For any modern producer, a sampler is essential. However, if you’re strapped for cash or just starting out, it can be difficult to find good-quality sampler plugins that actually work and add to your beats.

Luckily, we’ve cut through the weeds and compiled 9 of the best free sampler VST plugins out on the market today.

Free Sampler VSTs

Without delay, here are our top picks. Sit back, relax, and explore these excellent samplers.

For a full list of what is on offer follow the link bellow.Did you get the plugin?It would be great to get your feedback in the comments. As has become a tradition at Waves this year, once again, they are offering a FREE CLA plugin.In order to get your hands on it follow this link and then enter your details.The plugin will be sent to everyone on Friday 27th 2020At the time of writing this we don't have any details on what the plugin will do but no doubt it should be well worth adding to your list. We'll update the post as soon as we hear anything.Update: so the plugin has now been released and we can tell you that its.CLA EchoSphere CLA EchoSphere Slap Delay & Plate Reverb from Chris Lord-AlgeDesigned with legendary mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Muse, Bruce Springsteen), CLA EchoSphere combines Chris’s #1 slap delay and #1 plate reverb.This is CLA’s go-to combination for lush lead vocals, based on his settings for two of his favourite hardware units. For those of you who have your eye on other plugins from Waves we can tell you that they are also offering up to 50% off all paid plugins this Black Friday too. You can easily blend the two effects using the plugin’s faders – either in parallel, or with the delay sent to the reverb, as Chris does to achieve his unique lead vocal sound.Use this stellar-sounding slap/plate combination to turn any lead part – whether a lead vocal, guitar solo or lead synth line – into the standout element of your production. Free black friday vst plugins.

Free Full Orchestral Sample Library. The Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra Module contains the full SSO by Mattias Westlund, nicely wrapped up into one simple VST plugin (32 & 64bit). The SSO samples are stereo, 16 bit, 44kHz. Melodic instruments and chromatic percussion are sampled in minor 3rds. Staccato/pizzicato patches have 2x round-robin.

Grace Sampler by One Small Clue

How about a free VST? VST’s (Virtual Studio Technology) are the workhorses of many independent artists out there. And because we love all of our incredible unsigned artists so much (yes, aaawww) we’ve spent quite a bit of time scouring the internet to find you some of the best VST plugins around.
There are some free samples with it but I use mainly SF.(until I get free AKAI samples). Also reads LM-4 kits - good although most of the free ones are not as good as some of my SFs. For the small price I paid I got a full DX7 synth (plus a simple analog synth) although I have an original hardware DX7 I.

The Grace Sampler is simple, sleek, and suited to synth users. The sampler has optional patches free for download on its website, most of which are for synths, but there’s also a couple for drum kits, keys, and bass.

This sampler comes in both 32 and 64-bit versions, so you won’t have to worry about compatibility from device to device. With most DAWS, you can drag and drop your samples right into the sampler, simplifying your workflow.

Grace Sampler comes with 2 step sequencers, 2 LFOS, and 4 different control pads. The sampler supports WAV, AIF, and SND formats directly which is impressive for a free plugin.

Grooove by BPB

If you’re looking to create some vibey drums, Grooove by BPB is a great pick. This drum sampler is perfect for techno and EDM musicians, looking to create catchy, unique loops.

The plugin has different slots in which 2 different drum samples can be layered and played simultaneously. The slots all have built-in LFOs for altering filter cutoff, sample delay, pitch, and standard attack, volume, pan, and start/end times. Luckily, the VST is supported in both 32 and 64-bit versions.

Free 8 Bit Vst

Grooove BPB is the free version of a full-on instrument, so if you like the notable sampling capabilities that come with the free VST, the purchased version by brunsandpork is a great step up.

TX16W Software Sampler

The TX16W software sampler has a wide array of features that usually only come with paid plugins. With this sampler, you can record samples directly and edit keyboard mappings making it a great pick for musicians looking to incorporate their DAWs into live performance.

As for modulation, the sampler has 2 LFOs and 3 step sequencers. Velocity and mapping can be handled by drawing a custom curve or using the integrated knobs. The plugin also acts as a bus so you can send in and out effects in real-time.

TX16W has 64-bit support and has a built-in arpeggiator, for a paid add-on, you can have time-stretch and pitch-bend modes. For free or otherwise, this plugin is no joke.

Sforzando by Plogue

Sforzando prides itself on its simplicity, with no graphic visualizer. There’s only one sample slot, with no effects or mixers.

The plugin simply consists of standard ADSR knobs, volume, pan, tone, and tune controls. Although this may feel limiting, for seasoned producers looking for a specific sound that doesn’t need a whole lot of extra fluff, Sforzando can be extremely helpful.

If anything else, the plugin works as a great ear-training tool and can train musicians to rely on their skillset rather than software. It comes with 64-bit support.

Zampler by Plugin Boutique

Zampler by Plugin Boutique is an excellent add-on for electronic musicians as you can download drum & bass, hip hop, even dubstep expansion packs.

The sampler has 3 LFOs and a large effects library including chorus, phaser, tube saturation, and many more. There are 2 sample banks and 3 ADSR envelopes for full modulation control.

Zampler has a step sequencer as well as sample oscillators for you to further tweak your sound. Unfortunately, Mac users only have 32-bit support. Windows has both 32 and 64-bit support, but any sample formats outside of sfz must be converted.

Paraphrasis by VirtualAnalogy

Paraphrasis helps you create those retro analog tones with any sample. Simply place your sample into the Paraphrasis sampler, and the modeling synthesizer will analyze the sound data to produce a more classic sound.
This VST is pretty simple, and the UI reflects that; there’s simply a pitch, resolution, analyze, and source toggle with no extra bells or whistles. There’s only one slot to the plugin, but on the upside, it doesn’t take up a large amount of CPU.

There’s also a handy reverse toggle, so you can reverse your sample before giving it that added analog touch. Some users had trouble using this plugin in 64-bit though it supports both versions, so make sure you’re downloading the proper .dll when acquiring this plugin.

XTT01 by Synthedit Labo Japan

The XTT01 has that classic rack-mount feel and is designed to give you a sound reminiscent of the past. This sampler is known for its signature glide function.

This VST is pretty bare bones. There are the standard ADSR knobs to toggle the filter and amp envelopes, and a built-in LFO with speed, PW, and depth knobs. You can also pitch shift by semitones within the sampler.

XTT01 has no visualizer, so it’s a great tool to use for musicians who are more auditory based learners. You can only load one sample at a time in this plugin. Unfortunately, this simple yet powerful sampler only supports 32-bit software, so it may not work for you if you have more modern equipment.

Bassje by Odosynths

Bassje by Odosynths is a great drum sequencer to give your beats the funky groove they’ve been missing. It’s loaded with 3 different toms as well, so if you’re just looking for a great tom loop generator, Bassje is a great addition to your library.

The plugin is separated into two main sections: An octave and filter sequencer. Nothing can describe the sounds you can get out of this puppy other than using is. Bassje has a volume, reso, and volume knob.

Its retro UI speaks to the nature of the plugin, as it’ll generate patterns very reminiscent of physical drum machines. For any musician trying to create retro-inspired music, Bassje is perfect.

Helios by TobyBear

Helios is an impressive audio sampler unit that is meant to be used during live perf

Free 12 Bit Sampler Vst