Mar 25, 2020 Keyboard players typically excel when it comes to playing trumpet parts because you can write similar melodies to the piano. It is my opinion that there are a lot of good trumpet VST’s out there that actually sound realistic. The best VST’s nail the sounds from the dynamics to the actual sound that is heard as the final product. Improve your projects with quality free vst instruments & effects for download. Vst presets / patches and free synth vst plugins available for download.
These are the best free realistic instrument plugins for Windows and Mac!
So, if you're looking for free virtual instruments that can be used for composing orchestral or realistic music, these 5 plugins will help you do just that.
And all but one will work on both Windows and Mac, but I do mention an alternative for the one that doesn't plus a bonus free sound library at the end.
This table includes all of the free realistic instrument VST plugins that are mentioned in the article below.
| Plugin Name | Available Plugin Formats | Supported OS |
|---|---|---|
| LABS | 64 & 32-bit VST, AAX, and AU | Windows & Mac |
| Cloudrum | 64 & 32-bit VST, AAX (Mac only), and AU | Windows & Mac |
| Sonatina Orchestra | 64 & 32-bit VST | Windows |
| SSD5 Free | 64-bit VST, AAX, and AU | Windows & Mac |
| Virtual Playing Orchestra | WAVE & SFZ | Windows & Mac |
| (Bonus) Taiko Drum Samples | WAVE & SFZ | Windows & Mac |
The first one I want to mention is Spitfire LABS, a great resource to get free orchestral instruments and they add a new one every month, at least that's what they say.
So hey, save the article and check back in a couple of months, they might have a new one available.
From this, you can use an array of different instruments like strings, guitar, piano, and choir that all sound great.
Each instrument allows you to control expression, dynamics, and reverb. Some even come with more control.
The next instrument I'd like to highlight is Cloudrum by Ample Sound.
This one sounds pretty cool and is quite different from their regular approach to making plugins as they almost entirely stick to stringed instruments.
With this one being the only exception. Even though it's slightly out of their expertise, this one really hit the mark.
Now if you're looking for a robust library of orchestral instruments including percussion, strings, and brass, you might really like Sonatina Orchestra.
Unfortunately, this is the one that doesn't work for Mac. But, is very similar to one that does, called VSCO2.
These two plugins seem to have a lot of the same instrument samples and you can find the free download link for VSCO2 in this article.
Check it out, I also demo how it sounds in a video available on the article.
If you're looking for a fully functional deluxe drum kit, SSD5 FREE has many different drums for you to use.
With this plugin, you get more control compared to just using samples such as mixing directly in the plugin.
The last one is a bit of a process to get set up but it does sound good and I suggest that you at least listen to the demo I made before you decide not to give it a go.
Virtual Playing Orchestra does require you to download the wave files, sfz scripts and a separate sfz player such as sforzando made by Plogue.
And there are other orchestral libraries that have sfz format so it won’t be a waste of your time.
Finally, the bonus sound library. If you're looking for some free Taiko drum samples, you can get them from this pay-what-you-want resource.
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If you feel that it's worth some money, the option is there for you but you can get them for free.
In this library, you'll find some nice drum one-shots to use in your music or even sound effects.
I hope these free plugins will help you make better orchestral music or just music in general.
Share it with someone so they don't miss out on these sweet freebies. As always, thanks for reading.
The use of trumpet VST’s is becoming more and more popular in modern music production and for good reason; they’re effective and convenient. We are starting to see a shift from heavily synthesized sounds to more of a natural and organic feel.
Keyboard players typically excel when it comes to playing trumpet parts because you can write similar melodies to the piano.
It is my opinion that there are a lot of good trumpet VST’s out there that actually sound realistic. The best VST’s nail the sounds from the dynamics to the actual sound that is heard as the final product. Pop music is starting to really utilize these sounds as the likes of Bruno Mars and Charlie Puth are influencing some of the production.
Contents
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | DETAILS |
|---|---|---|
| Editor’s Pick | Heavyocity Forzo Modern Brass | |
| Runner Up | Mojo Horns |
|
| Budget Pick | Harmon Muted Trumpets |
|
First off, you want to ultimately be looking for the absolute best sounding trumpets. A lot of VST’s will be able to give you some great customizability in each pre-set. The more that you can change within a VST, the better.
Dynamics are going to be a big part of a good trumpet sound. Not all parts are meant to be blaring and loud, so being able to have a different sound when played quietly will go a long way in your productions.
Effects are going to be another place that you can really start to dial your sounds in. The more effects, the better.
Are you a fan of VST’s? Check out my favorite electric piano VSTs in this post here.
Note: With all of this being said, the most important part is that the VST is easy to use. Some VST’s make it way too hard to learn how to use them that the producer gets frustrated and moves on to a more user-friendly product. All of the trumpet VST’s discussed in this post are pretty user-friendly.
The answer to this question is rather simple: they’re being used because pop music is starting to use more organic sounding instruments in their production. While there are a lot of musicians that are bringing jazz instruments to the forefront of pop music, Bruno Mars is definitely one of the main influencers.
Producers are starting to use horn sounds as leads in their productions rather than using a synth lead. I believe this is because synths have been so prevalent in production that people are starting to want to hear different sounds playing the lead.
If you’re a fan of trumpet sounds, you might be interested in the best saxophone VST plugins as well as the best flute VST plugins.
Being a keyboard player, I personally think it’s awesome to see some more sounds being used, especially when VST’s make it possible for me to hear all the instruments.
Trumpet sounds used to sound rather cheap up until recently. I can remember back to using my old Yamaha keyboards and thinking that the trumpet sounds did not resemble trumpets very well. VST’s have changed this greatly.
Below are my favorite picks that I believe will help elevate your game to the next level.
I recently stumbled upon this plugin during a writing session and I couldn’t believe it. The trumpets here are some of the most epic ones that I have ever heard.
A lot of people who dislike plugins may have their mind changed slightly when they hear some of these. The pre-sets are pure fire and the interface is also extremely easy to navigate
I swear you will feel like you’re listening to Hanz Zimmer. The first time I used Forzo, I thought I was listening to the Dark Knight soundtrack. In short, the sounds are crushing.
I put this VST on top of my list for a reason: I think it’s incredible. Check out the sounds below.
The VG Trumpets come in a wide range of varieties from jazz, soprano, baritone, and tenor. These are used through the Kontakt player like many other VST’s.
I think these really sound quite nice. The jazz sound is probably my favorite as it sounds incredibly realistic. If you’re a musician who likes to play jazz or understands it, you will appreciate it.
You get a really rich tone right out of the gate with the VG trumpets and I can’t say enough good things about them.
I think the VG trumpet VST’s are great and definitely worth checking out.
I stumbled upon these recently and I have to say that I am very happy that I did so. The Mojo 2 horn section has a section called session horns that is absolutely fantastic. This plug-in is a little more expensive, but if you swing it, it’s great.
You run this plug-in through the Kontakt player, just like a lot of other VST’s.
The main reason I like this specific plug-in is for its trumpet sounds. You get a nice and rich tone that sounds very realistic compared to some of the other VST’s out there.
The sounds from the Mojo 2 horn section are top-notch. There are a ton of different presets to pick from and a ton of different effects that you can add.
Like I said above, the session trumpets are my favorite because they sound like you’re in the room with an actual session player. It’s really starting to blow my mind how advanced these VST’s are becoming.
Overall, the Mojo 2 horns are phenomenal. Easy to use overall and they are easily some of the best sounding trumpet VST’s out there right now.
Session Horns by Native Instruments sound amazing. This is a VST that I have personally been using for about 2 years now and the tone is one of the best currently available.
There’s a good amount of presets and sounds to pick from and you can also tweak the sounds very easily.
This is the selling point in my opinion. You can tweak the expression with the click of the mouse and it instantly sounds good. There’s a feature called the octave drop which allows you to drop sections of your horns to lower octaves. What this does is brings a different tonal texture to the overall sound.
Note: Check out this video here where you can hear the session horns in action.
I think that this is easily one of the best products when it comes to trumpets. The sounds and tweaking abilities are what set it apart in my opinion.
Trumpet VST’s have come a long way over the years. I hope this post provided you with some great options to step your production up to the next level.
In closing, I can’t get over the Heavyocity samples. Be sure to check them out for your next production.
Are there any trumpet VST’s that you’re using that I didn’t mention? Let me know below in the comments.