17 Best VST Instruments 2024

CR8 Creative Sampler by Waves

Waves’ CR8 Creative Sampler was designed to be powerful and easy to use. This plugin is perfect for beat making, looping, sound design, instrument creation, and the like.

All you need to get started with CR8 is to drag in a sample and alter It as you see fit – stretch, loop, sync, stack, layer, reverse, freeze, modulate, and even take advantage of analog synth modules.

The 800+ presets and 2,500+ free samples should be more than enough to get you started.

Altogether, you can layer up to eight samples with CR8. It also comes with five stretching options (voice, beats, melodic, harmonic, classic), key and BPM detection, drag and drop LFO / sequencer, and ADSR modulators. CR8 also integrates with the AI-powered sample finder, COSMOS.

Learn more: Waves

SubLab XL by Future Audio Workshop

Deep, rumbling lows is an essential in modern music production. And without a tool like Future Audio Workshop’s SubLab XL, it can be very difficult to achieve the impactful bass sounds you hear on modern hip-hop and electronic music productions.

SubLab XL features nine factory bass packs, covering an array of sounds – Future 808s, Pure Subs, Analog Machines, Supersaw, Crushed, This Hits Hard, Reese Bass, Sean Divine Signature, and Richie Souf. This gives you access to over 300 analog drum machines and modulars samples.

This synthesizer also comes with an engine tailor made for bass, mix and match FX (use up to four at a time) with six distortions, tape with hiss and wobble, bitcrusher, and compressor, as well as LFO modulation with 18 routing options, multiple waveforms (sine, triangle, saw, square, noise), rate control, and BPM sync.

Finally, SubLab XL includes macro controls for transforming your sounds on the fly.

Learn more: Plugin Boutique

Chromaphone 3 by Applied Acoustic Systems

Applied Acoustic Systems called their Chromaphone 3 an “acoustic object synthesizer.” This two-voice virtual synth allows you to mix and match eight physically modeled acoustic resonators, which makes its sounds more lifelike.

It comes with a two-voice multitimbral (stacked or split) design, four performance macros per layer, over 1,000 sounds, FX, arpeggiator, new macros, remastered Chromaphone 2 library, improved microtonal tunings with Scala scale files, expanded multi-effects module, and more.

If you’re looking for a synthesizer that lets you create unique textures, you will love Chromaphone 3.

Learn more: Plugin Boutique

Nepheton by D16 Group

Taking after the classic 808 drum machine, D16 Group’s Nepheton comes with 17 synthesized modules that make it sound just like the original.

The virtual drum machine includes 12 output configurations, MIDI control, and an internal sequencer.

It also comes with scaled knob ranges, dynamic output reassignment with Master Out and Trigger Output, disable / off for each module, multiple control variations, external mode, internal sequencer (with 96 simple patterns, 16 extended patterns), shuffle mode, tap mode, randomizer, two sync modes, preset manager, and more.

Learn more: Plugin Boutique

TAL-U-NO-LX Synth by TAL

Based on the infamous Roland JUNO-60, the TAL-U-NO-LX Synth is quite faithful to the original, while maintaining a very low cost.

In addition to everything that made the original hardware great, this soft synth includes an arpeggiator (with various sync modes and a hold function), portamento, and new filter LFO waveforms.

Altogether, the TAL-U-NO-LX Synth features up to 12-voice polyphony, over 300 factory presets, a preset manager, self-resonating zero feedback delay filter, MIDI learn and automation, alias free oscillators, arpeggiator, portamento and mono modes, LFO manual trigger button, sustain pedal support, and MPE support.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to listen to how this plugin sounds yet, I suggest clicking on the video below.

Learn more: Plugin Boutique

TAL-BassLine-101 by TAL

TAL’s TAL-BassLine-101 is another go-to favorite, thanks to their knack for creating excellent bang for buck VST plugins.

This monophonic bass synth offers a decidedly analog feel, with a simple and easy to use GUI.

When you get TAL-BassLine-101, you’re getting a six-voice poly mode, over 300 presets, self-resonating zero feedback delay filter, alias free oscillators, MIDI learn / automation, arpeggiator, step sequencer (with MIDI export and drag and drop), linear and portamento mode, de-clicker mode, and more.

If you need to add some fat basslines to your tracks, TAL-BassLine-101 is more than worth a look.

Learn more: Plugin Boutique

PunchBOX by D16 Group

One of the toughest aspects of getting a pop, electronic, R&B, hip-hop, or reggaeton track just right is getting the kick sounding huge. D16 Group’s PunchBOX was created to fill this void.

This VST aims to furnish you with high quality kick sounds by fusing the best of synthesized sounds with samples of real instruments.

PunchBOX comes with four sound generators (click, tops, tools, kick), audio-to-effect send per generator, optional MIDI velocity sensitivity and pitch tracking, effects rack (with EQ, bitcrusher, distortion, filter, and limiter), 1,100 samples, 800 presets, tag-based preset and sample browser, MIDI learn, randomizer, direct export, and more.

Learn more: Plugin Boutique

What Should I Look For In A VST Instrument Plugin?

As you’re surely stating to see, “VST instrument” is a broad term describing an array of different types of VST plugins for song writing, soundtrack work, composing, sound design, and more.

There are highly versatile virtual instruments that can do just about anything. Conversely, there are more specialized virtual instruments that are good for specific purposes.

So, we know that navigating this maze of endless options isn’t necessarily easy. What you need is clarity, because clarity will lead you to the right conclusions.

Fittingly, we’ll be looking at several key criteria that will help you gain clarity on this purchase. They are:

• Sound quality
• Project requirements
• Features
• Budget

Let’s dive into each.

Sound Quality

Sound quality is foundational, especially when we’re talking VST instruments. This doesn’t mean all sounds need to be organic and realistic to be useful (this is the opposite of what synthesizers are anyway), but it certainly helps if you like what you hear.

Have you thoroughly explored the options you’re considering? All plugins have videos you can watch and samples you can listen to. I would strongly recommend that you spend some time listening to each so you’re clear on what they can do and if they will work for your projects (more on this in a moment).

Nowadays, it’s getting much harder to find bad sounding plugins than it is good sounding ones. That said, personal preferences are always a factor. If you’re confident that you can sculpt your sounds into any shape you want, then maybe it’s not a concern.

But even then, it is much easier to start with a sound that’s close to what you want than it is to start with material that’s only vaguely resembling what you want.

The rest will mostly come down to…

Project Requirements

I know that “project requirements” is a broadly applicable heading. What we’re talking about here is how you intend to use the plugin and for what types of projects.

Depending on what you’re up to, you may have competent virtual instruments already. But if there are gaps in your VST arsenal, this would be a good opportunity to fill them.

Additionally, it’s always a good idea to think ahead. What projects are you going to be working on into the future? If you’re just working on a one-off right now, is it worth sinking a lot of money into?

But if you know you’re going to be using the VST instrument well into the future, it could prove more worthwhile, right? These are good purchases to prioritize.

Although I can’t necessarily tell you exactly what you need, I can help you get into the right ballpark of what you need. So, let’s talk about a few considerations.

First, are you planning to make electronic music? It doesn’t matter whether it’s pop, R&B, hip-hop, or trap, if the music is primarily made up of electronic music, it fits under this heading.

If this is what you plan to work on, then you need synthesizers, a sub bass synth, a kick builder or enhancer, sampler, and a drum machine. As noted earlier, you may have some of these components already, so pick and choose as applicable.

And yes, electronic music producers generally do use more than one synthesizer. This can obviously get a little costly, though, so if you don’t have the budget for it, start off with a versatile option like Hive 2 or Circle2 and augment from there.

Second, are you planning to compose or work on a soundtrack? You will probably be drawn to competent keyboard sounds, strings, and of course, sound design tools.

That means V Collection 9, Augmented STRINGS, Aparillo, and maybe even Novum if you’re feeling a little cheeky.

Third, are you working on rock, progressive rock, metal, or some form of experimental music? A synthesizer is certainly not a bad idea, and you may even want a drum machine. But a granular synth would be killer, and you might look at strings too.

Fundamentally, though, there’s no one right way to do this. It depends entirely on your preferences and what’s going to work best for your projects. So, if you aren’t sure yet, think on this.

If you think you might have a good handle on this now, let’s talk about…

Features

While you can do straight comparisons across synthesizers, samplers, or drum machines, you can’t compare, for instance, a sample library with a granular synthesizer. There’s simply no basis for comparison.

So, it may be worth pitting one synth against another, or one sample library against another, but otherwise, you’ll get off in the weeds, losing your footing on proper analysis.

If you’re thinking about buying a virtual synth, do you know what features you need? It’s much easier to identify what you need now and work towards your goal than it is to start moving in the direction of an unidentified target.

I can’t necessarily tell you what you need. Also see the section on Project Requirements. But you can do a bit of your own research.

Also, it’s worth knowing that you will generally pay more for plugins with more features. More features aren’t always better though. There are times when you’ll be well served with a specialty plugin. But there are certainly other times when versatility can make a difference.

Which brings us to…

Budget

Expect to spend anywhere from $55 to $600 per plugin depending on which one you’re planning to buy. This may not seem like a lot, but it will add up fast if you’re buying multiple VSTs.

We encourage you to purchase the plugins you require. Just don’t go into debt doing it. How are you going to enjoy making music when you’re worried about credit card bills you can’t pay? The answer is you won’t!

Top VST Instruments, Final Thoughts

VST instruments are available in abundance. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a drum machine, generator, Kontakt instrument, sampler, synthesizer, or otherwise. There are options far and wide matching a variety of needs.

We’ve looked at some of the best VST instruments here, but these aren’t the only ones out there, and if you’re looking for something more specialized, it’s worth continuing your search.

We hope you had fun. Let us know how you get on.