1. Vst Plugin Reviews
  2. Vst Plugin Reviews Free
  3. Vst Plugin Reviews Consumer Reports
  4. Vst Plugin Reviews 2019
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Vst Plugin Reviews

SYNTHS

A selection of VST synths, complete with 500+ professionally-designed presets for any genre.

Free VST downloads: Dimension Plus (Room reverb by EpicMStudios) - MVerb (Studio reverb by Martin Eastwood) - 8xreverb (Classic reverb by 8digiARTS) - SoundScaper II (Reverb / comb fx by Homegrown. Saw an ad for this plugin on IG (not sponsored). I go through a few of the included sounds in this video. If you find this video helpful please subscr. Freeware Vst Plugin Review - M-ST - Mono to Stereo, Stereo to Mono Emulation (Link on description).

SAMPLED INSTRUMENTS

Nine pro-grade sample-based VST instruments – vintage synths, acoustic instruments, drums, and more.

EFFECTS

A tube compressor and 13 versatile effects, great for guitars, drums, vocals, synths, or anything you like.

KOMPLETE KONTROL

Find, play, and tweak all your sounds, instruments and effects from one powerful plug-in.

SAMPLES

Almost 1,500 loops and samples from our popular Expansions range, suitable for use in any DAW.

KONTAKT PLAYER

A sample player that runs all NI KONTAKT instruments, and hundreds of instruments from other companies.

REAKTOR PLAYER

A powerful platform that runs all REAKTOR-based synths and effects from NI and other creators.

HOW TO USE VST PLUGINS

VST plugins are virtual instruments and effects that you can use in productions. They can recreate classic synth designs, or represent completely new ways of making sound. VST plugins are easy to use; download them, install, and your DAW will pick them up and let you use them in the workstation. From classic instruments to experimental indie gems, there’s a huge world of both paid and free VST plugins to choose from. Native has spent decades creating and developing some of the world’s leading VST plugins with REAKTOR, KONTAKT, KOMPLETE KONTROL, and loads more.

HOW TO USE VST PLUGINS FOR SYNTH SOUNDS

VST plugins can be used in a wide variety of ways to create synth sounds for songwriting and production. Almost any instrument can be turned into a VST plugin, and more often than not, when you need a certain kind of sound there’s a VST plugin for it. There are several varieties of VST plugins for synth sounds that are worth noting. Polyphonic VST plugins create more than one note at a time, so are great for building complex melodies, chords, and harmonies, while monophonic VST plugins play one note at a time and are commonly used for basslines. Some VST plugins strictly model themselves on reproducing sounds you would expect from analogue instruments, but others go way beyond that. Wavetable VST plugins like MASSIVE and MASSIVE X tend to focus on helping producers create something unusual and completely different to traditional instruments, and can be more useful for experimental productions than other VST plugins.

HOW TO USE MULTIPLE VST PLUGINS

Trying things out and exploring new territory is hugely important when trying to craft something unique, and using multiple VST plugins will give you a wide range of instruments and sounds to work with. Chaining multiple VST plugins together sis a typical way to start crafting a sound you can call your own. Feeding one VST plugin instrument into a VST plugin effect will alter them even further. This is also common with digital production as lots of recording tools come in VST plugin form – there’s no issue with running multiple VSTs at once – simply load them in and start playing. Native offers over 2,000 free sounds and more than 6 GB of free VST plugin content with KOMPLETE START, so if you’re looking for some inspiration it’s a great way to get started.

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INSTALLATION GUIDE FOR NEW CUSTOMERS

1: Create a Native Instruments account using Native Access
2: Your KOMPLETE START products might take a moment to appear – press the refresh button if necessary. Install all included products by clicking ‘Install All’ in the ‘Not Installed’ tab in Native Access.
3: Launch KOMPLETE KONTROL. Important: Run it in standalone mode before using it in your DAW. This allows it to scan and organize all your sounds.
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The vocoder is one of the most sought after effects used in the recording studio when searching for new sounds and timbres. Over the last forty years, artists like Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Imogen Heap, and Phil Collins have all used the vocoder on recordings.

The vocoder used to be a hardware-only (analog) instrument, integrated into a synthesizer. Like most analog gear these days, we now have “digital hardware” that we can use right in our computer’s music software — VST Plugins (Virtual Studio Technology).

I’ve used several vocoder VST plugins over the years. Today I will share with you my favorites and a little about each one.

Table of Contents

1) Izotope VocalSynth 2

VocalSynth 2 is an incredible VST from Izotope. It’s the most plug-and-play vocoder plugin I’ve ever used.

If you’ve ever used a vocoder plugin before, you’ll know that the routing to make it function can be rather tedious. You have to send MIDI information to the vocoder on a separate track and make sure the vocoder understands it before you’ll hear any sound.

Izotope VocalSynth 2 works a little different, as you can manipulate existing audio with or without MIDI input. The plugin is excellent for auditioning effects quickly when working with an artist — they can get impatient.

The presets sounds remarkable, and the interface is clean and slick. Izotope’s VocalSynth 2 is by far my favorite vocoder VST to date because how ease of use and how perfect it works when getting creative with a mix.

Izotope VocalSynth 2 is available from Plugin Boutique.

2) XILS V+ Vocoder VST

The V+ has been around for several years but remains to be one of my favorite picks. While not a vocoder VST exclusively, the XILS V+ fuses a ten band vocoder with strings or human voice synthesis.

The synthesizer is a somewhat accurate emulation of the original model (Roland VP-330 Vocoder) but does require a more advanced user to understand the knowledge of routing on a hardware-based instrument.

/guitar-vst-plugins-productionworks.html. I’m not the biggest fan — while I do like learning a lot of technical aspects when it comes to recording, it comes at the expense of creativity. There is enough to learn regarding production. Adding complex synthesis to the list is something I’d instead not do.

For those who like tinkering and learning about synthesizers and hardware emulation, check out the V+ synth and vocoder VST.

XILS V+ is available from Plugin Boutique.

3) Morphoder Vocoder VST by Waves

I’m a huge fan of plugins from Waves. There’s not a single session I’ve worked on in the past five years that hasn’t utilized something from Waves (most notably, the SSL Channel).

Waves follows Apple’s logic when it comes to plugins — there’s one for everything, including a vocoder.

The Morphoder was the first vocoder VST I tried. I had a tough time figuring it out. For a new producer, it will take practice to wrap your head around how the routing works, once again.

Aside from that, the vocoder sounds excellent, though you are limited to only ten factory-provided synth sounds.

4) Vocalizer Pro by SONiVOX

/vst-music-visualiser-plugin.html. Looking for an affordable vocoder VST? Look no further.

Vst Plugin Reviews Free

Vocalizer Pro by SONiVOX is on sale (at the time of publishing) for USD 14.99 from Plugin Boutique.

Vocalizer Pro is comparable to VocalSynth 2, as it operates similarly. The plugin re-synthesizes audio from any given source — you’re not limited to only vocals.

Some of the most unique and exciting sounds I’ve heard from the VST are not vocals. Plugging a drum loop through Vocalizer yields fresh sounding results.

The VST is also light enough to be used in real-time in a live situation.

Vocalizer Pro is available from Plugin Boutique.

Free Vocoder VST Plugins

For all the young and budding producers out there who need to save a little case, I’ve got you covered. There are a bunch of free vocoder plugins available online.

Though I haven’t tested any of these VSTs personally, they’re still worth a mention.

  • Voyager by Arguru
  • Vocovee by g200kg
  • Syncoder 32
  • Talkbox by mda

Stay Away From Cracked VSTs

This section of the article is a disclaimer more than anything. No surprise to most, I am entirely against the use of cracked plugins. They’re dangerous and immoral.

Don’t even search for illegal or cracked plugins. Not only are you ripping off the plugin developers, but malicious code is also often included with these cracked plugins. Malware and ransomware are still a real threat.

As a rule of thumb, always be careful when looking for free downloads online. Make sure the download comes from a trusted and reputable source. Ensure the website uses SSL encryption (see the little lock at the top address bar?).

Things to Consider When Looking for a Vocoder VST

Some DAWs include a stock vocoder — While this isn’t the case with my DAW of choice Cubase, some digital audio workstations may come with a vocoder. Check your DAW’s manual to see before buying an additional VST plugin.

Be aware of the complexity — Lots of vocoder plugins are often just synthesizers that contain a vocoder. Your skill level with synthesis determines how easy these types of plugins will be for you.

Vst Plugin Reviews Consumer Reports

Wrapping Up

As stated before, my favorite vocoder VST is Vocal Synth2 by Izotope. It’s super simple to use and produces excellent results with ease.

Vst Plugin Reviews 2019

Do you use a vocoder plugin? Which one is your favorite? I’d love to hear from you down below in the comments. Thanks for reading, once again!