free vst plugins ableton: the best ones!
Plugins can definitely complete your setup as a music producer. But in today’s world where innovation becomes the norm, it’s only common to find plugins of different shapes, sizes, and prices. But producers who are looking for any kind of plugin in the market might hesitate to buy one due to extremely high prices that do not give justice to the quality it provides. Now because of these, producers become vulnerable in their quest which leaves them spending a lot of money on something that eventually doesn’t meet their needs.
But, with free plugins, there’s no risk of trying or getting one!
With that in mind, let us review in this article the variety of free VST plugins for Ableton and other DAWs, as well as provide brief descriptions of each. In case you do not know yet, Ableton Live is a digital audio workstation (DAW) created by German company Ableton. It is among one of the most in-demand DAWs of professionals in the DJ field.
Having said that, because all of these plugins are free, there is no danger in installing them and seeing what works.
iZotope Free Plug-ins
The free products from iZotope are among the most exciting things found on the market. But first, let’s consider the revolutionary Ozone Imager.
The Ozone Imager is a mixing tool that allows the producer to visually alter the width of any recording. A producer can convert a mono input to a super-wide stereo and vice versa. Furthermore, certain tracks can be made clearer by tightening them and placing them inside the mix. The Ozone Imager simplifies, simplifies, and engages this process. This is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in mixing techniques.
The second effect is the Vocal Doubler. The Vocal Doubler is a wonderful tool for vocalists since it adds depth and fullness to your vocals. It is no longer necessary to re-record a vocal take and double the two recordings. The producer will be able to regulate the stereo separation of the two recordings as well as the amount of variance in the doubled take.
Lastly, the Vinyl plug-in mimics the sound and feel of a vinyl record being played. This includes the degree of scratching, dusting, and warping. There is also a mechanical noise effect. This is perfect for giving your music a lo-fi quality. Furthermore, the producer can mimic a decade of vinyl (from 1930’s records to 2000). There is, of course, Ableton Live’s Vinyl Distortion effect, which is very cool, but iZotope’s Vinyl has more settings if you want a truer vinyl sound.
Xfer Records – OTT
OTT is an aggressive but adjustable multi-band upwards/downwards compressor from the designers of the excellent Serum synth. It is modeled after Ableton Live’s Multiband Dynamics “OTT” preset. Despite this, many producers use OTT because of the more user-friendly interface. It tightens, fullens, and warms the tone of any instrument. You can even use it with a low dry/wet setting on the master bus.
It is useful for many types of producers, but due to its overwhelming impact, it may be more suited to electronic music creators. The UI is straightforward, easy to use, and well worth a look, especially if you enjoy EDM and Bass Music.
Knobs by Abletunes
Knobs is a collection of three free one-knob plugins that are ideal for both new and seasoned producers. First, we have Space Knob: With this plugin, you can easily add any type of reverb, from a small room to a small hall. The more you crank the knob, the longer and louder the reverb tail becomes. Next is Drive Knob – a combination of distortion and saturation effects. With the flick of a knob, you may add additional harmonics to your 808s or make the guitars more apparent in the mix. Finally, there’s Aggression Knob, a basic transient shaper that rapidly adds attack to any instrument, from drums and guitars to synths and strings.
Vital
Vital, created by Matt Tytel and published around November 2020, has become one of the most anticipated plugin releases for Ableton. Vital is a spectral warping wavetable synth with a plethora of features and four distinct pricing choices. The Basic option is absolutely free and comes with 75 presets and 25 wavetables. It is quite versatile and capable of producing everything from supersaw chords to powerful Dubstep growls. Vital is definitely worth a look, with a clean and visually appealing layout, a diverse set of oscillators, filters, and effects, and a highly versatile modulation function.
Kontakt Player
The Kontakt Player is simply a free host program that runs Kontakt’s virtual instrument collection as well as certain instruments from other businesses. This is extremely simple to use and a must-have for any producer. This plugin does not allow you to create your own instruments or sounds, but it does allow you to use thousands of free (and expensive) Kontakt instruments such as realistic sampled pianos, horns, strings, drums, and other acoustic and electronic instruments. Furthermore, the Kontakt Factory Selection includes 50 free high-quality instruments.
VK-1 Viking Synthesizer
The VK-1 Viking Synthesizer is a magnificent reproduction of the Moog Voyager, a famous monophonic analog synthesizer. Three continuously changeable wave oscillators, a multi-wave LFO, and two modulation busses are just a few of the features that distinguish this plug-in. In addition, the VK-1 has over 228 presets. This amazing synth is best suited to producers who are highly precise about the tone and texture of their synth lines because of its wide settings and capabilities.
LABS by Spitfire Audio
Spitfire Audio’s superb LABS plug-ins are among the greatest free VSTs available, particularly if you like cinematic and acoustic music. They have a large assortment of pianos, strings, brass, drums, and even synthesizers. LABS is too amazing to pass up, with an outstanding and continually expanding assortment of instruments. LABS has it all, from the delicate tones of the Soft Piano plug-in to the microtonal brilliance of the Monochord plug-in. Furthermore, all of these plug-ins were created by musicians for musicians.
Takeaway
Finally, the free plug-ins listed above are some of the most prominent, notable, and well-respected on the market. Any producer trying to broaden their sound without spending money should definitely look into some, if not all, of these outstanding products.