Best Free Vst Plugins For Reaper
Best Free Vst Plugins For Reaper
These are the best VST plugins that can be used with music software like FL Studio, Ableton Live, Pro Tools, Reaper, and more. VST instruments give you additional sounds to create with like Pianos, Synths, Organs, and Bass. Common VST Plugin Questions: What Are VST Plugins? VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology.
'55+ BEST FREE VST PLUGINS IN 2018'-Nick Crow 8505-Guitar Rig 5. I was about to ask for free VST Plugins to start playing around in Reaper! My #1 Pick for the best free VST plugins – Reaper’s Reaplugs Get Reaper’s Reaplugs First up in the list is the venerable Reaplugs, a stand-alone edition of Reaper’s built-in effects.
Synth VSTs are one of the most exciting things about being a producer today.
Powerful synthesis tools that used to cost thousands are now available in your DAW anytime, anywhere.
And the best part? Many of them are available as completely free plugins.
Software synthesizer plugins are great for everything from ambient pads to massive sub bass.
In this article I’ll break down the top 8 free synth VSTs for producing music in your DAW.
Let’s get started.
1. Digital Suburban Dexed
Dexed is a freeware FM synthesizer based on the legendary Yamaha DX7. It puts all the classic sounds and functions of the original synth in a modern package.
Free Vst Plugins
But Dexed makes classic 6 operator FM synthesis much easier to understand and program than it ever was with hardware.
This great free synth VST is perfect for percussive sounds like tines and mallets as well as icy pads or aggressive distorted basses.
2. Matt Tytel Helm
Synthesis is hard to understand even when you have real hardware synthesizer in front of you. It can be even more difficult when you’re working with an abstract software plugin.
That’s why Matt Tytel’s Helm is such a great synth VST.
Helm is a great sounding, two oscillator subtractive synth that’s dead easy for beginners to use.
It’s well laid out with a logical interface and helpful graphics that let you understand every aspect of basic subtractive synthesis.
Helm is perfect If you’re just getting started and need an easy synth to learn on.
3. u-He Tyrell N6
u-He Tyrell N6 is a stylish synth with bold analog sound and simple workflow.
It features a great preset library and modulation matrix as well as handy extras like unison mode, loopable envelopes and built in overdrive.
Overall, Tyrell N6 is a quality freeware synth that any producer can use to make great sounds.
4. DiscoDSP OB-Xd
Speaking of analog sound, DiscoDSP’s OB-Xd models one of the most sought-after instruments in analog synth history—the Oberheim OB-X.
This completely free plugin gives you access to the lush sound of the OB-X in your DAW.
From enveloping analog pads to deep basses and searing leads, the OB-Xd is an inspiring free synth to add to your plugin folder.
5. TAL Noisemaker
TAL’s excellent Noisemaker synth proves that VSTs don’t need to be complicated to work well in a track.
TAL’s excellent Noisemaker synth proves that VSTs don’t need to be complicated to work well in a track.
This straightforward synth has a powerful sound and compact, lightweight interface.
It contains a unique visual envelope editor and handy onboard effects including bitcrusher and TAL’s emulation of the Juno 60/106 chorus effect.
6. Vember Audio Surge
Vember Audio Surge is probably the most powerful free VST synth on this list.
Surge is open source which means you’re free to download the code and do whatever you want with it.
It’s fantastic sounding digital synth that can cover all kinds of different sonic territory.
Its highly flexible architecture includes wavetable oscillators, two filters with eight different modes each and routing options for frequency modulation.
If you’re looking to get lost in the possibilities of sound design, Surge is the best way to do it for free.
7. VCV Rack
This next one is a little different, but it’s so exciting that it had to make it to this list.
VCV Rack is a standalone synth program that models nearly every module available for the Eurorack format.
That’s right—those enormous racks of modular gear that creative producers spend thousands of dollars collecting.
Best Free Vst For Reaper
VCV Rack lets you create your own dream modular rig right on your desktop. You can even create patches authentically with virtual cables to get the real modular experience.
Integrating it with your DAW is a bit trickier—but using the plugin in standalone mode is just as fun for creating inspiring patches.
Every musician should try using VCV Rack to see what modular is all about.
Every musician should try using VCV Rack to see what modular is all about.
8. ML PG8X
The 80s are a popular decade for free synth plugin builders. This retro-leaning synth from developer Martin Lüders models the classic Roland JX-8p.
The JX-8p polysynth was one of the most popular keyboards of the time for a reason. It’s classic presets made it onto hundreds of recordings from the golden age of synth pop.
The ML PG-8X plugin version gives you all the vintage mojo of the original for free. It’s a nice analog-style polysynth with a unique retro character.
Pair it up with Dexed for authentic 80s stacked synth textures!
Free to play
You don’t need tons of expensive gear to make a great track. Free synth plugins prove that there’s plenty of capable tools out there to make music that sounds good on a shoestring budget.
Whether you’re looking for classic vintage tones, deep sound design tools or you just want to choose a good synth to get started, there’s a VST on this list to inspire you.
Now that you have some great new synths in your plugin folder, get back to your DAW and keep creating.
Last Updated on December 23, 2020.
Having a good drum sound in your mixes is essential, be it real drums, sampled drums or synth drums.
Not everyone has the luxury of having a drummer available to record whatever they need 24/7, so making your own drum tracks and getting them to sound good is a great way of doing things.
Luckily, there are many free drum VST plugins available that should get you sounding amazing in no time.
1. MT Power DrumKit 2 (Windows, Mac)
The MT Power DrumKit is a free sampler which offers high-quality samples of an acoustic, realistic drum kit.
The Samples come pre-processed which should make them sit nicely in any mix without any tweaking.
In addition to the incredible drum sounds that cut through any mix, it also has a fully pre-programmed groove library, which makes it extremely easy to set up a quick drum track for any song.
It also comes with a mixer where you can adjust the levels of each component, plus you can control the level of compression and panning.
Make sure to check out the official website here.
If you’re thinking about building a home studio, then make sure to read this entire post about the essential home studio components you need.
2. Drumatic 3 by e-phonic (Windows)
Drumatic 3 is a virtual-analogue drum synthesizer.
All sounds are 100% synthetic and allow for huge flexibility and variation.
It sounds pretty good, just remember that the sounds are nowhere close to a real drum, but that’s the whole point.
Sounds: Bassdrum, Snaredrum, Handclap, 2 Toms, Hihats and a Rimshot / Bell.
Features
- Graphical envelopes for amplitude and modulation
- Load / save presets for single sounds
- Simple but effective effect section for each sound with distortion and bitcrusher and a filter.
You can download it here.
Are you also looking for 20 of the best Free Orchestral VST plugins? As it so happens, I wrote an article about the ones I think are the best!
3. DrumMic’a! by Sennheiser (Windows, Mac)
This is a Free drum sample Software which loads inside of the free native Instruments Kontact Player. This one allows you to change between Sennheiser and Neumann Microphones, which will change the drum sound a bit.
This one also comes with a mixer where you can adjust the volume of each individual component of the kit and also allowing you to EQ, Compress, add reverb and delay, pan, etc.
This is a fantastic option, especially because it’s free, check its official website here.
Related: I love free plugins, so I put together a list of the best Free Synth VST Plugins out there which you can check out here,
4. Beatfactory Drums by BeatSkillz (Windows, Mac)
Beatfactory Drums is a free drumkit/drum machine plugin which works in any DAW on Mac OS X and Windows 32/64-bit.
The kits included in the plugin were created using the MPC 2500 passing through high end outboard EQ, compressors, tube and solid state gear, for a gritty and punchy sound.
It’s a very fun plugin to use and it sounds absolutely fantastic!
Features
- Sampled from MPC 2500
- Created with High End OutBoard Gear
- Volume and Pan for Each Sample Pad
Here’s the to where you can download the Beat Factory Drums.
5. MiniSpillage by AudioSpillage (Mac)
MiniSpillage is a free professional quality drum synthesizer plugin featuring high resolution 64-bit DSP processing that includes 3 exclusive drum synthesis algorithms along with distortion effects and resonant filters.
Features
- HD 64-bit Digital Sound
- 3 Editable Drum Pads
You can Download it here.
Now, maybe you need some truly powerful Drum VSTs and the ones on this list won’t cut it; Here’s a post about the best Premium Drum VSTs out there.
6. SM Drumkit by SMM (Windows, Mac)
This is one of the best free acoustic drum sample packs available. The samples are from a Vintage Ludwig drumkit which just sound fantastic.
The intention behind this was to provide a sampled collector drum kit in an easy to use format (Kontakt) as well as the open WAV samples to map in your own samplers of choice.
To use in Kontakt, however, you will need the full version since the free version of Kontakt only allows you to use it for 15 min.
This Pack adds up to 3.7GB across 3614 samples recorded in 24 bits, and each piece has up to 64 velocity layers and up to 8 round robins.
Here’s a link to the official website.
If you’re looking for a Free DAW to use these plugins with, then make sure to read this guide I wrote on the best free DAWs available today!
7. EXD-80 by Third Harmonic Studios (Windows)
EXD-80 is a free 32-bit virtual analog drum and percussion synthesizer plugin for Windows.
It is a flexible drum synth that can produce a wide variety of drum and percussion sounds.
From emulations of classic drum machines to crazy, mangled glitch sounds – all synthesized, no samples here!
It is suitable for many EDM styles including electro, glitch, industrial, ambient, dubstep, drum & bass and hip hop.
Features
- 8 Modules – kick, snare, open and closed hi-hats, 5 x percussion sounds
- 4 Stereo output pairs
- Each output pair has its own stereo effects section featuring a Granulator and Waveshaper
Note: It’s only 32-bit.
You can download it here.
8. Drum Pro by StudioLinked (Windows, Mac)
This is a fantastic drum machine plugin no matter how you look at it. The sounds you can get out of it are great and the ease of use is unmatched.
It is ideal for Hip-hop, Trap, EDM, etc.
Features
- 20 drum kits.
- Global ADSR / reverb.
- 12 pads.
- Volume and pan for each pad.
Also, you can add some paid expansion packs if you’d like.
You can download it here.
9. TheDrumSource by Witech (Windows)
TheDrumSource is a sample based drum machine with a built in browser and sequencer. It has a simple, very clean interface and very fast workflow which is ideal for beginners.
Features
- support for many sample formats.
- Sample preview.
- Separate output channels.
- Very fast sample browsing.
- Resizable GUI.
You can download it here.
I’ve also put together a list about the top Free Bass Amp VST Plugins which is definitely worth checking out!
10. T.REX 606 (Windows, Mac)
The T.REX 606 is a rompler of classic 606.
It’s got a vintage and Modern GUI Design featuring 7 Classics Sounds and knobs for Main Volume & Simple Reverb.
It’s really straight forward to use, very simple and intuitive. The sound quality isn’t the best, but you should definitely try it out since it’s free.
It works both on Windows and Mac OS.
You can download it here.
11. Line of Legends (Windows, Mac)
Line of Legends may look extremely simple to you, but don’t let it fool you, it’s a great plugin
It features high quality drum samples from the eponymous free sample pack released by realdrumsamples.com.
The interface is divided in 8 sections (Kick, Snare, Clap, Snap, Toms, Hi hat, Ride and Crash).
Each section uses its own individual output for an easier handling in a productive environment.
Features
- 47 high quality samples.
- 8 individual outputs.
- Punch knobs for attack sculpting.
- Release and Pan knobs
Important Note: Some people have reported that in order to get sound you might need to set up the output channels in your DAW.
You can download it from the vst4free website.
12. Sean Pandy Drums (Windows, Mac)
Sean Pandy Drums is a VST/AU drum rompler plugin with Kick, Snare, 4 Toms – and a Sub Blower.
Every drum consists of 6 velocity layers and up to 10 random-robin samples, which means that you should get no machine gun effect even with fast repetitions.
This plugin sounds pretty nice to be honest, on the official website you will find two songs that have been recorded using this drum plugin and it surprised me, so make sure to check it out.
Also, it comes with a reverb, but it sounds a bit metallic, so go easy on it.
You can Download it here.
13. Dub Turbo DrumTROOP (Windows, Mac)
Ok, this has to be one of the best free drum machines available, it’s just capable of doing way too many things and it does them far too well.
DrumTROOP is a great alternative to constantly creating kits from scratch or messing around with bloated on board functions in most drum vst’s.
Features
- 20 free drum kits.
- 16-20 sounds per kit (some kits are full = 100+ samples)
- 128 triggers on every kit.
- 16 outputs.
You can download it here.
If you’re looking for a high quality guitar sound without investing in gear or even software, then make sure to check out my article about the top Free Guitar VST plugins available!
14. Single Cycle Vintage Drum Elements (Windows, Mac)
Vintage Drum Elements is a virtual drum machine featuring the sound of the Yamaha RX5.
The 12 pad interface is super intuitive and easy to use, making it an ideal choice both for beginners as well as experts.
The preloaded samples are of top-notch quality.
The plugin drum machine comes with 4 drum kits, 1 FX set and 4 instruments featuring;
- Yamaha RX5 Kit 1
- Yamaha RX5 Kit 2
- Synthetic Kit
- Ethnic Kit
- FX
- DX Bass
- DX Clavecin
- DX Marimba
- DX Orchestra
The plugin is available as a VST & AU instrument for Mac & PCs both in 32 bit and 64 bit.
Best Free Vst Plug-ins For Reaper
Here’s the link to the official website.
Learn how to Produce music
If you want to learn how to produce music at home the right way and without making too many mistakes, then I’d recommend that you read these posts;
Conclusion
If you need real drum sample sounds, then I’d recommend either the MT Power DrumKit 2 and DrumMic’a! by Sennheiser.
If you want to create some hip-hop music, then the Drum Pro by StudioLinked is a good starting point.
Is EZ Drummer free?
EZ Drummer is not free.
However, you can try it for free for 10 days before having to purchase it!
What is a drum VST?
Best Free Vst Plugins
VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology, and there are different kinds of VSTs.
As far as drums go, there can be VST libraries, beat machines and drum Synthesis, and they all work in different ways.
Best Free Vst Plugins For Reaper