- Best Professional Vst Plugins
- Best Vst Plugins For Rocket
- Best Vst Plugins For Rap
- Best Vst Plugins For Rockabilly
- Best Vst Plugins For Rock Bands
Before getting too heavily entrenched in this list, I recommend that you sign up for Plugin Alliance’s newsletter (found at the bottom of their website). They regularly send out insane deals that drop their products down to as much as 90% off. Another excellent buying tip is to bundle their products together, which can save you up to an additional 60% on your order. You should wait until a number of the plugins you’re interested in go on sale, bundle them together, and then purchase a handful of them at once. In some situations, you can even add cheaper plugins to your cart, which will discount your bundle below your previous total.
Working with virtual studio technology (VST) plugins is tremendously convenient, but a lot of the best VST plugins out there are very expensive. If you're looking to expand your library of VST instrument (VSTi) plugins, or tweak your mixes with some great effects or MIDI effects VST plugins, you can do it for free. ValhallaDSP’s ValhallaPlate is a plate reverb plugin, as the name suggests. Plate reverb is good for use with many different instruments as well as vocals, so that is why I have included it as being one of the best plugins. ValhallaPlate uses 12 different algorithms to emulate the sound of steel plate reverbs. The customization and fine tuning of the VST is astounding and it’s one of the best drum VST plugins around. All you need to do is listen to the demos and sound clips of the drum kits on YouTube to hear how good the drums sound, and what they can add to your mixes.
![Best free vst plugins Best free vst plugins](https://medias.audiofanzine.com/images/normal/635411.png)
The plugins a part of this list are tools that I use regularly. These aren’t merely alternatives to other devices that I own; they’re the go-to tools I’m using for the functions they perform. If a product doesn’t provide significant value beyond what’s available from other plugin distributors, it didn’t make the list. Each one of these plugins is free to download and demo for 14 days, so you can test them out for yourself!
12. Black Box Analog Design HG-2
The Black Box Analog Design HG-2 is a tube processor that will find itself right at home on your stereo buss. It’s used to add significant color and distortion to your audio signal, ranging from subtle to heavy processing. Start crafting mixes that sound rich, full, loud, big, and punchy, all without altering the peak level running into the HG-2.
This unit allows you to make use of four different vacuum tube stages combined in series. It also uses parallel circuits to color your sound with additional harmonic content. The HG-2 has separate gain controls for its pentode and triode tubes, and a particularly useful Density knob that lets you drive both tubes harder without changing the relative balance of either knob.
Although there aren’t that many controls on this device, there are so many parameter combinations you can create, that the results you can expect will range from dark to bright, clean to distorted, etc. The HG-2 definitely has a signature sound, but it provides a wide variety of tones, which is what you want from a quality color box.
11. Brainworx bx_digital V3
The Brainworx bx_digital V3 is a mastering-grade mid-side EQ. It has 11 bands with various filter types including parametric bells, high- and low-shelves, and high- and low-passes. These filters can be applied to each channel; mono, dual-mono (L/R), stereo and mid-side. Also included in this EQ are imaging, monitoring, and metering sections that make it perfect for mastering.
New to version 3 is a high-frequency band that reaches up to 40 kHz, a dynamic EQ module, API-style Proportional Q filters, and six notch filters in total. There are Bass and Presence shifters which apply one of three different tilt filters.
In the world of digital music production, there’ a whole universe of VST plugins to choose from.
Most VSTs are really good at one thing, or suited for a specific genre. But there’s a select few out there that are total workhorses.
They do a lot of things really well no matter what your project sounds like.
The VSTs on this list offer heaps of possibilities in a single plugin.
Whether you’re making sweeping ambient drones, experimental prog rock or wall-shaking techno, you’ll find yourself coming back to these plugins track after track—no matter what genre you’re working in.
Here’s our 7 favourite versatile VST plugins that belong in every production toolbox.
Massive by Native Instruments
Massive is (rightfully) described as a ‘sonic monster’.
It’s an unbeatable synthesizer for basslines and leads. There’s over 1300 presets to choose from and an easy-to-use browser that sorts presets by type and characteristics.
Best Professional Vst Plugins
Even though Massive has become known as a popular VST for dubstep and EDM producers, one look through the enormous and diverse library of presets shows that this plugin can do a lot more than create wobble bass effects.
One look through the enormous and diverse library of presets shows that this plugin can do a lot.
Each preset has 8 customizable macro controls to allow you to dramatically change the sound of each preset, and if that wasn’t enough, you can also go in and alter any of the 3 oscillators or their filters and envelopes to further shape your sound. With so much room for customization, you can tweak almost any sound in the plugin to suit your personal preference and work across a variety of genres.
Even though Massive shines for window-shattering basslines, it also has a huge selection of beautiful soundscapes and pads for those softer passages, making it one of the most versatile and widely used VSTs on the market.
NI Massive: $149 USD
Serum by Xfer Records
What makes this synth really special is the ability to import your own recorded audio or outside samples—making the possibilities truly endless and versatile for any project.
Serum is a 2 oscillator wavetable synthesizer with fully user-editable wavetables. What makes this synth really special is the ability to import your own recorded audio or outside samples—making the possibilities truly endless and versatile for any project.
Serum also features a Remap Mode, which allows for you to draw your own wavetables and customize the presets or your own imported audio.
Serum also features a Remap Mode, which allows for you to draw your own wavetables and customize the presets or your own imported audio.
The effect rack also includes 10 different modules making this synth even more useful than most synth VSTs.
Xfer Records Serum: $189 USD
Decapitator by Soundtoys
When it comes to saturation effect plugins, Decapitator shows up in a ton of top lists—And for good reason…
With 5 different analogue saturation models, Decapitator lets you create subtle, extreme, or anywhere-in-between hardware-modelled saturation.
With 5 different analogue saturation models, Decapitator lets you create subtle, extreme, or anywhere-in-between hardware-modelled saturation.
Decapitator’s tone control allows you to shape your sound how you want it, and it’s mix control allows you to blend in dry signal without the need to use routing and sub-mixes.
The flexibility of this VST makes it the perfect choice for adding character to every instrument in your mix, no matter what those instruments might be.
Soundtoys Decapitator: $199 USD
Toraverb by D16 Group
When the engineers at D16 Group set out to create Toraverb, they wanted to make a reverb VST that was unlike any other. Marketed as a ‘concept algorithm reverb’, Toraverb has easily accessible parameters for creating your own type of reverb—forget your classic room, hall, etc.
Toraverb has two independent, single band parametric equalizers, one for early and one for late EQ reflections—a feature that allows for full user control.
Toraverb sounds lovely when used on pads, synths, and guitars, but also adds depth to rhythmic patterns.
Because the sound shaping in Toraverb is so flexible and high-quality, it’s useful on any component in your track — it sounds lovely when used on pads, synths, and guitars, but also adds depth to rhythmic patterns.
D16 Group Toraverb: $39 USD
CamelCrusher by Camel Audio
Best Vst Plugins For Rocket
CamelCrusher is a free VST (!) featuring two different distortion tones (which can be used separately or blended together), a silky smooth low-pass filter and user-friendly compressor. All of these options combine to make CamelCrusher a go-to VST for all situations and a great place to get started with distortion on any project.
CamelCrusher will beef up any component of your track—but where it really shines is on drums of all types. The infamous ‘Phat Mode’ ensures your kick will cut through even the most heavily-distorted basslines.
CamelCrusher will beef up any component of your track—but where it really shines is on drums of all types.
Unfortunately the company that created CamelCrusher, Camel Audio, does not exist anymore, but CamelCrusher is still available for free here.
Camel Audio’s Camel Crusher: Free!
Movement by Output
Movement features over 300 presets and allows you input any sound, instrument, or track—making it the swiss-army knife for effects.
Best Vst Plugins For Rap
Other highlights of the plugin include analogue modelled effects, 76 modulation knobs, and state-of-the-art sidechain modulation which allows you to modulate up to 38 parameters using a single input source.
Movement features over 300 presets and allows you input any sound, instrument, or track—making it the swiss-army knife for effects.
Movement also allows you to adjust your sound in realtime using Movement’s XY macro pad, which lets you to control up to 152 parameters at the same time.
These features and more let you completely transform any instrument or track, making it an invaluable tool for any producer.
Output Movement: $149 USD
MXXX by Melda Productions
MXXX is pricey but worth it…
It gives you every Melda Productions effect (all 94!) in a simple, user-friendly interface. Echo, reverb, delay, distortion, compression, saturation, flanger—I mean everything. https://trendyyellow654.weebly.com/blog/silent-plugin-vst.
This VST has more than 70 processors and over 500 active presets, each with their own set of processors and controls allowing you to completely customize and create new sounds.
This VST has more than 70 processors and over 500 active presets, each with their own set of processors and controls.
An especially impressive feature of this VST is the automatic routing matrix: Insert any of the FX processors and the VST will do the routing for you by putting inputs and outputs in the most probable locations. This of course is fully editable, but is definitely a nice feature.
The folks over at Melda Productions really put together the complete package with MXXX that is sure to please everyone.
Melda Productions MXXX: $1218 USD
Ready for Anything
With an overwhelming selection of VSTs available on the market, it can be hard to know where to even start.
Best Vst Plugins For Rockabilly
By choosing VSTs that can do a lot for you you’ll get the most bang for your buck.
Best Vst Plugins For Rock Bands
Having a small but solid collection of plugins that can adapt to different tracks, instruments and genres will help you have an effective workflow as a producer, and your RAM will probably thank you too. Free guitar vst plugins logic pro x.