- Analog Obsession – BUSTERse size 30 MB / 31 MB / 15 MB BUSTERse is a classic console compressor with extra filter and transient sidechain options to dominate whole signal.
- Today, there are tons of guitar VST plugins are available which confuse us in choosing the best once. So, I researched a lot and created this list for the top 17 guitar VST plugins for you. This list will give you the option to choose the best available VST plugins for the guitar. There are 2 types of guitar plugins. Virtual guitar instrument.
The best acoustic guitar vst. Reply theo Nov 11 2020 (5 / 5) Nov 11 2020 Super, thanks. Reply jim lad Nov 04 2020 (5 / 5) Nov 04 2020. Excellent acoustic guitar plugin. Very useful as is, though it does make me want the full version. Works good with keyboard and with a midi guitar (though string to string midi mapping would improve it. โปรแกรม VST, VSTi, Plugin จำลองเสียงกลอง ปลั๊กอินเสียงกลอง มากมาย ราคาถูกโหลดเร็ว ไม่ว่าจะ EZ Drummer, EZ Drummer2, EZX, Addictive Drum 2, SSD4, Kontakt Drum, Toontrack: Superior Drummer 2, Native Instruments.
If you've been producing music for a while, you probably know that a lot of the commercial guitar VSTs or libraries out there are pretty expensive and not always easy to use. Although I own a few commercial guitar libraries, I also wanted to see what free guitar VSTs and sample libraries are available these days. I have to admit I was surprised by the number of interesting instruments I found. So, I've put together this list to talk about the best ones.
For this article, I looked at both acoustic and electric guitars but left out guitar amps and other effect plugins (I will cover these in an upcoming article).
Free Acoustic Guitar Plugins
Ample Sound: Ample Guitar M II Lite
Format: AU, VST, AAX, RTAS / 32 bit + 62 bit
OS: Mac, Windows
Audio examples:
Ample Sound is a Beijing-based company that has been creating guitar and bass VSTs since 2011. The Ample Guitar M II series aims 'to bring the Martin D-41 Acoustic Guitar sound to your studio.' Luckily for us, the company also released a free lite version of the instrument, which comes with a reduced sample rate, fewer articulations and features and a lower sample count than the original (by now, version III has been released already).
This doesn't prevent Ample Guitar M II Lite from being the best sounding (non-Kontakt) acoustic guitar in this list, though. The samples sound full and lively and can be triggered directly through MIDI (or your DAW) as well as through a built-in sequencer, the 'strummer.'
The strummer makes it super easy to build patterns out of single notes, up and down strokes and mutes. Additionally, there are a bunch of effects and features available to change the tone. One of my favorite features is the doubling switch, which adds width to the instrument in an instant.
Another particular useful feature of Ample Guitar M II Lite is that it shows you which string corresponds to the note you're playing. This quickly helped me create more realistic arpeggios.
If you also use Guitar Pro Tab, you can even import your tabs into Ample Guitar M II Lite. Note that you are limited to the first four frets of each string when you're using the lite version.
There are so many fully functioning knobs and switches in this free plugin that I didn't manage to get to all of them in my 45 minutes of playing around with it. What more can you ask for in a free guitar?
You can get Ample Guitar M II Lite on the Ample Sound website.
This is a quick introduction to the instrument:
DSK Music: Dynamic Guitars
Format: AU, VST / 32 bit + 64 bit
OS: Mac, Windows
Audio examples:
This guitar VST has gotten a lot of attention lately, especially since the release of LifeStyleDidIt's video 'I FOUND THE BEST FREE GUITAR VST' (see below). DSK Music is a project by a Spaniard named Víctor who has been making hundreds of free virtual instruments since 2002.
DynamicGuitars contains three different instruments: an acoustic guitar, a nylonguitar and a steel guitar. It also offers control over the envelope of thesamples as well as the dynamic range and the voice mode (poly, mono, legato). All the included guitars feel smooth, warm andthick but could use a little EQ action for clarity.
In this video, you can see the plugin in use:
You can download DSK Dynamic Guitars here.
Pettinhouse Free Acoustic Guitars
Pettinhouse is a project by Andrea Pettinao. The company sells a wide variety of guitars and also offers a handful of free guitar sample libraries. Let's take a look at them!
FreeAcousticGuitar
Format: Kontakt 3 and higher (full version required!)
Audio examples:
Free AcousticGuitar is a simple but well-recorded and programmed acoustic guitar Kontakt library. The samples are loaded as a multi and are separated into attack+ sustain, releases and fret noise sounds and come in different velocities. The samples are well mixed and sound wonderfully natural. Secure ftp client.
FreeClassicGuitar
Format: Kontakt 5 and higher (full version required!)
Audio examples:
When you open the free version of Pettinhouse's Classic Guitar, you're getting a multi consisting of two instruments: classic guitar and noises. These work well together and offer a realistic and nice warm sound.
Yummy Beats: Modest Guitar
Format: Kontakt 5 and higher (full version required!)
Audio examples:
Yummy Beats is a platform for drums, loops and Kontakt instruments. You can also find a few free instruments on this site, including the free Modest Guitar. This Kontakt library delivers a present sound with round robin and three articulations: acoustic guitar, flageolets and fx guitar. Unfortunately, I found that the fx guitar produced noticeable crackle sounds (might have been my setup!). However, my favorite part is the flageolets with their well-rounded tone, anyway.
I found the steps to get Modest Guitar a little complicated. You have to open a Yummy Beats account, go to this page and enter the unlock code that you find here. If you're looking for a free, quality flageolet sound, this is a good instrument to try out, though.
Here's an example of a song that uses Modest Guitar (from the Yummy Beats YouTube channel):
Alternatives
Didn't find what you were looking for? Here are some more acoustic guitar libraries:
- DSK AkoustiK GuitarZ (VST / Windows / 32 bit)
- DSK Guitars Nylon (VST / Windows / 32 bit)
- DSK Guitars Acoustic (VST / Windows / 32 bit)
- DSK Guitars Steel (VST / Windows / 32 bit)
- Spicy Guitar (VST / Standalone / Windows, Mac / 32 bit + 64 bit)
- Big Cat Instruments General Midi Soundset (has a guitar section / Kontakt)
Free Electric Guitar Plugins
Now, let's talk about electric guitars.
Spitfire Labs: Peel Guitar
Format: VST2, VST3, AAX, AU; 32 bit + 64 bi t
OS: Windows, Mac
Audio examples:
Looking for a smooth moody guitar that fits into an ambient track or your next film score? Peel Guitar might be it! Originally, the guitar was sampled by Christian Henson in 2006 and, according to him, was used all over his scores. The instrument consists of three presets that differ slightly in guitar tone. Each guitar feels soft and comes with a long release, which adds to the atmosphere of the instrument. The minimalist interface offers control over the volume, velocity, reverb and 'tightness' of the sound. To get Peel Guitar, you will need to install Spitfire Labs first (also free).
Iridium Iris: Lethality
Format: VST, 32 bit + 64 bit
OS: Windows
Audio examples:
The following examples were created with Lethality and Guitar Rig 5:
Lethality was released in 2014 by Iridium Iris. The developer's website has been down for a while, so it's not clear if they're still working on new instruments. However, Lethality is one of their products that you can still come across today.
I wasactually quite surprised to see how many functions are built into Lethality.Besides 'regular' single notes, the plugin also has open string and mutedstring articulations. Additionally, you can switch on hammer-ons, pull-offs andportamento articulations, which can be triggered by playing legato notes.
To find theright articulation on your MIDI keyboard, you can take a look in the manualthat comes with the instrument. When you're as used to Kontakt as I am, it's alittle inconvenient that the keyboard layout (including articulation zones andkeyswitches) is not displayed visually in the plugin. This means that you'llhave to remember the keyswitches and articulations you'll need when playing.
If you'renot sure how to program your guitar, you can use the built-in riff patterns.They can be activated directly from the plugin or exported as MIDI clips intoyour DAW of choice. Truthfully, though, it makes more sense to program your ownMIDI clips, if only to create a more dynamic guitar part.
Although Lethality offers a distortion function, to get a good sound you will most likely want to use an external amp simulation or other effects on this instrument.
As the official developer website is down, you can get Lethality here.
Impact Soundworks Shreddage Stratus Free
Format: Kontakt 5.7 or higher (full version required!)
Audio examples:
The Shreddage series by Impact Soundworks has been the go-to place for affordable guitar sample libraries for years. Recently, the company made a very generous gift to composers when it released a free version of its Shreddage 3 Stratus guitar. Compared to the commercial version, the free version only offers neck pickup (instead of neck, middle and bridge), 12 frets (instead of 24), a reduced range and fewer articulations. However, this shouldn't stop you from creating great, realistic electric guitar parts with this library. Up to 24 samples per note, including sustain, palm mute and choke articulations make this an amazingly usable library that will fit into many productions.
Amazingly,the free version of Shreddage 3 Stratus also comes with full mix consolefunctionality. In the mix console you can add effects, whether that's pedals,amps, cabinets or EQ. The included presets (called 'snapshots' by ImpactSoundworks) sound instantly great and are compatible with other Shreddageinstruments (as long as they use the same console). This is definitely the bestand most versatile free electric guitar on the market right now – so if youhave a full version of Kontakt, don't miss out on this one.
Check outthe following video for an overview on how to use Stratus Free:
Get Impact Soundworks Stratus Free here (you will need to get a free account to download the instrument).
Pettinhouse Free Electric Guitars
Just as Pettinhouseoffers a few great acoustic guitar libraries, it has also released a fewinteresting electric guitars:
FreeDirectGuitar
Format: Kontakt 5 and higher (full version required!)
Audio examples:
The following examples were created with DirectGuitar and Guitar Rig 5:
Using this direct guitar library by Pettinhouse gives you maximum flexibility for sculpting your own tone. It comes with a range of four octaves and also includes a few effects (open the 'strum' and 'layers' instruments to find out where they are located on the keyboard). Amp and effects are not part of the instrument, so you will need to add one yourself. I used Guitar Rig 5 for the audio examples.
FreeMute&Slap
Format: Kontakt 3 and higher (full version required!)
Audio examples:
Mute&Slap is a very specialized instrument: The articulations range from mute tones in the lower velocities to slap notes in the higher velocities and are great for adding some funky notes to your beats and songs. While Free Mute&Slap also contains a couple of effects and amp choices, it might be worthwhile trying out a few different amp simulations with this to have more control over the tone.
Here's avideo review for Mute&Slap:
FreeFunkyGuitar
Format: Kontakt 3 and higher (full version required!)
Audio examples:
Need more funk in your music? Check out Pettinhouse's Free FunkyGuitar. Besides regular plucked string sounds, this library also contains strum loops and muted strum loops. These are especially convenient (programming funk guitar rhythms manually is hell) and can be tempo-synced to the host or adjusted manually (in a range of 85 bpm – 130 bpm). The library comes with a built-in reverb, delay and phaser and a selection of amps. The guide tab will help you find your way around this instrument quickly.
FreeWarmJazz
Format: Kontakt 3 and higher (full version required!)
Audio examples:
When I was researching for this article and came across WarmJazz, a realization hit me: There are barely any jazz guitar sample libraries on the market. Apart from the occasional funk library, most current guitar libraries and VSTs are oriented towards rock, metal and blues. If you're looking for a jazzier sound, though, you should check out WarmJazz by Pettinhouse. In its free version, it comes with seven presets and a range of effects (chorus, reverb, delay, compressor). The quality of the sound is indeed warm and jazzy and hard to re-create with any other library.
KaroryferSamples Cute Emily Guitar
Format: SFZ, Kontakt 5 and higher (full version required!)
The next three examples use Guitar Rig 5: Macbook mechanical keyboard.
Cute Emily Guitar is originally a project by Karoryfer Samples and was first published in 2014. To quote the creator:
'There area lot of guitar samples out there intended for lots of styles of musicguitarists like, from Latin jazz to metalcore, but this library is for musicguitarists really hate, from hip-hop to EDM. It's designed to be easy to usefor producers who don't necessarily know a lot about guitars and don't need awhole lot of different articulations, control over left-hand position, note offgroups, etc. Instead of all that you get a fat, percussive sound that's greatfor crisp rhythms.'
Indeed, the instrument, which is a sampled Epiphone Emily the Strange, has a very pronounced, percussive attack. As the samples were recorded directly, it makes sense to run them through an amp simulator of some sort (I used Guitar Rig 5 for my tests).
You have the choice between two versions of this instrument: The original Karoryfer Samples version in SFZ soundfont format or a Kontakt version by Bigcat Instruments. The Kontakt version includes various effects, such as a phaser, chorus, reverb, delay, compressor, distortion and EQ. You can also add tremolo and adjust the velocity curve, as well as the attack and release.
Alternatives
Looking formore options? Check out the following instruments:
- Greggjazz Suburban Guitarist (VST / Windows / 32 bit)
- Krakli Strat-A-Various (VST / Windows / 32 bit)
- SuperRiff: SuperRiff Guitar (VST / Windows / 32 bit)
Over to you…
Do you have any other favorites that you didn't see included on this page? Let us know in the comments!
Last Updated on December 15, 2020.
We all want the best sound, but getting a great guitar, amp, pedals and so on is quite expensive, so why break the bank when you can get some Virtual Instruments that will do the job.
Of course, they will not sound EXACTLY like the real thing, but close enough!
There are many Guitar VST Plugins, most of them are not free and cost up to $200 (some of them are actually worth the money), but luckily there are some FREE options out there that are quite impressive as well.
The Best FREE Guitar VST Plugins are;
- Ample Guitar M Lite
- Amplitube 4 Custom Shop
- Guitar Rig 5 Player
- Amplifikation Lite
- Poulin Amp Pack
- Emissary by Ignite Amps
- TSE 50x v2
- Amplion
- Ignite Amps NRR-1
- Blue Cat
- Mercuriall Tube Amp Ultra 530
- Amped Roots Free
- The Nick Crow Plugins
- TSE 808 (Tube Screamer)
- Ace Vintage Tube
- FREEAMP 3.6
- Simulanalog Guitar Suite (only 32 bit, not supported in 64 bit)
I also want to add 3 plugins to the list which are not free, but which are really good, should you choose to invest some money into them.
- Guitar Rig 5 ($199)
- Amplitube ($149.99)
- BIAS FX ( Standard $99 and Pro $199)
Ample Guitar M Lite II
This little plugin surprised me quite a bit, mainly because it's an acoustic guitar emulator.
These don't usually sound all that great.
Most of the times they don't even come close to the sound of an actual acoustic guitar.
But this is not the case with Ample Guitar M Lite.
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.
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.
Check it out here:Ample Guitar M Lite.
By the way, you can also download a free bass emulator plugin which sounds terrific, make sure to try it out as well.
Amplitube 4 Custom Shop
One thing I don´t like is that you need to register to be able to download it. (Quite annoying, since it´s free, but hey…still great plugin!)
In this Free Version you get;
- 3 Amplifiers
- One Cabinet
- Tuner
- Delay
- Overdrive
- Compressor
- Equalizer
- Wah-Wah
- Chorus
- Flanger
- Tremolo
- Volume Pedal
- And a couple more things.
Amplitube can work as a Plugin or as a Standalone program, just like Guitar Rig 5.
It sounds great, a bit better than Guitar Rig in my opinion and when you download the FREE version, you get the full version for 10 days also, which, if you are considering buying the full version of one of these Softwares, is great!
Check it out here:Amplitube 4.
Important Update: Amplitube used to be my favorite amp sim, but after trying our BIAS FX 2 and especially BIAS Amp 2, I have to say that my preferences changed dramatically.
I absolutely love BIAS Amp 2; the clean tones are extremely realistic, which is something that no other amp sim can really do.
If you can spend about $50, then I'd highly recommend the BIAS amp sims, they are just too realistic.
Related: List of the 18 best Free Synth VST Plugins.
Guitar Rig 5 Player
It sounds just as good as the full version, the BIG difference is the amount of cabinets, amplifiers, effects, etc. that you get.
In the Free Version you get;
- Tuner
- One Amplifier
- One Cabinet
- 2 Delay pedals
- One tube screamer
- A limiter and a noise gate
- Compressor
- Noise reduction
- Volume Pedal
- 2 Equalizers
- 1 Pro filter
- Reverb and a couple more effects.
The great thing about this plugin is that it´s really easy to use, very intuitive, and sounds great. With only the tube screamer though, you won´t be able to achieve really heavy sounds.
It can also be used as a standalone program.
One issue that I had while getting this program was that they ask you to register, just like with Amplitube 4…
Then send you an email with a serial key, which you then have to authenticate using the Native Access program, which you need to download separately.
Other than that, it´s a great choice!
Check it out here: Guitar Rig 5 Player.
If you're struggling to get a good sounding signal to your DAW it might be due to the quality of your audio interface.
Here's an article I wrote about to very affordable yet great-sounding Audio Interfaces which will get you sounding better in no time.
Amplifikation Lite by Kuassa
Amplifikation Lite is one of the amps that comes with the Amplifikation One guitar simulation software by Kuassa, which incidentally you can also try out for free, but there will be sound played every 40 sec.
Amplifikation Lite features an Amp with three channels; Clean, Rhythm, and Lead, and let me tell you… they sound fantastic.
If you you're trying to get one of those 80's and 90's rock tones, then this amp sim has definitely got you covered.
The thing I like the most, other than the sound quality, is that it's extremely easy to use and tweak, thanks to the limited number of controls.
Additionally, it comes with a cabinet, so you don't have to put one in the chain yourself.
The rhythm channel is by far the one I like the most, but all three of them sound terrific.
So, make sure to give it a try!
Vst Guitar Plugins Free
Check it out here: Amplifikation Lite.
Note: Kuassa also created one of the best-sounding blues Amp Sims that I ever tried called 'Matchlock' that you should also check out! (This one is not free, however, but it only sells for about $22).
LePou Amp Pack
Now we are getting to the Hi Gain Amp section!
These plugins are fantastic for really heavy music, they sound great, and it´s extremely easy to make them work on any DAW.
You need to put a cabinet in the chain though, when you download the amplifier you don´t get the cabinets included…
But you can download LeCab right there on the same website, which is a VST for loading cabinet simulator impulses.
You can actually load 6 simultaneous cabinets and mix them to your liking (LeCab is 32 bit though, you won´t be able to run it on a 64 bit system).
A couple of the amps you get are;
- LeCto which is based on a Mesa Boogie's dual rectifier.
- Le456 based on Engl Powerball
- LeGion, which is not based on any amp. It's an Original of LePou.
Honestly these are the best plugins for heavy tones! Try them out!
You don't need to register, simply download and copy to VST folder.
Check it out here: LePoulin Amp Pack.
Important Note: I wrote a complete guide on how to make a Guitar Amp Simulator Sound good which should be useful to you since they don't tend to sound as one would expect right from the start!
Emissary by Ignite Amps
Another extremely good heavy sound amp is the Emissary 2.0.
It still has a clean channel which ranges from clean to slightly overdriven tones and a lead channel that is just insanely good for for any kind of metal tones.
The emissary plug-in bundle also includes the NadIR dual impulse response convolver, which is designed to be used as a cabinet simulator both for guitar and bass pre amplifiers.
Features
- Three Routing Modes: Mono, Dual Mono and Stereo
- Automatic high-quality resampling for IRs with different sampling rates
- High-quality analog shaped filters
- Selectable delay
- Continuous morphing control between loaded IRs
- Global input level and single IR level controls
- Fully automatable controls
Check it out here: Emissary by Ignite Amps.
If you are someone who records entire songs at home, then I'm sure that you're also going to be interested in this article I wrote about the best Free Bass Amp VST Plugins.
TSE x50 v2
This one I also really liked, you can get a huge variety of sounds out of this plugin, from crisp clean tones and cool crunchy sounds, all the way to heavy metal tones.
You can also get the Pro version, which I didn't try since the free one was more than enough for what I needed.
In this FREE version you get;
- Tuner
- Equalizer
- Reverb
- Delay
- Phaser
- Noise Reduction
- A huge amount of Cabinets
- 4 Distortion pedals
Try it out, it´s easy to use, really intuitive and simply works great. Tap forms 5 3 5 download free.
Check it out here:TSE x50v2.
- LeCto which is based on a Mesa Boogie's dual rectifier.
- Le456 based on Engl Powerball
- LeGion, which is not based on any amp. It's an Original of LePou.
Honestly these are the best plugins for heavy tones! Try them out!
You don't need to register, simply download and copy to VST folder.
Check it out here: LePoulin Amp Pack.
Important Note: I wrote a complete guide on how to make a Guitar Amp Simulator Sound good which should be useful to you since they don't tend to sound as one would expect right from the start!
Emissary by Ignite Amps
Another extremely good heavy sound amp is the Emissary 2.0.
It still has a clean channel which ranges from clean to slightly overdriven tones and a lead channel that is just insanely good for for any kind of metal tones.
The emissary plug-in bundle also includes the NadIR dual impulse response convolver, which is designed to be used as a cabinet simulator both for guitar and bass pre amplifiers.
Features
- Three Routing Modes: Mono, Dual Mono and Stereo
- Automatic high-quality resampling for IRs with different sampling rates
- High-quality analog shaped filters
- Selectable delay
- Continuous morphing control between loaded IRs
- Global input level and single IR level controls
- Fully automatable controls
Check it out here: Emissary by Ignite Amps.
If you are someone who records entire songs at home, then I'm sure that you're also going to be interested in this article I wrote about the best Free Bass Amp VST Plugins.
TSE x50 v2
This one I also really liked, you can get a huge variety of sounds out of this plugin, from crisp clean tones and cool crunchy sounds, all the way to heavy metal tones.
You can also get the Pro version, which I didn't try since the free one was more than enough for what I needed.
In this FREE version you get;
- Tuner
- Equalizer
- Reverb
- Delay
- Phaser
- Noise Reduction
- A huge amount of Cabinets
- 4 Distortion pedals
Try it out, it´s easy to use, really intuitive and simply works great. Tap forms 5 3 5 download free.
Check it out here:TSE x50v2.
Related: I wrote a post about the best free DAWs available right now which I think you are going to like.
AmpLion
Another good option is AmpLion, it works as a Plugin and also works as a standalone program.
It comes with;
- 5 channel guitar amp
- 2 cabinets
- Intelligent metronome
- Audio player
- Advanced Recorder
It actually sounds quite nice, you can get great tones out of it!
You can scroll through the presets which all sounds fantastic. Also you have the ability to change the Mic placement on the cabinet.
For being free, you get a lot of variety and control.
Check it out here: AmpLion.
Thinking about building your first home studio? Here's a list of the essential components that you'll need.
Ignite Amps NRR-1
The NRR-1 is a digital emulation of an actual three channel tube amp.
It was built for Cristiano Tionfera and it actually resembles the original amp quite a lot.
It's a fairly simple yet great sounding amp which you should absolutely check out!
Features
- Ignite Amps 3rd generation triode modeling engine.
- Three channels: clean, rhythm and lead, each with fully separated controls.
- Mono / Stereo processing support.
- Selectable oversampling rate (up to 8x).
- Global input / output level controls.
- Double precision (64-bit) floating point mathematical model.
- Fully automatable controls.
- Ignite Amps proprietary preset management system with bank file import/export functions.
Check it out here: Ignite Amps NRR-1.
To take full advantage of your Guitar VSTs, it might be very useful to get some great sounding Drum VSTs as well to achieve that amazing sound you're looking for.
Blue Cat
This guitar amp simulation plugin offers three different amp models;
- Classic clean
- Classic drive
- Modern drive
This is a great sounding plugin which covers a wide range of tones; from clean vintage sounds from the early days all the way to the high-gain heavy sounding metal tones.
They say that this is a plug n' play amp sim, meaning that once it's running you're ready to go…
I found that I needed to fiddle around with the controls a bit to get it to sound quite to my liking.
Still, it's fantastic, it's free…
What's not to like?
Check it out here:Blue Cat free amp sim.
Mercuriall Tube Amp Ultra 530
This would be the Plugin version of the ENGL E530 Preamp. It has a two channel design, Clean and Lead.
You can get all kinds of tones out of it, from crisp cleans, all through crunch to really heavy metal tones. I think it´s best suited for heavy tones though!
It has its limitations (specially the free version) but it is still very useful.
Free version limitations:
- Modeled Triodes – one Tung-Sol.
- Allowed Samplerates – only 44.1 kHz.
- Allowed Oversamplings – Fixed in the X2 state.
- Computing engines – Fixed in the Fast state.
- Allowed Cabinets – 4×12 Modern V30 cabinet.
- Restrictions of tweaking – The change of many parameters was restricted.
- Processing precision – 32-bit (lower precision).
Check it out here: Mercuriall Tube Amp Ultra 530.
Amped Roots Free by ML Sound Lab
Here is another guitar amp sim designed specifically for metal/heavy tones.
Amped Roots free is, basically, the free version of Sound Lab's software bundle and it comes with one amp: The '5034 Fluff'.
However, to get three more amps: the '5151 Fluff', the 'Freeman Fluff' and the 'Mega Fluff', you need to purchase Amped Roots Full License.
Additionally, it also features a cabinet simulator and two pedals; A Noise Gate and a Drive.
The whole point behind this free amp simulation plugin is to be as simple as possible and to sound perfect right out of the box, and I think they nailed it.
I can absolutely recommend it to anyone who is interested in getting realistic heavy guitar tones out of their guitar. https://dsp-quattro-5-2-123-download-jax.peatix.com.
Amped Roots and the Emissary are probably my top recommendations as far as heavy sounding amps go.
Check it out here: Amped Roots Free.
Nick Crow Plugins
Nick Crow has got some great amp simulators which are mostly really high gain.
I don´t think I would use these to get a clean or a bluesy tone. But if you're into metal, you will probably find them to be quite useful!
You also need to run them through a VST cabinet, otherwise they will sound horrific, like all amps that you don´t run through cabs!
These are only plugins, no standalone version sadly!
You can download these four from the main site;
- Tube Driver v1.3 (Tube amplifier emulator plugin).
- Nick Crow 8505 Lead v.1.2.
- Nick Crow 7170 Lead v.1.2.
- Wagner Sharp (Tube guitar preamp emulation plugin).
Check it out here:Nick Crow Plugins.
Want some Drum VST Plugins? Here's my List of the 14 best Free Drum VST Plugins which will take your songs to a whole new level!
TSE 808 Tube Screamer
Yes, this is not a whole program or plugin set, it´s just one Tube Screamer pedal and man is it great! It also comes with the TSE x50 v2, listed above.
It sounds great, you can use it for all kinds of music, to get a blues tone, to make those rock sounds have that little extra bite to them.
I absolutely recommend this one, just fantastic plugin!
Check it out here:TSE 808 Tube Screamer.
Ace Vintage Tube
Ace is a digital emulation of the 1950s, American, all tube, tweed, 5Wamp.
They added to the model two of the most common amplifier mods: Adjustment of the amount of feedback and addition of grid stopper resistors. They both can be turned off if you want to get the original amp sound.
After trying it out for quite a while I thought it sounded great.
You can get a really warm clean tone. It's not really that useful for heavy rock music but you could try running some distortion pedals through it as well and seeing what happens.
Check it out here: https://truecfile407.weebly.com/gravograph-m20-driver-download.html. Ace Vintage Tube.
Other essential plugins are the orchestral ones. Here's my list which includes 20 Free Orchestral VST Plugins which sound fantastic!
FREEAMP 3.6
This isn't your typical guitar plugin…
While it does come with the traditional effects, it does have a very distinct and unique sound to it.
I would absolutely recommend downloading it since it's so different from all the other plugins on this list.
Not only that, but it has a wide variety of tones that can be achieved which can be edited a lot as well.
I comes with a huge array of pedal effects such as overdrive, compressor, delay, etc. which all sound great and very unique!
Check it out here: FREEAMP 3.6.
SimulAnalog Guitar Suite
SimulAnalog Guitar Suite is a free software that contains a couple of amplifiers and some pedals.
Right of the bat I have to say that this plugin is 32bit only, won´t work on 64bit Systems.
The interface is a bit rough but the sound is great and you can achieve quite a variety of them.
This plugin contains;
- Fender Twin 1969 (Amplifier)
- Marshall JCM900 Dual Reverb (Amplifier)
- Boss ds-1 (Distortion)
- Boss SD-1 (Super Overdrive)
- Tube Screamer (Overdrive)
- Oberheim PS-1 (Phaser)
- Univox Univibe (Modulation)
Check it out here:SimulAnalog Guitar Suite.
That concludes the list of the Free Guitar Plugins. Just as an extra I'm going to list 3 Plugins / programs that are not free but that are really the best, should you decide to invest your money into something like this.
Important Note: I wrote a complete guide on how to make a Guitar Amp Simulator Sound good which should be useful to you since they don't tend to sound as one would expect right from the start!
Check it out!
Related: I also put together a list of the best Guitar VSTs, not just the free ones. If you're interested you can check that article out here.
Guitar Rig 5 Pro
Yes, this one costs $200 but if you are seriously considering using plugins to record, then this one will definitely be a great choice.
It comes with 17 amps, 27 cabinets and over 50 effect, you can edit everything, from shaping the tone to choosing the mic placement.
Free Vsti Plugin
Guitar Rig is one of the, or probably THEE most popular guitar amp simulation plugin around today for the simple fact that it's so versatile, plus it sounds great.
It can take you some time to get the tone you desire since right out of the box the sound quality won't be what you expect; some tweaking is definitely required.
Check it out Here: Guitar Rig 5 Pro
Amplitube 4
The great thing about downloading the free version, is that get get to try the full version for a couple of days, so you can see if it is worth it.
The difference is that you get way more Amps, Cabinets, Effects, and so on.
Is it worth the money? About $150? I think so, yes. If you plan on really using it.
Check it out Here:Amplitube 4
BIAS FX II and BIAS AMP II
BIAS FX also has a free version, and it's definitely worth giving a try since it will let you decide whether or not you like it or not.
However, in the free version, every ten seconds or so you get a message saying that you have the demo version and it stops processing your signal for a second, then goes back to reproducing it with all the effects that you assigned to it…which is really annoying!
BUT the full version is actually great. I've heard of people having issues with it, like crashing and not working, but for me it works just fine! Brave with tor.
You can buy two version, the standard ($100) and the Pro one ($199).
The standard version comes with 12 Amps and 30 effects, while the Pro version comes with 32 amps and 64 effects, plus 10 Studio Rack Processors.
Check it out Here:BIAS FX II and BIAS AMP II.
Learning to Play the Guitar
In order to really be able to record music with these amp sims, you're going to need to play as good as possible, and I say this because recording is very different to just playing; for some reason, as soon as you press the record button, you feel as if you can't play anymore!
I've been using this website called GuitarTricks for a while now, and they teach you everything there is to know about playing the guitar.
I know that most of you searching for amp sims already know exactly how to play, but if you're looking for affordable ways to improve, then this is definitely one of them.
I also wrote an entire post on the best websites to learn to play the guitar online, in case you're looking for a genre-specific course.
Conclusion:
If you really need a good sounding plugin for professional recordings, maybe buying a Pro one would be in your best interest, but the free ones sound quite nice and they are, well, FREE!
Just download them all and see which one fits your needs!
Macos word processor. I hope this was helpful! Have a great day!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Free Electric Guitar Vst
What is a guitar plug in?
Metal Guitar Vst Plugin
Guitar plugins are often classed as ‘VST‘ plugins. VST stands for ‘Virtual Studio Technology' and refers to audio plugins that use digital signal processing to simulate hardware and create extremely realistic guitar sounds.
What is a VST host?
VST plugins generally run within a digital audio workstation (DAW) which works as a host, however a few standalone plugin hosts exist which support VST.
What are VST effects?
VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology and there are three different types of VSTs;
VST instruments: These plug-ins generate audio and are either virtual synthesizers or samplers that emulate how the original hardware sounds.
VST effects: Effects process audio instead of generating it. These effects are; Reverb, Relay, etc.
VST MIDI effects: MIDI plug-ins process MIDI messages and send MIDI data to other VST instruments and hardware.
