8 awesome Freeware Plugins you need in your Studio - gearnews.com (2024)

12 Jun by Marcus Schmahl | 4,0 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 5 Minutes

Even professionals regularly use these 8 awesome freeware plugins in their music projects! Of course, this indicates that you can’t go wrong with these VSTs. And you don’t even have to spend any money to download and use these software effects. So what are you waiting for?

Check out these 8 awesome freeware plugins

• Xfer OTT
• Polyverse Wider 2
• Cymatics Deja Vu
• Cymatics Memory
• Slate Digital Fresh Air
• iZotope Vocal Doubler
• iZotope Ozone Imager
• Softube Saturation Knob

Xfer OTT belongs in every freeware plugin collection!

Xfer OTT is an ode to a popular, very aggressive multiband compressor preset that is not only used by many dubstep and electro producers. This effect plugin compresses three bands (low, mid and high) of your audio signal with different parameter settings.

You can set Depth to adjust the amount of compression, Time to scale the attack and release times of all bands, and adjust the input and output levels. The visual display shows the input levels and the gain reduction across all three frequency bands.

OTT is not only an essential tool for heavily changing in the dynamics of your audio signals (individual tracks, groups, and mix bus). It is also a popular “toy” for sound designers. Incidentally, this tool’s model is the Ableton Live Multiband Compressor. Nevertheless, tests have shown that the Xfer plugin delivers louder results – and it is the first of our 8 awesome freeware plugins!

Get the Download for this freeware plugin

Polyverse Wider 2 makes your mixes super-wide

Another excellent freeware plugin to have in your toolkit is Wider 2 from Polyverse. This plugin gives any mono signal the illusion of extended stereo width with a fantastic amount of stereo width.

It’s fully mono-compatible, so any extended signal will always remain in phase, even when summed back to mono. And it’s another amazing free tool in our round of 8 awesome freeware plugins!

Download for this freeware plugin here

The two VSTs Cymatics Deja Vu & Memory change your sound – for free!

Cymatics has some great freeware plugins that you won’t want to miss. The first is Deja Vu. It’s designed to completely change the feel of a sound by stretching time and shifting pitches musically. This atmospheric effect, slowed down, can be heard on countless recent pop and hip-hop recordings. This VST is a must-have for sound designers because it gives them creative control over the timing and rhythm of the audio signal.

Deja Vu offers nine unique time signatures to select. It was created as an FX engine so that you can also use it for other creative endeavors. The variety is limitless whether you’re editing melodies, drums, vocals, or even entire tracks. The plugin changes the feel and sonic “DNA” of every sound. It’s excellent for melodies, vocals, guitar recordings, song intros, build-ups, and, of course, on the mix for breaks and special FX – and it’s one of the most exciting entries in our list of 8 awesome freeware plugins!

Here is the download link to Deja Vu

Cymatics Memory is a plugin that can seamlessly merge past and present. It’s not quite that simple, but it subtly inserts errors into the audio signal. You can give your sound that certain something with a mix of chorus, vibrato, and random pitch modulations. That sounds very LoFi. Memory always sounds like an old, dusty tape recorder, whether you’re using it on guitars, piano, synths, brass, or loops. This tool is an excellent free addition to your plugins as a sound design effect.

Download Cymatics Memory here

Slate Digital Fresh Air for your freeware plugins library

Fresh Air from Slate Digital brings “air” to your sound. And that means boosting the treble range with a very “gentle” result – without creating harsh/harsh highs. This dynamics plugin breathes new life into your mix with just two controls.

Based on vintage exciter circuits and advanced dynamics processing, the tool allows you to add brilliance and sparkle to your mix. Whether applied to individual tracks or the entire mix bus, the results are awe-inspiring. And, of course, it’s available for free – and it’s part of our list of 8 awesome freeware plugins!

Get the Download to Fresh Air here

iZotope Vocal Doubler & Ozone Imager

iZotope Vocal Doubler enhances vocals with a natural doubling effect and adds depth to the result. The well-known doubling technology has been redesigned with a new interactive user interface to achieve better-sounding doubling results even faster.

This plugin adds an extra dimension to your vocals and creates a fuller sound that fits perfectly into your mix. The effect also works well on instrument tracks. Try it out with your recorded synthesizer melodies or on arpeggios. We can’t recommend this entry in our list of 8 awesome freeware plugins enough!

Get Vocal Doubler here for free

The free Ozone Imager plugin from iZotope offers a stereo analyzer and a stereo mode that lets you edit the stereo width of your audio track. This is great for creating super-wide sounds, even from narrow, mono-like sources. Pianos, synths, and cymbals can be placed even better in stereo space, while bass and kick drums can be played in mono—and, of course, with perfect mono compatibility.

Here is the free download for Ozone Imager

Every DAW needs Softube Saturation Knob

This free plugin is a must-have for every music production household. The Saturation Knob from Softube is an emulation of a hardware output distortion. It’s perfect for adding some distortion and “dirt” to your sound wherever you need it. Use it to quickly and easily thicken bass lines, “enlarge” vocal recordings, or destroy drum loops.

Its three modes – Keep High, Neutral, and Keep Low – offer three different types of distortion. For instance, you can use the Keep Low mode to compress a drum loop while keeping the bass drum relatively intact. I usually use the effect rather subtly (i.e., with minimal distortion) to increase the gain of the track just a little and with a little character – the last entry in our list of 8 awesome freeware plugins!

Download Saturation Knob for free here

More on our 8 awesome freeware plugins

• Our weekly freeware series

Originally published at Gearnews.de by Marcus Schmahl, Translation by Julian Schmauch.