12 FREE VST Instruments You Must Know About!
Are you ready to step up your game music quality?
Music is arguably the most important part of any video game. Making music as a budget-conscious studio or small indie developer can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Below are the 12 best free VST instruments for making video game music.
1. Spitfire Labs
Spitfire Labs is one of my absolute favorite VST instruments on this list. It has a lot of unique and atmospheric sounds. There are also a handful of useful piano, bell, and string samples included. Download here: labs.spitfireaudio.com
2. Keyzone Classic1
Any piece of good music starts off as a piano demo. Keyzone Classic is the perfect fit for that purpose. With 5 different preset samples, your track can change styles/genres with a click of a button! Download here: https://plugins4free.com/plugin/2848/
3. Super Spook Keys
Super Spook Keys is a digital Theremin. It can be played through a piano roll like a typical instrument, or you can be a Theremin master by clicking and dragging in the instrument panel. How cool is that? Download here: https://www.simple-media.co.uk/vsti.htm
4. Ample Bass P Lite
Does your music not sound funky enough? Ample Bass P Lite can make any track jive to a groovy beat. This VST is a free version of one of Ample Sound’s many great bass guitar plugins. Download here: https://plugins4free.com/plugin/2505/
5. BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover
BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover is another of Spitfire Audio’s fantastic plugins. If you have wanted to make professional quality orchestral music: this is your new best friend. Fill out Spitfire’s questionnaire, wait a few days, and voila! Follow the link to the questionnaire: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/bbc-so-discover/application/login/
6. Ample Percussion Cloudrum
Cloud drums (also known as steel tongue drums) are a unique set of light-hearted instruments. They produce a beautiful sound that is both heavenly and ethereal. Give Ample Sound’s Cloudrum a try next time you want a colorful spark to your music. Download this plugin here: https://plugins4free.com/plugin/3181/
7.ZynAddSubFX
ZynAddSubFX is the only open source instruments on this list. It is a powerful synthesizer that you can make almost any sound or instrument you can dream of. Sound is, after all, just waveforms — which it does best. Download2 here: https://zynaddsubfx.sourceforge.io/download.html
8.MT Power DrumKit 2
If you need an acoustic drumkit, this is a solid option. The drumkit comes with premade grooves, beats and fills. You can also make your own beats using the piano roll. Download here: https://www.powerdrumkit.com/download76187.php
9.Magical 8Bit Plug 2
The YMCK’s Magical 8Bit Plug 2 is a quick way of creating chiptune music. While not as versatile as other synths on this list, it can still pack a punch. Triangle wave, Square wave, and noise — the three basics of any old-school chiptune. Download here: https://ymck.net/app/magical-8bit-plug-en
10.Ample Guitar M Lite
Sometimes, what our music needs is some Latin spice! Ample Sound’s Guitar M Lite is a fully fledged acoustic guitar with an auto-strummer built in. The auto-strummer can be used to quickly play chord progressions. The instrument also uses guitar noise to produce a natural sound. Download Here: https://plugins4free.com/plugin/2233/
11. DVS Saxophone
Do you ever think to yourself: does this tune need a cool saxophone solo? Undoubtedly, yes!!! By focusing only on one instrument, rest assured the DVS Saxophone won’t disappoint! Download here: http://www.dreamvortex.co.uk/instruments/
12. DSK Asian DreamZ
If you need a more eastern feel to your track, why not use some Asian instruments? Erhus, Guzhen, Ban Di flutes are just a handful of the 7 instruments in this VST. DSK Music also has quite a few other free instrument on their website. Download here: https://www.dskmusic.com/dsk-asian-dreamz/
That wraps up the 12 best free VST instruments on the internet. If you like my content, please remember to share it with your friends! More content to come, so stay tuned!
Bitsonic Audio has started to require a purchase to access their free VSTs, but they gave it away for quite a long time. I suppose this puts the instrument in a legal grey-zone. If you want to avoid any controversy, please purchase something from www.bitsonic.eu. Other alternatives include DSK ‘s The Grand or the Spitfire Lab’s Soft Piano plugin.
You will have to install the older version for full access.
The tone of the piece was good. You have a lot of good information about your topic. The images really help if someone doesn't know what a particular instrument looks like. The post was put together really well. The post read very nicely. The links to be able to download said instrument was a nice addition.
Lots of information and tons of links that really help people who are interested in this topic! You also gave a lot of different options so people can really pick which would work the best for them. For me I don't know much about this topic so I didn't know what some abbreviations are so if a newbie is reading your post you might want to simply or explain what VST is. But overall lots of good info and references.