Last Updated on June 24, 2021.
What better way to add some embellishments to your songs than with an orchestral plugin? Even better if its free, right?
Orchestral samples, and samples in general, have come a long way.
Best Free VST plugins for Drums. 31) MT Power DrumKit 2. With a pre-programmed groove library and many top-notch snare sounds under its belt, the MT Power DrumKit 2 ensures that the snare cuts right through the mix and thus stakes its claim as the one of the best free VST plugins. 32) StudioLinked Drum Pro. . The best free VST plugins 2020: synths, drum machines and effects The first of these methods is always going to be the best route to ‘authentic’ drums, but it relies on access to quality mics, a space where you can make a lot of noise and - crucially - a real drummer who can actually play.
They were practically unusable back in the day, but now, even though you can hear the difference between a sample software and the real deal, they sound astoundingly similar.
I love finding free software that actually works, so in this post I will go into each of the ones I found and tried, this way you won’t have to do any of the research and try the ones that sucked, like I did!
All of the download links are included!
The Best Orchestral Plugins are:
Let’s get straight into each individual orchestral sample library!
Layers by Orchestral Tools
Layers is an ultra realistic orchestral sample library that features a full orchestra, Brass-, Woodwinds-, and Strings sections.
You can choose between a couple different mic positions and it also features different articulations; different chord types, staccato and sustain unison, and more.
In total, the sample pack is about 17GB and runs on Windows 10 and Mac OS.
Lastly, Layers works with Orchestral Tools’ SINE Player.
You can download Layers here.
Total Composure Orchestra (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Total Composure Orchestra is a full orchestral sample library created using only samples in the public domain.
Total Composure is the first to offer such a library exclusively for the Kontakt format; making use of Kontakt’s scripting capabilities to greatly enhance the playability, realism, and functionality of these public domain samples.
This is a fantastic plugin, it comes with a huge array of instruments from pianos, to brass instruments, strings and percussion.
One bad thing about this plugin is that it runs both on Kontakt Player, which is free, and the full version of Kontakt, but on Kontakt player you can only use the samples for about 30 min before it stops working.
If you want to be able to use them to their fullest extent, you will need to purchase Kontakt.
You can download Total Composure Orchestra here.
Related: List of the best Choir VST Plugins available.
Spitfire LABS (Windows, Mac)
I mentioned Spitfire in a couple of my posts simply because they have some of my top recommendations as far as free plugins go.
LABS is basically a collection of free VST and AU plugins that not only sound fantastic, but that is also being updated consistently, with new plugins being added over time.
Here you will find great-sounding samples of any orchestral instrument you can think of.
You can download LABS here.
The Free Orchestra by Project Sam
Project Sam is behind Symphobia, which is one of the best-rated libraries for film scoring, video games and TV, and they created the Free Orchestra library which contains bits and pieces of all of their paid products.
What struck me the most about this free library is how great it sounds as soon as you load it up; there is little to no tweaking required.
Now, it runs on KONTAKT (6.2. or higher), but luckily it works in the free version which can be beneficial to you if you’re interested in using KONTAKT but don’t want to purchase the premium version just yet.
Parameters such as envelope controls, effects, octaver, and reverse make this library very versatile to use.
All in all, if you’re a beginner tipping their toes into the whole orchestral world, this entry level library could just be what you need.
You can download the Free Orchestra here.
DSK Overture Orchestra (Windows)
DSK Overture is a full orchestral sample VST plugin.
It gives you the ability to choose between 40 different instruments and play 4 of those instruments in the same instance, through MIDI.
The included instruments are; Acoustic Piano, Harpsichord, Bassoon, Celesta, Glockenspiel, Vibes, Harp, Flute, Piccolo, English Horns, Oboe, Clarinet, French Horn, Trumpet, Church Organ, Trombone, Tuba, Cello, Contra Bass, Viola, Violin, Orchestra Drum Kit, Full Sections.
Honestly, what makes this plugin great is the variety of instruments, since there is no shortage of them, plus they all sound pretty damn good!
You can download DSK Overture here.
BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover by Spitfire Audio
Here’s another great addition by Spitfire.
The BBC Symphonic Orchestra Discover actually sells for $49, but you can fill out a form and they will send it to you after 14 days for completely free.
This library is clearly aimed at beginners since it is very simple to use and straight-forward, plus it already comes premixed into one mix signal which gives you less control over it, but makes things easier if you’re just starting out.
It features a total of 33 instruments and 47 techniques, and thanks to Spitfire’s new mode switching technology, you can share and collaborate with fellow composers, regardless of which edition they own.
You can download the BBC Symphonic Orchestra here.
If you’re also Interested in finding the best sounding Free Drum Vst Plugins, then read this article I wrote about the ones I think are absolutely fantastic.
One Track Orchestra (Windows)
One Track orchestra is primarily a sketching tool, meant to be used for songwriting and recording demos and aimed mostly at beginners and songwriters who need a simple tool to create and record music.
Therefore, the sound quality and usability aren’t the best ones out there.
The plugin was created using samples from VSCO Community Edition and assembled with Maize Sampler.
It is available as 32-bit & 64-bit VST plugin for Windows.
You can download One Track Orchestra Here.
Related: I love free plugins, so I put together a list of the best Free Synth VST Plugins out there which you can check out here,
Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra (Windows)
The Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra Module contains the full SSO by Mattias Westlund, in one simple VST plugin (32 & 64bit)
The SSO samples are stereo, 16 bit, 44kHz.
While it’s not the most professional Orchestral Sample Plugin out there, it will certainly provide the building blocks for creating some astounding virtual orchestra sounds.
Melodic instruments and chromatic percussion are sampled in minor 3rds and all samples have varying amounts of stage ambience, depending on their front-to-back placement.
SSO is the one plugin on this list that provides the highest number of instruments.
You get loads of String instruments, Brass instruments, Woodwind instruments, Keys and Choirs, Chromatic Percussion and Regular Percussion.
You can download it here.
DSK Virtuoso (Windows)
DSK Virtuoso allows you to play a combination of 6 layer instruments, or to play a composition up to 6 different parts, through the MIDI channels selectors.
The included instruments are;
Acoustic Piano, Harpsichord, Church Organ, Celesta, Glockenspiel, Vibes, Harp, Flute, Piccolo, English Horns, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba,
Cello, ContraBass, Viola, Violin, Orchestra Drum Kit, and more.
You can download DKS Virtuoso here.
You may also be interested in trying out some Free Bass Amp VST Plugins which should help you achieve a better sounding mix!
VSCO2 – Chamber Orchestra 2 (Windows, Mac)
The Community Edition, which is the free edition of these samples, comes with a total of 19 instruments, ranging from Woodwinds to Brass, Keys, Mallets, Strings and Percussion.
Decades of work have gone into creating these samples using nothing but the best equipment to capture them.
Free Audio Plugins For Mac
You can download the VSCO2 library here.
Palette – Primary Colors (Windows, Mac)
Pallete is a free KONTAKT instrument that offers a total of 1.3GB of samples, featuring strings, woodwinds and brass ensembles.
Contrary to some other VSTs on this list, Pallete doesn’t offer multiple microphone positions and only features a limited set of articulations, but it does offer 3 dynamic layers and up to 7 round robins with adjustable behavior.
You can control the dynamics, expression, vibrato and tremolo-flutter with a couple different sliders and adjust the volume for each section (strings, brass and winds).
The only con to this library is that the instruments can’t be loaded separately since all the patches are loaded at once when you open it in Kontakt.
Lastly, there’s couple different a pro versions available on their site (Orchestral FX, Runs & Arps, Symphonic Sketchpad, and others) which cost about $199 each.
You can download Palette here.
Honorable Mentions
Vienna Big Bang Orchestra
I tried so hard to include this one in the actual list and not in the “honorable mentions” section, but the install process is so annoying and they make you jump through so many hoops that I just couldn’t place it any higher on this list.
The orchestra itself is great; It sounds fantastic, offers a total of 1.5GB in samples, you can choose between multiple microphone positions, and more.
However, you will need to go through the entire purchasing process, even though you’re not paying a thing, to get a serial number. Until now, not too bad.
But then they require you to install an eLicenser software and to purchase a “Vienna Key”, which is a USB device that holds all your product keys and that costs about $15, and without it you can’t install the software.
So, while it may be a great “Free” product, only get it if you’re willing to go through all of that.
Check out the Big Bang Orchestra here.
Spitfire Audio LABS
Even though I think that all free samples provided by Spitfire Audio in their LABS section are absolutely astounding, they don’t really offer a dedicated orchestral VST here but rather multiple different instruments, such as drums, harps, pianos, brass, guitars, strings, choirs, and more.
You can use all of these different VSTs to create full orchestral sounds, but you’ll need to work on every instrument on its own.
Having said that, all the instruments found on the LABS section of the website could easily be premium products since they sound absolutely phenomenal, and I find it fascinating that they are giving them away for free, so absolutely give them a try!
You can download LABS here.
Ample Guitar M Lite II
Ample Guitar M Lite II is a free acoustic guitar simulation software that has a very realistic feel to it, even when compared to more expensive pieces of software and it’s by far my favorite acoustic guitar VST.
It sounds absolutely fantastic while also giving you the option to add some effects. You can even double the guitar with the simple press of a button, which will add width and body to the sound.
You can simply download some MIDI files and play them using Guitar M Lite II, and while you may need to tweak a couple settings to get it to sound more realistic, it’s definitely far easier to achieve than with most other acoustic guitar simulation software.
I think that everyone should download it. Electric guitar plugins are extremely common, but not acoustic ones and like I said, they tend to sound terrible.
You can download Ample Guitar M Lite here.
Learn how to Produce music
If you want to learn how to produce music at home the right way and without making too many mistakes, then I’d recommend that you read these posts;
Conclusion
The reason I like these kinds of plugins so much is because you can create complete song just by using virtual instruments.
You will need a good MIDI controller to do this properly and fast, even though you can manually add in every note in your DAW.
I hope this information was useful!
See you on the next one.
-->Sep 04,2019• Proven solutions
After Effects is a very effective program that even in standard form can produce remarkable effects that were probably never fully expected even from Adobe.
However, one of the greatest things about the product is the proliferation of free After Effects plugins that can help automate some of those effects or even add completely new tools to your arsenal.
Free VST Plugin Directory. Part 1: Best Free VST Host Applications. A selection of free audio editors and applications which can host VST plugins. This section includes DAWs, sequencers, trackers, live hosts, and mastering tools: Audio Editing Software – Audio editing programs which can host VST plugins. Get the very best out of your videos using Premiere Pro and the Film Impact plug-ins! It does not matter which kind of video product is used: our tools are fit for any type of video production. That's why the plug-ins for video transitions offered by Film Impact are must-haves for every video editor. May 13, 2018 Synth Anatomy Free Plugins/ iOS, Plugins, Software 0 NuSpace Audio Riviera Riviera is a hybrid algorithmic-convolution reverb plugin for modeling specular acoustic reflections in N-dimensional orthotopes. String, plate, room, tesseract, and up ( vooms or volume+room for short). Download and get FREE Mac Premiere Elements 2018 v16.1 full crack with keygen, patch and Serial number maker. Like Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018 we have shared, Premiere Elements is a very strong video editor that users can create quick movies from favorite parts of your clips or tell big life stories in full-on productions. This Saturation Knob is one the best free analog emulation plugins out there. Grab this bonus plug and go! Download the Softube Saturation Knob For Free. MH Thump Percussive Subharmonic Synth. MH Thump adds low end to your track. It recreates that nice thump you get on a vintage TR-808 drum machine. Download MH Thump For Free.
There are many plugins and filters available for making your After Effects masterpiece into next stage, ranging from color presets, transitions plugins, sound effects to complicated lighting and 3D tracking packs.
In this article, we will introduce 15 best After Effects free plugins. Let’s begin.
Top 15 Best After Effects Plugins for You to Free Download
Note: Adobe After Effects is a basic non-linear video editing software which allows you to create professional and powerful visual effects, motion graphics and compositing.
It is used widely in film-making and television production. For video editing beginners, adding plugins to video editing software is difficult.
For people who need a quick and powerful enough visual, color and sound effect, it may take so much time to figure out how to use the plugins in After Effects.
In this case, we are here to recommend effects maker Wondershare FilmoraPro, which is a professional but easy-to-use tool for users who want to make excellent effects.
It is the best alternative to After Effects. You can also add vignette effect to video easily.
Download the free version below.
Find Video Effects and Templates for After Effects from Filmstocks
If you want to make a cool special effect with one click, you should try the special effects pack or set in Filmstocks.
Filmstocks is a one-stop shop for royalty free video effects, music and sound effects, stock video footage and more stock media. You can download both free and paid after effects templates for Adobe After Effects on Filmstocks as well as some free stock video and photos and royalty free music and sound effect.
Visit the collection of Free After Effects Templates on Filmstocks and explore more creative resources for your AE project.
Here are 15 free After Effects plugins that you can download to use for CC or CS5/6.
- ObviousFX Copy-Image Plug in
- Video Copilot Presets – Light sabers
- AE Flame
- Normality by 3DCG
- Typominal - Digital Typewriter Text Preset
- Coremelt Free
- Instagram plug in by Cineblur
- Video Copilot Reflection Plugin
- Alpha Plugins FirTree
- Free Random Text Generator Plugin
- FREE Ugly Box plugin
- Animation Composer
- Duik
- AEFlame
- Flicker Freak plugin
1ObviousFX Copy-Image Plug in
First on my list is a very simple plug in, however it is such a time-saver that it is definitely a plug in that should be on any list. Copy-Image adds a single command to the edit menu, that command being 'Copy Image'.
What that command does, in a single click, is flatten and copy the current composition at the time selected to the clipboard, enabling you to paste it into any other program, such as Photoshop, without the need to go through the process of saving a frame to an image file and so on that out of the box After Effects requires.
Not a game changer by any means, but very much a time saver, well worth it.
2Video Copilot Presets – Light sabers
Nothing in the world is better than a light saber plugin, and lucky for us Video Copilot have provided us with a free preset to create them!
Video Copilot actually produce around 30 free presets covering a wide range of tools, but for the 2nd spot on our list we just couldn't resist the light saber tool.
It comes with a comprehensive set of options and allows you to change colors, perspectives, add motion blur and even includes the ability to simulate the saber firing up and shutting down. Just add sound effects!
There are many plugins available in video copilot, including Optical Flares for Nuke, Element 3D plugin for creating Motion Design & Visual FX, and Twitch Plugin for creating stylistic motion graphics and visual effects.
Besides the plugins, VideoCopilot also provides the tutorials about how to use the plugin in After Effects. Check the VideoCopilot tutorial here for learning how to use it.
3AE Flame
This is a lovely effect that generates beautiful colored fractals that can be animated. With options for color, intensity, density and so on they are also highly customizable to enable you to get the precise effect you are after.
There are so many uses for these from intros onward, they do look stunning and are easy to use. Whilst there are plenty of paid for plugins that can produce a similar effect, this one is completely free.
4Normality by 3DCG
This is a plugin for lighting and shading your footage, but why this one stands out above other free plug in utilities for lighting is that it is of such a high quality, packed with professional features to create some stunning effects.
Enabling lighting of 3D objects from directly within the frame , something that was, not too long ago, the domain of expensive packages, here you can have that functionality and control for free.
5Typominal - Digital Typewriter Text Preset
Not something you will use every day, nonetheless, it is a great little plugin to have available, and as it is free, why wouldn't you? Typominal is applied to a text layer and creates a computer terminal look for the text.
It contains a choice of two cursor types and is very effective at what it does. Think of that scene at the start of Alien, maybe even Wargames, there are many places to fit that style in, science fiction especially. No, it won't be a go to preset on every project, but for the right project, it is a fantastic effect.
6Coremelt Free
This one is Mac only, but it is such a comprehensive plugin that it really has to be included here.
If you have the right platform to use it, there is a whole host of options available within this single pack, with 44 separate plug ins including 10 active text effects, all completely free with no time limits, watermarks or anything.
For anyone looking for a general package of plug ins to increase their options, this one is most definitely it. Very much a professional product from a professional company, for free!
7Instagram plug in by Cineblur
This is another simple one, but very useful. It enables you to mimic the Instagram filters that are so well known, not to mention popular with millions. You can match up with mobile footage in an intro maybe, or just want to give that look to your footage, whatever the reason, it does the job easily and effectively.
Another free plugin that doesn't have a wide range of uses but is very effective in doing what it is designed to do. You want the Instagram look in your video? This does it in one click. For free.
8Video Copilot Reflection Plugin
Best Free Plug-ins For Mastering Chain
Another Video Copilot free plugin here, and given the quality of their free offerings it is not surprising. Unlike the previous light saber plug in, this one is a bit more mainstream in its use.
Creating reflections even at arbitrary angles, the effect is, as we come to expect from Video Copilot, simply stunning and easy to implement.
As ever, they even produced a free video guide to help you get to grips with it and get the best out of its capabilities.
9Alpha Plugins FirTree
This one does exactly what it sounds like it does, it creates Christmas tree leaves and branches for you. They can be animated, they are very realistic and they are perfect for any holiday themed project.
There is also a companion plug in called ornament that is also free that lets you create beautiful Christmas tree decorations to hang from your newly realized trees. Both products are highly customizable and very effective.
Yes, the subject matter may seem less serious, but these are high quality products capable of very realistic output, a bit of fun for the holidays and a serious plugin all in one.
10Free Random Text Generator Plugin
Random Text is a new free generator compatible with FCP X, FCP 6-7, Motion, After Effects and Premiere Pro 6. It allows you to use text, numbers and symbols creatively in order to produce styled Motion Graphics plugins in seconds.
11FREE Ugly Box plugin
You can use this free plugin to make special effects like zombies if you are interested in presenting some engaging yet weird video.
This Ugly Box plugin is designed for After Effects with the award winning technology, and it has come out four years to make wrinkles in video, so you don't need to worry about its quality. The loading speed is also fast as it supports GPU rendering.
12Animation Composer
This free Adobe Effects plugin is mainly about animation. You will love it if you a animated video lover. In this plugin, you will find motion, sound and precomps to use both in Windows and Mac.
The working experience is smooth because you can change each element quickly. For sound, you can customize the whole audio resources by chaning its pitch. You can also preview the free sound and use it in your video project.
13Duik
Recently, Duik has been updated this Adobe Effect greatly. It is rewritten at this time and is totally free to use. It includes user guide, tutorial and forum to let you know how to use it in After Effects.
It is easy to use and won't occupy many space while you are using. It includes manage interpolations tool, so you can alter keyframe quickly.
14AEFlame
Vst For Mac
AEFlame is a resource website that offers various free after effects plugins. You can get free 197 plugins after you search free at the top. You can always find one plugin you like ranging from keyframing, rendering, characters to glitch.
You can preview each plugin before you decide download a plugin. Now try to browse this site to find the one you like.
15Flicker Freak plugin
If you want to make horror-like video, you can use this free plugin to make killing scene by dragging and dropping. You can decide how many flames at one time by changing flame number like 2. You will find there will be two flames in your video. So fast.Conclusion
There are so many options for plug-ins for After Effects that you really can find a tool to do pretty much anything, perhaps the main thing we took from our research into this top 15 list is that in many cases, these free products are as competent and professionally produced as any paid for plug in out there.
Check them out before spending your cash. If you want to make professional video, and think After Effects is too difficult to learn, choose FilmoraPro to start making effects. It includes more than 50 settings for making various effects. Download it to have a try!
Easy-to-use and powerful video editor for all creators.
Bring up your video to a professional level with straightforward tools.
Video Plugins For Mac
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