Best Free Vst Samplers

  

For any modern producer, a sampler is essential. However, if you’re strapped for cash or just starting out, it can be difficult to find good-quality sampler plugins that actually work and add to your beats.

Independence FREE can function either as VST-plugin, standalone or RTAS. It supports Multi-Core CPU's, Surround Sound, 32bit 192kHz audio quality, 32 MIDI-ports, Time-Stretching & Pitch-Shifting. It has a professional mixer-section and you can import up to 25 audio files at the same time. A sampler VST is a digital instrument that allows you to edit samples. Also, it allows you to create instruments from samples. A lot of DAW’s come with their own samplers. However, not all of these samplers feature the best functions. So, we went ahead and put together a list of the best free samplers. The free Grizzly drum sampler VST plugin by Majken and Cyan is a powerful drum sampler with many of the same features as Battery or Guru. The Grizzly VST plugin features 8 drum pads with built in filters. TX16Wx Software Sampler is a plug-in for the creative musician, inspired and modeled after the best hardware samplers with all the ease and new exiting features of modern software. Free vst instruments to download: best free samplers vst plug-ins to download that will enrich your work space with lovely samplers. Sampler plugins can be invaluable additions to your studio arsenal. So here we run down some of the best sampler VST plugins currently available, as well as two classic options that still pack impressive punch despite having been around for a while.

Luckily, we’ve cut through the weeds and compiled 9 of the best free sampler VST plugins out on the market today.

Free Sampler VSTs

Without delay, here are our top picks. Sit back, relax, and explore these excellent samplers.

Grace Sampler by One Small Clue

The Grace Sampler is simple, sleek, and suited to synth users. The sampler has optional patches free for download on its website, most of which are for synths, but there’s also a couple for drum kits, keys, and bass.

This sampler comes in both 32 and 64-bit versions, so you won’t have to worry about compatibility from device to device. With most DAWS, you can drag and drop your samples right into the sampler, simplifying your workflow.

Grace Sampler comes with 2 step sequencers, 2 LFOS, and 4 different control pads. The sampler supports WAV, AIF, and SND formats directly which is impressive for a free plugin.

Grooove by BPB

If you’re looking to create some vibey drums, Grooove by BPB is a great pick. This drum sampler is perfect for techno and EDM musicians, looking to create catchy, unique loops.

The plugin has different slots in which 2 different drum samples can be layered and played simultaneously. The slots all have built-in LFOs for altering filter cutoff, sample delay, pitch, and standard attack, volume, pan, and start/end times. Luckily, the VST is supported in both 32 and 64-bit versions.

Grooove BPB is the free version of a full-on instrument, so if you like the notable sampling capabilities that come with the free VST, the purchased version by brunsandpork is a great step up.

TX16W Software Sampler

The TX16W software sampler has a wide array of features that usually only come with paid plugins. With this sampler, you can record samples directly and edit keyboard mappings making it a great pick for musicians looking to incorporate their DAWs into live performance.

As for modulation, the sampler has 2 LFOs and 3 step sequencers. Velocity and mapping can be handled by drawing a custom curve or using the integrated knobs. The plugin also acts as a bus so you can send in and out effects in real-time.

TX16W has 64-bit support and has a built-in arpeggiator, for a paid add-on, you can have time-stretch and pitch-bend modes. For free or otherwise, this plugin is no joke.

Sforzando by Plogue

Sforzando prides itself on its simplicity, with no graphic visualizer. There’s only one sample slot, with no effects or mixers.

The plugin simply consists of standard ADSR knobs, volume, pan, tone, and tune controls. Although this may feel limiting, for seasoned producers looking for a specific sound that doesn’t need a whole lot of extra fluff, Sforzando can be extremely helpful.

If anything else, the plugin works as a great ear-training tool and can train musicians to rely on their skillset rather than software. It comes with 64-bit support.

Zampler by Plugin Boutique

Zampler by Plugin Boutique is an excellent add-on for electronic musicians as you can download drum & bass, hip hop, even dubstep expansion packs.

The sampler has 3 LFOs and a large effects library including chorus, phaser, tube saturation, and many more. There are 2 sample banks and 3 ADSR envelopes for full modulation control.

Zampler has a step sequencer as well as sample oscillators for you to further tweak your sound. Unfortunately, Mac users only have 32-bit support. Windows has both 32 and 64-bit support, but any sample formats outside of sfz must be converted.

Paraphrasis by VirtualAnalogy

Paraphrasis helps you create those retro analog tones with any sample. Simply place your sample into the Paraphrasis sampler, and the modeling synthesizer will analyze the sound data to produce a more classic sound.
This VST is pretty simple, and the UI reflects that; there’s simply a pitch, resolution, analyze, and source toggle with no extra bells or whistles. There’s only one slot to the plugin, but on the upside, it doesn’t take up a large amount of CPU.

There’s also a handy reverse toggle, so you can reverse your sample before giving it that added analog touch. Some users had trouble using this plugin in 64-bit though it supports both versions, so make sure you’re downloading the proper .dll when acquiring this plugin.

XTT01 by Synthedit Labo Japan

The XTT01 has that classic rack-mount feel and is designed to give you a sound reminiscent of the past. This sampler is known for its signature glide function.

This VST is pretty bare bones. There are the standard ADSR knobs to toggle the filter and amp envelopes, and a built-in LFO with speed, PW, and depth knobs. You can also pitch shift by semitones within the sampler.

XTT01 has no visualizer, so it’s a great tool to use for musicians who are more auditory based learners. You can only load one sample at a time in this plugin. Unfortunately, this simple yet powerful sampler only supports 32-bit software, so it may not work for you if you have more modern equipment.

Bassje by Odosynths

Bassje by Odosynths is a great drum sequencer to give your beats the funky groove they’ve been missing. It’s loaded with 3 different toms as well, so if you’re just looking for a great tom loop generator, Bassje is a great addition to your library.

The plugin is separated into two main sections: An octave and filter sequencer. Nothing can describe the sounds you can get out of this puppy other than using is. Bassje has a volume, reso, and volume knob.

Its retro UI speaks to the nature of the plugin, as it’ll generate patterns very reminiscent of physical drum machines. For any musician trying to create retro-inspired music, Bassje is perfect.

Helios by TobyBear

Helios is an impressive audio sampler unit that is meant to be used during live performance. It has 8 different LFOs, including 2 that sync up to the sample’s tempo.

This plugin is able to tweak a sample is real-time with pitch-bending, looping, delays, and LFO filters. You can drag and drop wave files directly into the interface, making it ideal for DJs or musicians who have to improvise often. Unfortunately, it only supports a 32-bit connection so newer equipment may not work with this plugin.

What We Recommend

Any of these VSTs are excellent to try out but there are two that stand out in our minds:

Grooove BPB

Grooove BPB stands out in its flexibility and abundance of features for a free plugin. With 6 different drum slots and a variety of effects, it’s a versatile sampler that can act as an effect bus if nothing else.

Oftentimes rhythm is the core and soul of music production, so having a drum sampler to assist in that process is priceless (literally).

TX16Wx Software Sampler

This sampler is a full-on replacement for any stock sampler you may have, and then some. No other sampler can compare to this VST’s level of flexibility: With separate windows MIDI mapping, envelopes, modulation, arpeggiator, and samples themselves, it’s hard to believe that this plugin is free.

Another great thing about this plugin is the ability to record and drag samples directly into the interface. This may seem like a small factor, but for the right producer, it can significantly simplify your workflow.

Paid Plugins

If you’ve tried out a couple of these free options and you’re looking to take the next step, be sure to check out our guide on the best-paid sampler VSTs of 2019. Here are our two standout picks from that piece.

Phalanx by Vengeance Sound

Phalanx is an impressive sampler and sound effects generator that is very versatile in use. The plugin has a number of optional expansion packs catered to specific genres of music, so you’re sure to find one that works for you.

The plugin has a polyphony threshold at 256 notes, and 32 single samples can be played at once. In addition to its bevy of embedded effects, Phalanx holds its ground when used as a drum sampler.

Read more at Best Sampler VSTs

Polygon Sampler by Glitchmachines

This sampler is relatively affordable, making it a great paid VST to consider in your transition. Although it is mainly geared towards electronic music, the unique user interface and 120 embedded presets make this a fun tool for any producer.

If anything else, this sampler surprisingly works well as a synthesizer with an impressive 8 LFOs. It has a lot of granular synthesis capabilities, making it a great way to boost your low-end frequencies without altering the timing of your samples.

Read more at Best Sampler VSTs

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/32-bit-vst-effects-free.html. All in all, any of these options are great to test out considering there’s no upfront cost other than your time. Have creating exciting new beats using your free Sampler VSTs!

Top 10 Best Free Kontakt Sample Libraries 2019

Everybody loves getting free stuff, especially musicians and composers who know how much an average instrument or software library can cost. That is why we scouted some of the best free Kontakt sample libraries out there that will help you get started composing if you’re on a small or zero budget. This list is in no particular order because all of the selectees here are going to give you a lot of music for zero cash.

1. Precisionsound – Amore Grand Piano

Precisionsound are one of those developers that offer really great sample libraries at awesomely affordable prices. You can find great stuff here for under $30 and the quality is great! They also have some free Kontakt libraries out there and their samples are also very well recorded.

Amore Grand Piano is one of those libraries. They recorded a Yamaha grand piano with a close mic setup in stereo and kept it small, under 200 MB. The three-page GUI is intuitive and easy to understand with controls for decay, EQ, IR reverb, Delay and Keyboard response.

2. ProjectSAM – The Free Orchestra

ProjectSAM, the creators of Symphobia series. Need we say more? This is not an actual instrument but a collection of various different individual patches that you can download from their page, and boy do they sound great. If you need a really great entry point to orchestral FX and various instruments, here’s a great place to start.

3. Strezov Sampling – Thunder X3M Taiko Freebie & Duduk Freebie

Strezov Sampling are fairly new players in the street of sampling but their products are of impeccable quality and they live up to their popularity. Most of their libraries are fairly affordable but there are some amazing freebies like the Taiko Freebie taken from Thunder X3M and Duduk Freebie taken from Balkan Ethnic Orchestra.

Both of them sound amazing out of the box. Taiko is very usable and honestly, it’s my go-to taiko library for layering some powerful percussions. Duduk freebie gives you that amazing duduk sound which reminds me of the Gladiator soundtrack. Check them out, they will cost you nothing!

4. Impact Soundworks – Shreddage 3 Stratus

A freebie by Impact Soundworks? YES PLEASE! The goal of this free library is to give all Kontakt users a realistic virtual guitar instrument that includes some of the most useful sounds from the full version. You also have access to tons of editing features, TACT 2.0 (customise how all articulations are mapped and triggered) and the console mixer with 30 effect modules.

Just like the full version you get the updated fretting & voicing engine with multiple algorithms and styles to choose from. With this instrument you can create lead, rhythm and strummed parts all in a single Kontakt instance.

The guys from Impact Soundworks promise that this is the most realistic and flexible electric guitar library you can possibly get for free, so feel FREE to check it out, get it?

5. WavesFactory – Music Box

“Dancing bears… painted wings, things I almost remember and a song someone sings in December” This is what I get as soon as I start playing this free instrument by WavesFactory. A beautiful sampled music box that sends me back to fairytale world and soothing lullabies. The GUI looks just beautiful and even though it has limited options, the sound is nothing short of superb.

6. WavesFactory – Whispers

Here’s something for all horror fans out there. It is filled with creepy male and female whispering and it uses filtered white noise to produce the sound of various vocals. Combining these filters gives some amazing results with a huge variety of weird whispering sounds and noises. Not for the faint-hearted.

7. Cinematique Instruments – Landscape

Best Sampler Plugins

Cinematique Instruments have a reputation of being a developer with rather unique, and dare I say, boutique sample libraries with some of the most original sounds out there. Plus you can get a lot of their amazing instruments for free.

Landscape is one of those instruments and it is an amazing drone generator that easily creates deeply woven, dynamic ambiances and drones and surprises with an astonishing randomise feature. Equipped with seven layered sounds and eight effects, Landscape can be used either as a self-running drone generator or as a playable instrument. This is a one-stop station for all your drone needs.

8. Cinematique Instruments – Free Marble

Another gem by Cinematique Instruments comes as a free version of their much larger instrument called Marble and it is a sound designer’s dream.

Marble is a creative music tool, it is an extremely versatile instrument, modern and inspiring. By coming up with two parallel sound slots equipped with an “open” sequencer, real-time sound shaping and loads of acoustic and synthetic sound sources, Marble tries to find new approaches to music production.

9. The Alpine Project

These guys are entirely dedicated to free orchestral libraries and the “Alpine Project” libraries are split into 3 categories – brass, strings and woodwinds.

Now including samples from a greater variety of public domain sources, the brass collection has been painstakingly reworked to be more playable, more dynamically responsive and more versatile. It now includes 8 solo brass instruments including muted versions. Thousands of composers and musicians have used the original instruments and this updated collection massively improves the results one can achieve. In addition the Alpine Brass collection is now available as a single download.

There are also strings and woodwinds where the strings are divided into 4 parts, but you can’t play an “ensemble” patch with all of them together and another drawback is that the string samples are monophonic.

The woodwinds somewhat sound unnatural, but hey it’s free, and if you work your way around them you can get a decent sound. My personal favourite here are the brass samples.

10. Beats 24/7 – Trap Gods

Here’s where to get your hip-hop samples for free and they actually sound pretty cool! This preset bank for Kontakt includes 66 high quality and industry-ready sound presets containing drums and instruments ranging from 808s, kicks, snares and hats to leads, pads, keys & more. You will be able to make beats entirely using this preset bank and get a ton of customisation options with built-in effects, envelope, equalizer and even more. Furthermore, this library can be used in any genre including Hip Hop, Trap & Rap and comes with a unique user-interface.

Best Free Vst Samplers Downloads

Here are some bonus free Kontakt sample libraries that we’ve got available in our Freebies area.

: a unique and inspiring electronic sample library with a huge 6GB of content and over 300 Kontakt instruments to choose from. Jam packed full of Electronic Grooves, Arpeggiated Sequences, Manipulated Synths, Cinematic FX, Unique and Expressive Performance Patches, this beauty has a whole world of surprises waiting to be unleashed!

: a stunning free solo cello library for Kontakt created by Australian composer Blake Robinson.

Vst gate breath free. The library sounds gorgeous when soaked in reverb and is perfect for slow moving, expressive cello lines and fast, choppy spiccato lines.

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