Post 5 of your most used free plugins

[jlipoth]

1. Google Variety of Sound and download all plugins - I Use:
BootEQMKII: love using the modern tube to add low end harmonics to cheap SDC mics
DensityMKIII: It just sounds good whenever I use it as a group comp for instruments
Ferric TDS: Award winning tape sim...nice on the master output
TesslaSE: Adds some fat transformer mojo...can be dangerous

2. Stillwell Plugins (Trial version is unlimited, but you should support this guy):
1973: "One trick pony" - can be good, or overdone

Rocket: From a sonic point of view, best Free/cheap 1176 comp. Not as transparent as the Waves CLA stuff, but you can mix the uncompressed sound in right through the plugin, to make is more subtle!. The graphic layout is a bit obscure IMO.

Transient Monster: This thing is insanely useful.

3. George Yohng W1 Limiter - I A/B'd this with Waves L1.....It sounds so similar, I'm surprised there hasn't been a lawsuit

4. Pitch Corrector: GSNAP

5. Antress Modern Plugins Lost Angel: A couple years ago I demo'd this against The Waves CLA2A, T-Racks Opto, and Line6 LA2A. To my surprise, the best 2 were the Waves (1) and the Modern Lost Angel (2). The only downside is that Antress plugins is prone to crashing some DAWs.

Honorable Mentions:
BlueNoise - free drum plugin (can't remember the exact name, sounds similar to Superior Drummer 1.0)

Spitfish: If you don't have a De - Esser, this works....

No
Roughrider - Degrades the high end too much. I can see where that might tame overheads though...

Classic Comp - not enough transient control - it's to "mushy" right away...but good for certain Effects

Antress Modern Seventh Sign - Sounds better than Roughrider, but not great compared to Waves CLA and really really buggy.

It's kind of crazy to think you can get decent approximations of 1176, LA2A and Fairchild style compressors for free

[smoke]

There used to be this filter called NorthPole.
It was the business. I wonder if they've made it over?

The Crystal Synth is still very unique. I still don't get the modulation and delay routing but is very fun, and a few of the patches are classics. Well, one of the patches is a classic in my book. I'll keep it to myself.

[whiteaxxxe]

Originally Posted by chk23

But the latter aren't free, are they?

iZotope Vinyl is free. you have to register and you will get a serial for free. so its free, I think. and you dont have to buy another iZotope plugin.

the GSI copycat and spring reverb was ages ago on a magazin CD, think KEYBOARDS but dont know exactly. so this is free I guess.

edit:

the gsi copycat (watkat) indeed is freeware. as to be seen here: http://www.genuinesoundware.com/?a=showproduct&b=36

the spring reverb is not freeware. as to be seen here: http://www.genuinesoundware.com/?a=showproduct&b=28

but this is not the version I have. the gui of my version is different. so I assume, they did ages ago another (stripped?) version and gave it to a magazin for free.

[rboy]

Originally Posted by jlipoth

3. George Yohng W1 Limiter - I A/B'd this with Waves L1.....It sounds so similar, I'm surprised there hasn't been a lawsuit

I used to enjoy the W1 but between updating apps and systems it stopped working, actually a while ago. Do you know what the specifics are for it to be happy in OSX?

[beingmf]

I just need to add "ReaJS" – a VST plugin for loading JS effects. Reaper users know what I'm talking about, all the others who don't know: try them, you won't be disappointed!

[NBarnes21]

Blue Cat Frequency Analyzer
Softube Saturation
Sound Toys Little Radiator
Metric Halo Thump
Amplitube 3

(All avail for pro tools)

[syntax]

It was interesting to think about the AU freeware that I actually use and which is really actually good.

1. Massey Tapehead: Drum buss, bass guitar...
2. Soundtoys Little Radiator: I like it on snares for some reason.
3. Metric Halo Thump: Fast becoming a kick drums staple for me.
4. Brainworx Cleansweep: great utility plug for bandwidth limiting on tracks
5. Elysia Niveau Filter:

Honorable mention to all of the Airwindows stuff, Audio Damage, and GSI WatKat. The Sonimus SonEQ also is sneaking into my work flow here and there, though I tend to use the Sillwell Vibe EQ for that role (which BTW is not freeware, like all the Stillwell stuff, but is really cheap).

[gravyface]

Couple of tasty looking nuggets in here, FYI:
KVR: KVR Audio Developer Challenge 2012

[frankencat]

Pro Tools:
Bomb Factory BF-76 (RTAS)
Tel-Ray Delay (AAX)
Air Kill EQ (RTAS)
Air Chorus (RTAS)

Reaper:
MGA_JSLimiter (JS) (Love that thing on vocals!)

[col]

Came across this wonderful tape delay emulation called Tal Dub II, all of the presets sound really nice on synths. I can see some heavy use in the future with this one.

http://kunz.corrupt.ch/products/tal-dub

[Mo Facta]

Originally Posted by col

Came across this wonderful tape delay emulation called Tal Dub II, all of the presets sound really nice on synths. I can see some heavy use in the future with this one.

http://kunz.corrupt.ch/products/tal-dub

Yeah it's fantastic and I used it for years (it's quite old now) but I eventually changed to Variety of Sound's NastyDLAmkII. It's that sound but better and with more parameters.

Cheers

[col]

Originally Posted by Mo Facta

Yeah it's fantastic and I used it for years (it's quite old now) but I eventually changed to Variety of Sound's NastyDLAmkII. It's that sound but better and with more parameters.

Cheers

NastyDLA doesn't seem to have a filter sweep section though?

[Xander]

Originally Posted by col

Came across this wonderful tape delay emulation called Tal Dub II, all of the presets sound really nice on synths. I can see some heavy use in the future with this one.

http://kunz.corrupt.ch/products/tal-dub

I use this on almost every mix I do. Super flexible sound given its simple controls.

The only ones I can think of at the moment would be...

SonEQ
Tal Dub II
Free Queue

[diogo_c]

TDR Feedback Compressor

[chako]

Tal dub is amazing, Ive also been using it for years.
The phaser and the flanger are also good for duby sounds.
Check bionic delay and analogic delay from interruptors vsts. They are great and free, also very duby but works for different stuff if you get creative.

[KrisHayes]

I'm PT Native only, so this would be RTAS...

The only free plugin I really use that I can think of is Flux Bittersweet, which softens or hardens transients. It really is very cool, as I haven't been able to find anything else that quite does what it does!

[Ninja_Edit]

Transient
ReaFir (for its de-noising)

Some of these sound interesting. Where are good places to get them?

The internet.

[Boschen]

Thanks to all for posting!

I've combed this thread and found what I hope are a few new gems.

On a side note, what is considered a reasonable donation to those developers who release on honor systems or as unlimited demos?
Prices for plugs seem to be all over the map. I'd rather contribute than not if I find something I like, but I don't want to send a pittance and insult these folks. 20-50$?

Most of what I use has been posted already, but to confirm, I have found these plugs to be vital or highly useful to my workflow:

SPAN
Inspector
FreeG
CamelCrusher
SonEQ

[Bunjji]

The Calf Plugin suite is great! Calf Studio Gear - Audio Plugins

[KrisM]

I only have two:

1)Rough Rider - 32/64 bit, VST/AU, Win/Mac
2)Digits - A PD synth. 32/64 bit, VST/AU, Win/Mac

Originally Posted by Bunjji

The Calf Plugin suite is great! Calf Studio Gear - Audio Plugins

Looks like Linux is movin' on up. That's the second plugin suite I've seen, and looks promising, too.

[TBush]

Originally Posted by Kas

I guess no one loves the MDA stuff?

Originally Posted by ickefes

I really like their limiter.

I'll bet I use their "Combo" and their "SubSynth" on 80% of my mixes. The combo is great as a buss return to fatten up metal guitars...

Plus another kudos for the Ferric TDS, Spitfish, and Voxengo Stereo Touch.

That's 5...

[pwm]

Amplitube 3 Free
Sonic Projects OP-X Free
TAL Elec7ro
TAL Bassline
TAL Reverb

[Jawnson]

Ferric TDS
Density
Thriller EQ
Acbargig Guitar amps
Lepoulin Speaker Cabinet

These are some of my go-to plugins.

[Jawnson]

Ferric TDS
Density
Thriller EQ
Acbargig Guitar amps
Lepoulin Speaker Cabinet

These are some of my go-to plugins.

[poopynuggeteer]

There's some great free plugs in here!

The only one I can think of that wasn't mentioned is
LePou Plugins

Seriously the best amp sims I've ever used. They even come with a free impulse loader so as long as you have some nice cab impulses you'll be set!
I have amplitube and guitar rig 5 and almost never use them once I got these. SO good!

[Blast9]

Yes agreed! Great amp sims. I like the cab sim too.

Windows-only unfortunately.

I discovered LePou together with the Acmebargig stuff in the Canadian Metal Suite.

Both really good.

[AudioWonderland]

Originally Posted by alexevans917

It would be cool if people would specify which type of plugins these are (VST, AU, etc.) as I (and many others I'm sure) am looking through here for suggestions of what to add to my free plugin arsenal, and as a Logic user, I'm only able to use AU.

This is what you want to read for Free plugs...

Going all freeware (well... almost) - Cockos Confederated Forums

[BlueFire Records]

1-Sonalksis FreeG
2-Audio Damage Rough Rider
3-Voxengo SPAN
4-Massey Tapehead
5-Camel Audio Camel Crusher
6-Flux Bittersweet
7-Brainworx bx_Cleansweep
8-SuppaTriga
9-QuikQuak UpStereo
10-Ignite Amps Plugins

There, more than five but all of them get a fair share of use here and there. I feel I'm forget something, and I probably am, but this are the ones that come to mind.

[poopynuggeteer]

Originally Posted by Blast9

Yes agreed! Great amp sims. I like the cab sim too.

Windows-only unfortunately.

I discovered LePou together with the Acmebargig stuff in the Canadian Metal Suite.

Both really good.

Its available on Mac as well. I run a Mac and it all works great for me.

[nathansweeney]

1. Spitfish (used in most vocal mixes)
2. Stillwell Rocket (great compressor, gui is a bit strange though)
3. SonEQ
4. 1073
5. EpicVerb