The Best Free VST Instruments In 2020

Music production is not a cheap career – many industry standard VSTs are hundreds of dollars. VSTs take a lot of time and effort to create. So this means that various free VSTs may not offer the same quality that paid ones do. However, there are a some free ones that are comparable to paid ones. Here are a few of the top ones:

Helm

(credit to https://www.splice.com)

Helm is a versatile and underrated synth that is great for beginners. It provides a great selection of presets, but is also relatively easy to work with in sound design. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to begin sound design because it provides great examples of how basic functions in sound design work.

Podolski

While it’s GUI might be no match for Helm, Podolski’s contents under the hood are sure to impress. It features an extensive library of presets and simple modulation features.

Reaktor 6

Reaktor 6 is not just one instrument, but a collection by Native Instruments. It features instruments from aggressive basses to organic plucks – which means it can cover a large span of producers! Here are some of the instruments you’ll find inside:

1. Lazerbass

Lazerbass is an instrument focused on creating powerful basses for your productions. It comes loaded with 128 presets, and sound design is fairly simple with the GUI!

2. Mikro Prism

Mikro Prism is the miniature version of Reaktor Prism ($69.00 USD). While it is not the full thing, it offers 70 high quality, organic presets that each have their own unique sound.

3. Carbon 2

Carbon 2 is packed full with 86 presets of organic and non-organic sounds. It provides the opportunity to create a large amount of sounds with all of its details!

TRK-01

TRK-01 provides a simple sound design process, and 80 presets to get you going! One aspect that sets this synth apart from the others is its extension sub collection with over 20 presets to fit your needs!

T-Force Alpha Plus

T-Force Alpha Plus is a great synth for all beginners looking to get into music production. Its main goal is for trance, but it can easily be expanded outward to different genres. The simple UI makes sound design quite easy, and its effects are very effective.

Piano One

Piano One my first piano VST, and I still occasionally use it today. In my opinion, it is one of the best (if not the best) free virtual piano. Piano One offers a complex yet simple range of controls to perfect the sound you want!

Dexed

Dexed is an absolute beast of a virtual instrument. It is modeled after the Yamaha DX7 and can pull off sounds that sound close or exact to the original. You can find many additions to the preset library online (with one including over 3000 presets)!