In this video I look at 30 of the best free VST plugins for music production in 2020. These top free vst plugins are both free vst instruments and effects.
A musician doesn’t need tools like FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom. But COVID-19 has changed everything; now people are staying at home and following social distancing. In times like this, collaboration with fellow musicians becomes difficult. You might want to jam with your band to relieve stress, but it’s not possible. So, what can be done?
With that said, playing with your band online can be a solution. To get this done, you just need to make sure you’ve got the right setup and best online jamming software.
But before that, you need to check a few things.
You guessed it right! Remote band practices heavily rely upon your and your bandmates’ internet speed and connection. If you think you can pull it over with your cellular network, then let me tell you, it won’t work.
Sound is another important factor. You can use your laptop microphone, but it won’t be that great. To get a sound without the noise, you will need to have the best audio interface. This will help make the sound better and will enhance the overall experience.
Now that we know what we require to jam let’s learn about the best online jamming software.
Top 5 Best Online Jamming Software – 2020
1. JamKazam – Popular Jamming Software
Official Website:https://www.jamkazam.com/
Use Of Jamkazam With Vst Plugins Vst
JamKazam is one of the great and powerful tools for musicians. To use it, you don’t need to pay anything, simply sign up and rehearse with your bandmates live in real-time. Using it, you can even record and broadcast your performance.
Features:
- Live broadcast your band via YouTube
- Take online music lessons
- Plug and play no need for a computer
- Record audio in high quality
- Play along with 4000 + songs
Further, if you are looking for an accessory that would boost the audio interface, then JamBlaster should be your goto. This accessory offered by JamKazam will let you broadcast on YouTube. But there’s a catch each band member will need to have their own JamBlaster. All this and much more makes JamKazam one of the best online jamming software.
2. Jammr –Best Jamming Software To Play Online Jam Sessions
Official Website:https://jammr.net/download.html
Jammr is another best online jamming software using which you can jam with your friends and bandmates over the Internet. But if there comes a situation that none of your bandmates can connect then?
In such cases, Jammr online jamming software again comes to rescue. It allows you to connect with people around the globe.
Features:
- Allows using VST plugins
- Use any instrument or vocals
- Jam with friends or musicians across the globe
- Learn new styles
- Jam anytime you want
- Play without lag
If no one is available, you can play on your own, and when others join, you can share the same software to jam with them. Since it is in Beta, Jammr is free to use. Using it is simple, download Jammr plugin in your microphone or instrument, create a profile, join a community. That’s it. You can now use this online jamming tool.
3. NINIJAM
Official Website:https://www.cockos.com/ninjam/#Downloads
Another open-source (GPL) software that allows musicians to make real-time music via the internet. Using NINJIAM cross-platform app, every participant can hear other participants and tweak their mix as per their likings.
Features:
- Uses OGG Vorbis to compress audio
- Uses NINJIAM server for streaming
- Allows recording jam if the functionality is available
- Real-time synchronization
- Record and streams synchronized intervals of music
This jamming software uses compressed audio enabling you to work with any combination of instruments. You can play, sing in real-time. Not only this, you can even play a real guitar, saxophones, and other instruments. Further, NINJAM saves original uncompressed source material allowing you to remix your music after jam.
4. Jamulus – Perform Jam Session Is Real-Time
Official Website:http://llcon.sourceforge.net/
Perform real-time jam sessions over the internet using Jamulus software. To collect data from Jamulus clients, this jamming software runs Jamulus server software. Once the data is collected, Jamulus client mixes the audio data and sends the mix back to all the clients.
Features:
- Easy to use
- Works flawlessly
- Multiple options to volume sliders
- Connects to the server to make jamming easy
- Allows labeling instruments
This open-source jamming software runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Based on the Qt framework, Jamulus uses OPUS audio codes. To use this online jamming software, you need a minimum of 200 kbps of upload and download speed.
5. Soundjack
Use Of Jamkazam With Vst Plugins Download
Official Website:https://www.soundjack.eu/
This jamming solution is different from the others we discussed so far. Soundjack allows both peer-to-peer connection and server-client connection to use it on LAN. Using it, you can even chat while jamming.
Features:
- Real-time communication system
- Offers latency and quality parameter
- Free of charge
To set up the product, you might need to take a bit of effort. For this, you can take the help of the tutorial available at the Soundjack website.
This is all for now; these are the best online jamming software that you can use to jam with your bandmates and friends. It is not that you can use it only when you are locked down or social distancing. Even when life comes back to normal, you can use this best jamming software and create your soundtrack.
All the jamming software we discussed are real-time solutions and will help play live bands. You can also use the best DAW software to record your music.
We would like to hear from you. Do let us know which jamming software you preferred using and why.
Responses
VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology. There are three types of VST plug-ins:
- VST instruments: These plug-ins generate audio and are either virtual synthesizers or samplers. Many VST instruments emulate the appearance and sound of famous hardware synthesizers. Popular VSP instruments include Massive, FM8, Absynth, Sylenth 1, Reaktor, Gladiator, Vanguard, and Omnisphere.
- VST effects: Effects process audio instead of generating it. VST effects function like hardware audio processors, like reverbs and phasers.
- VST MIDI effects:MIDI plug-ins process MIDI messages and send MIDI data to other VST instruments and hardware.
VST Plug-ins
VST plug-ins can be used within a digital audio workstation, in programs like Pro Tools and Logic. They’re frequently used to emulate hardware outboard gear such as compressors, expanders, equalizers, and maximizers. You'll frequently find these distributed to emulate certain models of hardware; there's some for vintage compressors, and you'll frequently find effects that emulate vintage hardware (both in instrumental and stompbox-like effects).
Think of VST plug-ins as really affordable ways to make your home studio sound like a really expensive commercial operation.
VSTi Plug-ins
Aside from VST plug-ins, you'll also find VST-instrument or VSTi plug-ins. These can emulate really cool, but expensive, hardware (like Hammond B3 and Nord Electro). The quality of these VSTi plug-ins can vary from acceptable to really poor; it all depends on the quality of your system resources (RAM and scratch space on your hard drive, for example), and how well-sampled the instrument is. You also want to make sure that your VSTi plug-in offers true polyphonic content, meaning you can make life-like chords that don’t sound too artificial.
Quality
There are thousands of plug-ins available. Some only take a few hours to produce and are free, but the quality is terrible. Some are made by huge companies and sound amazing, but are expensive. VST plug-in developers try to recreate the sound as closely as possible, but the original instrument is probably always going to sound better than the plug-in. You might be trying to get the rich, full-bodied sound of an organ, for example, but who owns an organ? No one has access to every type of instrument, so a plug-in will have to do. The good news is that VST plug-in technology is improving, so quality can only get better with time.
VST Plug-in Standard
Created by Steinberg, a German musical software and equipment company, the VST plug-in standard is the audio plug-in standard that allows third-party developers to make VST plug-ins. Users can download VST plug-ins on Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux. The vast majority of VST plug-ins are available on Windows. Apple’s Audio Units are standard on Mac OS X (it’s actually considered a competing technology), and Linux lacks commercial popularity, therefore few developers create VST plug-ins for the operating system.
Where to Find VST Plug-ins
There are thousands of VST plug-ins available, both commercially and as freeware. The Internet is flooded with free VST plug-ins. Home Music Production and Bedroom Producers Blog have robust lists of VST plug-in recommendations, and Splice and Plugin Boutique also offer a ton of free plug-ins.