Best Free VSTs: Brass & Horns
Channel your inner Louis Armstrong in a safe, virtual environment.
Brass band
- Ensemble sustains/marcatos/staccatos/scoops/falls/shakes
- Orchestral Tools Rotary includes a trumpet, trombone, and baritone sax enemble designed for big band sounds. VST AU AAX (SINEfactory)
- Ensemble sustains/staccatos/flutter tongue
- Red Room Audio Palette – Primary Colors features these articulations with various dynamics. NKI (Woocommerce + Pulse)
- Ensemble sustains
- Waverunner Audio ML Brass has a very harsh, in-your-face lower brass sound, maybe good for trap or whatever you kids write these days idk. NKI (Woocommerce)
- Ensemble aleatoric
- ProjectSAM The Free Orchestra actually has a few patches featuring cinematic and chaotic brass sounds, including “Pandora Bursts,” “Pandora Panic,” and “Tutti Hits.” NICNT (account)
Trumpets
- Solo B♭(?) legato/sustains/staccatos/marcatos
- Norrland Samples Solo Trumpet NKI
- Solo B♭(?) legato/sustains
- Alpine Project has two trumpets to choose from. NKI (newsletter)
- Solo B♭ sustains
- Varisha Lyric Trumpet VST AU
- Solo B♭ sustains/flutter tongue
- Dannenberg Brass has a decent modeled one. ENS (account)
- Solo piccolo sustains/flutter tongue
- Dannenberg Brass has a decent modeled one. ENS (account)
- Ensemble sustains
- Jasper Blunk’s Vibrato Trumpets NKI
- Ensemble sustains/staccatissimos
- Spitfire BBCSO Discover has a trumpets section. VSTAUAAX (BBCSO + Spitfire)
- Ensemble swells
- Jasper Blunk’s Fortissimo Trumpet ensemble Matrix Swells patch NKI
Muted trumpet
- Solo straight/harmon/cup/plunger/bucket/velvet + legato/sustains/staccatos/marcatos
- Norrland Samples Solo Trumpet has more mute options than my $700 brass library…🤔 NKI
- Solo harmon + sustains
- Mihai Sorohan’s Muted Trumpet SF2 MUX YTIL
- Solo harmon(?) + staccato
- ProjectSAM The Free Orchestra‘s Tongue in Cheek patch has a cute muted trumpet from G3-G5. From F♯1-F♯3 it’s layered with some other silly instruments. NICNT (account)
- Solo harmon + swells
- Samples Spotlight The Harmon Swells features Harmon mute wah crescendos of varying lengths. It also inexplicably has Totoro on the interface. Cool! NKI
- Ensemble bucket(?) + swells
- Spitfire LABS Trumpet Fields has a variety of very fun soft and fluttery trumpet textures. VST AU AAX (Spitfire)
Trombones
- Solo alto sustains/flutter tongue
- Dannenberg Brass has a decent modeled one. ENS (account)
- Solo bass legator/sustains
- Alpine Project‘s Bass Trombone patch NKI (newsletter)
- Solo bass sustains/flutter tongue
- Dannenberg Brass has a decent modeled one. ENS (account)
- Solo tenor legato/sustains/staccatos
- Ivy Audio Carpenter Trombone NKI (account OR torrent)
- Ensemble sustains/staccatissimos
- Spitfire BBCSO Discover includes tenor and bass trombone sections. VST AU AAX (BBCSO + Spitfire)
- Ensemble marcatos
- Jasper Blunk’s Fortissimo Trombone ensemble NKI
Muted trombones
- Solo bass straight/harmon + legatos/sustains
- Alpine Project‘s muted bass trombone patches NKI (newsletter)
- Solo tenor straight/harmon + legator/sustains
- Alpine Project‘s muted tenor trombone patches NKI (newsletter)
Tuba
- Solo legato/sustains
- Alpine Project‘s Tuba patch NKI (newsletter)
- Solo sustains/staccatos/staccatissimos/noises
- Karoryfer’s War Tuba SFZ
- Solo trills
- Philharmonia‘s brass MP3
- Ensemble sustains/staccatissimos
- Spitfire BBCSO Discover includes tenor and bass trombone sections. VST AU AAX (BBCSO + Spitfire)
Muted tuba(!)
- Solo straight + legato/sustains
- Alpine Project‘s “Tuba – Straight Mute” patch NKI (newsletter)
- Solo straight + sustains
- Philharmonia‘s brass set has some, but you’ll have to rig your own sample instrument. MP3
Horns
Including natural horns and trumpets.
- Birch trumpet/neverlur
- Eamon Coughlan’s Näverlur NKI (account)
- Carnyx (Celtic war horn)
- Quilcom Sim-Carnyx is a decent modeled version. Win VST
- Conch(!)
- Tangent Edge Sea Trumpets Free is the free version of a seashell trumpet instrument sampled from the collection of the coolest guy ever. NKI SFZ EXS (newsletter)
- Didgeridoo
- VCSL‘s Didgeridoo patch (SFZ mapping and samples) SFZ WAV (Github)
- Quilcom Sim-Didge is a good modeled version. Win VST
- Rast Sound Didgeridoo NKI WAV (email)
- Euphonium
- Joe Miserendino’s Euphonium has some sustains. SF2
- Flugelhorn
- Chris Cook’s Dusty Flugelhorn NKIdspreset (Github)
- Tenor Horn
- Arseniy Kunin’s 1956 Tenor Horn NKIdspreset (account)
French horn
- Solo legato/sustains
- Alpine Project‘s French Horn patch NKI (newsletter)
- Solo sustains
- VSCO 2 Horn VST AU
- Solo trills
- Philharmonia‘s brass MP3
- Ensemble sustains/staccatissimos
- Spitfire BBCSO Discover includes a French horn section. VST AU AAX (BBCSO + Spitfire)
- Ensemble marcatos
- ProjectSAM The Free Orchestra‘s “Heroic Horns” patch features eight players with marcatos ranging A3-C5. NICNT (account)
- Ensemble sforzandos
- Jasper Blunk’s Fortissimo Horn Ensemble has a patch with a sforzando, but no crescendo afterwards. NKI
Muted French horns
- Solo handstopped + legato/sustains
- Alpine Project‘s “Horn – Hand Stopped” patch NKI (newsletter)
Free virtual instrument series
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- 🎹 Pianos, organs, & keyboards
- 🎤 Solo vocals, choirs
- 🎻 Orchestral strings
- 🎸 Guitars, harps, lutes, & zithers
- 🎷 Woodwinds & free reeds
- 🎺 Brass & horns
- 🔔 Idiophones
- 🥁 Drums, percussion
- Synths & drum machines – Coming soon! (❛◡˂̵ ̑̑✧)
- DAWs, samplers, & FX – Coming soon! (❛◡˂̵ ̑̑✧)