The Best Free VSTs and Samples by Instrument

Sometimes artists envision instruments for their songs that they don’t own or play. In the past, this meant hiring session musicians to play on the recording. But today, you can add nearly any sound to your DAW track with the help of virtual instruments (VSTs) and samples.

The following list links to some of my go-to VSTs and samples categorized by instrument type. I can vouch for them all because I’ve used them in my own music. What’s more, they’re all free. If your song is missing something, see if one of these virtual instruments or samples can’t fill the gap:

Keys

Piano: Spitfire LABS Soft Piano, DSK The Grand

Electric Piano: NoiseAsh Sweetcase, Spitfire LABS Electric Piano, Spitfire LABS Wurli

Synthesizer: TyrellN6, TAL-NoiseMaker, Synister

Pads: Spitfire LABS Synth Pads

Organ: Spitfire LABS Pipe Organ

Drums

Drum Kit: MT Power Drum Kit 2

Shakers and Tambourine: ELFNT SHAKE

Claps: 99Sounds Hands Make Sounds

Strings

Acoustic Guitar: Ample Guitar M Lite

Electric Guitar: DSK Electrik GuitarZ

Mandolin: Spitfire LABS Mandolin

Lap Steel: Spitfire LABS Lap Steel

String Orchestra: Spitfire LABS Strings

Bass

Bass Guitar: Ample Bass P Lite

Bass Synthesizer: TAL-BassLine

Texture

Vinyl: 99Sounds Vinyl Noise SFX

Sound Effects: 99Sounds Sound Effects

Weather: 99Sounds Rain And Thunder

If you have more free VSTs or samples to recommend, let me know in the comments. I’ll try to keep this list updated as I go.