Music Gear
8 Inspiring Free VST Plugins With Ambient Synths and Odd Noises
We all know that VST stands for: Virtual Studio Technology.
But when it comes to these plugins, it stands for Very Strange Things.
Creativity can be found in bizarre places. And these VSTs are no exception.
Put them in your best DAW. Who knows? Maybe they’re the secret ingredient you’ve been searching for…
Here’s the 8 freakiest VSTs around.
U-He Triple Cheese
It ain’t easy being cheesy. Or is it?
Either way U-he makes cheesy infinitely fun with this ridiculous comb-filter synth. Comb-filter sounds are created through a series of short delays.
The result is some seriously mind-bending sounds spanning from flighty flutes to ambient washes. Happy cheesing.
The result is some seriously mind-bending sounds spanning from flighty flutes to ambient washes.
Download it here for free.
Ohm Force Symptohm PE
This synth is absurd as in absurdly cool.
Any instrument that has a preset called ‘Dirty Maurice’ instantly caught our attention. And it didn’t disappoint when we started playing with it.
Highly recommended if you wanna start messing around with the sounds of Planetary Motion, Evil Bass, or Dirty Paula.
Download it here for free.
LiveCut by MDSP SMART ELECTRONIX
LiveCut by MDSP Smart Electronix can seriously freak a loop out. It’s a beat chopper, but it runs on some less-than-normal logic.
Throw a loop in to smash, chop, squish, mangle and roll it until it’s unrecognizable. Then do it again.
Download it here for free.
Tytel Helm
This VST isn’t that strange… yet.
Helm is a synth VST. But you can run it anywhere, change the source code and generally modify the crap out of it.
So the strangeness is in your hands. How freaky can you make it?
Throw a loop in to smash, chop, squish, mangle and roll it until it’s unrecognizable. Then do it again.
Download it here for free.
Alan Vista
We had to put Alan Vista Plugins on this list. But we couldn’t decide on just one. So we picked all of them.
From Orchestral Cymbals, to Chinese Gongs, to Woodblocks, Vista has all your tripped out percussion needs covered.
Download all of them here for free.
Darwin Arts Trilobite 1.4
What would happen if two synth patches had a baby together? Well now you can find out with Trilobite 1.4.
Trilobite lets you seriously mess with sound synthesis. You can even apply the basic laws of Darwin evolution to grow your synth patches over time.
It’s a bit tough to figure out at first. But the bizarre factor is off the charts once you get into it. Time to start fiddling.
Download it here for free.
What would happen if two synth patches had a baby together?
Wavosaur VST Speak
Searching for the best vocal VST? Well the Wavosaur VST Speak might not be the best, but it’s certainly the most interesting.
This spell-and-speak plugin reads back anything you type into it. All in a tweakable voice capable of some pretty strange sounds.
So put it in your DAW and say hello to VST Speak. Then make it say hello back.
Tweak the sound of a purple square, or pitch-down the sound of a green triangle—it’s up to you with this strange but fun plugin.
What will you make it say on your next track?
Download the Mac version here for free.
Download the Windows version here for free.
Harsh Digital Nose
Unlimited mastering & distribution, 1200 royalty-free samples, 30+ plugins and more! Get everything LANDR has to offer with LANDR Studio.
If a shape could make a sound, what would it sound like? If blue was a noise, would it be harsh or mellow?
Now you can find out with Harsh Digital Nose. Draw shapes, lines, or pictures right inside this plugin to see what they sound like.
Tweak the sound of a purple square, or pitch-down the sound of a green triangle—it’s up to you with this strange but fun plugin.
Download it here for free.
Thinking outside the box, inside the Box
Creating with VSTs inside the box is insanely fun. When things get weird they usually get inspiring too.
So try these weirdo free VST plugins for some happy noodling.
Rory Seydel is a musician, writer and father who takes pleasure in touring the world and making records. Creative Director at LANDR.
@Rory SeydelGear guides, tips, tutorials, inspiration and more—delivered weekly.
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