List of Audio Plug-in Formats (& Requirements)

Instrument links on this blog use tags to indicate the plug-in’s available format(s) and any special download requirements (e.g. newsletter sign-ups, download managers, etc.). This way, you can go for only the downloads you like. Save precious minutes of your life that could be better spent on productive activities like listening to plasterbrain™®™ music and telling your friends about plasterbrain®®™®.

Plug-in formats

This is a mostly-comprehensive list of audio plug-in and virtual instrument formats. An underline indicates that the format is accessible on most DAWs and platforms either for free or as a demo. Non-underlined formats belong to a DAW-, OS-, or hardware-exclusive sampler. Some interchangeable formats are grouped under a single entry, so do a Ctrl + F search instead of scanning alphabetically if you’re looking for something specific.

AAX

Avid Audio eXtension, (because “AAE” was unacceptable, I guess?) a plug-in format for Avid Pro Tools 10+ or Avid Media Composer 8.1+. It’s the modern update to Avid’s earlier RTAS format.

ALP

Blog shorthand for Ableton Live formats, be they ALP (Ableton Live Pack), ALS (Ableton Live Set), ADP (Ableton Device Preset), etc. I don’t actually have Live, but the first instrument I downloaded to inspect the Ableton format was a .alp, so voilà, science.

AU

Audio unit (or sometimes AUi for “Audio unit instrument”), a plug-in format for macOS. It is essentially the Mac-exclusive version of a VST. Logic Pro requires this format.

Blofeld

Blofeld soundset, a preset for the Waldorf Blofeld Keyboard or Desktop synthesizer with SL License.

bwpreset

Bitwig Studio Sampler preset, the Sampler plug-in that comes with Bitwig Studio.

CMB

Combinator, a preset for Reason’s Combinator.

dspreset

Blog shorthand for either a Decent Sampler preset or a Decent Sampler library (.dslibrary). Both are used with David Hilowitz’s free and increasingly popular Decent Sampler (though I prefer Sfizz, which can also load simple .dspresets without GUI controls). The library format is functionally a zip folder with a .dspreset and samples inside. You can load it into Decent Sampler as-is or access the individual files by renaming the “.dslibrary” extension to “.zip” and extracting.

egkit

Elliot Garage kit, a preset for Elliott Garage’s sEGments sample slicing iOS app. Presets can also be grouped into a .egbundle file.

ENS

Ensemble, an instrument/effect for Reaktor. You can run them in the free Reaktor Player for 30 minutes before the demo timeout kicks in. Reaktor instruments are usually synths or modeled instruments rather than sample-based.

EXS

Emagic Xtreme Sampler [instrument], an instrument for Logic Pro’s EXS24 (Emagic Xtreme Sampler 24-Bit). As of Logic version 10.5, the beloved EXS24 was supplanted by the very humbly and helpfully named Sampler, though it still loads the same EXS files. You’ll frequently see this format typoed as “ESX.”

FXP

Blog shorthand for FXP or FXB, the old instrument and bank formats for Steinberg’s HALion. As of Cubase 4, the modern HALion format is vstpreset/vstsound.

GIG

Giga, an instrument bank for TASCAM’s GigaStudio (or its predecessor, GigaSampler). TASCAM discontinued the “Giga” software line in 2008, though these instruments can still sometimes be seen floating around. See also: Chicken Systems’ article on the .gig format

H2

Blog shorthand for any format belonging to Hydrogen drum machine software (usually .h2drumkit).

KIT

Blog shorthand for KIT, KT2, or KT3, kit formats for NI Battery versions 1-3, respectively.

LV2

LADSPA version 2, an open-source audio plug-in format comparable to AU or VST. Though LV2 is platform-agnostic, it’s relatively obscure and only natively supported by a few hosts, including Ardour, Reaper, and LMMS. For non-compatible DAWs, you can load LV2 files using a host plug-in like Carla.

M5P

MachFive preset, an instrument for MOTU MachFive sampler.

MP3

Blog shorthand for an instrument available as a collection of lossy audio files (which could be .mp3, .ogg, etc.).

MUX

A patch for MuTools MUX Modular, a combination synth/sampler plug-in designed primarily for use with MuLab.

NBKT

Native [Instruments] Battery kit, a kit for NI Battery 4+.

NICNT

Blog shorthand for a licensed Native Instruments Kontakt library, which works in the free Kontakt Player without restrictions. Licensed libraries need to be activated to a NI account using the library management software Native Access.

NKI

Native [Instruments] Kontakt instrument, a file for Kontakt that can run in the free Kontakt Player for 15 minutes before it times out. Kontakt instruments are branded with the version number of the software they were saved in and cannot be loaded into earlier versions (e.g., an instrument patch saved in Kontakt 6 cannot then be loaded into Kontakt 5.8.1). Sometimes, instrument download pages will list the minimum required version. If not, assume a minimum of 5.8.1 to be safe. Most big-name sample library developers use Kontakt or did at one point before transitioning to their own proprietary software (booooo).

NKI6

Blog shorthand for Kontakt instruments listed or personally confirmed (by me) to only work in Kontakt 6 or later. (A listing with “NKI” on this blog does not necessary mean it was made in 5 or earlier, just that it’s not 100% certain to be a NKI6 file.)

PCG

“Programs, combinations, and global data,” a sound library for Korg workstations such as Kronos or Nautilus.

REX

ReCycle EXport 2,  a loop format for Propellerhead ReCycle or Dr. Octo Rex.

RFL

ReFill, a compressed container for samples, presets, and other files which can be opened in Propellerhead Reason or the Reason Rack Plugin. ReFill containers may also contain SXT or CMB files.

RTAS

Real-time audio suite, the plug-in format used by Avid software prior to the release of Pro Tools 10 in 2011.

S3P

S3 preset, a preset for Akai S3000.

SCM

Shortcircuit mapping, an instrument for the abandonware sampler Shortcircuit.

SF2

SoundFont 2.0, an instrument format which will run in any SoundFont player. SoundFonts are fairly primitive and have largely been supplanted by the more powerful SFZ. However, many casual and indie composers still like to use them, especially when emulating the sounds of particular games or series.

SF3

SoundFont 3.0, a Vorbis-compressed SoundFont format developed by Werner Schweer for MuseScore. It aims to be smaller than SF2 and is supported by a few open-source audio hosts and synths, such as FluidSynth, LMMS, and Carla.

SFZ

Sforzando instrument, a modern, open format created by rgc:audio that runs in any SFZ player. Among these, Plogue sforzando is perhaps the most well-known of these and offers the most robust support for SFZ features, like XML banks. There are very few commercial SFZs on the market (and virtually none from big-name developers), so a search for “whatever SFZ” is a good way to look for free instruments on the ‘net.

SLT

Slate, a 32-key drum or sample kit for Blip Interactive NanoStudio 2 for iOS.

SXT

Instrument for Propellerhead Reason’s NN-XT sampler.

UFS

UVI file system, an instrument/soundbank for the free UVI Workstation or commercial UVI Falcon.

VS3

Virtual Sampler 3, a sample set for SpeedSoft/MAZ Sound Tools VSampler 3 and OEM version VSampler 3 DXi that came bundled with Cakewalk Sonar 3 Producer Edition. VSampler hasn’t been updated since 2006, and MAZ officially shut down in 2014.

VST

Virtual studio technology (sometimes VSTi for “Virtual studio technology instrument”), a plug-in format for instruments, effects, or embedded versions of standalone software that can be used in nearly any DAW (except Logic Pro, because… reasons). Like most software, whether a VST works on Windows, Mac, and/or Linux depends on the plug-in. VSTs may be either VST 2.4 (DLL or VST extension) or VST 3 (VST3 extension). The latter is apparently better CPU-optimized and supports additional audio features, but DAWs are sometimes particular in what folders they read VST3 files from.

vstpreset/vstsound

Blog shorthand for vstpreset or vstsound, an instrument preset or bank for the modern versions of Steinberg’s HALion/HALion Sonic SE. These may require a license activation in Steinberg’s eLicenser Control Center.

WAV

Blog shorthand for instruments available as a folder of lossless samples (which could be .wav, .flac, .aiff, etc.). While SFZ instruments always include such a folder (and Kontakt instruments, if they use compressed .ncw samples instead, can be re-saved to spit out .wav files), I’ve added this distinction for instruments with limited range/articulations/velocities, as it would be fairly trivial to string them up in your preferred sampler format!

Win VST

Blog shorthand for a Windows-only VST (i.e., only available as a .dll). These are usually also only 32-bit.

YTIL

Yellow Tools Independence library,  an instrument for Magix Independence, the sampler workstation software formerly owned by Yellow Tools.

Shopping cart checkout requirements

Many commercial developers offer free libraries as a way to generate leads or earn customer loyalty… enticing users to sign up for newsletters or otherwise foot-in-the-door themselves into the commercial end of the catalog.

This means that free instrument downloads may require anything from a newsletter sign-up to your full home address and firstborn. Not everybody wants to give out personal info for a dubiously useful viola VST, so I have distilled these download requirements into various tags you can reference for your convenience.

A moment of silence for my Gmail inbox, without whose sacrifice the free instruments list would not have been possible. (*cannon noises*)

account

You have to create an account for the site, which requires a confirmed email and sometimes a name.

Bandcamp

Email, country, zip. This may add you to the artist’s Bandcamp-powered newsletter following.

BBCSO

To get Discover for free (a $49 value, wowsers!), you have to complete a survey about your music production and then wait two weeks for a download. On the bright side, you still qualify for a $49 upgrade discount should you decide to grab Core or Professional. Deprecated: BBCSO is now free for everyone.

Cartloom

Email, name, (sometimes) VAT number (put in anything, idk I’m American)

email

An email address. If the download is Gumroad-powered, you might want to make an account to save all your past purchases/downloads.

FastSpring

Email, name, zip code, (sometimes) address, (sometimes) phone number

The download link(s) will expire after seven days as per FastSpring’s file download policy.

FatFreeCartPro

Email, name

Joomla

Account, name, address

On the bright side, you get the max 32-bit integer’s worth of download attempts.

Limited Run

Email, name… oh, looks like the telephone field is optional. Not today, e-boys!

OpenCart

Account, name, address

newsletter

You have to sign up for a newsletter using your email and sometimes a name. (These sites explicitly specify it’s a newsletter sign-up. Other keywords listing “email” may also add you to a newsletter list but are coy about it.)

Selz

Email, name

Sendowl

Email, country

Download links may be limited-use (e.g. 3 times before it expires)

Shopify

Email, name, address

Sonokinetic

Account, address

Squarespace

Email, name, address, (sometimes) survey

Steinberg

Account, newsletter

You may need to obtain a free software key to activate in Steinberg’s eLicenser Control Center.

Strezov Sampling

Account, name, address

Wix

Email, name, phone number

The download link goes to your email and is valid for 30 days.

Woocommerce

Email, name, (sometimes) address, (sometimes) phone number, (sometimes) account

Zen Cart

Account, name, address, phone number

Download managers & “gotchas”

These terms appear in parentheses to indicate special requirements or instructions for confusing downloads.

Connect

Requires Continuata Connect. This may be superseded by their new Conduct app soon.

EdgeSounds

All the downloads are on one ASP.NET page controlled by javascript, so I can’t link to them individually. Click the name of the instrument you want in the left sidebar. The download button is next to the rating/comments. Inexplicably, these files are compressed in .rhl format and must be unpacked using their proprietary and amazingly-named free software RatHole. You’ll have to download this from the page as well (click where it says “EdgeSounds RatHole Archiver…” for your system in the sidebar). It’s a small, portable application, so not a huge deal.

Github

To download the entire library, you can click on the green “Code” button on the main repository page and then “Download Zip”. You can also install command-line Git (or a GUI version) to make this process faster and keep your copy of the library up to date. Some libraries also have a “Releases” tab where zip downloads can be found.

For VCSL entries, the patch and sample links are listed separately. You could download the whole library and weed out the instruments you don’t like, but it’s 10 GB, so… To download patches à la carte, first open the SFZ patch link, right-click on “Raw” and select “Save as.” For the sample folder links, you can download the samples one by one using the same process, or use the folder URL with a tool like DownGit.

http link

Means the download link is not served over HTTPS. In Firefox, at least, the download will silently fail, so you have to manually approve it in the downloads manager (Ctrl + J).

There are two zip folders in the download area, and you need both. The second one on the page contains a text document with a 16-digit “serial number” inside, which is used to unlock the first, password-protected zip.

Maize

Rompler plug-ins made in Maize Sampler may list instrument patches as separate downloads, so make sure to download and assemble all the moving parts. The main plug-in will have a patches folder (usually “{plug-in name}.instruments”), where you can drop the instrument files.

Pulse

Requires Pulse Downloader and a Pulse account. Pulse is a multi-developer download manager designed to replace the individual proprietary ones. Happy to be your guinea pigs, Pulse. xd

SINE

Orchetral Tools’ answer to whatever Spitfire’s doing with their proprietary player. You’ll need an account on their site, and for free instruments you’ll have to sign up for the SINEfactory newsletter. Then you need to download and install SINEplayer, a download-manager-slash-sampler that works as a standalone or in your DAW.

Soniccouture

Their free instruments are Kontakt libraries, and the license key stock sometimes runs out, which means they are not always available. The restocking schedule seems to be totally random, not unlike Neopets. Once you create an account, you can subscribe to their mailing list to receive updates when a library is back in stock.

Spitfire

Requires a Spitfire Audio account. You then have to download, install, and log into the Spitfire Audio App. LABS instruments should install the LABS plug-in automatically. The download manager (which is also just called Spitfire Audio) is not great, because there’s no uninstall button, so deleting Spitfire instruments from your computer can be kind of a crapshoot. Ah, the things we do for software!

Tentacle

Requires the free Tentacle player plug-in to run.

VSL

Free instrument checkout requires an account on the Vienna Symphonic Library website, newsletter signup, and billing address. You’ll also need an iLok account with iLok License Manager downloaded (no physical dongle required), as well as VSL’s actually-not-horrible download manager, Vienna Assistant. Downloading their free instruments will also install their free proprietary sample plug-in, Synchron Player. VSL recommends running Synchron Player from an SSD, but it’s not a requirement.

Licenses & attribution info

To the best of my knowledge, I only list instruments that are legally viable, avoiding random “idk where the samples are from xD” SoundFonts and demo instruments that expressly forbid commercial use (ahem, Bela D Media).

I also try to avoid listing anything under the GPL, CC BY-SA, or any other viral license unless the samples themselves are known to be public domain or the author has clarified that the “share-alike” clause applies only to creating derivative plug-ins and instruments.

Instruments requiring or suggesting attribution are only listed if I found no better options (e.g. for niche instruments or as a non-Kontakt alternative). These will have the author name to credit listed after the link. See notes regarding specific developers below for extra instructions and fun facts.

(obligatory IANAL statement goes here; do not take me to court! I am very busy!!)

Casa da Música

See the developer’s response regarding Casa da Música license terms re: their choice to use the Artistic License 2.0.

Greg Bossert

The Sudden Sound Studio instrument license was originally the Open Audio License, which has since been updated/clarified as Creative Commons 3.0 (afaik all the ones on this instrument list are marked “sss”). Credit Greg Bossert/Sudden Sound Studio.

Gugak VSTi by CATSNU

The Gugak VSTi license specifies that the instrument can be used for any personal or non-commercial purpose and requests the following attribution on “secondary products,” such as music made from CATSNU instruments: Gugak VSTi by CATSNU is used in this secondary product. (www.catsnu.com)(Or, if you prefer the Korean: 이 2차 저작물은 서울대학교 예술과학센터에서 개발한 국악 가상악기 음원 라이브러리를 사용하였 습니다. (서울대학교 예술과학센터: http://www.catsnu.com; 문의: catantsnu@gmail.com))

It is unclear whether the personal/non-commercial restriction covers “secondary products.” Intuition would say yes, but a 2018 blog entry excitedly reports BTS used these instruments in their album IDOL, which was likely a commercial venture (unless BTS is a non-profit and I’ve been very misinformed), so it seems they’re ok with commercial use. You’ll probably be fine as long as you give credit as specified, but I am not a lawyer. *throws salt*

MSLP/Erick Kvist

MSLP samples are under the Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported license. However, per the MSLP license page, this non-commercial restriction applies only to redistributing the samples as-is. You are asked to give credit only “if possible and convenient!!” (two exclamation marks) to the MSLP/ERANS Project by Erick Kvist & performing musicians.

Free virtual instrument series

View the main page or learn more about 📕 plug-in formats. licenses and download requirements.

• 🎹 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! (❛◡˂̵ ̑̑✧)