We truly live in the golden age of audio plug-ins. What used to only be achievable via expensive hardware or third-party software processing is now often available inexpensively, or even as freeware.
You can now recreate the workflows of classic analog consoles, get the sound and color of priceless vintage gear, and manipulate the audio in practically any way imaginable—limited only by your imagination.
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You don’t necessarily need to spend too much of your precious budget buying plug-ins anymore either, as options in the world of freeware plugins have become increasingly stellar and with the right touch, can also give your productions a professional sound.
With so many options out there, I wanted to make a comprehensive list of some of the beset freebie signal processors around, and what paid software they provide an excellent alternative to. I’ve separated the selections by the type of processing, and have tried to be pretty objective.
Autotune For Pro Tools 12
There are of course a lot of great plug-ins that are worth investing in, and sometimes have a significant edge in sound quality or ease of use that freeware will never be able to beat. But when money is tight or you’re just looking to try something new without a pricetag standing in the way of you and your experiments, you’ll find there is a great selection of freeware to help you out.
Just about all of these plugins will work on VST platforms like Logic, Cubase, Ableton and many more, and some will work as AAX or RTAS plugins in Pro Tools as well. All entries should work on PCs and some will be good for Mac users as well. For a master list of some of the best free AAX Pro Tools plugins around—all of which are Mac-friendly—try The (Updated) Big List of Free Pro Tools Plugins.
One of the downsides to free plugins is that they may cease being supported at any time. For a few of the plugins here, you’ll find links to reputable sites where you can find them for free, rather than a link to the original maker’s website, which may be defunct in some cases. I haven’t had major issues with any of these plugins, but always do your own due diligence before downloading free software, and try them out at your own risk.
So, whether you’re working with a limited budget, prefer the sound, or want to test drive a type of processor with unlimited recall before upgrading to a paid version, here are some fantastic freeware alternatives to popular paid plug-ins.
EQs
Free Alternative to Pultec Plugins like the EQP-1A:
Ignite Amps PTEq-X
The freeware PTEq-X aims to capture the sound of the original Pultec hardware but with extra EQ points.
Pultec equalizers are perhaps one of the most misunderstood types of EQ. But those who learn to use them usually come to love them.
Although they are so beloved by engineers in the know, the original hardware can be hard to find, and incredibly expensive. Their popularity in the studio has come back around in recent years as a number of companies from Apogee to UAD to Waves to Softube to IK multimedia have created their own software versions.
One great free option is the PTEq-X from Ignite Amps, which offers three different variations of the Pultec design, it includes some additional EQ points and tube emulations for additional flexibility over the originals. It works in VST, VST3 and AU formats for Mac and Windows.
Free Alternative to Dynamic EQ Plugins like the Soundradix SurferEQ:
Tokyo Dawn Records NOVA
Nova is a powerful and free dynamic EQ with multiband compressor functionality and more.
Dynamic EQs are becoming more and more popular, and can really take a mix over the top when used in tandem with traditional, static equalization.
This type of EQ works by analyzing the intensity for each frequency in the incoming signal to determine how much EQ to apply, responding dynamically based on source material. For instance, you can cut a given frequency, but only when it becomes to overbearing, or apply a boost, but only when the target sound starts to disappear.
The iZotope Alloy and Ozone plugin suites feature dynamic EQ, and Soundradix’ SurferEQ is probably one of the more popular standalone plugins in the dynamic EQ genre. There are a number of controls here beyond the standard EQ parameters, allowing you to adjust how the lookahead analyzer in the plug-in responds to the incoming signal.
For those that might want to look into adding a dynamic EQ to their library but don’t want to dish out cash for one just yet, the NOVA plugin by Tokyo Dawn records is a great start. It’s billed as a “parallel dynamic EQ”, and is a very detailed plug-in that features more conventional multi-band compression operation in addition to dynamic EQ.
The free version is quite powerful and can be used indefinitely. It works on Mac and Windows and is available in AAX and AU formats. There is also a paid version available that offers an even more robust feature set.
BootEQ aims to capture some of the attitude of SSL EQs at a price point of $0.
Free Alternative SSL EQ Plugins like the Waves SSL G-Channel EQ:
Variety of Sound BootEQ
BootEQ is Variety of Sound’s take on the SSL G-Channel equalizer. It has four parametric bands, and unlike the Waves’ premium version, a drive control for adding in saturation to taste.
SSL’s processors have a reputation for being pretty clean as far as analog consoles go, so it’s a nice option to be able to add in some extra harmonics and saturation with the BootEQ.
It features an optional tube circuit model, as well as vintage and modern modes, and can also be used as a preamp simulator, to emulate the feel of plugging direct into a real board. Download it here.
Free Alternative to FabFilter ProQ-3:
Equilibre from AudioTeknikk
FabFilter makes some amazing plugins, and perhaps their most beloved offering is the ProQ equalizer. Everything about the ProQ is clean: the sonics, the GUI, the user experience. You can get extremely surgical, or as broad as needed with its fully-parametric topology, and it’s great for all phases (no pun intended) of the production process.
Really the only downside is that it is so clean, that the addition of a setting to make it sound more “analog” when needed would make me use it even more often.
Equilibre is a super flexible parametric EQ with saturation capabilities built in.
The freeware EQ Equilibre doesn’t offer unlimited bands, but its eight EQ bands provide more than enough coverage of the frequency spectrum.
Each one can be used in a L/R, mid, or side configuration making it useful for mastering just as much as mixing. There is also a very handy saturation slider, sending the effect from totally clean into lovely analog-style distortion.
The one drawback to this design is that the saturation slider doubles also adjusts the output gain, which can be a little bit of a nuisance when you want to increase drive without increasing volume. But for exactly $0, it’s a remarkable little plugin that can do an incredible amount of heavy lifting.
Unfortunately, the website for AudioTeknikk plugins appears to now be defunct. Apparently, it can be hard to keep the lights on when you are charging absolutely nothing for your wares. But links can still be found on other forums and websites, and the latest version may still work with your system.
Dynamics
Free Alternative to Premium SSL Bus Compressor Plugins:
FXPansion DCAM Freecomp
DCAM Freecomp offers SSL-style bus compression pro bono.
There are quite a number of SSL-style bus compressor emulations on the market today, which is unsurprising as these have become a go-to bus compressor for decades for everyone from cream-of-the-crop audio professionals to modest hobbyists.
The DCAM Freecomp is one of the better SSL compressor emulations out there, and it’s also completely free! It offers the same control set and the same tight, clean, and transparent compression of the official SSL emulations, even coming with the same kind of visual aesthetic.
One major limitation? Being designed as a bus compressor, DCAM’s version is meant to be used on stereo tracks and doesn’t work on mono channels.
Free Alternative to LA-2A plugins like Universal Audio’s Teletronix LA-2A:
Antress Modern Lost Angel
The LA2A stands alongside the 1176 as one of the most iconic compressors of all time, and Universal Audio’s version is a faithful digital recreation offering three generations of the classic optical design. It offers the same response and aesthetic as the hardware, and is possibly the best emulation of this style of compressor ever made.
Unfortunately, you only have access to it if you’ve bought in to UA’s family of hardware, which is needed to run their acclaimed plugins.
If you’re looking for a free alternative, but you’re not a fan of needing speciality hardware to run specific software, check out the Lost Angel from Antress’ “modern series”, a great optical compression alternative.
With the Lost Angel, you have simple control over Peak and Gain, the amount of compression and output level. It’s got the same kind of subtle squish as the UAD version that just sounds so smooth on guitars and vocals, or stacked in series as a complement to other compressors. The Lost Angel is a bit older however, and only comes in 32-bit VST format.
The Lost Angel provides the vibe and compression characteristics of the LA-2A at a price point that makes it hard not to give it a try.
Another good free option here is the Sonic Anomaly SLAX. It ’s got the familiar two knob design, controlling the amount of compression and the output gain. It also has a blend control so that you can ride the line between compression and limiting, as well as an emphasis knob that works as an EQ over the high end. The SLAX has some color to it, getting you smooth optical compression with some additional tubey, vintage flavor.
Unfortunately freeware makers don’t always stick around forever. The Sonic Anomaly website appears to be down since at least October 2019, but their plugins can still be found archived on a variety of forums and free plugin sites.
Free Alternative to the Waves DBX 160:
SmackLabs 63x
The DBX160 is a first choice compressor for VCA-style compression, and it’s widely renowned for being absolutely great on low end sources like drums and bass guitar.
Pages:12Next Page ❯
We truly live in the golden age of audio plug-ins. What used to only be achievable via expensive hardware or third-party software processing is now often available inexpensively, or even as freeware.
You can now recreate the workflows of classic analog consoles, get the sound and color of priceless vintage gear, and manipulate the audio in practically any way imaginable—limited only by your imagination.
You don’t necessarily need to spend too much of your precious budget buying plug-ins anymore either, as options in the world of freeware plugins have become increasingly stellar and with the right touch, can also give your productions a professional sound.
With so many options out there, I wanted to make a comprehensive list of some of the beset freebie signal processors around, and what paid software they provide an excellent alternative to. I’ve separated the selections by the type of processing, and have tried to be pretty objective.
There are of course a lot of great plug-ins that are worth investing in, and sometimes have a significant edge in sound quality or ease of use that freeware will never be able to beat. But when money is tight or you’re just looking to try something new without a pricetag standing in the way of you and your experiments, you’ll find there is a great selection of freeware to help you out.
Just about all of these plugins will work on VST platforms like Logic, Cubase, Ableton and many more, and some will work as AAX or RTAS plugins in Pro Tools as well. All entries should work on PCs and some will be good for Mac users as well. For a master list of some of the best free AAX Pro Tools plugins around—all of which are Mac-friendly—try The (Updated) Big List of Free Pro Tools Plugins.
One of the downsides to free plugins is that they may cease being supported at any time. For a few of the plugins here, you’ll find links to reputable sites where you can find them for free, rather than a link to the original maker’s website, which may be defunct in some cases. I haven’t had major issues with any of these plugins, but always do your own due diligence before downloading free software, and try them out at your own risk.
Free Pro Tools Instrument Plugins
So, whether you’re working with a limited budget, prefer the sound, or want to test drive a type of processor with unlimited recall before upgrading to a paid version, here are some fantastic freeware alternatives to popular paid plug-ins.
EQs
Free Alternative to Pultec Plugins like the EQP-1A:
Ignite Amps PTEq-X
The freeware PTEq-X aims to capture the sound of the original Pultec hardware but with extra EQ points.
Pultec equalizers are perhaps one of the most misunderstood types of EQ. But those who learn to use them usually come to love them.
Although they are so beloved by engineers in the know, the original hardware can be hard to find, and incredibly expensive. Their popularity in the studio has come back around in recent years as a number of companies from Apogee to UAD to Waves to Softube to IK multimedia have created their own software versions.
One great free option is the PTEq-X from Ignite Amps, which offers three different variations of the Pultec design, it includes some additional EQ points and tube emulations for additional flexibility over the originals. It works in VST, VST3 and AU formats for Mac and Windows.
Free Alternative to Dynamic EQ Plugins like the Soundradix SurferEQ:
Tokyo Dawn Records NOVA
Nova is a powerful and free dynamic EQ with multiband compressor functionality and more.
Dynamic EQs are becoming more and more popular, and can really take a mix over the top when used in tandem with traditional, static equalization.
This type of EQ works by analyzing the intensity for each frequency in the incoming signal to determine how much EQ to apply, responding dynamically based on source material. For instance, you can cut a given frequency, but only when it becomes to overbearing, or apply a boost, but only when the target sound starts to disappear.
The iZotope Alloy and Ozone plugin suites feature dynamic EQ, and Soundradix’ SurferEQ is probably one of the more popular standalone plugins in the dynamic EQ genre. There are a number of controls here beyond the standard EQ parameters, allowing you to adjust how the lookahead analyzer in the plug-in responds to the incoming signal.
For those that might want to look into adding a dynamic EQ to their library but don’t want to dish out cash for one just yet, the NOVA plugin by Tokyo Dawn records is a great start. It’s billed as a “parallel dynamic EQ”, and is a very detailed plug-in that features more conventional multi-band compression operation in addition to dynamic EQ.
The free version is quite powerful and can be used indefinitely. It works on Mac and Windows and is available in AAX and AU formats. There is also a paid version available that offers an even more robust feature set.
Free Pro Tools 10 Plugins For Mac
BootEQ aims to capture some of the attitude of SSL EQs at a price point of $0.
Free Alternative SSL EQ Plugins like the Waves SSL G-Channel EQ:
Variety of Sound BootEQ
BootEQ is Variety of Sound’s take on the SSL G-Channel equalizer. It has four parametric bands, and unlike the Waves’ premium version, a drive control for adding in saturation to taste.
SSL’s processors have a reputation for being pretty clean as far as analog consoles go, so it’s a nice option to be able to add in some extra harmonics and saturation with the BootEQ.
It features an optional tube circuit model, as well as vintage and modern modes, and can also be used as a preamp simulator, to emulate the feel of plugging direct into a real board. Download it here.
Free Alternative to FabFilter ProQ-3:
Equilibre from AudioTeknikk
FabFilter makes some amazing plugins, and perhaps their most beloved offering is the ProQ equalizer. Everything about the ProQ is clean: the sonics, the GUI, the user experience. You can get extremely surgical, or as broad as needed with its fully-parametric topology, and it’s great for all phases (no pun intended) of the production process.
Really the only downside is that it is so clean, that the addition of a setting to make it sound more “analog” when needed would make me use it even more often.
Equilibre is a super flexible parametric EQ with saturation capabilities built in.
The freeware EQ Equilibre doesn’t offer unlimited bands, but its eight EQ bands provide more than enough coverage of the frequency spectrum.
Each one can be used in a L/R, mid, or side configuration making it useful for mastering just as much as mixing. There is also a very handy saturation slider, sending the effect from totally clean into lovely analog-style distortion.
The one drawback to this design is that the saturation slider doubles also adjusts the output gain, which can be a little bit of a nuisance when you want to increase drive without increasing volume. But for exactly $0, it’s a remarkable little plugin that can do an incredible amount of heavy lifting.
Unfortunately, the website for AudioTeknikk plugins appears to now be defunct. Apparently, it can be hard to keep the lights on when you are charging absolutely nothing for your wares. But links can still be found on other forums and websites, and the latest version may still work with your system.
Dynamics
Free Alternative to Premium SSL Bus Compressor Plugins:
FXPansion DCAM Freecomp
DCAM Freecomp offers SSL-style bus compression pro bono.
There are quite a number of SSL-style bus compressor emulations on the market today, which is unsurprising as these have become a go-to bus compressor for decades for everyone from cream-of-the-crop audio professionals to modest hobbyists.
The DCAM Freecomp is one of the better SSL compressor emulations out there, and it’s also completely free! It offers the same control set and the same tight, clean, and transparent compression of the official SSL emulations, even coming with the same kind of visual aesthetic.
One major limitation? Being designed as a bus compressor, DCAM’s version is meant to be used on stereo tracks and doesn’t work on mono channels.
Free Alternative to LA-2A plugins like Universal Audio’s Teletronix LA-2A:
Antress Modern Lost Angel
The LA2A stands alongside the 1176 as one of the most iconic compressors of all time, and Universal Audio’s version is a faithful digital recreation offering three generations of the classic optical design. It offers the same response and aesthetic as the hardware, and is possibly the best emulation of this style of compressor ever made.
Unfortunately, you only have access to it if you’ve bought in to UA’s family of hardware, which is needed to run their acclaimed plugins.
Free Pro Tools 12 Plugins
If you’re looking for a free alternative, but you’re not a fan of needing speciality hardware to run specific software, check out the Lost Angel from Antress’ “modern series”, a great optical compression alternative.
With the Lost Angel, you have simple control over Peak and Gain, the amount of compression and output level. It’s got the same kind of subtle squish as the UAD version that just sounds so smooth on guitars and vocals, or stacked in series as a complement to other compressors. The Lost Angel is a bit older however, and only comes in 32-bit VST format.
The Lost Angel provides the vibe and compression characteristics of the LA-2A at a price point that makes it hard not to give it a try.
Another good free option here is the Sonic Anomaly SLAX. It ’s got the familiar two knob design, controlling the amount of compression and the output gain. It also has a blend control so that you can ride the line between compression and limiting, as well as an emphasis knob that works as an EQ over the high end. The SLAX has some color to it, getting you smooth optical compression with some additional tubey, vintage flavor.
Unfortunately freeware makers don’t always stick around forever. The Sonic Anomaly website appears to be down since at least October 2019, but their plugins can still be found archived on a variety of forums and free plugin sites.
Free Alternative to the Waves DBX 160:
SmackLabs 63x
Pro Tools 10 Plugins List
The DBX160 is a first choice compressor for VCA-style compression, and it’s widely renowned for being absolutely great on low end sources like drums and bass guitar.
Pages:12Next Page ❯