Best free synth VST plugins If you’re looking to make your audio tracks more appealing and interesting, then you really need to use the free synth VST plugins. Synths are offering you a cool way to make your music even better and more interesting.

This article is about the Top 20 free VST plugins released in 2019. For more music production software, visit our Free VST Plugins page.

2019 was a good year for music producers on a budget. If you’re following our News section, you already know about all the free VST plugins that were introduced over the past twelve months. But if not, we created this list to help you find the best free VSTs of 2019.

Top 20 Free VST Plugins Of 2019

Here are the best free VSTs of the year:

1. 1. Lith by Soda Devices
   2. Defiant WT by Ocean Swift
   3. QRange by lkjb
   4. Frontier by D16 Group Audio Software
   5. HY-Delay 4 FREE by HY-Plugins
   6. TAL-Reverb-4 by Togu Audio Line
   7. Convology XT by Impulse Record
   8. RS-W2395c by FUSE Audio Labs
   9. Ozone Imager V2 by iZotope
   10. SN03-G Tape Recorder by Sender Spike
   11. FreeAMP by Klevgränd
   12. Flower Child Filter by Soundemote
   13. Vocal King Pro by JHudStudio
   14. Rare by Analog Obsession
   15. Finisher Micro by UJAM
   16. Crunck V2 by Nembrini Audio
   17. Vector by 2CAudio
   18. Blindfold EQ by AudioThing
   19. FBVC by Full Bucket Music
   20. Upright Piano by 99Sounds

1. Newest Free Plugins 3.3k Best Free Plugins 2.9k Best Free Instrument Plugins 1.3k Free Synth Plugins 457 Best Free Effect Plugins 1.6k Best Free Guitar Effect Plugins 52 Free Reverb Plugins 104 Free EQ Plugins 136 Free Plugins Host 100 Free Kontakt Instruments & Libraries 204 Best Free Drum VIs 115.
2. Syntheway VST VST3 and Audio Units Plugins Download Area. Free Download Demo/Trial Versions for Windows and macOS. Choir, Harpsichord, Piano, Accordion, Harmonica.
3. Free VSTi Instruments and effects for audio softwares INSTRUMENTS Piano / Strings VST Instruments Electronik Sound Lab – Darksichord Electronik Sound Lab – Darksichord size 74 MB / 76 MB / 84 MB Darksichord is a multi-sampled Harpsichord processed with several layers of sound and effects to give it a darker.
4. Best Free Realistic Instrument VST Plugins So, if you're looking for free virtual instruments that can be used for composing orchestral or realistic music, these 5 plugins will help you do just that. And all but one will work on both Windows and Mac, but I do mention an alternative for the one that doesn't plus a bonus free sound library at the.

Click the links for more info about each plugin. Click here to see the honorable mentions.

Lith

Lith is a freeware virtual hybrid synthesizer VST plugin for digital audio workstations on PC and Mac. The instrument uses wavetables that were sampled from a real analog oscillator to generate the sound. As a result, the plugin sounds warm and full but has the flexibility of a wavetable synthesizer. Lith is a must-have free VST plugin for users who like to experiment with new and unusual virtual synthesizers.

There’s a lot of potential in Lith, but this virtual synthesizer is still far from perfect. For starters, you will probably want to change the default light skin to the dark version. That said, Lith is one of the most promising new virtual instruments released in 2019 and one of our most-used free VST plugins of the year.

More info:Lith

Defiant WT

Defiant WT is another hybrid synthesizer VST plugin on the list. It combines three different types of synthesis (Wavetable, Subtractive, and Additive) in an intuitive interface. Defiant WT is simple enough to be used by beginner music producers, much more so that Lith and ModulAir. The instrument comes with 200 original factory wavetables for the oscillator. Another 100 wavetables are included in the LFO module.

More info:Defiant WT

QRange

QRange is a twelve-band linear-phase equalizer VST plugin for digital audio workstations on PC and Mac. It was developed by lkjb, the same programmer who crafted the Luftikus analog-modeled parametric equalizer. Unlike its analog-inspired counterpart, QRange is an entirely transparent linear-phase EQ designed for audio mastering purposes. The plugin provides twelve frequency band controls and a built-in real-time spectrum analyzer.

More info:QRange

Frontier

Frontier is a free limiter VST plugin with adjustable release time, soft-clipping, and auto-gain functionality. Note that this is not a brickwall limiter plugin. Think of it as a heavy compressor with a fixed attack time and an adjustable threshold. The plugin was released back in 2016, but it was only available for existing D16 Audio customers. It was re-released as “freeware for all” in February 2019.

More info:Frontier

HY-Delay 4 Free

HY-Delay 4 Free is a freeware delay VST plugin by HY-Plugins. Its coolest feature is the built-in “ducker” effect. The ducker module lowers the volume of the delayed signal when the volume of the processed audio signal increases. As a result, the delay effect is more focused because the dry and the wet signal don’t overlap as much. HY-Delay 4 Free also features a three-band equalizer, cross-feedback, and a randomizer button for changing the values of all control parameters with a single click.

Another great feature in HY-Delay 4 FREE is the randomization tool. Experiment with it to randomize the parameters and come up with some crazy sounding echoes. The built-in limiter will come in handy to prevent excess volume peaks on the output. HY-Delay is one of the best free VST plugin effects of 2019.

More info:HY-Delay 4 Free

TAL-Reverb-4

TAL-Reverb-4 is a freeware plate reverb. It is the fourth iteration of Togu Audio Line’s free reverb VST plugin. The newly released TAL-Reverb-4 has an unmistakably 80s sound character and a freshly redesigned user interface. The source code improvements under the hood ensured that the reverb algorithm sounds better than ever while consuming fewer CPU resources. Free stereo enhancer vst. If you’re looking for a vintage-sounding reverb effect, TAL-Reverb-4 is worth a try.

More info:TAL-Reverb-4

Convology XT

Convology XT is a convolution reverb VST plugin. It is a zero-latency convolution reverb with a selection of 70 built-in impulse responses. Most of the included impulses were sampled from hardware reverb units, ranging from vintage studio reverb effects to guitar amp spring reverbs. The plugin can also load external impulse responses in WAV format. Thanks to Convology XT’s advanced interface, the user can adjust the attack and release times, decay, gain, and various other parameters of the loaded IR file.

If you want to dive into the world of convolution reverbs, Convology XT is a great place to start. Free to download and easy to use, it is also packed with a decent collection of reverb impulses. Another free VST plugin released in 2019 that we used a lot.

More info:Convology XT

RS-W2395c

RS-W2395C emulates a classic hardware Baxandall EQ unit from the 1950s. The development team at Fuse Audio Labs worked on RS-W2395C in collaboration with Roger Schult, the creator of the original hardware unit. The plugin features a pair of active Baxandall EQ tone controls for the high and low ends of the frequency spectrum. Also included is a semi-parametric mid-band filter that can be set to any target frequency between 155 Hz and 3.5 kHz. This free VST is useful for mastering and applying broad EQ adjustments while mixing.

More info:RS-W2395c

Ozone Imager V2

Ozone Imager V2 is the updated version of iZotope’s freeware stereo widening tool. Unlike most stereo processors, this free VST can convert mono audio signals to stereo without introducing phasing issues. Ozone Imager V2 works best as a subtle audio enhancement plugin for a transparent stereo widening effect. It also features a resizable interface and three stereo metering and analysis modes.

More info:Ozone Imager V2 Free ovo style vst.

SN03-G Tape Recorder

SN03-G Tape Recorder is a tape emulation VST plugin. The software features an innovative tape emulation concept that allows the user to create an entirely customized virtual tape recorder. Signal Noise SN03-G Tape Recorder’s simulated tape recording machine can operate in the range between 7.5 and 30 IPS while conforming to the NAB, IEC, and AES equalization standards. The plugin also features a VU meter for easy gain staging.

More info:SN03-G Tape Recorder

FreeAMP

FreeAMP is a freeware analog saturation effect developed by Klevgränd. This streamlined freeware VST features a simple interface with only three control parameters. It is based on the same saturation algorithms that were used in the REAMP analog modeling plugin from the same developer. FreeAMP delivers the complex analog saturation that is the result of using vintage tape recorders and tube preamps.

Fans of Softube’s excellent Saturation Knob plugin will feel right at home with FreeAMP. It follows a similar concept while providing a different flavor of analog saturation. FreeAMP is a great free VST for warming up audio mixes and individual tracks.

More info:FreeAMP

Flower Child Filter

Flower Child Filter is a boutique analog-style filter effect. It contains two filter algorithms from the forthcoming FMD filterbank plugin by the same developer. Flower Child Filter can switch between a clean resonant filter and a far more aggressive sounding filter module that is suitable for sound designers who like to experiment with heavy distortion. The filter can self-oscillate and simulate the behavior of analog filter modules. The implemented smoothing and oversampling controls are there to clean up the VST plugin’s output and prevent aliasing.

More info:Flower Child Filter

Vocal King Pro

Vocal King Pro is a dual compressor freeware VST plugin optimized for processing vocals. The plugin also features an EQ section for enhancing the vocal’s tone. Thanks to its combination of filtering and compression, Vocal King Pro is a powerful all-in-one solution for vocal processing similar to premium plugins like CLA Vocals and JST Bus Glue. The plugin was initially sold for $29 before being re-released as freeware on November 7th, 2019.

More info:Vocal King Pro

Rare

Rare is a free VST emulation of the famous Pultec tube program equalizer. The plugin is a dual-band EQ effect with the Boost and Attenuate control knobs found in Pultec hardware units. Rare can perform the low-end EQ focusing trick, which consists of attenuating and boosting the bass frequencies at the same time. As a result, the low-end of the processed signal will sound more pronounced while avoiding muddiness.

More info:Rare

Finisher Micro

Finisher Micro is a multi-effect VST plugin with a single-knob user interface. This single knob is actually a macro control that connects to various FX parameters depending on the active preset. Ujam Finisher comes with a wide selection of multi-effect presets, from sweepable filters and distorted compressors to flangers and wild modulation effects. If you need a simple sound design tool with multiple FX types, this free VST plugin is worth adding to your mixing arsenal.

More info:Finisher Micro

Crunck V2

Crunck V2 is a freeware guitar amplifier VST by Nembrini Audio. Interestingly, Crunck V2 was created by the same programmer who worked for Brainworx to develop the company’s premium range of virtual guitar amplification software. Crunck V2 is a simple plugin with all the features you’d expect to find in a basic guitar amp sim. It features input and output gain controls, three tone controls, a presence control, and a built-in IR-based cabinet simulator with 30 integrated cabinet impulse responses.

More info:Crunck V2

Vector

Vector is a free stereo analysis VST plugin. It boasts an ultra-precise spatial image analysis algorithm that detects phasing issues without reporting false positives. It is the perfect audio utility to use in tandem with stereo enhancement VST plugins such as the Ozone Imager V2 featured above.

More info:Vector

Blindfold EQ

Blindfold EQ is an analog-style parametric equalizer free VST plugin with optional soft clipping distortion. The plugin was developed to help beginner mixing engineers improve their EQing skills by using their ears instead of looking at the dials on the GUI. The interface doesn’t show any numerical values, so you’re forced to concentrate and focus on listening while using the equalizer. It’s an interesting concept that is worth a try if you want to become better at mixing audio.

More info:Blindfold EQ

FBVC

FBVC is a freeware vocoder VST plugin released by Full Bucket Music. Based on the hardware analog vocoders of yesteryear, it is a great tool for adding a bit of that Daft Punk vibe to your songs. Easy to setup unlike most other freeware vocoders, FBVC is well worth checking out. One of our favorite free VST plugins of 2019.

More info:FBVC

Upright Piano

Upright Piano is a free acoustic piano VST plugin by 99Sounds. It features six velocity layers per sampled note and four samples per octave. The volume envelope, key release, and the output volume can be fine-tuned by the user. This free VST also features built-in tremolo, low-pass filter, modulation, and reverb effects. Upright Piano can sound both realistic and lo-fi. It is especially useful for lofi hip-hop music production.

The combination of pitch modulation and filtering make Upright Piano sound like it was sampled from an old tape. Add some reverb on top to complete the effect.

More info:Upright Piano

Best Free VST 2019 – Honorable Mentions

These free VSTs from 2019 are also very good. They aren’t included in our main list, but you should check them out.

• Airwindows released dozens of top-notch audio plugins in 2019, as expected. It is hard to pick a single plugin from this amazing developer’s seemingly endless portfolio of free VST plugins. That’s why we are featuring him as the #1 honorable mention on the list and letting you decide which Airwindows plugin you like best.
• Tape Cassette by Caelum Audio emulates the tone and saturation of old tape recorders. It is a fun little lo-fi effect to add to your VST plugin arsenal.
• 7Q is a free VST inspired by the old Kjaerhus Classic Equalizer plugin. It features a similar user interface and a feature set that can be equally useful for mixing and mastering purposes. Another benefit is that 7Q is well-optimized and consumes very few CPU resources.
• Emvoice One is a free vocal synthesizer VST plugin. The free version of the software is elementary but still fun to use (and potentially very useful). You will need to pay for an upgrade to unleash Emvoice One’s full vocal synthesis potential. Nevertheless, a free VST plugin that is worth checking out.
• Verberate Basic is a free VST plugin to download if you like your reverbs as simple as possible. Great reverb sound and simple controls make for a fantastic combo when you’re in a hurry during a mixing session.
• Kee Bass is a bass keyboard virtual instrument by Martinic. Being that it’s an emulation of an almost half-century-old electronic keyboard instrument, Kee Bass is not a very flexible synthesizer. But the sonic character is where this free VST truly shines. Analog goodness for days!
• Voloco is a fun free autotune VST plugin based on an iOS app. It’s not an in-depth pitch correction tool but more of a creative effect.
• Element Modular is a fully modular free VST plugin host. Worth a look if you like experimenting with building custom plugin chains in a way that isn’t possible in a digital audio workstation. It is also great as a VST plugin host for live performance setups.
• NanoHost is a simple VST plugin host for Windows. It loads the VST plugin, displays the interface, handles MIDI input, and is also capable of recording your performances as audio files. NanoHost is the perfect tool for testing free VST plugins before loading them in your main DAW.
• KOMPLETE START Bundle is a collection of free music production software by Native Instruments. Nothing substantially new here, but it is nice to find all Native Instruments freebies in one place.
• Loopcloud 5.0 is a free sample manager by Loopmasters. The software gets better with every new iteration. Loopcloud now works as a VST plugin and is one step closer to becoming a powerful cloud-powered sample-based musical instrument that it aims to be.
• T-Force Alpha Plus 2 is a powerful synthesizer VST plugin designed for trance music production. It was released in 2019, but, unfortunately, it can’t be downloaded right now. Hopefully, the developer will provide a download link soon.

Limited-Time Free VST Plugins

These are premium VST plugins that you can freely download for a limited time only. These offers are ending soon!

• Raum is a reverb VST plugin by Native Instruments.
• Celestial is a psychoacoustic mastering tool from Acoustica Audio.

You can also download the BPB Christmas Bundle 2019, a 2 GB collection of royalty-free samples from ten premium sound design labels.

That’s all BPB had in store for you in 2019. We’re taking a short break, and we’ll see you in 2020! Until then, have fun and make some great music!

For more freeware plugins and instruments, return to our Free VST Plugins page.

Virtual instruments are software emulations of traditional instruments or hardware electronic musical instruments.

There is a staggering range of virtual instruments available nowadays, covering multi-timbral rompler modules to dedicated emulations of guitars, basses, drums, keyboards, and more.

Some of these VSTi plugins (as they’re also called) are free. So in this article we’ll take a look at some of the best free virtual instruments you can download today. Many of which are pro worthy.

Find more great gear here:

Intro: About Virtual Instruments

The benefits of virtual instruments are fairly obvious. They take up much less space than their hardware equivalents, they don’t overheat, and many of them have virtually unlimited polyphony. They are also much easier to edit and they almost never break down.

Here we run down some of the most intriguing virtual instruments currently available. Although some purists may scoff at the idea of these replacing their well-loved guitars or keyboards, there is no denying that they provide a surprising range of great sounds at a price that even professional musicians will appreciate.

Best Free VSTi Plugins

The List

The Roundup

Native Instruments’ Kontakt Player is arguably the Don of all free virtual instrument plug-ins. Based on the company’s own hugely successful Kontakt sampler, Kontakt Player effectively hosts all sample-based instruments developed for its more fully-featured big brother.

The compatibility goes the other way as well. All free instruments developed specifically for Kontakt Player will load up and play in the full version of Kontakt. Between the two, there is a staggering assortment of free and paid instruments, all boasting of the trademark Native Instrument quality.

To get budget-savvy musicians and producers started, NI offers a free Kontakt Factory Selection consisting of 50 premium instruments. Some of these are slightly cut-down versions of the instruments developed for Kontakt, while some are full versions developed specifically for Kontakt Player.

While Kontakt Player focuses mainly on standard instrument libraries, Native Instruments’ Reaktor Player is geared more towards the synthesis side of things.

Demonstration

Reaktor is of course the full-blown modular synthesis environment that gives users unparalleled and unlimited opportunity to design virtually any type of synthesizer, sequencer, or signal processor they could think of from scratch. With Reaktor Player, users are able to play back a wide variety of instruments and effects developed in and for Reaktor, with a more modest set of editing capabilities.

As with Kontakt Player, there is a huge range of ready-made instruments available for use in Reaktor Player. NI even offers two free devices to get you started: the Blocks Wired pre-patched modular synth and the Mikro Prism synthesizer.

Reaktor Player obviously doesn’t come close to providing the depth of power and customizability offered by the full version of Reaktor. Nevertheless, it is a good introduction to modular synthesis. Furthermore, the availability of hundreds of Reaktor instruments cover a board range of sound-crafting options.

Ample Guitar M Lite is the free version of Ample Sounds’ popular AGM guitar simulator. Emulating the warm, rich tones of the Martin D-41 acoustic guitar, Ample Guitar M Lite is now on its second version.

For the price of a free download, you get an enhanced set of features that now match the capabilities of the full version. The note range now spans E1 – C5, and the plug-in now works as a standalone instrument. Even if you do opt to use the instrument in your DAW, multiple instances will take up much less resources than before, and they will load up faster as well.

Demonstration

As you may have guessed from the name, Ample Bass P Lite is Ample Sound’s free bass guitar sample player plug-in. A cut-down version of the full Ample Bass P II component of the company’s Bass Series product line, this plug-in has fewer samples and fewer round robin variations than the full version. It also has a smaller note range than the paid product, covering D1 to F4. Nevertheless, the Ample Bass P Lite does a good job of cranking out the distinctive tones of the Fender Precision Bass, which it models.

Manda Audio’s MT Power Drum Kit is a free drum sampler that has a fairly wide selection of acoustic drum kit sounds. Great care has been taken to record and process the original samples, giving users a range of high-quality drum sounds perfectly suited for pop, rock, and even metal.

Those who wish to process their drum sounds with their own plug-ins might not appreciate the fact that the MT Power Drum’s sounds are already processed. Nevertheless, EQ and compression were applied quite tastefully, and the sounds should fit in well in most mixes.

Demonstration

Togu Audio Line has garnered quite a bit of acclaim for its excellent line of synthesizers and effects processors, a number of which are free. NoiseMaker is one of these, and it compares favorably to the company’s own paid emulation of the Roland Juno 106 analog synth, the TAL-U-NO-LX.

The NoiseMaker incorporates some of TAL’s more popular effects processors on board. There is the Juno-derived chorus with two modes for starters, along with a reverb, a delay, and a bitcrusher, all of which exist as free standalone plug-ins.

DistroCore’s DC Bazz::Murda is a bass and kick synthesizer that is capable of a surprisingly wide array of sounds. Although aggressive and distorted industrial sounds are its forte, it can be dialed back for more subdued tones as well. Even so, this is one plug-in that was obviously designed to get as loud and nasty as possible. For some users, that could be a good thing!

Top Pick

Native Instruments’ Kontakt Player and Reaktor Player are a couple of the best free virtual instruments that you can get, without a doubt. They provide a superb one-two punch that simply can’t be beat.

Between the two, you pretty much have all your bases covered, whether you need bread-and-butter rompler sounds, exotic World Music libraries, or synthetic sounds ranging from vintage to cutting-edge.

Best Vst Instruments With Free Trial 90 Days

Given the wide range of sounds they cover and the trademark NI quality, these two are neck-and-neck as our top picks for best virtual instrument plug-ins.