There are numerous manufacturers of software for musicians and producers and on this page we have collected and listed the best plugins, DAWs and drum kits for you. Each tool comes with a personal assessment and tips. We use many of the plugins ourselves in the studio - you too can take your music productions to the next level!
Affiliate links are marked with a * and lead directly to the product pages on Thomann or
DAWS (MUSIC SOFTWARE)
ABLETON LIVE 11
The sequencer available for macOS and Windows from the Berlin software company Ableton is not only popular among DJs - with the specially designed DAW controller Push 2 you get the best out of the DAW and your workflow!
Our tip: Try out Ableton Live Lite beforehand and try to get used to the loop-based system. The Standard Edition contains all functions, extras and, unlike the Intro Edition, is not limited.
BITWIG STUDIO
Pleasant design and high technical standards - With Bitwig Studio and The Grid you can create your own sound modularly and super fast! The interface is reminiscent of Cubase and Studio One and is therefore suitable for beginners and technology enthusiasts.
The DAW Bitwig Studio 3 is only available in one version, but with over 10 GB of sounds and 80 VST instruments and effects and is available for Windows, macOS and even Linux.
CAKEWALK BY BANDLAB
The completely free DAW Cakewalk is a project by developer BandLab and is only available here through the manufacturer's website.
Cakewalk by BandLab is only available for Windows. To use Cakewalk on a Mac, you need a program like BootCamp that allows you to install Windows on a Mac.
Cubase from Steinberg is one of the most used DAWs and can still be found in many recording studios. Cubase AI is included free of charge with some Yamaha and Steinberg products, but you only get unlimited MIDI and audio tracks with Cubase Pro.
A little fun fact: Steinberg was founded in 1984 by Karl Steinberg and Manfred Rürup. They even developed the popular VST interface for plugins and Cubase counts over 1.5 million users worldwide!
FL STUDIO
Also known as fruity loops and can be found in the home studio of numerous producers such as Beshko. The pattern mode and the simple drag & drop function make it particularly easy for beginners. You always get updates free of charge from Image-Line.
Our recommendations: The Producer Edition contains all the important functions you need for producing and recording. The Signature Edition is available from Thomann for students at the same price.
GARAGEBAND
The free Apple GarageBand app is a little miracle. It's available for iPhone, iPod, iPad, MacBook and Mac Pro and it's really fun! Logic's little brother is really good - try the DAW for yourself.
You can produce projects on your mobile phone, save them in your iCloud and then edit them on the Mac. Only available for Apple OS (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Mac Pro).
LOGIC PRO
Apple's popular DAW contains numerous and probably the highest quality instruments, loops and effects. For creators with a Mac, Logic is the ideal tool. There are no limits to your ideas!
Our recommendations: The new MacBook Pro 16 with Logic Pro X or the Pro Apps Bundle with Final Cut Pro for students. Logic Pro is only available for MacOS!
LUNA
The new DAW from Universal Audio is reserved exclusively for users of the Apollo interfaces and combines an intelligent workflow with numerous power features such as almost latency-free monitoring and real-time processing with UAD plugins.
The LUNA recording system contains sounds from well-known manufacturers such as Moog, Ravel and Spitfire Audio LUNA is only available for users of selected Apollo interfaces.
MPC SOFTWARE
MPC 2.0 software developed by Akai Pro is free for the legendary MPC Live, MPC X, MPC Touch and MPC Studio Black available.
The hardware samplers are among the best in the business and are ideal for finger drummers and hip-hop fans.
● Too AKAI Professional*
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS MASCHINE
The software was specially developed for the MIDI controllers MASCHINE and MASCHINE MIKRO and pursues an innovative concept that, in combination with the hardware, allows you to realize your ideas incredibly quickly.
MASCHINE 2.0 is available for all users of MASCHINE and MASCHINE MIKRO hardware. Simply register the product in the user account and install it via Native Access. The software can be loaded as a plugin in any DAW.
NUENDO
The DAW from Steinberg is one of the more expensive competitors and is often used in film/TV productions due to its 22.2 surround support.
Anyone who provides sound for games is at Nuendo thanks to the direct connection to Audiokinetic at the right address.
PRO TOOLS
Pro Tools can be obtained from Avid im subscription model. A license can only be purchased from authorized dealers!
REAPER
Due to its extensive functions and options, REAPER takes some time to get used to properly, both for beginners and those switching from the industry, but this DAW is very cheap in comparison.
Who is interested in If you want to try REAPER first, you can test the full version for 60 days or start right away with the discounted license. Available for Windows, macOS and also for Linux.
REASON STUDIO
A whole new user experience - With Reason, your DAW becomes a plugin. There is a standalone version and the Reason Rack plugin that can be loaded into any DAW as VST, AU and AAX. A large selection of juicy-sounding instruments and great opportunities for experimentation.
Since the Reason 11 intro is limited to 16 tracks, we recommend the full version including 11 GB of sounds and samples.
STUDIO ONE 5
Our personal favorite of all DAWs – Studio One by PreSonus. Very underrated, super versatile and incredibly innovative. The consistent one-window policy has definitely turned out to be the best workflow for us.
Our tip: Anyone who already owns another DAW will receive a whopping 25% discount with the Studio One Crossgrade. External instruments (VST, AU, AAX) must first be upgraded with Studio One Artist, which is why we recommend crossgrading or the brand new version Studio One 5 Professional.
.PLUGINS (INSTRUMENTS and EFFECTS)
ABERRANT DSP
If you want something extraordinary and completely different in your music production, then Aberrant DSP is the right place for you. Here you get lo-fi effects and compressions that give your mix radio character!
The inexpensive Sketch Cassette and Shapeshifter plugins are available in VST3, AU, and AAX versions! Demos are currently not available.
● To the products of Aberrant DSP*
ACCESS ANALOG
Access Analog offers musicians and sound engineers access to professional analog audio hardware easily via an internet connection and in real time! To book your studio device, select the desired equipment, the time and the duration.
Our recommendation: try out legendary devices like the Universal Audio 1176, Universal Audio LA-2A, Manley Variable MU and NEVE 33609N!
● To the products of Access Analog
ACCUSONUS
The Greek technology company Accusonus developed high-quality and creative plugins with an innovative, minimalist user interface.
Many products such as the Era Bundle and SFX Cellar, the plugins Regroover, Rythmiq, Beatformer, Noise Remover and Voice Leveler are available as a monthly subscription or as a permanent license here in the online shop from Accusonus!
Update 2022: The Accusonus company now belongs to the Meta company. Accusonus products are currently not available.
● To Accusonus products
AIR Music Technology
BOOM, Velvet 2, Hybrid 3, Xpand!2, DB-33 and the Creative FX Collection Plus (AIR Reverb, Chorus, Multi-Delay, Fuzz-Wah, Enhancer, Pumper, TubeDrive and SaturationFilter) known from Pro Tools are available here.
Our tip: The plugins from AIR Music contain many good presets at a fair price. When you buy the M-Audio Keystation MK3 you get the synthesizer Xpand!2 for free!
● To the products from AIR Music Technology*
Airwindows
Chris from Airwindows develops plugins and makes them all available free of charge on his homepage, together with the code! The Airwindows De-Esser, ToTape, Channel7, Pressure4 and many more plugins are available here.
You can download all AU/VST plugins at once as a zip file. If that is too much for you, you can download and install individual plugins or the starter kit.
Ample Sound
The software instruments Ample Sound Bass, Upright Bass, AGG, AGT and many more are available from selected dealers such as Thomann and here in the Ample Sound shop:
In the shop from Ample Sound you can create your own bundle and get discounts on individual plugins! The free plugins Cloudrum and Ample Guitar M Lite are a good introduction to the product world of Ample Sound.
● To the products of Ample Sound*
Antares
The most famous plugin for vocal correction is the plugin Auto-Tune by Antares - Well-known artists who use the Auto-Tune effect are Travis Scott, Diplo, Kenny Beats , Skrillex and of course T-Pain. Click here for Antares.
Antares Auto-Tune is available in four different versions - the cheapest is Auto-Tune Access and the full range is available with Auto-Tune Pro! This and many other Antares products are also available as free demos for testing.
● To the products from Antares
Applied Acoustics Systems
Many popular plugins from Applied Acoustics Systems such as the powerful AAS Player and sounds from Chromaphone 2, Ultra Analog Session, Frontier, Ultra Analog VA-3 as well as numerous extensions such as Ultra FX, Angelicals are available here in the official online shop
Get it free Sound Pack Swatches for the AAS Player – The AAS Player can also be downloaded free of charge!
Arturia
You can find digital replicas of legendary analogue synthesizers at Arturia. The popular V Collection, FX Collection and Pigments should not be missed!
Our recommendation: The V Collection contains 24 of the most popular synthesizers of the past decades such as Jup-8 V, Prophet V, Wurli V, Buchla Easel V as well as Analog Lab and over 8,000 high-quality presets!
● To the products from Arturia*
BABY Audio
BABY Audio is a young Los Angeles-based software company that develops inspirational plug-ins such as Super VHS, Comback Kid and I Heart NY. Click here for the homepage.
Application example: The Parallel Aggressor is suitable for making your drums tighter! If you like Lo-Fi, you can use Super VHS in your mix.
● To the products from BABY Audio*
BigWerks
Powerful and affordable VST Plugins and Kontakt Instruments like Trap Utopian, Vibrations, Books of Sound, Floating Clouds, Dark Energy and The Morpheus are available here at BigWerks.
Cableguys
The Hamburg company Cableguys develops creative plugins and synthesizers that have it all! The ShaperBox 2 effect suite bridges any creative block and the HalfTime plugin is used frequently, especially in the trap genre.
Important note: Don't miss out on the new CrushShaper, VolumeShaper, MidiShaper and Curve 2! Try out the effect plugins as well as the free Pancake tool and the demos – the synthesizers are also really great!
● To the products from Cableguys*
Developed by the manufacturer of DJ software Mixedinkey. Well-known artists such as Dj Guetta and MG the Future use their Captain Chords plugin to automatically play in suitable chords.
The Captain Chords, Captain Melody and Captain Beat plugins are easy to use and load into the DAW! The Producer Collection contains all Captain Plugins at a reduced price.
● To the products of Captain Plugins
D16 Group
The premium plugins from the Polish software manufacturer D16 Group are known for their high-quality virtual instruments and effects. Many international music producers like Cxdy have the plugins Decimort, Godfazer and Punchbox in their library.
Small note: Reduced bundles and demos are available on the homepage! Other popular instruments include Nepheton, Drumazon, Phoscyon, Lush-101, as well as the effects Sigmund, Antresol and the free limiter Frontier.
● To the products of D16 Group*
The Swedish DJ duo Dada Life has developed two unique and rather bizarre plugins: The Sausage Fattener and Endless Smile effects give your mix the necessary kick!
Dada Life's effect plugins are available for Mac and Windows and in different plugin formats.More plugins will definitely be coming soon!
● To the products of Dada Life
DopeSONIX
The founding of the company began in the summer of 1994 when the founders heard Wu Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest's for the first time - from then on it was clear to them that they wanted to develop sounds for real underground hip-hop themselves : Beat Machine 2, Soul Town, Bass Engine and LoFi are just a few of their most popular plugins!
Our tip: The Bass Engine with 300 presets from 30 years of hip hop history is really great. All VST plugins are also available at Plugin Boutique for the same price!
● To the products of DopeSONIX
DSK Music
The Spanish developer and amateur musician Victor offers tons of VST instruments for free download on his homepage! Here you can get the DSK Music Box, The Grand, Overture, Choirz, Strings, Dynamic and much more.
All instruments are available at an unbeatable price in the DSK HQ Instruments Bundle! See if there's something for you too.
● To the products of DSK Music
FabFilter
FabFilter is one of our absolute favorites in this section. The plugins you will use to take your mix to the next level are designed to be simple and easy to understand. Dynamic processing of narrow frequency bands in mono and stereo is child's play with the FabFilter Pro-Q 3!
Our tip: The Pro Bundle contains everything from de-esser to equalizer to gate, limiter and reverb a professional mixing environment. Students get a hefty discount on all bundles.
● To the products of FabFilter*
FLUX Software Engineering
The FLUX audio plugins are particularly suitable for audio analysis and audio processing! This is where you come to the online shop of FLUX Software Engineering.
Popular plugins are the FLUX Pure Analyzer Essential and the Metering Add-On, Stereo Tool V3, BitterSweet and Spat Revolution.
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Freakshow Industries
A software developer like no other: Freakshow Industrie probably has them craziest homepage on the whole web and the craziest plugins ever! The new plugin Mishby is a unique tape machine. You shouldn't miss Backmask and Dumpster Fire either.
You can get all plugins cheaply and also for a small donation. Die-hards and producers who are constantly broke can even steal a license for the plugins in the shop..
● To the products of Freakshow Industries
The range of Future Audio Workshop really has it all! The SubLab plugin is a sampler with which you can layer, expand and distort your sounds and 808's and thus create your own sounds.
Recommendation: The handy synthesizer Circle² has a very intuitive design and delivers great sound - the plugin is NKS compatible and even works in the machine and Komplete Kontrol! Circle² can also be purchased from Splice in the rent-to-own model.
● To the products of Future Audio Workshop*
Goodhertz
I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali... The Goodhertz company may be based in Los Angeles, but the employees work from all over the world! The software plugins from Goodhertz have a really fresh design and are really fun.
Some of our favorites and the most popular plugins from Goodhertz include CanOpener Studio, Vulf Compressor, Wow Control, Lossy and Lohi!
Gospel Musicians
Gospel Musicians LLC software plugins and extensions for UVI and Kontakt, an app for iPad and iPhone and much more.
Special Plugins: Gospel Musicians Neo-Soul Keys Studio, MK Sensation, Pure Synth Platinum, BASSalicious 2, Talkbox Jr.
● To the products of Gospel Musicians
HOFA plugins
The plugins of the HOFA IQ series are popular with many sound engineers. The plugins IQ-Series Reverb V2, EQ V3, Comp, Limiter, and much more. you can get it here in the HOFA Plugin Shop.
If you are interested in sound engineering and music production, then take a closer look at the HOFA tutorial. Students at the HOFA College can use HOFA products free of charge during their studies!
HoRNet Plugins
There are various bundles with plugins such as SongKey MK3, HoRNet AutoGain, Tape, Chorus60, Spaces and the guitar effect WahWah.
Our tip: HoRNet users Plugins should submit their creations to be included on the official homepage! The free plugins HATEFISh RhyGenerator One and HoRNet Harmonics are worth getting started with.
● To the products of HoRNet Plugins
IK Multimedia
The Italian software company IK Multimedia is known for their high quality and productive plugins like AmpliTube, SampleTank and Syntronik! Here you can go directly to the offers from IK Multimedia.
In the IK Multimedia online shop you will find many other exciting products such as audio interfaces, MIDI controllers, microphones, loudspeakers and much more! Other special plugins are those of the T-RackS series and Hammond B-3X!
● To the products of IK Multimedia*
Image- Line
The software manufacturer of the DAW FL Studio has some interesting plugins available for Windows and macOS. The instruments and effects are also available as VST and AU versions, so they can be loaded into other DAWs!
Our tip: The synthesizer Morphine is available as a VST version for Windows and macOS. We especially like Sakura; great sound.
● Here you go directly to Image-Line*
Impact Soundworks
Some free instruments such as The Stroh Violin , Super Audio Boy, Cinematic Synthetic Drums, Shreggage 3 Precision, etc. are only available in the official Impact Soundworks shop!
● To the products of Impact Soundworks
Initial Audio
In the plugin Manufacturer Initial Audio you get contemporary sound for little money! All plugins, sounds and expansion packs from Initial Audio such as Heatup3 and Sector can be found here.
Trap and hip hop producers shouldn't miss Heatup3! Pay attention to the system requirements and your computer load, some plugins can be a bit more CPU intensive.
● To the plugins & expansion packs from Initial Audio*
The company iZotope makes high-quality plugins that are specially designed for mixing, mastering and restoring audio material! All products from iZotope and Exponential Audio such as the tools Neutron for vocals, Nectar, the VocalSynth, Stutter Edit, RX, Relay and many more are available here in the iZotope official shop.
Register for free and download the demo versions via the iZotope product portal and install the free and newly designed effect plugin iZotpe Vinyl! The Music Makers Bundle contains among others. the Mastering Suite iZotope Ozone 9 – There are numerous tutorials on YouTube.
● To the products from iZotope*
Joey Sturgis Tones
The small software company Joey Sturgis Tones from Indiana develops useful plugins and effects like Tones, Drums, Snare, Studio, Misha Mansoor! Here you get straight to the offers from Joey Sturgis Tones.
Other popular plugins such as Gain Reduction Deluxe and the Sub Destroyer are available in cheaper bundles with different combinations!
● To the products of Joey Sturgis Tones
Kilohearts
Kilohearts plugins are easy to use and extremely high quality. In addition to the 3-band EQ, the free Kilohearts Toolbox STARTER contains ingenious effects such as chorus, delay, limiter and a stereo widener.
Small note: Get the Kilohearts Toolbox Professional or the All Bundle from Slate Digital with the complete Kilohearts Bundle including the popular Reverb as well as Tape Stop and much more!
● To the products from Kilohearts*
Klangehelm
The Berlin software company Klanghelm has specialized in the development of professional metering plugins, compressors and saturation effects. Here you can find all software products from Klanghelm.
Popular plugins from Klanghelm include the VU meter VUMT deluxe and the compressors MJUC, DC8C, DC1A as well as the distortion and saturation plugins IVGI and SDRR.
Kush Audio
Kush Audio provides analog hardware such as the Omega microphone amplifier, Clariphonic Parallel Equalizer, Tweaker Sidechain Shaping Compressor and the KuSh Audio Electra 500. Kush Audio also develops high-quality software emulations!
Our recommendation: AR-1 Vintage Mu Compressor, Pusher and UBK-1. All plug-ins are also available as a subscription in the practical Kush Complete Bundle!
● To the products from Kush Audio
KV331 Audio
The award-winning software synthesizer SynthMaster developed by KV331 Audio is available in VST/VSTi, AU and RTAS/AAX formats! There is even a mobile version for iPhones and iPads. Click here for the official homepage of KV331 Audio.
The wavetable synthesizer Synthmaster One is extremely comprehensive and popular with many producers - as a start, the free Synthmaster Player with over 500 presets!
● To the products of KV331 Audio
KVR Audio
KVR Audio is a marketplace and English-speaking forum for musicians, producers and audio engineers. Here you can find information about plugin updates, deals and many free plugins to download.
The extensive database of KVR Audio contains many software manufacturers, plugins and classics as well as the software synthesizer Synth1.
● To the products of KVR Audio
Lennar Digital
The Sylenth1 instrument is one of the most popular synthesizers worldwide and is used by Producers like Martin Garrix, Kygo and Zedd played! If you're into electronic music, Lennar Digital is the place for you.
Sylenth1 is the only plugin from Lennar Digital and contains great presets. On the Internet you can find countless user-created presets for free download. Discounts are only available for students and on special occasions.
● To the products of Lennar Digital
Lethal Audio
With more than 5 GB The synthesizer Lethal offers more than just a creative basis for sounds - just convince yourself of this plugin
Many extensions and expansion packs for Lethal as well as a fully functional and unlimited demo version of Lethal with over 100 selected sounds are available here.
● To the products of Lethal Audio
MAAT Digital
Attention professionals: The company MAAT Digital develops technically advanced audio tools for the music industry. The plugins thEQorange, thEQblue, thEQred, SantaCruzEQ, RSPhaseShifter, DRMeter and many more are available under the following link in the MAAT Digital online shop.
At MAAT Digital you can download the plugins 2BusControl and GÖN free of charge! Try out the demos of the plugins and see for yourself!
● To the products from MAAT Digital*
MeldaProduction
MeldaProduction's plugins are undoubtedly among the most powerful and versatile audio tools on the market. By the way, updates are always free with MeldaProductions!
Really recommendable is the free autotune effect MAutoPitch and the free starter bundle with countless plugins for your DAW! Discounted bundles are also available.
● To the products of MeldaProduction*
Midi Madness
The plugin is available as a VST and AU version and at PluginBoutique. You can easily get a demo on the homepage!
● To the plugin Midi Madness
MixMeister
BPM Analyzer, DAWs for Podcasters, radio DJs and dedicated music software for fitness trainers and dancers who are not DJs and have no experience mixing music. Express and Studio are also available together as a Fusion.
The inexpensive and very useful BPM Analyzer should not be missing in any home studio. The plugin is currently available for the Windows operating system and will soon also be available for MacOS.
Native Instruments
Berlin - a city full of creative minds and software and hardware manufacturers. Native Instruments is especially known for their MASCHINE and the huge variety of high-quality instruments, effects and hardware.
Our recommendation: the compressors VC-76 and VC-2A for vocal processing. The Kontakt Player and Komplete Start are free! Discounts on updates are only available on Black Friday, in the summer sale and as educational discounts.
● To the products from Native Instruments*
Neural DSP
Something special for the guitarists among you: The guitar amps from Neural DSP are among the best plugins of their kind! Here you can get the amps Plini, Parallax, Fortin, Darkglass, Abasi and more.
The guitar amps Archetype: Cory Wong and Nolly are really impressive and are also used by US producer Kenny Beats. The new Floor Modeler Quad Cortex is only available by pre-order.
● To the products from Neural DSP
Nicky Romero Kickstart 2
The Dutch music producer Nicky Romero has developed the sidechain effect plugin Kickstart in cooperation with Cableguys, which is used by DJs and producers worldwide!
Application example: To provide a simple alternative to the complex To get the sidechain process, you can place the plugin on the bass, especially with EDM and electro, and let it pump nicely.
● To the products of Nicky Romero (Cableguys)*
oeksound
At oeksound you get audio tools with a modern design for professional digital music production!
The plugins dynamic suppressor soothe2 and EQ spiff are available under the above link. Both tools can be used completely free of charge for 20 days!
Orchestral Tools
Special instruments and breathtaking samples for professional audio production. The instruments are loaded in the free SINE Player.
Try out the free Instrument Layers and the instruments TIME micro, Berlin Symphonic Harps and Glory Days! There are special prices for sales campaigns and all year round for students.
● To the products of Orchestral Tools
Output Arcade
Arcade is a plugin with many different instruments and samples that are regularly expanded by the manufacturer Output. The plugin is available with a cheap subscription and can even be canceled monthly!
Use Output Arcade for 30 days free of charge and play through the variety of instruments and packs! The root note setting is adopted at all times, so you can easily switch through the presets.
Output
The manufacturer Output is known in the industry for their great plugins and studio furniture like Platform! They recently released a new Saturion plugin called Thermal and developed the instruments Analog Strings and Substance, among others.
Small note: Get a big discount on the Full Suite Bundle incl. Portal, Movement, Rev X-Loops and Exhale, the instrument responsible for the song Mi Gente by J Balvin and Willy William.
Plugin Alliance
The products available in the Plugin Alliance online shop are used in many professional and commercial productions! You can access the Tape Saturation Plugins SPL TwinTube, Black Box Analog Design HG-2, the Knifonium synthesizer, the Diezel VH4 amplifier and many other plugins here.
Now there are over 126 premium plugins in the advantageous PA MEGA Bundle subscription! In the Plugin Alliance online shop, there are sometimes good offers and big discounts on selected plugins and permanent licenses.
● To the products of Plugin Alliance
Plugin Boutique
Plugin Boutique is the marketplace par excellence for software deals and free plugins. Whether iZotopes Nectar Elements, the Loopcloud membership, Dope or Iris - with every purchase you get a plugin for free. What's included this time?
Our tip: Sign up for the newsletter and find out in good time which plugins are reduced and for free this month! With every purchase you collect tokens - redeem them to get discounts and sample packs.
● Get your free plugin here on Plugin Boutique!*
Plugins by musicians for musicians - Polyverse Music was founded in 2015 and has been making creative plugins like Comet and GateKeeper ever since.
Try this from the DJ -Duo Infected Mushroom co-developed and free plugin Wider for changing the stereo width of your signal! The popular plugins Manipulator and I Wish are also available in a discounted bundle on the homepage.
● To the products from Polyverse Music*
reFX
Nexus is the only reFX plugin, but it's a really strong ROMpler! Known users of this instrument are KSHMR, Tiësto, Kygo, Steve Aoki, Marshmello, David Guetta and Armin van Buuren.
There are numerous expansions of all genres to expand your sound library Nexus is available in the Starter Bundle and as a Value and Complete Bundle with over 16,000 presets!
Reveal Sound
The extremely versatile synthesizer Spire is used by DJs such as Blasterjaxx, Armin van Buuren, Gorgon City and Dada Life and the sound bank can be expanded with additional presets via the Reveal Sound Sound Store!
Spire is also available from Thomann, but there are extensions, samples and free presets only in the Reveal Sound Sound Store! So click on the button above to go directly to the Reveal Sound homepage!
● To the Reveal Sound products*
Roland Cloud
The Roland Cloud gives you access to numerous instruments and classics! ZENOLOGY and all ZEN-Core Sound Packs are already available with the cheap Core Membership, which can be canceled monthly or annually!
Try out all legendary instruments with the Ultimate Membership! Lifetime keys can be purchased via the Roland Cloud Manager and products can also be used without an active subscription.
● To the products from Roland Cloud*
SA Recordings
SA Recordings' spectacular recordings and sounds were created in collaboration with various artists and Spitfire and are available here as expansions for Spitfire.
SA Recordings is a brand new record label and music platform dedicated to the sounds of contemporary composers. Here you get high-quality and professionally recorded samples and musical instruments.
● To the products of SA Recordings
Saucey Audio
Julez usually travels the world with his team and records sounds and is known for the sample pack series Producers On the Run - now there are also a few plugins.
In the new online Shop by Saucey Audio by Julez Jadon you will find the Saucey Filter and Saucey Distortion effects and the Kontakt instruments Hot Sauce: The 808 Pack Vol. 2 and Studio Essentials: The Emergency Kit and more!
● Go to the products from Saucey Audio
Slate Digital
Slate Digital was founded in 2008 with one mission: to provide the best digital audio tools for professional producers, mixers and sound engineers to develop. In addition to the Virtual Recording Studio and the Virtual Microphone System, you get numerous top-class plugins in the All Access Pass.
Our recommendation: The All Access Pass with the Virtual Mix Rack and other plugin bundles from Kilohearts, guitar amps and Effects from TH-U and the synthesizer ANA 2 in an annual subscription. Don't miss the preamps and the SSL compressor.
● To the products of Slate Digital*
Softube
Softube is a well-known manufacturer of premium plugins for the audio industry. From the amplifier, the synthesizer heartbeat, to the tape and room, everything is included. There is also a hardware controller called Console for controlling the plugins.
The synthesizer Modular and the bundles Volume 4 and Time & Tone incl. Saturation Knob and many other Softube plugins are only available there!
● To the products from Softube*
Sonic Academy
The company Sonic Academy not only has an English-language portal with a forum for musicians, DJs and producers, but is also a manufacturer the popular digital synthesizer ANA 2 and Kick 2!
In the Sonic Academy shop you will find extensions for ANA 2 and sample packs - it's worth a look! Just click on the button above to go to the shop.
● To the products of Sonic Academy
Sonic Cat
The software plugins on the Homepage by Sonic Cat are instruments developed by music enthusiasts and have special sounds
Popular plugins from Sonic Cat include the software synthesizer Purity from Sonic Cat (Luxonix) and the Kontakt instruments Ravity S and Calliope!
● To the products of Sonic Cat
Soundiron
The Soundiron company is another premium manufacturer of Instruments and Kontakt Libraries. The plugins were developed by award-winning audio engineers and are particularly suitable for high-quality productions.
Well-known and popular plugins/instruments from Soundiron include Olympus Symphonic Choir, the Vocal Suite, Choir, Requiem Light, Venus, Voices of Rapture, Symphonic Choir and Tables! All plugins are also available in interesting and inexpensive bundles!
● To the products from Soundiron*
Soundsonline
In the online shop of the EASTWEST studio you can get very high-quality virtual instruments such as Hollywood Orchestra, drums, effects, world music instruments and much more!
The ComposerCloud membership gives you access to over 40,000 instruments and plugins! It can be subscribed to monthly or annually, and students receive a discount on their subscription.
● To the products from EastWest*
Soundtoys
The effects of Soundtoys bring color and life into your digital recording studio! These plug-ins combine the sound of analog devices with modern elements - Here you get the Soundtoys Effect Rack, Little Alterboy and Microshift and much more.
Our recommendation: Get the free demos or the EchoBoy Jr. by Soundtoys. You get all 21 plugin-ins in the Soundtoys 5 and Soundtoys 5 Academic bundle for pupils and students.
Legendary sonic properties of SSL audio products in affordable plug-in form: Solid State Logic is known for its mixers and special hardware and houses them the name SSL Native Plug-Ins, also to live digitally.
All Solid State Logic plug-ins are also available in the SSL Native 'Complete Bundle' as a subscription and direct license. The bundle includes the following plugins: ChannelStrip, Bus Compressor, FlexVerb, Drumstrip, VocalStrip, X-EQ 2, X-Saturator, X-Comp, X-ValveComp and X-Phase.
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Spectrasonics Virtual Instruments
The company Spectrasonics Virtual Instruments is known to many producers, because they have some behemoths like the Omnisphere, Keyscape, Trillian, Stylus and Atmosphere instruments to offer! The huge sound libraries are popular with many star producers and musicians.
The Spectrasonics plugins are only available from selected dealers and in their own online shop! Demos of the plugins are not available, but only because the instruments are so extensive.
● To the products of Spectrasonics Virtual Instruments
Spitfire
Spitfire manufactures very high quality instruments that are particularly suitable for professional and commercial productions. Popular strings, orchestras, keys, drum samples such as Hans Zimmer Strings, Percussion Swarm and BBC Symphony Orchestra are only available on the homepage.
Get the Spitfire Audio App and start with the free instrument series LABS from Spitfire ! Students get an attractive EDU discount on all available plugins.
Splice
The ultimate tool for producers! On Splice you will find numerous plugins, drum kits, samples and sounds from Boi-1da, Supah Mario Murda Beats, !LLMIND's RC-20 Preset Pack and much more! Get 14 days of free access
Our tip: You can pause the monthly subscription at any time and you can get hundreds of sounds for little money. In addition, plugins such as Serum from Xfer are offered with free financing.
● To the plugins & samples from Splice*
Steinberg
The Steinberg company is the developer of the VST interface, as well as the DAWs Cubase and Nuendo! All VST instruments, synthesizers and effects are available here on Steinberg's official website.
The Steinberg Plugin Manager and the Steinberg License Manager are required for the installation and licensing of your Steinberg products. Download it using the button above and get HALion, attractive Steinberg bundles and free demos for download!
● To the products from Steinberg*
Sugar Bytes
The German plugin manufacturer Sugar Bytes from Berlin develops professional and versatile effects and synthesizers for studio musicians and live artists!
Small note: In the popular Sugar Bundles include the drum machines, multi-effects sequencers and synthesizers Egoist, Effectrix, DrumComputer, Aparillo, Looperator, Turnado, Factory, Cyclop, WOW2, Obscurium!
● To the Sugar Bytes products*
Synapse Audio
The software manufacturer Synapse Audio develops high-quality plugins such as the instruments The Legend, Oberheim, DUNE 2, Orion and the popular Vintage Synthesizer Obsession!
Synapse Audio's plugins are available in the most popular formats (VST/AU/AAX)! Free demo of all plugins You can easily test them out before you buy them.
● To the Synapse Audio products*
Thenatan
Another insider tip, although US producer Murdabeats recently revealed that Thenatan's Tape Piano is his current favorite plugin! Check back here from time to time as Thenatan is now releasing new software products regularly.
The new lo-fi multi-effects plugin Vybz has just been released, following the release of the intelligent synth BRAIN and the plugin Underwater FX! Other plugins such as TRAX, The Pianist and Poizen are also available here in the official ADSR Sounds shop.
● To the products from Thenatan
Tokyo Dawn Records
The Tokyo Dawn Records homepage has plugins for audio recording, mixing, mastering and audio restoration.
To the popular Tokyo Dawn audio plugins Labs also owns the TDR Kotelnikov dynamic compressor, which you can get for free, by the way! The plugins Molotok GE, Nova GE and TDR SlickEQ Mastering are also available in inexpensive bundles.
● To the products of Tokyo Dawn Records*
The Tone2 company is known for developing award-winning VST and AU plugins such as those of the high-end synthesizers and effects Icarus, Firebird, Saurus, Gladiator, Ultraspace.
Our recommendation: All synthesizers are also available in a cheap bundle! Nemesis and Electra sound very high quality and the VST Wrapper Nano-Host and demos of the plugins are available for free download on the homepage!
TONSTURM
TONSTURM develops impressive and unique software instruments for the music and film industry! All TONSTURM products and offers can be found here:
All instruments (VSTi) such as Windmaschine, FRQ Shift, Traveler and Whoosh are available under the link above Additional sound packs are available on the TONSTURM homepage.
● To the products from TONSTURM
Toontrack
The software plugins and audio tools for songwriters, musicians and music producers are developed at Toontrack by musicians and for musicians.
Popular instruments such as EZbass, EZkeys, Superior Drummer 3, EZdrummer, EZmix 2, all additional MIDI packs and extra extensions are available via the Toontrack Product Manager.
● To the products of Toontrack*
u-he
The popular synthesizer Diva, You can get Zebra2, Repro, Hive and effects such as the Presswerk compressor and Satin band simulator from u-he here.
The plugins TyrellN6, Zebralette, Podolski, Triple Cheese and other effects are available at u- hey free! There's even a discount on Zebra2 if you send in a photo of your old synthesizer! Funny, isn't it?
UJAM
The Bremen software company develops very easy-to-use and intuitive plugins for musicians and producers and offers, for example, the instruments Virtual Guitarist, Carbon, Vice and Silk.
Our recommendation: the instruments Virtual Bass, Virtual Beatmaker, Voodoo and the free effect plugin Finisher Micro!
Universal Audio Universal Audio's plugins bring analog and authentic sound to your mixes. You can get high-quality emulations of true classics such as the Manley Variable Mu Limiter Compressor, API 2500 Bus Compressor and the Fairchild Tube Limiter Plug-In Collection here. The computing power of all Universal Audio Powered Plug-Ins is controlled by the UAD hardware ! Users of the Apollo Twin X, Twin USB Turbo Duo etc. can also look forward to the new and free DAW LUNA. ● To the products from Universal Audio* UVI The French company UVI develops unique software instruments, effects and sound products for the pro industry. UVI's sounds are used worldwide in live shows, in hit productions, as well as in blockbuster movies and AAA games. The free UVI Workstation 3 player, as well as the popular plugins and instruments UVI Falcon, Vintage Cault, Drum Replacer, Grand Piano, Model D and UVI Toy Suite are only available through the official website. Click the button to get to UVI! Valhalla DSP Not only the reverb plugins Valhalla VintageVerb and Supermassive from Valhalla are very popular! All plugins like Valhalla Shimmer and Vallhalla VintagePlate are available here on the Valhalla DSP homepage. Mixing tip: Get the free plugin Freq Echo as well as Valhalla Delay, Plate, Room and Valhalla UberMod! There are no bundles or discounts, but each effect costs the same. ● To the products of Valhalla DSP VCV The software from the USA Developer VCV convinces with its free flagship plugin VCV Rack, for which over 2300 modules are now available! Vengeance -Sound Effects and analysis tools such as Tape Stop and Phalanx All sample packs for Dubstep, EDM, House, Future Bass, Pop and related genres are available in bundles here in the Vegeance shop- Sound at an unbeatable price. Among other things, the synthesizer VPS Avenger Synth, the sampler Scope and the multiband Sidechain3, which is used in the song "Like I Love You" by Nico Santos and music producer Pascal "Kalli", are also highly recommended. Reinhardt was also in action! ● To the products from Vengeance-Sound Voxengo Voxengo offers high quality DAW audio plugins as well as sample rate converters for Wind ows and MacOS. The audio tools from Voxengo, which are particularly suitable for audio and music production, mixing and mastering, are available here. In the official Voxengo online shop you can get the free audio analyzer Voxengo Span as well as the Voxengo CurveEQ, PHA- 979, MSED, Elephant, Boogex, Marvel GEQ, Tube Amp. Waves Audio Waves plugins are among the most popular in the entire audio industry! In addition, Waves effects and instruments work on any operating system and with almost any DAW. Click on the button here and get an additional 10% discount code on your next Waves plugins. Our purchase recommendation: Get a 10% discount on your next order here! The plugins PuigTec EQs, OneKnob Series, J37 Tape, Abbey Road Chambers, Silver Bundle and Waves Tune Real-Time are real classics! ● To the products from Waves Audio* Wavesfactory Audio plugins that are innovative, evocative, simple and powerful. Wavesfactory develops and designs popular virtual instruments and Kontakt Libraries like Trackspacer, Specter, Le Parisien and many more. You get a big discount with the plugin bundle! Other popular Kontakt libraries and plugins include Casette, Ukelele Collection, Sharine and the free plugins in the "Freebies" section! ● To the Wavesfactory products*
The company founded by Steve Duda develops high-quality plug-ins and software synthesizers. Xfer's most well-known instrument is probably Serum, the synthesizer that DJ Deadmau5 also trusts.
Free updates and the products LFO Tool, Nerve and Cthulhu round off the range in the Xfer Records shop. The software synthesizer Serum is also available as a rent-to-own model from Splice! Student discounts only.
XLN Audio
XLN Audio has the instruments Addictive Drums 2, Addictive Keys, XO and cool effects like RC-20 Retro Color, which you can use to achieve a great vintage effect.
Just test the XLN plugins yourself by installing the demos of the products and playing around with them a little! You can't go wrong here.
● To the products of XLN Audio*
zplane
More plugins from Germany; this time from Berlin-Schoeneberg! The company Zplane is one of the leading companies with pitch and time software for music production and speech processing.
Popular zplane plugins include the Decoda, Polyphony and reTune plugins! All zplane plugins are also available here at PluginBoutique!
● To the products from zplane*
zynaptiq
The Hanover-based company Zynaptiq develops high-tech applications and uses the latest artificial intelligence techniques
There are big discounts in the Zap, Design, Remix, Master and Repair categories -Bundles. Free demos are available for many plug-ins such as Adaptiverb, Unveil, Pitchmap, Morph and Unmix:Drums!
products.SAMPLES & DRUM KITS
!llmind
American hip-hop producer !llmind is known for many of his productions, such as those starring Erykah Badu, 50 Cent and Ludacris known! All blapkits from Grammy producer !llmind can be found here on his homepage.
● To the drumkits from !llmind
Boi-1da
Boi-1da is no stranger - The OVO producer has worked with Eminem, Nas and Kendrick Lemar and produced numerous hits. You can get the official Boi-1da Sound Kit Vol. 1 & 2 drum kits here for a small donation.
Professional and royalty-free sound effects are available in the BOOM Library! Well-known BOOM customers include Nintendo, Sega, EA, Square Enix, Rockstar Games, Ubisoft, Netflix, Universal and the SAE Institute.
● To the sounds of BOOM Library
Drumify
Drumify (formerly Treesounds) is an English platform for samples and drum kits. The founder and driving force is the US producer collective Splitmind.
● To the drum kits from Drumify
DrumKeyz You can get powerful drum kits and loop packs from BWB (aka BigWhiteBeatz) like The Wave here on the official homepage. ● To the drum kits from DrumKeyz
The drum kits from US star producer Foreignteck are only available in his online shop on Sellfy. All sounds can be loaded into any DAW and any hardware sampler.
Julez Jadon
On his journey around the world, Julez Jadon makes unique recordings and uses them to create high-quality drum kits for the producer community that pack a punch! A real insider tip are the ProducerOnTheRun Kits with sounds from Miami, Bali and co >
On the Loopcloud platform you get over 4 million unique sounds and instruments in one cheap membership. Every month you will receive new coins that you can exchange for loops and one-shots.
Loopcloud's plugin suite not only includes a sampler that can be loaded into any DAW so that you can flip your selected sound directly and customize, but also numerous drum kits and virtual instruments! Get Loopcloud for 30 days for free and 300 samples of your choice for free here:
Loopmasters
In Loopmaster's huge sample boutique you will find numerous high-quality royalty-free samples, loops and one-shots at attractive prices.
OZ
The Swiss producer OZ has made history - with his productions he became Drake's house producer and delivers one hit after the next. You can only get the official drum kits and loops from OZ here.
SNAREBOY!
In the Snareboy shop you can get exclusive drum kits from selected producers. There are also a few free sounds.
● Go to the SNAREBOY homepage!
Sounds.com
The online portal for drum kits and melody loops newly founded by Native Instruments is called Sounds.com! - You can only get over millions of high-quality sounds here - Click and go directly to the website.
The monthly membership at Sounds.com is not only practical but also extremely cheap! You can conveniently exchange your selected samples for coins that are recharged every month.
Soundsnap
Soundsnap is an online sound library with over 300.000 Sound Effects and Foleys, which is even updated weekly! Get unlimited downloads here:
Splice
Die Probably the most well-known platform for samples and loops: Exclusive drum kits from producers such as !llmind, KSHMR, Julez Jadon, Murda Beatz and plugins can only be found here at Splice
In the Splice app you can practically search for samples and import them directly into your Drag DAW to use it! Your coins are recharged every month, so you always have the right sound ready!
Stoopid Lou
The Berlin music producer and sample composer Stoopid Lou conjures up exclusive melody loops that have already been used in productions for Summer Walker, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Lil Tecca, Trippie Redd and many more. - Here are his Melody Packs:
● To the homepage of Stoopid Lou
The Drum Broker The quality of the exclusive drum kits and loop packs on hiphopdrumsamles.com are of the highest quality and probably the best in the industry. Here you will find Cookin Soul, !llmind, MSXII Sound Design, Marco Polo and much more! ● To the homepage of The Drum Broker Unison In the Unision shop you can get numerous sample, preset and MIDI packs of different genres. The practical and popular Unision MIDI Chord Pack contains numerous chords as a MIDI file. This makes melodies child's play. WavSupply The drum kits and loops by the American producer collective Internet Money (Taz Taylor, Nick Mira, KC Supreme and others) can be found here on WavSupply: Whole Loops In the shop of Reid Stefan, the realest puppet in the game, there are high-quality sample packs, presets for Serum, Waves StudioRack, Ableton, UAD, bundles and much more! ● To the homepage of Whole Loops Zenhiser The sample catalogue by Zenhiser is particularly suitable for the genres house, techno, trance, drum & bass, and downtempo.
Free loops & drum kits
Angelicvibes
Here you can get the free instrument plugin Iota Mini and all free sample packs from Angelicvibes:
Cymatics
The US American sample producers Steve and Drew have numerous sample packs as well as free loops and presets in their online shop -Packs ready.
Goldbaby
Lovers of vintage drum machines, Synthesizers and vinyl get a full load of crazy samples in the "Free Stuff" section of Goldbaby.
Looperman
The online platform Looperman is very popular and archives millions of royalty-free samples! Here you can go directly to Looperman and search for free loops.
Melodics
Melodics is a program that will help you improve your keyboard skills and drumming skills in a flash. You can train every day for free and when you complete an exercise, you will regularly receive Sample Packs for free from Melodics! Sign up for free membership here:
Other Software
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is the world's most popular program for viewing and editing PDF documents.
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Amphetamine
The free app Amphetamine for macOS prevents the energy saving mode of your MacBook from activating and, for example turn off the screen.
Audacity
Audacity is a free audio software with which you can edit and record audio. The very limited DAW is suitable for simple recording at home.
Discord
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iTunes
The free multimedia player iTunes is available for Windows and as a new music app for macOS.
With Apple Music, millions of songs and all exclusive radio stations can be streamed! Thanks to the practical synchronization, your favorite songs are also automatically available on your iPhone and iPad.
KeyFinder
The KeyFinder is a free program to determine the key of a file and is available here for macOS:
● To Ibrahim Sha'ath KeyFinder
Loudness Penalty: Analyzer
The Loudness Penalty Analyzer is a practical and free online tool that determines the average volume of your mix. Click here for the homepage:
● To Loudness Penalty: Analyzer
Magnet
The Magnet app is super handy! It automatically adjusts the window size of your programs so you don't lose track! Available here on the App Store for macOS:
Melodics
With Melodics you learn to play the piano in a very easy and modern way and improve your skills on the pad controller and on the drums! Register here for free and try it out for yourself.
With small exercises that you complete every day, you expand your progress and unlock free sample packs! Click here for the free download:
● To Melodics - try it for free!
MP3TAG
Open Emu
Orban Loudness Meter
The free Orban Loudness Meter is available for Mac and Windows and measures the average loudness of your song. Click here for the official download:
Pace iLok
Pace's digital and free license manager iLok is used by many software manufacturers such as Avid for licensing.Click here for the official download on the Pace iLok homepage:
Shazam The Shazam app scans and recognizes any song in seconds! The free app is available for Windows, macOS and of course iOS and Android: Slack Team communication becomes a lot easier with the instant messaging service Slack for large music projects - and is not only popular with start-ups: ● To Slack Song BPM If you want to easily find out the tempo (BPM) of a well-known song, just search the name here for free in the database Song BPM: Tag Editor Free The program Tag Editor Free is a free tool for editing MP3 tags. The tool is available for macOS here: Tunebat Tunebat is a free online tool that automatically determines the key and tempo (BPM) of your song. Simply upload the file and wait! Click here for Tunebat: VideoLan - VLC Player The multimedia player developed by VideoLan supports many audio and video formats and is a good alternative to the standard audio player. Click here to download it for free from the official website: WinRAR WinRAR computer program is a handy tool for unpacking and compressing files in RAR file format. Here is the official homepage: WhoSampled The online platform WhoSampled is legendary! Here you can find out which samples were used for which songs and lots of other useful background information!
The perfect computer/laptop for professional music production
Digital processing of audio is one of the most computationally intensive things done in real time on computers today. So-called audio processing can become more CPU-intensive than 3D games. You can find more about this topic on the Image-Line homepage: Here
For digital music productions, we recommend a system with at least 8 GB RAM, an Intel i5 processor and 500 GB hard disk space.
Laptops are more expensive in comparison and often cannot be expanded - but they are mobile. The DAW Logic Pro X only works on Apple devices and other DAWs can run more stably with Windows or Linux as the operating system.
Our recommendations for an optimal system
For demanding sessions and enough memory for samples and projects, you need at least 16 GB of RAM, an Intel i7 processor and 2 TB of storage space. For backups of your data and larger projects, we recommend buying an additional external hard drive.
Build high-end computers for your own home studio
The following specs are suitable for very demanding sessions and video productions: Intel i9 processor, 64 GB RAM, 2 TB hard disk space and a motherboard with integrated Thunderbolt 3 ports for a fast connection to your external audio interface. The price for a self-made high-end PC system for music production can therefore be around €2,500. You can use Alternate's PC Configurator to find the right parts.
How to find the right software
Some software manufacturers offer free demos for download, which often contain all the functions of the full versions.
If you are still unsure before buying, take a good look at your new software. There is rarely a replacement guarantee for software for musicians and producers like there is with studio hardware.
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