All About VSTs and Where to Get VSTs
What is a VST?
VST stands for “Virtual Studio Technology”. They are basically software plug ins you can use with software production programs such as FL Studio, Reason, Cubase, etc.. There are a multitude of VST instruments and VST effects available all over the internet and at music stores – some of them are free and some you will have to buy. You could also try your hand at making your own VST!
VSTs are becoming increasingly more popular because of how practical they are. They are user friendly – extremely simple to setup and use. A lot of them also produce higher quality sounds than a lot of the stock patches in some software programs. In addition, VSTs are usually a lot cheaper than hardware, and may produce similar, if not better sound
VSTs in FL Studio
VSTs can be controlled like any other patch or sound in FL studio. You can think of them as FL Keys for example – you can control them with your midi keyboard, computer keyboard, or mouse, and alter almost all the parameter knobs, as if you had some sort of hardware in front of you. It is really just virtual hardware.
What does this mean?
VSTs have changed the face of music production – you can have an arsenal of powerful sounds all loaded up into one interface. Companies and individuals make new VSTs everyday, and the possibilities are really endless. They have created a whole new sector in the music production business, and have allowed musicians all over the world to more fully express themselves in their music. I highly suggest trying out free VSTs and looking into buying some new sounds for your production!
Recommended VSTs
If you are serious about your music, the best synth VST I have come across is KOMPLETE 7. Really, nothing else comes close. If you are not really serious yet though, there are plenty of free sounds in FL Studio, and you can also find free sounds that people make online. As for Piano, I would recommend Synthology’s Ivory II Italian Grand. Trust me…it sounds like a real piano. There are also other VST’s you can get that are not actually instruments, like Antares Autotune, which is the best autotuner I know of at the moment. It’s not perfect, but if you tweak it right, you can sound just like T-Pain.
How to Install VSTs
Not sure how install a VST that you bought or downloaded? You can check out our older video on how to do this. We took some of the links in the video because the websites are gone! The method to install VSTs still works though. We will get some new free links up soon, and will also re-record without all the noise in the back! Here it is below for your convenience. Enjoy!
Free VST Downloads
Here are some websites where you can get free VSTs for Fruity Loops and other software. These are not the best…but they may be good to learn how to produce music with when you are first starting out:
