The best free VST plugins 2020: must-have freeware synths, drum machines and effects By Si Truss ( Computer Music, Future Music, emusician ) 20 November 2020 Make music for nothing with our pick of the finest free sound makers and processors. Perfect Room by denise is a Virtual Effect Audio Plugin for macOS and Windows. It functions as a VST Plugin, an Audio Units Plugin, a VST 3 Plugin and an AAX Plugin. It functions as a VST Plugin, an Audio Units Plugin, a VST 3 Plugin and an AAX Plugin.
In this section you will find some plugins I created mostly as examples for the Delphi ASIO & VST open source project. Have a look at the source code or contribute to the project and modify all the plugins.
The order is more or less alphabetic.
NOTE: Cubase/Samplitude/Sequoia users might need to download the installer to disable the bug report system which sometimes hangs or crashes.
With “2-Band Distortion”, the low and high frequencies can be distorted separately. A Linkwitz-Riley filter is used for frequency splitting.
Download: 7z / Installer
The advanced clipper plugin features two stages with different oversampling and a final hard clip stage.
Download: 7z / Installer
A simple amplifier simulation roughly based on the mda plugin ‘mdaCombo’.
Download: 7z / Installer
Although this tool is not entirely complete, I decided to add this to the list of plugins as well. It features several audio processors to enhance the audio signal. However, right now I’m not convinced of the sound, so it’s more some kind of audio aggravation, but please decide yourself if you like!
Download: 7z
Experimental subbass extender plugin (based on a frequency divider and a low band compressor).
Download: 7z / Install
A waveshaper based on the chebyshev polynom. It is also used in my “Christortion” plugin.
Download: 7z / Installer
This plugin is simple implementation of a dither (with different distributions) and some commonly used noiseshapers. So far the noiseshapers have only been calculated for a samplerate of 44.1 kHz, but I thought to share the plugin anyway.
Download: 7z
A simple exciter plugin based on the chebyshev waveshaper and a modified Linkwitz-Riley splitter.
Download: 7z / Install
Yet another freeverb clone. Based on code from Jezar at Dreampoint and a GUI mock-up by thcilnnahoj
Download: 7z / Installer
Simple Phase Rotator implementation. This can be used to slightly delay certain frequencies. The result is a reduced peak level caused by smearing the transients.
Download: 7z / Installer
This Plate Reverb effect is directly based on the Plate Reverb described in Jon Datorro’s “Effect Design” paper (part 1). Again the GUI is based on a GUI mock-up by thcilnnahoj
Download: 7z / Installer
Based on the famous SoundTouch library, this plugin allows you to pitch shift any audio material without wasting too much CPU cycles.
Download: 7z / Installer
Based on the famous SoundTouch library, this plugin allows you to detune, delay and mix two channels independently. Either Left/Right and Mid/Side processing is possible.
Download: 7z / Installer
This plugin is primarily meant for removing humming effectively leaving the audio information as intact as possible. Currently this plugin is not entirely finished as it is missing an automatic bandwidth detection and possible continous tracking instead of training by a hum profile. However, I’d like to add it here already to be previewed.
Download: 7z / Installer
The Noise Reduction plugin is based on a spectral gate to filter out unwanted noise in the frequency domain. The gate is based on the lightweight dynamic series and features a soft knee and customizable attack and release times.
Originally this plugin was planned for the KVR’09 developer contest, but in the end I missed the deadline by one day and thus I had to use another plugin for my entry.
Download: 7z / Installer / 7z (64-bit beta)
This plugin is a striped version of the ‘Noise Reduction’ plugin. Instead of a noise profile it uses a fixed threshold across all frequencies. It might not deliver results as good as the above plugin, but might be nice for other applications anyway.
Download: 7z
The ‘Party Delay’ is a nice little delay effect combined with a filter and a frequency shifter.
Download: 7z
With this plugin you can write simple DSP functions in pascal script. They will be interpreted in realtime (might be quite CPU hungry though).
Download: 7z
A Tetris clone compiled as VST.
Download: 7z
Just a simple variable delay (with subsample accuracy)
Download: 7z
Create 3D effects in your mix with these spacey plugins.
Have you thought about space lately? Although NASA just discovered a new solar system, I’m not talking about outer space.
I mean space when you’re mixing music!
Effects like reverb, delay, tremolo and chorus give your sound a sense of movement. They play with how listeners perceive space in your track. Use them to bring samples and recordings to life.
Think of your DAW arrangements in three dimensions. Your sounds should be placed in different spots to stand out. Should something be panned more left or right? Would something fit better if it sounded far away?
Here are 5 Free VST plugins (PC and Mac) to start shaping the space in your mix:
Roboverb is a robotic voice reverb plugin.
Reverb is one of the most effective spatial effects. Play with it to change how near or far a track sounds. Give the impression that you’re in a bigger room.
Use the ‘Room Size’ and ‘Width’ knobs on the Roboverb to change the size of the space. Try playing with the ‘Chambers’ knobs for different effects.
Download Roboverb for free here.
The Spaceship Delay by Musical Entropy is a sweet delay plugin. You get lots of options and controls to play with.
Try this: get crazy with the ‘Effects’ section. Create wild combinations that I’ll sound like they’re straight out of that new solar system.
Download Spaceship Delay for free here.
The Acon Digital Multiply is the winner of the KVR Audio Developer Contest 2014.
It’s a chorus—it boosts the stereo effect and presence of a sound by adding one or more delayed versions of the original sound. Think of a choir!
The Acon Digital Multiply simulates up to 6 additional voices. It comes with a built in spectrum analyzer and EQ.
Widen the the stereo of your sound with the ‘Stereo Spread’ knob. Or try building wild echo effects by messing with the ‘Depth’ and ‘Voice Count’.
Download the Acon Digital Multiply for free here.
The doppler effect is the weird frequency modulation you hear when an ambulance zips by you.
And guess what? There’s a plugin that gives that effect to your sound. It’s called Doppler Dome!
This plugin lets you mess with the pitch and panning of your sound. Drag the dots to find fun combinations of effects.
Download the Doppler Dome for free here.
HoRNet Harmonics is a wave shaper. It lets you adjust the volume of the different harmonics of a sound.
Try removing the fundamental frequency by setting the first slider to zero—this creates a “broken record” sound.
The effect is very subtle on certain sounds, so experiment to find what you like.
Download HoRNet Harmonics for free here.
Vst plugins folder cubase. Whether you’re working on sound design for a movie or your next club banger, space is a key aspect of arranging music.
Play with space: pan some sounds, add reverb, make it echo, create chorus effects. Your mix will become more dynamic and tell a better story.
So go ahead, grab these plugins and start getting spacey!
Get the whole collection of the best free VST plugins.