Music production doesn’t have to be pricey to be powerful. We’ve rounded up some of the best free plugins and VSTs 2022 has to offer so that you can take your beats to new heights without coughing up a chunk of change. Let’s take a look!
Best Free Music Plugins in 2022
Without further delay, here are some of the best effect and VST freebies you’ll definitely want to try out! For more free gear, check out some of our favorite free plugin picks from 2021.
Controlla by Contolla XYZ
Supermassive by Vahalla
Vocal Doubler by iZotope
Vital Synthesizer by Vital Audio
Komplete Start by Native Instruments
Digital Multiply by Acorn
Krush by Tritik
Varispeed by GSI
Driftmaker by Puremagnetik
1. Controlla by Contolla XYZ
If you’re still sleeping on Controlla… we don’t know what to tell you. Controlla allows you to automate multiple parameters at once just by moving your phone around. You can instantly turn your phone into an entirely new instrument and cut out the tedious work or programming detailed automation.
Plus, it’s entirely free while in Beta. Sign up for our newsletter, claim your private Beta link and stay tuned for future updates – we have big things coming soon!
2. Supermassive by Vahalla
Supermassive by Vahalla is a fun cross between a delay and large reverb that sets your sound in a whole other space. Just floating through the presets will instantly send your sound to another planet, but you’ll also have plenty of fun automating the clean plugin’s warp features:
3. Vocal Doubler by iZotope
Pretty self-explanatory, but the Vocal Doubler by iZotope, is in fact, a vocal doubler. That being said, you’d be pressed to find a double as great as this one with a sleek UI and great sound for the grand total of free. Here’s what it sounds like on a dry vocal track:
4. Vital Synthesizer by Vital Audio
Free wavetable synthesizers are hard enough to come by, but Vital Audio offers a great one that could understandably serve as a free substitute for Serum. Synth enthusiasts can program their own instruments, and the plugin’s intuitive design will help producers understand how VST sounds are created:
5. Komplete Start by Native Instruments
Komplete Start by Native Instruments is a whole host of free plugins and VSTs for you to enjoy. While the UI is a bit outdated, the sounds certainly aren’t. Native Instruments updates packs fairly regularly so you can continue to enjoy this plugin suite as you please.
6. Digital Multiply by Acorn
As Acorn puts it, Digital Multiply provides a chorus effect *with a twist*. You can layer any sound with multiple voicings and notably edit the processing with the free plugin’s built-in EQ. There are plenty of presets to sort through, too.
7. Krush by Tritik
Next, we have Krush by Triktik. This bitcrushing plugin is perfect for providing you with some of that vintage, analog texture that’s hard to find digitally. Just listen to this generic piano paired with the “cheap toy” preset:
8. Varispeed by GSI
Varispeed by GSI provides delicious tape delays, fills, and plenty of vintage warmth to fill up your track. Have fun automating swell and echo speeds for a trippy soundscape!
9. Driftmaker by Puremagnetik
Last but not least, we have Driftmaker by Puremagnetik. This delay disintegration device adds tape artifacts to just about any sound in an unreplicable, intriguing way:
Who doesn’t love free gear? While you can still create plenty of magic with stock plugins, these freebies can help you speed up your workflow and create new, inventive sounds that are challenging to come by. Enjoy playing with these free music production plugins.