What Is a VST Plugin?

In the case of VST plugins, they are designed to work within the sort of digital audio workstation (DAW) applications that you can use to make music in home and professional studio settings. While VST plugins are designed for use with DAW applications, different types of VST plugins have different purposes. VST instrument plugins allow you to insert a variety of virtual instruments into an audio recording without having access to physical versions of those instruments, and VST effects plugins allow you to alter sounds in new and exciting ways. Used together, different types of VST plugins can help you create a more compelling final product.

What Are VST Plugins For?

The original method of recording and mixing required physical instruments and physical hardware to accomplish effects like compression and reverb. The equipment required for this type of work is prohibitively expensive and takes up a lot of space. Virtual Studio Technology was developed to replace, or compliment, physical equipment. Instead of investing in instruments, synthesizers, effects hardware, and other expensive gear, you can use VST plugins that perform the same functions. In fact, you can create an entire song from scratch, using VST plugins and the DAW of your choice, without ever touching a physical instrument.

Types of VST Plugins

VST plugins are typically divided into three main categories:

VST instruments: These plugins generate audio that sounds like it was created by a synthesizer or a traditional instrument like a piano or guitar. Many VSTi plugins are designed to sound, and look, like popular hardware synthesizers, many of which are prohibitively expensive or no longer available. VST effects: These plugins take audio and modify it in a variety of ways. They can’t create new audio, but they can add reverb and other effects. This category also includes plugins that provide different types of visual feedback. VST MIDI effects: These plugins work with Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data, either on their own or in concert with other VST plugins. If you’re a musician and interested in connecting an instrument like a keyboard to your DAW via a MIDI connection, these are useful.

VST Instrument Plugins

VST instrument plugins, also known as VSTi plugins, emulate various instruments within digital audio workstations. You can emulate almost any instrument with a VSTi for less than the cost of buying the actual instrument. The benefit of VSTi plugins is that they allow you to make music from scratch that sounds like it was played on an instrument, like a piano or saxophone, or created with a synthesizer. One attractive thing about VSTi plugins is that they can emulate synths like the Moog Voyager, Yamaha CS-80, Hammond B3, and others. These synths are famous for their iconic sounds, and they’re so expensive that buying one isn’t something that most people can afford. You can find great VSTi plugins for free, and premium VSTi plugins tend to be more affordable than the physical hardware they’re designed to emulate. The other benefit of using VSTi plugins over physical instruments and synths is space. If you don’t have a large studio space to record music, a computer equipped with the right VSTi plugins can collapse your operation so that it’s small enough to fit in your home office.

VST Effects Plugins

Where VSTi plugins create audio from scratch, VST effects plugins take that audio and alter it in a variety of ways. These plugins are often modeled after real, physical effects hardware in the same way that many VSTi plugins are designed to sound like real instruments and synthesizers. Most DAWs come with some built-in capabilities to add effects and fine tune your mix, but VST effects plugins take it to the next level. They perform the same functions that are handled by the kind of expensive, bulky hardware audio processors that you would normally find in a studio rack. Any kind of effect that you can apply to an audio track can be accomplished with a VST effects plugin. Whether you want to add a simple reverb or pan, or mimic the sounds of the 80s in a synthwave track, you can do it with effects plugins.

VST MIDI Plugins

VST MIDI plugins are like effects plugins in that they don’t create audio, but they’re designed to work with MIDI data. These plugins can process MIDI data on their own, or modify it and then pass it to other plugins. VST MIDI plugins can perform relatively basic tasks like transposing or arpeggiation, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. While MIDI is a powerful tool, chart-based MIDI compositions can sound artificial to the practiced ear. With the aid of the right VST plugin, you can make MIDI inputs sound more natural, and alter them in all sorts of ways.

How to Use VST Plugins

Virtual Studio Technology is designed in such a way that some VSTs are capable of operating on their own, but VST plugins are meant for use within digital audio workstations. If you want to use a VST plugin, you first need to download and install a DAW like Ableton Live, FL Studio, or Sonar. It’s easy to get started with VST plugins. Typically, the process goes something like this:

Where to Find VST Plugins

If you’re ready to add some VST plugins to your digital audio workstation, check out our list of the top 15 free VST plugins. This list is far from exhaustive, but we have a bunch of VSTi and effects plugins to get you started.