You don't need to spend money to make a good record, but you do need to be selective. There are hundreds of free plugins, and most of what you need is already inside your DAW. The skill is knowing which gaps a free tool really fills and which ones only add clutter and CPU load.
Start with what your DAW already has
Almost every DAW comes with an EQ, a compressor, a reverb, a delay and a limiter. Those stock tools are good enough to finish a release. Learn them properly before you install anything else, because an artist who understands one EQ will mix better than one with fifty plugins and no idea what they do.
Every new plugin also adds something that can break: a different interface, a different format, a project that won't open on another computer. A useful rule is to install a free tool only when it does something your stock tools can't, or when you keep running into the same limit.
Types of free tools worth having
You don't need specific product names. You need categories, and then you can search for what is currently available.
- EQ. A clean parametric EQ with a spectrum display helps you see problems. A second, more surgical one is handy for finding and cutting a ringing frequency.
- Compressor. One transparent compressor for controlling dynamics, and one with more character for gluing a drum bus. Look for a clear gain reduction meter.
- Reverb and delay. A simple reverb with controls for pre-delay, decay and damping, and a tape-style or digital delay with sync to tempo.
- Saturation. Gentle distortion that adds warmth to a thin vocal or synth. Used sparingly it helps. Overused it makes everything harsh.
- Meters and analysers. A loudness meter, a true-peak meter, a spectrum analyser and a phase or stereo correlation display. Free meters are often as good as paid ones, and they stop you from guessing.
- Tuner. For tuning guitars and checking the pitch of a recorded line.
- Synths and samplers. A wavetable synth, a simple subtractive synth, a drum sampler and a basic piano or strings instrument cover a lot of ground.
- Utilities. Gain, mid/side, a mono check and a noise gate. They are boring and you'll use them every day.
How to judge a free plugin
- Check the source. Download from the developer's own website or a well-known plugin store. Look at the version number, the release date and what other users say.
- Check compatibility. Does it come in the format your DAW uses, and does it run on your operating system and processor? Check again after big system updates.
- Read the licence. Some free plugins are free for any use. Others allow personal use only. If you will release music for profit, make sure commercial use is allowed. Loops and presets that come with a plugin may have their own terms too.
- Test it fairly. Compare on your own track, not on the demo, and match the volume with and without the plugin. Louder almost always sounds better, so level matching is the only honest test.
- Watch performance. Does it use a lot of CPU, add latency or crash when you save? Remove it if it does.
- Check that you understand it. If you can't tell what a knob does after five minutes, it may not suit you.
- Look for updates. A plugin that is no longer maintained may stop working after your next system update. Keep a copy of the installer.
Avoid cracked software
Cracked plugins are illegal, and they also cause real trouble. They are a common way to get malware onto a computer that holds your projects, accounts and files. They tend to be unstable and can crash a session, and they can't be updated safely. If a project opens on a computer without the cracked version, parts of it can go silent.
They also take income away from the small developers who made the free and paid tools you use. Before you go looking for a cracked copy, check if there is a free version, a trial or a sale. Many paid plugins have a cheaper or stripped-down edition.
Keep a small toolkit
Pick one tool from each category, learn it properly and resist installing fifty more. A short list is something you can know by heart, and your mixes get more consistent because you're using the same tools on every song.
A few habits protect your work. Keep a note of the plugins and versions you use. Save installers somewhere safe. Before you hand a project to someone else, or if you'll need to reopen it years later, export the individual tracks as audio so the song doesn't depend on a plugin that may vanish.
Before you install
- Which problem is this plugin solving that my stock tools can't?
- Is it from the developer, and does it match my system?
- Is commercial use allowed?
- Did I compare it fairly against what I already have?
- Will I remove it if I don't use it in a month?
Free tools can take you very far, as long as you pick them on purpose.