There are a lot of free plugins available for music production, but finding the ones that are actually useful can take some digging. In this video, I take a look at 23 free plugins and music production tools covering compression, frequency masking, virtual instruments, drum machines, tone shaping, and more.
Free Plugins Worth Checking Out
The video starts with a British-style bus compressor designed for the kind of mix bus processing associated with classic console workflows. Along with compression, it includes limiter and clipper functions and allows multiple instances to be controlled from a single plugin window.
For anyone looking for a free alternative to Trackspacer, DNA Track Purifier uses frequency docking to help reduce masking between instruments. This can be useful when working with combinations such as bass and kick drums, synths and vocals, or other competing elements in a mix.
Lunacy Audio Nova is another interesting free option. Nova includes five free instruments that can be played through its plugin or online player. The online player also supports a MIDI controller, so you can try the instruments without necessarily working inside your DAW.
For drum production, sonix DrumFLX is a free drum machine with three different modes: Modern, Vintage, and Texture. It includes multiple drum kits and patterns, and one particularly useful feature is the ability to export individual drum tracks directly into your DAW using a drag-and-drop workflow.
Tone Shaping And Reason 14
Analog Obsession Tone Shaper is a free plugin focused on passive tone and body control. It is designed around a simple approach to shaping the character of a sound without adding a complicated collection of controls.
The video also looks at the free version of Reason 14, which includes Europa 14 and additional devices. Reason can be used both as a plugin rack inside another DAW and as standalone music production software.
These plugins cover a surprisingly wide range of production tasks. Some are useful for mixing, others are instruments or drum machines, and some provide creative ways to shape individual tracks.
Free Doesn’t Mean One-Size-Fits-All
A free plugin doesn’t necessarily have to replace an expensive commercial product to be useful. Sometimes a free tool simply provides a different workflow, a particular sound, or one feature that solves a specific production problem.
That’s really what makes collections like this worth exploring. You might not use every plugin, but one of them could become a regular part of your workflow.
I’ve also covered several of these plugins in more detail in previous videos, including DNA Track Purifier and DrumFLX. If you’re building a music production setup on a budget, these free tools are worth exploring alongside the larger collection of free and paid plugins available today.
The Free Plugin Collection
The plugins featured in this video cover compression, mix bus processing, frequency masking, virtual instruments, drum production, tone shaping, and music production software.
Whether you’re working in Logic Pro or another DAW, there are plenty of free tools available that can add new options to your production workflow without requiring another purchase.
Video Links To Plugins
LINKS:
Leave a Reply