The Best Free Plugins for Ableton Live
When looking at the market for plugins of any sort, many producers are left skeptical of whether the price is acceptable for the quality of the product in question. Understandably, many producers become risk-averse in their search or end up spending lots of money on something that ultimately doesn’t suit their needs.
With free plug-ins, however, there is no risk involved. In this article, we will be looking at a range of free VST plugins for Ableton and other DAWs and giving short descriptions of each. The focus is not to review or rank any of them but to give the reader some information so that they can make an informed decision. That being said, as these plugins are all free, there is no harm in downloading them and seeing what works.
Vital
Created by Matt Tytel and released in November 2020, Vital is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about releases of recent years. Vital is a spectral warping wavetable synth with an impressive range of features and four different pricing options. The Basic option – which is completely free – includes 75 presets and 25 wavetables. It is very versatile and capable of everything from supersaw chords to heavy Dubstep growls. With a clear and visually-satisfying layout, a strong range of oscillators, filters, and effects, and a highly flexible modulation function, Vital is certainly worth checking out.
There is another free synth by Matt Tytel called Helm. It’s a subtractive synth with impressive built-in effects and various filter options (including formant filter) that worth to try if you’re more comfortable with this type of synthesis.
iZotope Free Plug-ins
iZotope’s free products are some of the most intriguing on the market. Firstly let’s look at the innovative Ozone Imager.
The Ozone Imager is a mixing tool that allows the producer to visualize and then adjust the width of any track. Thus, a producer can change a mono input into super-wide stereo and vice versa. In addition, one can make certain tracks clearer by tightening them and positioning them within the mix. The Ozone Imager makes this process simple, easy, and engaging. This is a highly useful tool for anyone interested in mixing techniques.
Secondly, we have the Vocal Doubler. A useful aid to singers, the Vocal Doubler is designed to add depth and fullness to your vocals. This eliminates the need to re-record a vocal take and double the two recordings. The producer will have control over the stereo separation of the two tracks and the degree of variation in the doubled take.
Finally, the Vinyl plug-in simulates the sound and feeling of a vinyl record playing. This includes the intensity of scratches, dust, and warping. It also contains a mechanical noise effect. This is great for adding a lo-fi feeling to your music. In addition, the producer can choose a decade of vinyl to simulate (from 1930’s records to 2000). Of course there is Ableton Live’s Vinyl Distortion effect and it’s really cool, but iZotope’s Vinly has more options if you need more authentic vinyl sound.
Xfer Records – OTT
From the makers of the fantastic Serum synth, Xfer Records’ OTT is an aggressive but adaptable multi-band upwards/downwards compressor modeled after Ableton Live’s Multiband Dynamics “OTT” preset. But despite that fact lots of producers prefer OTT instead because of the cleaner interface. It makes the sound of any instrument tighter, fuller and warmer. You can even use it on the master bus with a low dry/wet setting.
It is useful for producers of all kinds but – due to its powerful impact – is perhaps geared more towards electronic music composers. The interface is simple, easily understandable, and well worth a try, especially if you’re into EDM and Bass Music.
Kontakt Player
The Kontakt Player is essentially a free host application that runs the entirety of Kontakt’s virtual instrument collection as well as some other companies’ instruments. This is incredibly easy to navigate and a must-have for any producer. You can’t make your own instruments or sounds with this plugin, but it gives you an ability to use thousands of free (and paid) Kontakt instruments – realistic sampled pianos, horns, strings, drums and other acoustic and electronic instruments. In addition, there are 50 free high-quality instruments included in the Kontakt Factory Selection.
LABS by Spitfire Audio
Spitfire Audio’s excellent LABS plug-ins are some of the best free VSTs available, especially if you’re into cinematic and acoustic music. They have a huge selection of various pianos, strings, brass, drums and even synth instruments. With an exquisite and constantly growing range of instruments, LABS is too good to pass up on. From the delicate tones of the Soft Piano plug-in to the microtonal beauty of the Monochord plug-in, LABS has it all. In addition, all of these plug-ins have been designed by musicians for musicians.
Komplete Start
With over 2000 customizable sounds, 7 synthesizers, and 9 sampled instruments, the Komplete Start bundle is a remarkable collection of instruments, effects, loops, and samples. In addition, the Komplete Start bundle is compatible with every DAW including Ableton Live.
Fracture
Fracture is a free product by GlitchMachines designed to create artificial musical malfunctions and robotic glitches in your production. Featuring a buffer effect, a multimode filter, three LFOs and a delay, Fracture is a must-have for electronic producers and sound designers. It also includes a staggering 100 factory presets.
PTEq-X
PTEq-X is a free plug-in by Ignite Amps. It is an emulation of three well-respected vintage passive Pultec Program Equalizers. Ableton Live’s stock equalizers are sufficient enough for all you equalization needs. But Pultec EQs are a bit different – passive circuit design and unique filter curves make them a perfect tool for tone-shaping. It sounds very smooth and musical, even extreme boosts and attenuations sound natural. Another unique feature is that you can boost and attenuate the same frequency at the same time.
Containing three different equalization modules and incredibly versatile controls, PTEq-X is worth downloading for anyone creating, mixing, or mastering music.
Loudmax
Loudmax is a free loudness maximizer plug-in that seeks to increase the volume of the track while retaining the characteristics and subtleties of the initial recording. Ableton Live’s Limiter and Glue Compressor both do the job, but may not really suitable for EDM. Loudmax has been noted for its simple setup, its lack of distortion, and its preservation of the original sound.
Model-E
The Model-E plug-in by Steinberg is an emulation of classic analog synth Moog Model D Minimoog that’s worth shouting about. With three oscillators and a noise generator, the Model-E is versatile and easy to use. In addition, the six waveforms for each oscillator add to this creative versatility and freedom. It also has a very low CPU usage.
PG-8X 2.0
Like the Model-E, the PG-8X 2.0 is another analog synth. Based on the Roland JX-8P, the PG-8X 2.0 has up to twelve voice polyphony, two oscillators, and four waveforms. It is another surprisingly versatile virtual analog synth.
VK-1 Viking Synthesizer
The VK-1 Viking Synthesizer is a stunning emulation of a classic monophonic analog synthesizer Moog Voyager. Three continually variable wave oscillators, a multi-wave LFO, and two modulation busses are just some of the things that make this plug-in so special. The VK-1 also contains over 228 presets. Due to its extensive settings and capabilities, this fantastic synth is best suited to producers who are very particular with the sound and texture of their synth lines.
VariSpeed
GSi’s VariSpeed is a modern simulation of the WEM Copicat IC-400 Belt Drive VariSpeed model. This was the first tape echo machine capable of changing speed and thus changing the delay time. The software emulation has been designed to be as accurate to the original hardware as possible, with all of its pros and cons. This can give an interesting – and even slightly vintage – effect to your delay. It’s certainly worth testing it out.
Knobs by Abletunes
Knobs is a bundle of 3 free one-knob plugins that are perfect for beginners as well as experienced producers. Space Knob – with this plugin you can instantly add any kind of reverb, from small room to small hall. The more you turn the knob, the longer and louder reverb tail you get. Drive Knob – blend of distortion and saturation effects. With a turn of a knob you can add extra harmonics to your 808s or make the guitars more prominent in the mix. And finally, Attack Knob – simple transient shaper that instantly adds attack to any instruments, from drums and guitars to synths and strings.
In conclusion, listed above are some of the most prominent, notable, and well-respected free plug-ins on the market. Any producers looking to expand their sound without spending any money should certainly take a look at some – if not all – of these impressive products.
