Freeware Vs. Commercial VSTs...

General Discussion
1

I was wondering how many people use commercial VSTs and how many people prefer freeware. Also of note would be your favorite/most used VSTs in these catagories:

1 Versitile Synth (limit to 2)
2 Effects (delay, filter, reverb and ‘other’)
3 Drum Machine/Sample Machine (list only 1)
4 Dynamics/Mastering (limit to 2)

Just lookin to get an idea of what people are doing out there and what I may have missed and maybe look into a commercial VST I may have ignored due to my preference towards freeware.

So here’s my list:
Versitile Synths:

  • Synth1 (especially the new one with built in effects section)
  • Oatmeal (custom oscillators? C’mon! No brainer!)

Effects

  • Delay: Karma FX “Deelay”
  • Filter: Karma FX “Filter”
  • Drum Machine: Ephonic “Drumatic3” (hands down best synthedit VST)
  • Dynamics: Buzzroom “GranComp3” and Buzzroom “BuzMaxi3 Brickwall Limiter”

All freeware and all tasty…

Can’t wait to see other people’s lists.

2

I have a mixture of freeware and commercial plugins.
Some good freeware plugins i have:
Crystal
Majken’s Chimera
Superwave p8
Voyager
Cygnus (And Cygnus-O)

A few commercial plugins i own:
EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Gold
Vsampler 3.5
String Studio
Adrenaline

Then some semi-free / demo-edition plugins like SampleTank, Big Tick plugins etc.

I’m more a VSTI man rather than an FX man.

I do have a lot more freeware than commercial but most freeware plugins more easily draw my attention and trigger me a lot better to try them out.

3

I use both. It’s the sound that matters. Synth1 for example is just great. But Vanguard is, too… Or Zeta3+ ;)

It’s just the summary of the arrangement, that counts :)

Both is missing in the poll :)

4

Use both myself aswell,

Generally I have more payware effects than synths however. To answer your top list:

Probably Polyiblit for basses / Triangle II (tho this varies)

Delay: Renoise native
Filter: will be Nitro (have only recently aquired it)
Reverb: Anwida free
Drum machine: Drumatic 3 aswell :)
Dynamics: Voxengo Elephant + Marquis

5

I deliberately left ‘both’ off the poll because it’s a matter of preference. :)

6

i truly admire Developers who write multi-platform freeware and accept donations. cuz i seriously dislike typing in serial numbers, hardware dongles, and that crap that pops up saying i have to reauthorize if i only use the software every once in a while. drives me crazy!

the exception is the renoise model. (even tho its not a vst)
i truly feel many benefits from registering renoise.

i guess i would be more inclined to be a variation of freeware & Neither, I just samples and Renoise’ built in features!

i do primarily use renoise’s dsp effects and samples.

i use reaktor5 but am not very happy with it, i find it rather sloppy so anymore i pretty much only use it for bass.
in general, i dont admire vsti’s to much. except for modelonia, i am relatively impressed with it, an will probably register it after some things are worked out.

knobs drive me kwazy!!!

7

I love free VST(i)…

I use the Spinwarp Bassbox in 90% of all my songs :lol:

As for effects, I use Cyanide 2, Classic Chorus, BuzMaxi3, TriDirt, NyquistEq5 a lot. SideKickv3!

8

Like choice said, I hate reg numbers and dongles.
The only commercial VST I have is the MS20.
but every time I reinstall I have to go to the Korg site and get another reg number for my new sys ID.
I wonder when they say I had enough.

9

What about the cheaper (but commercial) VSTs from one-man (or a few man) teams? Like Renoise, I have had better experience with those than the ones of big corporations like Waves or Native Instruments.

10

only Renoise DSP’s, if any these days :confused: damn lappies

11

I didn’t vote, becuase I use both free and $
Here’s my favorites though:
Synths
Triangle II, NI Massive (I’d put one from the Korg Legacy pack, but they chew too much CPU for me to use them without sampling them first)

Effects (delay, filter, reverb and ‘other’)
MDA Delay, Renoise’s internal filter2, Izotope Ozone’s Reverb, Dblue Glitch

… and because you didn’t add distortion in the effects section: NI Guitar Rig II

Drum Machine
Drumatic

Mastering
Renoise’s internal Gate dsp, Izotope Ozone

12

Another volte for OATMEAL and SYNTH1.

Simply the best of Freeware synths. I also like synths from amvst.com specially Analog Warfare, Table Synth, Wavedraw and Freehand. But Oatmeal is simply the best of substrictive synth ever.

13

For me, all free, cause I’m a cheapie.

Drums - GTG DPC 3 Best I’ve found that are free.
Piano - mdaPiano. If you know of a better free one, please tell me. And not TASCAM, that stunk.
Bass guitar - SampleTank Free
Lead guitar - (insert guitar sound here) and Juicy77 amp VST.
Lead synth - Synth1
Background pad synth - Synth1
Bells - Synth1
Bass - Synth1
A lot of other stuff - Synth1

Only thing I need that I can’t find a really good freeware version is a guitar. Slayer2 would be good, but I’m broke. And if I weren’t broke I would need to save the money for buying Renoise or paying a bill in the near future. :confused: DVS guitar is okay, but the sound cuts off at the end. All soundfonts have been less than satisfactory.

14

good freebie with juicy filters ( no synthedit )
http://kunz.corrupt.ch/
elek7ro

15

Using mostly commercial VSTs, but have a few freebies thrown in too, mainly effects. List is in my sig.

16

I do use a few freeware vsts but do prefer commercial ones. there are some really good freebies out there. but having recently converted to mac it is fair to say the pickings are alot slimmer.
A good free synth for me is the LINPLUG ALPHA 3

http://www.linplug.com/Instruments/Alpha_3/alpha_3.htm

An amazing effect i use ALL the time is the TAL-DUB. Its a really sick delay with some cool parameters.

http://kunz.corrupt.ch/?Products:VST_TAL-DUB-II

ps. this is my first post. bought renoise a while ago and think it is brilliant, ive also been lurking around the forum and thought i should post something.

Long live Renoise :drummer: