Free VST Plugins

Moderator note: This is a revised version of the thread. The previous starter of it withdrew the original list, but feel free to contribute any more free plugins you find.

Hope this isn't the wrong spot to point out that the Blue plug-ins.... old but useful.... also come in DX versions.... you don't have to use them as VST if you don't want to!

Take Care

VST plugins working in 1.5:

DC Vocoder
Orange Vocoder
Yamaha Final Master
FinalPlug

Hope this isn't the wrong spot to point out that the Blue plug-ins.... old but useful.... also come in DX versions.... you don't have to use them as VST if you don't want to!

Has anyone benchmarked to find out if VST versions are any more or less efficient than DX of the same effect?

Hope this isn't the wrong spot to point out that the Blue plug-ins.... old but useful.... also come in DX versions.... you don't have to use them as VST if you don't want to!

Has anyone benchmarked to find out if VST versions are any more or less efficient than DX of the same effect?

I asked iZotope that very question, and they noted from their test no difference in processing speed or efficiency in comparing VST or DX versions of the same plug in.

(I suspect that it would be easier / shorter to post the names of plugins that do NOT work in AA1.5?)

(I suspect that it would be easier / shorter to post the names of plugins that do NOT work in AA1.5?)

Yes, it might be. But for anybody contemplating the purchase of a plugin, a positive assertion that it does work is a considerable comfort!

http://www.smartelectronix.com/~magnus/ has a new paragraphic eq which is simply superb.  An absolutely essential download!!  Note how it automatically maintains level no matter how you alter the eq.  For details of operation, read the posts in the k-v-r site linked from the developer's site.  But never mind lack of scale markings - use your ears!!

I can confirm that the vst plugins from the UAD-1  ( http://www.uaudio.com )
appear to work flawlessly for the first time in audition. They never worked right before 1.5.  

Izotope Ozone 3 (VST & DX)

Although there has been plenty of mention of it, I didn't see it in this thread.

http://www.ismusic.ne.jp/slim_slow_slider/vst/#c3 has been drawn to attention on the Adobe site - a multiband compressor and a linear phase graphic/parametric eq - seem to work well - do check the little manuals that come with them as there is more to them than meets the eye.

Buzzroom Room Reverb is simple but effective, and seems to use little cpu and memory - www.x-buz.com finds it plus various other pretty cool effects.  That vst site is perhaps the One To Watch at the moment.

For a good list of VSTs and VSTi's see http://www.freesoundeditor.com/incageneng.html?VSTSyntheng.htm~main - navigate to the "Downloads" section.

http://www.kvraudio.com/new_year_survey_2005_results.php has KVR's this-and-that of the year, including the Luxonics multi-effects VST as the runaway "best freeware VST effect" - I had some difficulty getting it going in Audition 1.5 but after having to reboot altogether, it finally worked.  Well, it could be handy for some but I think not for me.  But one can't complain for free....

[Edit: - ooh err, I've just tried some random presets using Lazysnake with this effect within Synthedit, and actually the results are pretty cool in that context.  I'll take back the faint praise.]

[<CAUTION!>]

<Blue plug-ins.... old but useful.... also come in DX versions.... you don't have to use them as VST if you don't want to!

<CAUTION!> I had a very tough time with these in AA 1.5. Adobe did some checking for me but couldn't pinpoint why.

Bought BBE Sonic Maximizer for $99 US. It's like chocolate syrup... you want to use it on everything but a little too much is Wwwaaayyyyy too much.

http://vincent.burel.free.fr/download/StriptoolDemo5_DXVST.zip - this is the freeware version of VB Striptool plugin which provides a channel strip emulation, with some nifty metering tricks, plus gain,  eq and compression.

Things not stunningly obvious in the Striptool -

Double click on controls to set them to default.
Ctrl/click to enter value into text box
Shift click on control for precision control (wow!)
Right click on control for more stuff
Little red dot on selected control shows is linked to mousewheel
Pointer beside input meter sets threshold

Actually it's of most use in programs not having such facilities in the first place rather than in Audition, but still worth having in the toolbox.