1. In this Dubspot Top Picks guide, we look at a selection of our favorite mixing and mastering plugins that offer incredible sound shaping possibilities, impressive features, and professional sound quality.
2. Definitely one of the best free VST plugins you ought to have in your VST rig! 33) MX Project T. Rex 606 Modelled after the vintage Roland TR-606 drum machine of yore, The T.REX 606 is a beast in its own right with some added bells and whistles.

1. Top Rated Vst Plugins
2. Top Ten Vst Plugins
3. Top Ten Free Vst Plugins

To celebrate some of the best free VST plugins for 2020, we have began to compile a mix of the best VST Effects, Drum VSTs, Synth VSTs, Vocal Plugins, and Bass VSTs. Simply scroll down for some of. Top 10 Simple But Amazing Plugins 2019 Simplicity is the mother of virtuosity and sometimes less IS more. That is the case when it comes to audio plugins. We all love them and we all need them but sometimes their GUIs and options are too much to comprehend.

Top 10 Weirdest VST Plugins 2019

Each family as well as each group of friends has that one weird guy doing some rather ubiquitous things which are straight up weird and that’s the case with plugin developers. We all have that one plugin that we load up when we’re in need of something extraordinary or simply crazy. What does it take to be on our list of weird plugins? We either judge the straight-up weirdness of the GUI or the sound shaping capabilities. Let’s just simply jump into the craziness, here is our top 10 list of weird VST plugins in no particular order.

1 Glitch 2 by Illformed

This is technically a step sequencer but what’s unique about it is the fact that it doesn’t trigger sampled sounds. Instead it triggers FX. This is a Swiss army knife for slicing, dicing, screwing, twisting, turning and mangling your sounds. There’s a whole bunch of FXs here such as randomizer, modulator, tape stop, retrigger, reverser, stretcher, LoFi, distortion, gater and delay.

Since Glitch features a multi-lane editor, you can trigger and tweak these effects in real-time. The Mutate function is our favourite because it really randomizes each effect into something completely unexpected. Weirdly enough you can get some really inspiring and awesome results. For 50 EUR you’re getting a lot of fun here.

2 Frohmage by Ohmforce

https://Color-Picker-For-Mac-Os-X.peatix.com/. The name itself sounds cheesy! But aside from the name the UI itself is all cheesy and weird looking. If you disregard all of this you’re getting a really decent resonant filter. It’s designed to be dirty, warm and can add some serious colour to your signal. Frohmage features a low-pass filter, multiple band-pass filter and a distortion stage and it can really transform your tracks.

The EVOLVE knob uses multiple pitch-shifting delays for each band of the multi band-pass filters and it creates some out-of-this-world effects. You can even map your MIDI controls to this plugin to control all of the effects in real-time like on a synth. If you’re feeling cheesy, this one’s for you and it’s a freebie by the way.

3 The Orb by Audiothing

This is a formant filter which simulates the characteristics of the human voice. Featuring a set of three band pass filters, The Orb can transform any sound into a vowel-like formant-filtered sound. With the three LFOs you can modulate the Vowel, the Emphasis/Resonance of the formants and the Drift which can shift up or down the frequencies of each formant.

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You can also create your own set of vowels by changing the name and frequency for each vowel/formant. Oh and it also looks like a control panel of a submarine or something from the cold war era, so it’s cool to look at as well. It’s 50 EUR so give it a go if you please.

4 Ned Flangers by Killapluggies

Even though this is a straight-up simple flanger, they got us with the name here. Just for the name itself you need to take a look at this one. It’s 32-bit Windows only but has some dirty raw sound which many modern digital flangers don’t have.

The GUI has four simple knobs for control and features Ned Flanders dressed as the Devil. Have we mentioned it is free? Go get it!

5 Delay Lama by AudioNerdz

This is the first VST instrument which features vocal synthesis with a real-time animated 3D interface. What it does is that it enables you to make a Tibetan monk overtone sounds simply by playing one note due to its monophonic structure.

Use the built-in XY pad to adjust the pitch of the sound and go through the vowels. It features a simple stereo delay to add some depth to the sound. This a ridiculously funny instrument in the best way. It’s free, so you don’t have an excuse for not at least trying it.

6 Meow Synth by Meowizer

Here’s something for all of you cat-lovers out there. The sounds of this synth are actually based on a real cat owned by the developer. It’s a freebie and it’s actually nice for creating some weird sounds. It features a single oscillator which is basically a cat meowing and it has an auto filter.

Strangely enough it’s velocity sensitive and it has monophonic and polyphonic modes. Meowizer also features a built-in chorus and tempo-synced vibrato with controlled attack.

7 Physion by Eventide

It was formerly known as Fission, but the guys from Eventide decided to change it for some reason. This is a structural effect that breaks-up a signal source (or a sound) into its basic components and then processes them individually, only to combine them back together again. It separates the transients and tonal elements in order to individually process them.

It features six transient effects and seven tonal effects and it can really alter the sound in unimaginable ways. You can totally change a drum sound by processing the resonant pitch without affecting the transient pitch and it can adjust the impact of a pick on a guitar string. Physion also features reverb, delay, chorus, phaser and tremolo for adding depth so it’s more than just a transient and tonal shaper. Bearing in mind the price tag of $179, it’s a good thing they offer a time-limited test version.

8 Cannabis Vocoder by Bitsonic

We simply had to feature this one! This one covers everything a weird plugin should have. A weirdly looking interface is absolutely matched by the sound shaping capabilities.

Cannabis vocoder is a funny plugin which can completely change the sound of your vocal track. The mono version is an effect plugin and by using the effect on the vocal track the software automatically tracks the tune of the vocal track and calculates the pitch of the changed sound as well. The poly version is a VST instrument application so you can load the vocal track into the software and by playing your midi keyboard you can create a polyphonic vocoder effect. Real cannabis is often not free and it will get you into a lot of trouble with the authorities, but this plugin version won’t. 🙂

9 Backsmack by Freakshow Industries

Okay, so this one REALLY wins on all fronts! It looks like it’s out of this world and sounds like it too. This is how Freakshow Industries describe it:

“A chaotic reverser plugin built to make mom proud. Backsmack uses government approved paradox processing technologies to expose the hidden terrors of music. Uncover the plots of ghosts, aliens and other rogue entities with Freakshow Industries Backsmack”.

This is how we describe it: ABSOLUTELY MENTAL. In the best possible way. This one is our favourite of the bunch. For 20 bucks it’s a no-brainer too.

10 Triple Cheese by U-He

This one is similar to a lot of synth plugins out there but it goes through a lot of short chromatic delays in order to create some rather strange sounds. With a massive set of features in its interface and a giant host of presets, this comb synthesizer should keep you busy for a few hours… or weeks. Depending on your synth addictiveness, it’s a cheesy synth to say the least.

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Top 10 FREE VST Plugins You Need 2019

In life many things don’t come free, but then again sometimes they do… VST plugins do so more often than not and that’s a good thing for many of the uprising producers, musicians and composers out there. We scouted and looked through many of those top 10 lists of instruments and plugins and came up with a mix of our own. In no particular order, here is our pick of the top 10 free VST plugins you should check out.

Before we even get started with this list, there’s also a HUGE selection of free sample libraries, sample packs, plugins and soundsets available at https://vstbuzz.com/freebies. Some of our favourites include:

• Shortnoise: A free electronic sample library for Kontakt with a huge 6GB of content and over 300 Kontakt instruments to choose from including Electronic Grooves, Arpeggiated Sequences, Manipulated Synths, Cinematic FX, Unique and Expressive Performance Patches, this beauty has a whole world of surprises waiting to be unleashed!
• Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra: a free orchestral sample library VST plugin – while not as advanced or ambitious in scope as commercial offerings, SSO contains all the basic building blocks for creating real virtual orchestrations. It’s primarily aimed at beginners, but also more experienced composers looking for something lightweight and/or portable might find it useful.
• Pocketblaus Cello: A stunning free solo cello library for Kontakt created by Australian composer Blake Robinson. The library sounds gorgeous when soaked in reverb and is perfect for slow moving, expressive cello lines and fast, choppy spiccato lines.

1 ModulAir by Full Bucket Music

Full Bucket Music is a developer that mainly concentrates on soft synth plugins. Their iteration of KORG PS series in the form of FB-3100, 3300, 3200 synths was a smashing hit, and now they’re back with ModulAir and we can freely say that this is THE BEST freeware modular synth out there now. VCV rack is its competition and it’s a great freeware synth but ModulAir is an actual VST plugin which means it can integrate with your DAW and that’s something that VCV rack still can’t do.

This soft synth is still a work in progress application but it actually feels very stable and looks polished in its current state of development. The latest version features 38 module types and the ability to host 18 modules per patch. It supports 64 voice polyphony, file import and MIDI learn for quick control mapping.

The user interface is really simplified and minimalistic and not in a bad way because it allows the user to quickly navigate and manage complex patches with ease. It doesn’t feature virtual patch cables but it has drop down menus instead. This is a must-have synth for every modular fan out there with the lack of space in their studio or the lack of cash for actual hardware.

2 Stereo Buss Compression by Minimal System Group (MSI)

This is a Windows only plugin but even so it’s very special. Yes we know that there are many other free “mastering” buss compressor plugins out there and sure they all give you that kind of final touch and glue to your mixes, but in all honesty MSI Stereo Buss does it better than most others, plain and simple.

Here is what the guys from Plugin Boutique say about MSI Stereo Buss:

This plugin is perfect for those producers looking to add the finishing touches to their latest masterpiece. Modelled on legendary buss compressors from classic analogue consoles the Minimal System Group Stereo Buss Compressor could be just what you need. Analogue Buss Compressors are the secret behind many classic releases. Often very simple units, a buss compressor’s job is to ‘glue’ all the elements of a track together and make mixes sound bigger with more punch and character without losing clarity.

It was paid software at first but the nice guys from Minimal System Group have made it freeware since 2014 and it is featured on many a bedroom producer’s plugin lists and it is still the best freeware mastering buss compressor out there.

3 LABS by Spitfire Audio

If you have been living under a rock for the past few years then you have maybe never heard of Spitfire Audio, developers of top-notch orchestral sample libraries. LABS is a freeware rompler VST instrument. It is a simple sample player that serves as a platform for Spitfire Audio’s free sound libraries. The company keeps releasing new expansion packs for LABS and they never cease to amaze us with the quality of their free content.

Where LABS lack in features due to its minimalistic look, it compensates in sound quality and each new sample pack we got was very unique and of high-quality sound. The minimalistic look is rather convenient actually and it features a few controls. This way you can concentrate more on the sound quality and composing than tweaking all of the options.

We highly recommend LABS as it is an excellent sample player with free downloadable virtual instruments for all composers and music producers who need high-quality acoustic sounds.

4 Ignite Amps Emissary Bundle

Now here is something that every guitar player will appreciate. Ignite Amps is a developer that has been around for quite some time and the fact that they actually created their own hardware custom-made amplifier head, modelled it and then created a sleek looking plugin is simply awesome! And not only that but they made it completely free for everyone to use. Plus they have a whole bunch of other guitar tools out there as freeware plugins.

This amp bundle also comes with their own NadIR cabinet impulse response plugin for guitar cab simulation which features a whole bunch of modelled cabinets but you can also load your own. Even though this amp is built for metal and hard rock genres it still features an awesome clean channel and if you dial it back a bit you can get some really smooth crunch sounds. Check out their Pro F.E.T. distortion and power amp plugins also.

5 SSD5 Free by Steven Slate Drums

For all of you out there looking for some free high-quality drum samples then you won’t find better than Steven Slate Drums 5. This is a freeware acoustic drum kit developed by Steven Slate and his team at Steven Slate Drums. If you are aware of Slate Digital and their amazing plugins then you know what to expect from Steven Slate. Being a free version SSD5 features only one drum kit however there are no other limitations. This is a totally usable drum kit that feels like a complete product in all honesty. You can tweak it the way you wish and a provided drum kit can fit into every rock music track.

6 Camel Crusher by Camel Audio

Camel Crusher is a very well known and beloved plugin by producers and engineers alike and for a very good reason. It is very simplistic featuring a distortion and compression mixture in a single user-friendly interface. It also has a filtering option. This is the kind of plugin that is not for the faint-hearted as it can really destroy your tracks if not treated with care. But when you know what you’re doing it gives you some really meaty results as it can drastically change the texture of your sound. It has a lot of presets that range from total annihilation to tube warmth.

Camel Audio was the original developer but then Apple acquired them so the original version of the plugin is still available as freeware from third party VST websites.

7 Wider by Polyverse Music

Wider is a really simple freeware VST plugin that does its job really well. Amazingly well to say the least actually. Polyverse Music have teamed-up with Infected Mushroom to treat you with this amazing stereo widening tool for your tracks. Wider is derived from a stereo width module that is featured in their commercial VST called Manipulator. What makes this plugin so unique and amazing is the ability to broaden the stereo width of the signal without causing phasing issues when played back in mono.

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You can’t make it simpler than this because Wider features only one control parameter and that’s it. The slider affects the amount of stereo processing but be careful when pushing it too far though, because too much stereo widening can make your track sound as if it doesn’t exist in the same space with others in your mix. Treated carefully this plugin is one of the best stereo wideners, while keeping your mix compatible with any type of playback system.

8 KOMPLETE Start by Native Instruments

Native Instruments? Need we say more? And this is not just one plugin but an actual collection of freebies you can use in your production. This is a great bundle of free instruments and plugins alike. It features more than 6GB of content which spans over various samplers, synths, sample libraries, mixing plugins and more. It is definitely something that every new producer and composer should take a look at.

9 Vocal Doubler by iZotope

Free qsound sound vst plugin. The guys from iZotope have been known to put out a freebie from time to time and Vocal Doubler is their latest entry into the freeware world. This plugin is designed for natural doubling effect for vocals and also to add richness and depth to other sound sources. Basically it offers an artificial double-tracking technique. It is very easy to use simply by interacting with the visualization in the center of the GUI. You drag the position around to affect the stereo field and to introduce variations.

You are guided by percentage amounts of “Variation” and “Separation” as well as an “Amount” knob.

10 DLYM Delay Modulator by Imaginado

The creators of excellent DRC synthesizer are back with a freeware modulation multi-effect plugin. It is actually inspired by DRC’s built-in chorus effect but it expands to create a more versatile modulation tool which is capable of creating anything from subtle flanging and phasing effects over to extreme choruses and out-of-tune effects.

DLYM features a clean UI with a handy live waveform display. The user can adjust delay time and feedback amount, mod depth and rate, and the stereo spread of the affected signal. It includes six different modulation waveforms which can be synced to DAW tempo. 20 presets are included but we highly recommend that you give it a go at creating your own effects!

Top Ten Free Vst Plugins

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