Best Free VST Effects Plugins 2020

In this video I'm gonna reveal to you what I think are the best FREE VST effects plugins in 2020!
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🔗 LINKS:
1) TDR Nova: www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-nova/
2) Izotope Imager V2: www.izotope.com/en/products/o...
3) Valhalla Super Massive: valhalladsp.com/shop/reverb/v...
4) D16 Group Frontier Limiter: d16.pl/frontier
5) Melda Production MFreeFXBundle: www.meldaproduction.com/MFree...
Klanghelm IVGI Saturation: klanghelm.com/contents/produc...
Klanghelm DC1A Compressor: klanghelm.com/contents/produc...
Izotope Vinyl: www.izotope.com/en/products/v...
Voxengo Span: www.voxengo.com/product/span/
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My gear guide: www.creativesauce.net/gear-gu...
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🎞️ Other videos like this: • Top FREE VST Plugins
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[@scottdunlap4109]

Really nice song. Can we hear the whole tune?

[@CreativeSauce]

Thanks Scott! You can hear it here: open.spotify.com/album/7wb7Jpp8V1oYBhz0Qe3l7u?si=WgXr9yU7RfuRMDy8r4RQhQ

[@hatusage]

@@CreativeSauce I wanted to listen to your tune but had to sign up to Spotify to do so. I refuse to use that service. ... That's a whole 0.005 cents that you have missed out on!

[@G1Z]

@@hatusage $0.00318 to be specific. we need a music revolution!

[@theexile1155]

You were predestined to be different(Romans 8:29), he who has an ear to hear, let him hear(Mark 4:9). HALLELUYAH!(PRAISE YE YAH!)

[@BriggsBackingTracks]

You do a wonderful job with your Cakewalk tutorials. I've been using that program when they used to provide you a fat blue manual! Thank you very much for your consistent quality content. I'm a fan!🤙

[@AlexeySolovievMusic]

What a great list of free plugins , need to download the ones I don’t have! Thank you so much Mike! Really awesome video!

[@CreativeSauce]

Thanks Alexey :)

[@jimfogle184]

Great list of freebies. I can't say that I disagree with any of your choices. Now is an absolute awesome time to be into audio production. So many fabulous goodies available for free I don't know how you narrowed your list down.

[@CreativeSauce]

Haha, honestly, its very hard. I mean... Blue Cat Audio anyone! And really ALL TDR ones are great.

[@adrianclarke7935]

Well I'm pleased to say that I scored 2 out of 5 ! Many thanks, as always, for putting this together; calm, informative and informed and actually a great opening tutorial on each VST - the simple 'what does each knob do?' is really helpful.

[@Packogualandrisofficial]

I like how you go through every single parameter/control of every plugin, thanks for that :-) Subscribed!

[@buaidhnobas1ify]

I like it when someone explains why they like a particular plugin. Very good work. Thank you.

[@antonblam2]

I've used the sidechain feature of the MCompressor, and I can tell it's a very easy one to use. All the controlls are really simple to adjust and it gets the job done

[@CreativeSauce]

Good to know thank you!

[@bryanstrom812]

The compressor by Melda: You can draw your own compression curve. So it can be a gate, or upward expander, or downward expander. You can do SO much with it. I mean, it can gate, expand, and compress ALL AT ONCE. It's stunning that it's free. Merits a video on just that. Great job on this video. Hope you continue to enjoy making these!

[@allancoster1298]

Nice work as usual! Thanks!

[@keendnb]

Good shout on the Melda stuff thanks. The Tokyo Dawn EQ looks really nice too but I'm a Fabfilter fan for those surgical and dynamic changes.

[@eternalmetal-power4214]

i liked the feature to solo a node, it looks like a fun way to get to know the how to really work an EQ

[@joaobem1]

Congrats on the great review! My favorite ones are Valhalla SuperMassive and TDR Nova :)

[@Wangavision]

That Nova EQ with the suppressor looks really great - I've never seen it before but it makes total sense, and graphically it's very descriptive of what it's doing. That's my pick.

[@edgarkoskee1156]

very good review! As always, Mike 😊

[@CreativeSauce]

Cheers Edgar!

[@chuuska1972]

TDR, Izotope & Frontier made me smile. Thanks for the vid.

[@evertschut]

I use all the free plugins you use, TDR Nova is my number 1 too, though I now have the Gentlemen's edition with a usefull smart analysis tool for getting rid of unwanted resonances. I also bought Isotope Ozone 8 which includes a good limiter (2 in fact) and the Imager. So my use for the D16 Limiter has become limited (excuse the pun). I could use it to tame individual tracks but I have simple less CPU intensive plugins for that sort of job which I would prefer. I discovered the Valhalla Super Massive recently and love it! I have way too many delay plugins already but I like the very clear and effective interface of Walhalla and the smooth and natural sound. I also use Klanghelm plugins, but find they are a little too limited in the amount of control you get. But the paid versions are not very expensive, so I'm thinking of getting those too. On the other hand... I have trouble choosing between the many compressors I already have, how much do I need another one? The free Melda set I don't use too often. I'm sure they're good plugins, but I often find their interface is difficult to grasp.

[@katyb3869]

Very helpful! Thanks so much!

[@run4buck]

My favourite free plugin: Panipulator!! Ability to switch L/R is so under rated!

[@Coda02]

I recommend WIDER by infected mushroom its also free and a great plugin!

[@InsaneCarville]

That was going to be my comment. Was going to add the fact that it cancels out those phase issues mentioned in this video and the precental measurements is a dream for stereo imaging

[@Coda02]

@@InsaneCarville Oh I didn't know that.Thats awesome!

[@FredDyslexic]

wow, thank you for mentioning this one. Just got it, WOW. Honestly ty so much!

[@Coda02]

@@FredDyslexic your welcome, have fun with it!

[@maninthecrowd5076]

WIDER is a year or two old but it's fantastic

[@ROQSTAR]

Great list of free plugins!

[@williampalminteri1727]

Nice review Mike ! I don't use many plugins, I write the ones I need. The MLoudness analyzer looks appealing though !

[@gatherstudio5219]

All. Everything Valhalla does is very good , the space modulator is awesome and so is the frequency eq

[@iseeu-fp9po]

What beautiful song used for the examples. Oh, and I use the Nova Dynamic EQ a lot.

[@SoundAgenda]

Great video, the Valhalla DSP delay is amazing

[@charlienutela592]

Your tutorials are always clear and usefull... Thanks!

[@upstairzstudio8480]

Great and useful video as usual Mike. thanks a million.

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you Emad!

[@flutist_ahan]

I think you are a mind reader , i was just thinking about it and then saw you uploading this🥰🥰😊😊

[@CreativeSauce]

Its true, I have special powers .... be careful what you think about!

[@flutist_ahan]

@@CreativeSauce lol haha!!

[@patjackmanesq]

Been all over the Melda stuff since ya introduced it to me.

[@CreativeSauce]

Yup. They are pretty deep!

[@catherineosindi4631]

i love mbassador

[@hamzz6824]

Woahh. This video is a gem 💎! Even reading the comments. It’s like a gift that keeps giving! 🔥

MeQualizer looks like a great Plugin.. I will try this one.. Great Video.

[@ThomasCurranJr]

I am downloading a couple of these right now, but I already have Izotope Imager V2 and like it a lot!

[@CreativeSauce]

Glad it was useful Thomas. Have fun!

[@stephankobel3759]

thx. i searched for a free dynamic eq for such a long time

[@alyctro8158]

I knew about all of them for a long time, still a nice compilation everyone should know.

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you. any to add?

[@alyctro8158]

@@CreativeSauce Neural DSP : Amp simulation (any), free 30 day trial which is too much, (can reinstall with new account to refresh). Vadim Tarnov plugins (any) : a fully freely uable suite of amp sims and other useful saturation plugins. W1 Limiter by yong : can be used to clamp certain songs to acieve a much fuller sound. Blue cats audio : Offers a varied range of effect plugins both in full and demo versions which are not restricted. Sforzando : A free soundfont loader, which can be combined with (basically endless) number of free soundfonts (of which some sound very good) Mini drumz by DSK : For the oldschool drummachine samples. You get an all in one pack and it's the simplest plugin i've seen. Ujam virtual drummer : a free 30 day trial for one of the best acoustic drums. The US Dream Guitar by Jakob Reinheart : An electric guitar sample library for a jazzy sound. The Alpine Project : A free orchestral library for those who like orchestral music. JH freedom bass : For those who like metal bass tones.

[@juergen_b]

Thanks for this compilation, Mike. Melda free bundle almost leaves nothing to desire.

[@jimmysee1234]

Really love the Valhalla Super Massive. Then again I like everything I've seen from Valhala. They serve up some very tasty treats.

[@CreativeSauce]

Yeah, their 'Shimmer' is really good.

[@jimmysee1234]

@@CreativeSauce Love that puppy. Use it all the time.

[@leandrocher]

TDR Nova is great. It also allows mid/side and left/right process. I use it always! Thanks for the video!

[@CreativeSauce]

My pleasure Leandro!

[@collinsatem8519]

Thanks for the list. Gonna help me alot.!!

[@MikMech]

Frontier is just gorgeous !!! Melda are impressive !

[@CreativeSauce]

I agree. And honestly, all the free Tokyo Dawn plugins are extremely useful and nice to use.

[@j.v.326]

Thanks. I have installed Valhalla supermassive and TDR Nova. I'm using Nova in my mixes, but it's little complicated for me. Anyway thank you for great free plugins tips.

[@CreativeSauce]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching :)

[@AlbertSirup]

great list of plugins, I use literally all of them except for the ME ones (except for the MEVerb which is also useful although a bit extreme).

[@blackiejames1843]

Thank you Mike for another informative video.

[@it_is_yamen]

I just love these videos 👏👏

[@CreativeSauce]

Very happy to hear that!

[@Wynwerg]

Amazing vid of free pluggins

[@eldonroy]

very nice video!! Thank you so much!!

[@martynclarke8400]

Been using supermassive for a loooong time now, excellent for ambient sounds, some of the reverbs are absolutely stunning. (Y)

[@joegrint6280]

Hi Mike - great reviews again! I like the area overlays in the Melda Production EQ - I can imagine that being very useful for beginners at mixing like me! The Tokyo Dawn one looks very interesting too and Valhalla Super Massive looks like good fun - I think I have that already just not played with it yet. I think my favourite effect might not be free any more but it is worth looking out for in case it is again sometime - it's Native Raum - a really creative reverb plugin. Trouble is I get so lost in the sound I forget to create anything useful with it ;-)

[@joegrint6280]

Oh and I could watch the displays on the Izotope Imager all day :-)

[@vyacheslavshunko6824]

Thank you for the video. Molot compressor is interesting and it is free.

[@nikirose7673]

Some of these have totally lured me into spending money, especially the TDR stuff. Frontier is fantastic too, a really transparent and clean sound from such a minimal interface. A nuclear weapon in the loudness war if that's your thing : ) I'm not a fan of iZotope Vinyl. I like a lot of their plugins but not this one, I find it very erratic and hard to control. I much prefer just mixing in samples of whatever imperfections I want. Nova EQ is just wonderful, it does so much and does it all so well. Unexpectedly it's also become my very favourite drum gate.

[@AlbertSirup]

I think the Vinyl has it's uses, I mostly use the warp and wear function, everything else is a bit less useful imho. I agree it is erratic at times but it's cool on softer sounds like Pads or Rhodes. And agree with the NOVA EQ, it's amazing, also great for side-chaining.

[@beltokashe9790]

I love using TDR Slick EQ combined with SPAN for dialing in/out specific nastiness

[@danieklerr]

These are very nice plugins; thank you.

[@brianoswald2892]

love the Frontier Limiter - simple easy effective

[@phoenixlandingstudio6594]

Great vid mate!!

[@CreativeSauce]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@PngBiolimpeza]

Nova D-eq os definitely amazing... I'm using for many proposes in the mix and it's very easy to use and understand..

[@mackflynt6094]

Supermassive is freakin OUTSTANDING. It can be a creative delay or a really really pretty reverb or even both at the same freakin time.

[@Adarkjet]

Very good . Thank you. If you can’t afford Fabfilter Pro Q3 then TDR Nova is fantastic. And the Melda plugins are in some cases just as good as FabFilters - plus they give you an auto-tune plugin.

[@SeanLaMontagne]

Oh that's cool, I've only ever used the Izotope vinyl plugin once, and it was to achieve a mono "vinyl record" effect that I applied to the master track for a maybe 15 second long intro. You're right, you're not going to use it very often, but if you have a very specific idea in mind, it works perfectly.

[@dannyott_]

I actually use the year feature on it very often. It helps to make a cool filter effect and it makes it sound sampled.

[@SeanLaMontagne]

@@dannyott_ Yess dude, the 50's setting combined with the Mono switch applied to a bus or master can add a whole different level of sound, and gives it that "sampled from a record" sound for sure. Very useful, but not something I'd use on every single song.

[@DoctorJRx]

NOVA IS SO GOOD ..I HAD TO BUY IT !! was on sale not to long ago

[@matthewcoldheart4783]

You're a good man, brother. God bless you.

[@poalotesta7743]

I use the first three quite often, especially the TDR Nova.

[@priyanshupriyadarshi12]

The Melda bundle is great

[@mabian69]

I know they're old and 32 bit only, but I keep coming back to Variety Of Sound's FerricTDS (and NastyDLA mkIII). Terrific tape saturation (and tape delay) plugins!

[@evertschut]

Yes I use those too, as well as some of their other plugins, like Boot EQ, Thrillseeker LA (LA2A compressor) and the Tesla pro (a transformer saturator that lets you control the transients that pass through unaffected ). And all of them free. Still prety good even by 64 bit standards.

[@CreativeSauce]

As long as you get the sound you want! Thanks for sharing this great info :)

[@shoneljperera7237]

Insightful!

[@dafingaz]

Great list!

[@lance134679]

Great list! I'll add Softube Saturation Knob - a one-knob saturation plugin with high and low-pass modes that only saturate part of the spectrum. Basically, it's for anything that's a bit too clean. Use it subtly or completely destroy everything :-)

[@kariayamkaridugong3575]

MJUC jr.. Simple, free compressor by klanghem 👍👍👍 i often use it as second compressor for post mixing.

[@GivemeTHEfoodNOW]

Yeah, that thing really shines on the master channel

[@kedskies]

This one is fire 🔥

[@ricardoayala2023]

Thanks for sharing this info.

[@mimojapan]

"I'm not gonna go through all of the TO DIE"

[@CreativeSauce]

Lol. You made me watch my own video... I hate my voice! You are a cruel man!

[@mimojapan]

@@CreativeSauce Haha, You're lucky I didn't mention (yet) that your pronunciation of "head" reminds me of a certain Kylie song _every friggin time_ :D No worries, man, it's very lovable!

[@CreativeSauce]

Man, that's the first time I was compared to Kylie. Wish I had her "assets" :p

[@88keyz]

It's tough to just choose 1 to be my favorite Ill say Span because it's so important to get the correct level loudness before I master

[@TheKorgUser]

Well done & thx. Greetings from Germany.

[@bille77]

Great vid. THNX!

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you for watching :)

[@wahibakamoulcode]

One silence moment for the guys who don't know this channel, I hope you do some video for the new producers about the basics like compression/equalizer, Reverb, Delay, Limiter and this stuff, thank you so much for your efforts.

[@acidbath3226]

I love the frontier!

[@arpeggioblues5924]

I have used Voxengo SPAN - nice layout.. reminds me of the similar FX by Waves..

[@memoeoneable]

Quality!

[@Pandamasque]

Can you suggest plugins that emulate specific hardware effects known to be used for guitars, such as plate and spring reverbs, bucket brigade type delay, Echoplex and Space Echo tape delays, Binson Echorec drum delay, analogue chorus (like Dimension C?) and so on?

[@rotemeisner6672]

I Highly Recommend TAL-filter Its An awesome plugin For Alot of uses. its a bit like LFO tool

[@Justmino]

Ozone Imager is super useful for post!

[@EzyoMusic]

I use Nova for only one thing right now but it's stillmy favorite.

[@neovxr]

I found TinyQ incredibly easy and useful, and technically seems very transparent and neutral, very good at subtractive spectral work. Nova and the Klanghelms are favorite.TLs3127 and DC1A2 in parallel plus direct sound make a rock solid vocal EQ rack. The free Waves Tube Saturator Vintage adds up here to fatten up a vocal track. Nowadays its CPU use becomes affordable. OrilRiver - probably best free reverb. SIR is great with the right impulses and when you print it to a track and then modulate.

[@neovxr]

LittlePlate once was free for a short time. Used every other mix.

[@neovxr]

Density 1.0 is a great M/S bus compressor with analog sound and a unique joystick M/S/stereo balancer.

[@CreativeSauce]

🔗 LINKS: 1) TDR Nova: www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-nova/ 2) Izotope Imager V2: www.izotope.com/en/products/ozone-imager.html 3) Valhalla Super Massive: valhalladsp.com/shop/reverb/valhalla-supermassive/ 4) D16 Group Frontier Limiter: d16.pl/frontier 5) Melda Production MFreeFXBundle: www.meldaproduction.com/MFreeFXBundle Klanghelm IVGI Saturation: klanghelm.com/contents/products/IVGI/IVGI.php Klanghelm DC1A Compressor: klanghelm.com/contents/products/DC1A/DC1A.php Izotope Vinyl: www.izotope.com/en/products/vinyl.html Voxengo Span: www.voxengo.com/product/span/

[@heavymetalmixer91]

I'm happy to see TDR NOVA on first place, when it comes to compression quality Kotelnikov is better but NOVA can basically do EVERYTHING, even adding color with the Precise + mode (this color is actually pretty dark).

[@shiroumxm2052]

what a wonderful era we are living in

[@maheshrajasharma]

Saw your cakewalk tutorials. how effective are in built compressor and eq in cakewalk. do we really need these

[@CreativeSauce]

I think especially the #1 pick is beyond any EQ in Cakewalk, because its dynamic. The widener is also useful, and in my opinion, Cakewalk does not have a good limiter - so number 4 is very useful too!

[@imzaazmi]

Izotop image v2 very nice 👍👍

[@CreativeSauce]

Yep, really useful :)

[@suryavarma6090]

1st View 👍

[@CreativeSauce]

Hehe - congrats :)

[@FifteenFrequent]

Thanks Mike, I'm learning a lot from your videos. I've been using TDR nova but when I use it I'm not getting the waveform display like yours had. Do I need to do something to enable this?

[@CreativeSauce]

Ah yes, you can switch it on with the little buttons in the top right. Thanks for rd watching!

[@FifteenFrequent]

@@CreativeSauce thanks! I knew it would be something simple. Keep up the good work, your videos have been a massive help to me and my bandmate and we're nearly finished on a 9 track album which is now sounding so much better than we ever imagined from recording at home. I'll share with you when we are done.

[@tapofficial550]

Nice 🔥🔥🔥

[@lucodin5205]

thank you for all these tutorials Mike. I can't install imager. I am told every time I have the wrong code?

[@Fiddlesticks86]

Just for fun, I've spotted you have a Logitech Z5500 set. Are you aware that, depending on the firmware, some of them go beyond volume "Boost 11" ?? If you turn the volume up all the way to Boost 11, then hold the "mute" button and increase the volume knob further it will go to Boost 22 😂 Love the channel BTW!!!

[@yungkimchee7172]

Valhalla supernassive is a GOAT plugin

[@teeblack06]

Nova is my favorite

[@aahl1680]

NOVA is a killer!

[@lucashosn9838]

Hey really nice content. Can I ask you what is the best sample rate for recording ? (I'm going to send my tracks to spotify)

[@CreativeSauce]

Hi Lucas. Honestly I record in 44.1 or 48 kHz. You can get a higher quality with sample rates such as 96 or 192, but in a complex song, with many plugins, most computers struggle. I feel that the workflow of a reliable system is more important than the very tiny advantage in quality. I hope that helps!

[@lucashosn9838]

@@CreativeSauce Thanks!

[@vikramjitbanerjeetuki]

Hey mate great singing you sound like Neil Finn 👍👍👍

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you, he's great! Thanks for watching.

[@jeffbridges6110]

TDR NOVA is awesome. I use it a LOT. But for the Limiter , Thomas Mundt's LOUDMAX is hard to beat. Nightshine by DiscoDSP is a free software version of the Alesis 3630 compressor. I use that a LOT on drums (acoustic not sampled) , and it is becomming my favorite.

[@neovxr]

Limiter6 seems my best option for the stereo bus, often better/clearer than Ozone. Loudmax for track work, e.g. some really unruly kick.

[@jeffbridges6110]

@@neovxr Yeah man , I have that too. It's hard to set up right , but once you do , it is good.

[@sanyseptian7828]

thank u

[@facesdoego8405]

TDR Nova 👍 From Klanghelm MJUC jr. - variable-tube* compressor

[@mikelytou]

"We live in blessed times" Me: did he really just say that in 2020? Also me: instantly jumping back to listen again. And again. Took me a while to see the "if doesn't feel like it atm" part.

[@CreativeSauce]

LOL

[@theexile1155]

You were predestined to be different(Romans 8:29), he who has an ear to hear, let him hear(Mark 4:9). HALLELUYAH!(PRAISE YE YAH!)

[@tonyrapa-tonyrapa]

I don't have too many free plugins, but there a couple I'd like to mention: Replika by Native Instruments and Pancake by Cable Guys.

[@CreativeSauce]

I dont know how I missed Replika! Awesome thanks:) Yeah, Pancake is great.

[@mabian69]

@@CreativeSauce I don't think you can still get Replika for free now... it was a X-mas gift IIRC

[@pcpixie]

@@mabian69 Yeah sadly it's no longer free. Would've been a sweet grab too :'(

[@evertschut]

I love Replica as well, though I find it is sometimes difficult to control for some reason, the main knob does not respond well to mouse movements. I got it free at the time.

[@dannyturczyn763]

Hey Mike I was wondering if you could suggest a good software for recording audio I have purchased PreSonus studio one and I absolutely hate it. Too much programming too complex for me. I'm looking for a very basic easy to use plug & play software. I'm old-school analog age and I'm looking for something that is relative to that style of recording. Thanks Dan

[@FA-Q]

Try reason

[@dannyturczyn763]

@@FA-Q thanks Mike which version would you recommend? there's so many to choose from I like the record version but can't find the copy of that do any of the other ones operate the same way?? Thnx again Dan