For any modern producer, a sampler is essential. However, if you’re strapped for cash or just starting out, it can be difficult to find good-quality sampler plugins that actually work and add to your beats.
Luckily, we’ve cut through the weeds and compiled 9 of the best free sampler VST plugins out on the market today.
PERFormant size 3 MB PERFormant is a sound designer-oriented formant vowel synthesizer / filter. It is ideal to design realistic choirs or vocal solos (non-speech), can also be used creatively to design original synthetic sounds and textures. 3-bands, non-resonating stereo formant filter bank with flat.
Without delay, here are our top picks. Battle vs chess mac download. Sit back, relax, and explore these excellent samplers.
The Grace Sampler is simple, sleek, and suited to synth users. The sampler has optional patches free for download on its website, most of which are for synths, but there’s also a couple for drum kits, keys, and bass.
This sampler comes in both 32 and 64-bit versions, so you won’t have to worry about compatibility from device to device. With most DAWS, you can drag and drop your samples right into the sampler, simplifying your workflow.
Grace Sampler comes with 2 step sequencers, 2 LFOS, and 4 different control pads. The sampler supports WAV, AIF, and SND formats directly which is impressive for a free plugin.
If you’re looking to create some vibey drums, Grooove by BPB is a great pick. This drum sampler is perfect for techno and EDM musicians, looking to create catchy, unique loops.
The plugin has different slots in which 2 different drum samples can be layered and played simultaneously. The slots all have built-in LFOs for altering filter cutoff, sample delay, pitch, and standard attack, volume, pan, and start/end times. Luckily, the VST is supported in both 32 and 64-bit versions.
Grooove BPB is the free version of a full-on instrument, so if you like the notable sampling capabilities that come with the free VST, the purchased version by brunsandpork is a great step up.
The TX16W software sampler has a wide array of features that usually only come with paid plugins. With this sampler, you can record samples directly and edit keyboard mappings making it a great pick for musicians looking to incorporate their DAWs into live performance.
As for modulation, the sampler has 2 LFOs and 3 step sequencers. Velocity and mapping can be handled by drawing a custom curve or using the integrated knobs. The plugin also acts as a bus so you can send in and out effects in real-time.
TX16W has 64-bit support and has a built-in arpeggiator, for a paid add-on, you can have time-stretch and pitch-bend modes. For free or otherwise, this plugin is no joke.
Sforzando prides itself on its simplicity, with no graphic visualizer. There’s only one sample slot, with no effects or mixers.
The plugin simply consists of standard ADSR knobs, volume, pan, tone, and tune controls. Although this may feel limiting, for seasoned producers looking for a specific sound that doesn’t need a whole lot of extra fluff, Sforzando can be extremely helpful.
If anything else, the plugin works as a great ear-training tool and can train musicians to rely on their skillset rather than software. It comes with 64-bit support.
Zampler by Plugin Boutique is an excellent add-on for electronic musicians as you can download drum & bass, hip hop, even dubstep expansion packs.
The sampler has 3 LFOs and a large effects library including chorus, phaser, tube saturation, and many more. There are 2 sample banks and 3 ADSR envelopes for full modulation control.
Zampler has a step sequencer as well as sample oscillators for you to further tweak your sound. Unfortunately, Mac users only have 32-bit support. Windows has both 32 and 64-bit support, but any sample formats outside of sfz must be converted.
Paraphrasis helps you create those retro analog tones with any sample. Simply place your sample into the Paraphrasis sampler, and the modeling synthesizer will analyze the sound data to produce a more classic sound.
This VST is pretty simple, and the UI reflects that; there’s simply a pitch, resolution, analyze, and source toggle with no extra bells or whistles. There’s only one slot to the plugin, but on the upside, it doesn’t take up a large amount of CPU.
There’s also a handy reverse toggle, so you can reverse your sample before giving it that added analog touch. Some users had trouble using this plugin in 64-bit though it supports both versions, so make sure you’re downloading the proper .dll when acquiring this plugin.
The XTT01 has that classic rack-mount feel and is designed to give you a sound reminiscent of the past. This sampler is known for its signature glide function.
This VST is pretty bare bones. There are the standard ADSR knobs to toggle the filter and amp envelopes, and a built-in LFO with speed, PW, and depth knobs. You can also pitch shift by semitones within the sampler.
XTT01 has no visualizer, so it’s a great tool to use for musicians who are more auditory based learners. You can only load one sample at a time in this plugin. Unfortunately, this simple yet powerful sampler only supports 32-bit software, so it may not work for you if you have more modern equipment.
Bassje by Odosynths is a great drum sequencer to give your beats the funky groove they’ve been missing. It’s loaded with 3 different toms as well, so if you’re just looking for a great tom loop generator, Bassje is a great addition to your library.
The plugin is separated into two main sections: An octave and filter sequencer. Nothing can describe the sounds you can get out of this puppy other than using is. Bassje has a volume, reso, and volume knob.
Its retro UI speaks to the nature of the plugin, as it’ll generate patterns very reminiscent of physical drum machines. For any musician trying to create retro-inspired music, Bassje is perfect.
Helios is an impressive audio sampler unit that is meant to be used during live performance. It has 8 different LFOs, including 2 that sync up to the sample’s tempo.
This plugin is able to tweak a sample is real-time with pitch-bending, looping, delays, and LFO filters. You can drag and drop wave files directly into the interface, making it ideal for DJs or musicians who have to improvise often. Unfortunately, it only supports a 32-bit connection so newer equipment may not work with this plugin.
Any of these VSTs are excellent to try out but there are two that stand out in our minds:
Grooove BPB stands out in its flexibility and abundance of features for a free plugin. With 6 different drum slots and a variety of effects, it’s a versatile sampler that can act as an effect bus if nothing else.
Oftentimes rhythm is the core and soul of music production, so having a drum sampler to assist in that process is priceless (literally).
This sampler is a full-on replacement for any stock sampler you may have, and then some. No other sampler can compare to this VST’s level of flexibility: With separate windows MIDI mapping, envelopes, modulation, arpeggiator, and samples themselves, it’s hard to believe that this plugin is free.
Another great thing about this plugin is the ability to record and drag samples directly into the interface. This may seem like a small factor, but for the right producer, it can significantly simplify your workflow.
If you’ve tried out a couple of these free options and you’re looking to take the next step, be sure to check out our guide on the best-paid sampler VSTs of 2019. Here are our two standout picks from that piece.
Phalanx is an impressive sampler and sound effects generator that is very versatile in use. The plugin has a number of optional expansion packs catered to specific genres of music, so you’re sure to find one that works for you.
The plugin has a polyphony threshold at 256 notes, and 32 single samples can be played at once. In addition to its bevy of embedded effects, Phalanx holds its ground when used as a drum sampler.
Read more at Best Sampler VSTs
This sampler is relatively affordable, making it a great paid VST to consider in your transition. Although it is mainly geared towards electronic music, the unique user interface and 120 embedded presets make this a fun tool for any producer.
If anything else, this sampler surprisingly works well as a synthesizer with an impressive 8 LFOs. It has a lot of granular synthesis capabilities, making it a great way to boost your low-end frequencies without altering the timing of your samples.
Read more at Best Sampler VSTs
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All in all, any of these options are great to test out considering there’s no upfront cost other than your time. Have creating exciting new beats using your free Sampler VSTs!
VST plugins are virtual instruments and audio effects for your digital audio workstation.
There are literally hundreds of free VST plugins online nowadays, and finding good ones takes time. To help you focus on making music instead of testing audio plugins, we listed the best free VSTs for your music studio.
Scroll down to browse the VST plugins based on their category. Each category page features the best free virtual instruments and effects for a specific music production task. Welcome to the internet’s most up-to-date directory of freeware VST plugins.
The categories are updated with the latest free plugins multiple times per year. Be sure to check back from time to time and keep your free VST plugin collection up to date!
Freeware effects in VST plugin format:
A selection of free virtual instruments in VST plugin format:
Other useful freeware VST plugins:
A selection of free audio editors, digital audio workstations, and other applications that host VST plugins:
An archive of free VST plugins that are not supported anymore. These freeware plugins are hosted on BPB with the permission of their developers.
If you’re a software developer interested in hosting your VST plugins on Bedroom Producers Blog’s servers, feel free to get in touch!
In case you’ve never used VST plugins before, chances are you’re facing a question. What are VST plugins?
A VST plugin is a software-based audio effect or a virtual instrument intended for use in a host program that supports Virtual Studio Technology. Most digital audio workstations nowadays can load VST and VST3 plugins.
VST plugins are used to expand a virtual music studio, much like how hardware effects and instruments are utilized in a real studio. There are literally thousands of VST plugins available for free download on the web.
In fact, there are so many free VST plugins on the market that one can waste hours downloading and testing them instead of making music. For this reason, we have created the free VST directory to help music producers find the right tools more quickly.
The acronym VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology. Introduced by Steinberg in 1996, the Virtual Studio Technology and VST plugins made a massive impact on the way we produce music today. The technology allows music producers to expand their digital audio workstation with third-party audio effects and virtual instruments.
Now you know what a VST plugin is. But how can you use VST plugins to make music?
You will need a VST plugin host. That is a software program capable of loading VST plugins.
Choosing the right audio software and learning to use it properly will ensure an efficient workflow when producing music. Therefore, make sure to familiarize yourself with the software available in your VST plugin folder. /best-free-vst-mastering-tools.html. No one wants to use a complex plugin for the first time during a critical mixing session.
First of all, you need to choose the right VST host or digital audio workstation. The decision to use freeware or commercial music production software is up to you and your budget.
The first thing to keep in mind when choosing your DAW is the workflow. Is the interface intuitive? Does the control layout seem logical to you? Does the application provide all the recording and mixing features you’ll require? And most importantly, can it host VST plugins?
The best free digital audio workstations right now are Tracktion 7 and Cakewalk by BandLab. Both applications can load VST plugins.
Now that you’ve picked your DAW, you’re all set to start building your collection of free VST plugins.
Always go for quality instead of quantity. The biggest mistake people make when discovering the world of free VST plugins is to download hundreds of VSTs and to hoard them on the hard drive. This is bad for your workflow, and it will slow down your productivity.
Imagine that your DAW is a real-world studio. Would you be able to make music in a room cluttered with hundreds of dusty instruments, effects, broken tapes, disconnected audio cables, and other gear that no one will ever use? You don’t want such a mess in your virtual studio, either.
Stay organized when choosing your virtual instruments and effects. This page is a great place to start because we listed only the best freeware VST plugins in each category.
What you need is a small but versatile collection of audio software that will cover all of your music production needs.
Take the time to examine the plugins on offer and keep only the ones that you really need. Keep your mixing toolbox lightweight and efficient. Limit yourself to no more than three virtual compressors, equalizers, synthesizers, etc. Install only the tools that best suit your workflow and learn how to use them. Read the manuals, watch the video tutorials, and spend some time experimenting with your free VST plugins.
Finally, keep your plugins up to date. Developers often release updated versions of their freeware plugins, which include essential bug fixes and additional features. Keep an eye on our news section to stay informed about the latest updates of popular VST plugins. Also, consider subscribing to our email newsletter to receive the latest freeware news straight to your email inbox.
If you’re looking for even more freeware plugins for your DAW, check out the massive database over at KVR Audio.
Updated on November 13th, 2020.