. It gives you the power to create rhythmic modulations with your sound.
The Tempo section allows you to play the frequency either by selecting a Note or a Frequency.
Just like when you use LFOs, the Pecheneg Tremolo allows you to change the wave shape.
This effect will improve the groove of your track. It’ll give life to your synth or bassline.
Compatible with Mac OS and Windows (VST/AU 32 and 64-bit)
Download it here.
7. Best free chorus VST: TAL Chorus -LX
TAL‘s stereo Chorus-LX is inspired by the Roland Juno-60 chorus. It’s a simple but powerful chorus VST.
It has two different modes (I and II) that you can use separately or together.
Select how much of the effect you want with the Wet/Dry knob.
Use it to give some grit and body to your bass or synth line.
Compatible with Mac OS and Windows (VST/AU/AAX 32 and 64-bit).
Download it here.
8. Best free EQ VST: TDR Nova
The TDR Nova is a four-band dynamic Equalizer (EQ). A true workhorse.
It allows you to make a drum track crisper or boost certain frequencies as needed.
Any producer needs a bread and butter EQ VST. This is the one.
It has a built-in spectrum analyzer for precise EQing.
It’s also got a preset manager, A/B comparison, undo/redo functions and more.
Compatible with Mac OS and Windows (VST/AU/AAX 32 and 64-bit).
Download it here.
9. Best free reverb VST: Protoverb 1.0
The Protoverb 1.0 by U-He is a different kind of reverb VST.
The coolest thing about the Protoverb is that you can generate random settings and save the ones you like.
The spirit of this plugin is trial and error – we like that. It encourages users to share their favourite settings from a button on the plugin.
Compatible with Mac OS, Windows and Linux (VST/VST2/AU/AAX 32 and 64-bit).
Download it here.
10. Best free panning VST: PanCake 2
Last but not least: the most flexible panning VST effect you’ll ever find.
PanCake 2 lets you manually draw the curves of your panning modulation. You can also generate one randomly.
It’s easy to use and very visual. The LFO in the PanCake 2 can be synced to your DAW.
Pan your sounds sharply for dramatic effects. Pan them smoothly for subtle variations.
Compatible with Mac OS or Windows (VST/AU in 32 and 64-bit).
Download it here.
Spice up your mix
A mix can go from bland to grand with the right effects.
The good news is that you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars for that.
We’ve selected 10 VST effects plugin that we know you’ll love.
Grab all ten and try them out. Tell us what you think of them in the comment section!
And check out other VST plugins we recommend:
VST plugins are virtual instruments and effects for a digital audio workstation. These are the best free VST plugins to use in your music production studio.
Best Vst Effects Plug-ins
Scroll down to browse the VST plugins based on their category. Each category page features the best free virtual instruments and effects for a specific music production task. Welcome to the internet’s most up-to-date directory of freeware VST plugins.
Free VST Plugins Directory
Free VST Effects
Freeware effects in VST plugin format:
- Autotune – Free alternatives to Antares Auto-Tune.
- Bitcrusher – An extensive collection of freeware bitcrushers.
- Chorus – A selection of the best free chorus effects.
- Compressor – Dynamic range compressor VST plugins.
- Compressor (Multiband) – A collection of multi-band compressor effects.
- Compressor (Sidechain) – A collection of compressor effects with side-chain input.
- Delay/Echo – Add depth to your mix with these excellent freeware delay effects.
- Distortion – Distort and saturate your audio with these freeware plugins.
- EQ (Graphic) – Free graphic equalizers in VST format.
- EQ (Linear-Phase) – Linear-phase equalizers in the VST plugin format.
- EQ (Parametric) – Standard parametric equalizers for mixing and mastering purposes.
- Filter – A collection of filtering effects.
- Flanger – Free flanger VST effects.
- Gate (Noise Gate) – Freeware VST plugins for removing noise from recordings.
- Granulator – A collection of granular effects to really mess up your audio.
- Guitar Amp – Large collection of virtual guitar amplifier VST plugins.
- Guitar Cab (coming soon)
- Limiter – Free limiter effects for mastering and mixing.
- Phaser – The best free phaser plugins.
- Reverb – Algorithmic reverb VST plugins.
- Reverb (Convolution) – Convolution reverb VST plugins.
- Saturation (Console/Tape/Tube) – Get a warmer sound using free saturation tools.
- Stereo Enhancer – Enhance the stereo separation in your mix with these freeware effects.
- Transient Shaper – Make the drums more prominent in a mix with these free transient shapers.
- Vocoder – Become the next Daft Punk with these vocoder free VST plugins.
Free VST Instruments
A selection of free virtual instruments in VST plugin format:
- Drum Machine/Synth – Instruments for synthesizing and sequencing drum sounds.
- Organ – A collection of free organ instruments in VSTi plugin format.
- Piano (Acoustic) – Free VST plugins that emulate acoustic pianos.
- Piano (Electric) – Virtual instruments that emulate electric keyboards.
- Sampler – The best freeware VST plugins for audio samples.
- Sound Module/Workstation – A round-up of virtual instruments that function as romplers.
- SoundFont Player – If you’re feeling old school, load your old SF2 files with these free plugins.
- String Machine – A collection of string ensemble instruments. Jean Michel Jarre will love these!
- Synthesizer – Best free synthesizer VST plugins.
Free VST Utilities
Other useful freeware VST plugins:
- Arpeggiator – A collection of freeware arpeggiator VST plugins.
- Oscilloscope – Free oscilloscope tools.
- Spectrum Analyzer – Visualize your mix with these freeware spectrum analyzers.
- Step Sequencer – Sequence your virtual instruments with these freeware step sequencers.
VST Host Applications
A selection of free audio editors, digital audio workstations, and other applications that host VST plugins:
- Audio Editing Software – Audio editing programs that can host VST plugins.
- Digital Audio Workstations – The best free DAW software.
- Free Mastering Software – Freely downloadable VST plugins for mastering.
- Free Music Production Software – The best free music-making tools for beginners.
- Free Video Editing Software – Edit your music videos for free.
- VST Host Applications – Directory of VST plugin hosts for music production and live performance.
Free VST Plugins From Each Year
For quick access to the best VST plugins from each year, check out the articles listed below:
Find more music production tools in the Free Software Archive. The archive includes VST plugins, mobile apps, DAW software, audio editing software, and more. Browse our articles all the way back to 2009 when BPB was launched.
Developer Archives
An archive of free VST plugins that are not supported anymore. These freeware plugins are hosted on BPB with the permission of their developers.
If you’re a software developer interested in hosting your VST plugins on Bedroom Producers Blog’s servers, feel free to get in touch!
What Is A VST Plugin?
In case you’ve never used free VST plugins before, here’s a brief introduction. The acronym VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology. The technology allows music producers to load third-party audio effects and virtual instruments in their digital audio workstation. Virtual Studio Technology was introduced by Steinberg in 1996 and has made a massive impact on the way we produce music today.
A VST plugin is a software effect or a virtual instrument intended for use in a host program that supports Virtual Studio Technology. VST plugins are used to expand a digital music studio, in the same way hardware effects and instruments are utilized in a real studio. There are literally thousands of VST plugins available for free download on the internet. As a result, we have created this free VST directory to help music producers find the right tools.
Using VST Plugins
Choosing the right audio software and learning to use it properly will ensure an efficient workflow when producing music. Therefore, make sure to familiarize yourself with the software available in your VST plugin folder. No one wants to use a complex plugin for the first time during a critical mixing session.
Step 1: The DAW
First of all, you need to choose the right digital audio workstation. The decision to use freeware or commercial music production software is up to you and your budget. The first thing to keep in mind when choosing your DAW is the workflow. Is the interface intuitive? Does the control layout seem logical to you? Does the application provide all the recording and mixing features you’ll require? And most importantly, can it host VST plugins?
Vst Effects Plugins Download For Desktop
The best free digital audio workstations right now are Tracktion 7 and Cakewalk by BandLab. Both applications can load VST plugins.
Free Vst Audio Plugins Download
Step 2: Downloading Free VST plugins
Vst Plugins Effects Download
Now that you’ve picked your DAW, you’re all set to start building your collection of free VST plugins. Remember to always go for quality instead of quantity. The biggest mistake people make when discovering Virtual Studio Technology and the world of free VST plugins is to download hundreds of freebies and to hoard them on the hard drive. This is bad for your workflow and productivity. Imagine all the clutter and chaos in a real-world studio stacked with hundreds of hardware instruments and effects that no one will ever use. You don’t want such a mess in your virtual studio, either.
Stay organized when choosing your virtual instruments and effects. This page is a great place to start because we’ve listed only the best freeware VST plugins in each category.
What you need is a small but mighty collection of audio software that will cover all of your music production needs. Take the time to examine the plugins on offer and keep only the ones that you really need. Keep your mixing toolbox lightweight and efficient. Limit yourself to no more than three virtual compressors, equalizers, synthesizers, etc. Install only the tools that best suit your workflow and learn how to use them. Read the manuals, watch the video tutorials, and spend some time experimenting with your free VST plugins.
Step 3: Staying up to date
Finally, keep your plugins up to date. Developers often release updated versions of their freeware plugins, which include essential bug fixes and additional features. Keep an eye on our news section to stay informed about the latest updates of popular VST plugins. Also, consider subscribing to our email newsletter to receive the latest freeware news straight to your email inbox.
If you’re looking for even more freeware plugins for your DAW, check out the huge database over at KVR Audio.
Updated on February 21st, 2020.
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