Best Free Plugins For Pro Tools Metal

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Best Free Plugins For Pro Tools Metal

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Pro Tools First Free Plugins
What it does: The best vocoder plugins cost a lot of money, but TAL Vocoder gets the job done pretty well for free. It's specifically designed to produce sounds in line with vintage 1980s vocoders, so it's great if you're going for a retro sound.
This is also a free plug-in bundled with Pro Tools available in AAX native & AAX DSP. Saturation Knob By Softube Simplicity is sometimes best and the best one-knob style distortion plug-in is The Saturation.
These are the best VST plugins that can be used with music software like FL Studio, Ableton Live, Pro Tools, Reaper, and more. VST instruments give you additional sounds to create with like Pianos, Synths, Organs, and Bass. Common VST Plugin Questions: What Are VST Plugins? VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology.
We've searched all over the Internet to pull together a huge list of totally Free AAX Plug-Ins for Pro Tools 11 and 12 just for you, no strings attached!
Top 10 Best Synthesizer Plugins for Pro Tools Gary October 9, 2018 Guide No Comments Every time someone tells you 'these are the best 10 ' and he/ she is talking about music gear, stop listening, or start listening with a very critical ear.
Investing in hardware and plugins comes with the territory in audio. We're no strangers to that at BB4, where we've sought every upgrade imaginable for recording, mixing and critical listening. 
But there are times when you need only brandish the basics to nail that perfect sound. That notion leads you to Avid's Pro Tools, which as a DAW is unarguably the standard for overall studio workflow. Looking within this ubiquitous grid, many an audio engineer knows that mixing in Pro Tools can be a killer experience working with just the stock plugins -- many of which have become as indispensable as Pro Tools itself. 
While our computer bristles with the best from SoundToys, Waves, Slate, and many more, there are a few stock Pro Tools plugins that we lean on heavily. If Pro Tools is your main DAW, that means you can reach right for these without spending an extra dime. Here are our highlights, all of which serve as mixing tips for in the free version of PT, Pro Tools First — therefore, these are free Pro Tools plugins you can lean on and reach for with no waiting.
EQ III: Avid's high-resolution, double-precision 48-bit EQ plugin is available in 1-band, 4-band and 7-band configurations, the better to manage CPU efficiency. It sports an intuitive interface, selectable shelving filters and settings, plus separate high-pass, low-pass and variable Q notch filters.
BB4 Studio Manager/House Engineer Kiara Mudd got loyal to EQ III 1-band (pictured on top) early on in her career. 'When I didn't have a lot of plugins, I discovered the EQ III was easy to use,' she says. 'Even though I still have access to a lot of other plugins now, I often reach for this one first. 
'I mostly use it for taking low frequencies out of instruments to make space for the bass,' Kiara continues. 'I also use it to do a cut in the 1 kHz range for background vocals to make more room for the lead vocal in a song. It also has the capability to reverse phase, which isn't a function you find on a lot of EQ plugins.' (Available on Pro Tools | First.)
D-Verb: The non-secret is out -- Avid's stock D-Verb is one of the best reverb plugins you'll ever put your ears on. This workhorse free PT plugin has a new interface for the latest version, but down deep its ambience sonics are as essential as EVAH.
'I use D-Verb for reverb swells with instruments or vocals,' Kiara says. 'D-Verb is very easy to use for getting a great long tail out of a reverb, you just have to turn up the decay and cut some of the high or low frequencies. Fortunately, there are knobs to do that inside the plugin, you don't have to put in an extra EQ after the reverb to do that.'
Kiara has a theory on why the D-Verb has persisted as a preference over the years. 'Even though it's not the most natural-sounding reverb, I think it stands up to a lot of the other plugins that have impulse responses from different rooms,' she observes. 'You can get a very good reverb sound out of it.' (Available on Pro Tools | First.) 
Black Op Distortion: While Avid bills this dark destroyer AAX plugin as a gift for guitars, Kiara has a Pro Tools mixing tip for Black Op Distortion that has a different agenda. 'It's great for adding a little grit to a vocal,' she says. 'I would put it at 20% on the mix dial, and turn the distortion pot up to taste, according to what genre the song is. This plugin is great for beginners, because it only has four controls: distortion, cut, volume and mix.' (Available on Pro Tools | First.) 
Time Shift: Also referred to as Pitch Shift Legacy, depending on your system, Time Shift is a stock Pro Tools plugin for time stretching and pitch shifting that we've grown to love. It has Polyphonic or Monophonic modes, depending on your source material, plus Varispeed for sample rate conversion. 
'The Time Shift plugin is great for pitching drums or sound effects to the key of the track,' explains Kiara. 'That's obviously important, because it brings a song together when everything is in key. This plugin also has a reference pitch on it, so you can generate a sine wave tone to match the pitch of whatever audio file you're trying to pitch to it. That's a fairly unique feature, which I haven't seen on other pitch shift plugins.' (Available on Pro Tools | First.) 
AIR Vintage Filter: Avid says of this plugin: 'Add life and character to sounds by adding a filter sweep or punching up its resonance' -- and not much else! 
Allow us to add these music mixing tips and trips for this lovely plug. 'I use AIR Vintage Filter for high-pass and low-pass filter sweeps for transitions to different song sections,' Kiara counsels. 'I usually turn down the ‘resonance' and ‘fat' knobs for a cleaner filter sweep. The fat knob acts like a saturation knob, which I haven't seen on a filter sweep plugin. One application I love this plugin for is a synth that might need a little more mid-range to it.' (Available on Pro Tools | First.)
No matter where you are in your career, the plugins that come standard with Pro Tools can make an outsized impact on your final mix. 'The stock plugins are a great starting point, but then you keep on using them,' says Kiara. 'When I started out by interning at a busy NYC audio post facility, they used Avid's stock EQ plugin for all their dialog mixing -- they didn't use any other plugins except iZotope Ozone in case they had to dialog match with a different scene. 
'If you learn the stock Pro Tools plugins early on, there's no reason not to fly with them as your career progresses. You may not always be using them as a ‘creative' tool, but they enable you to make speed gains, and that alone can help to stimulate creativity.'
Mix it up along with us! Book your next session for tracking, mixing and mastering at BB4.
Last Updated on January 4, 2021.
Here's a list of the best 16 distortion/saturation/fuzz plugins available to download for free!
Let's get straight into it…
FuzzPlus 3 by Audio Damage (Windows, Mac)FuzzPlus 3 is an updated version of the original FuzzPluspedal emulation which is a straight up fuzz-sounding effect and not so much ofa distortion- or saturation one.
The interface is super intuitive and it offers five simplecontrol parameters.
It also features a spectrum analyzer that shows you theamount of clipping going on.
All in all, I think FuzzPlus 3 might be a great addition toyour plugin arsenal.

You can download it here.

Related: Here's a huge list of the Best Free VST Plugins ever.
Krush by Tritik (Windows, Mac)Krush combines the crispy taste of the digital realm withthe warmth of its drive stage and analog modeled resonant filters.
A modulation section allows you to quickly add extra life tothe sound by modulating any parameter.
The range of sounds you can achieve with this plugin go allthe way from extremely dirty signals to crunchy and warm ones.
You can download it here.
Interested in free Synth vst plugins? Here's an entire post on that topic.
Temper Distortion by Creative Intent (Windows, Mac)Temper is a modern digital distortion plugin featuring arich saturation stage and a unique phase distortion.
Use the variable saturation curve to add warmth and edge toyour sound, and let the phase distortion bring character and clarity throughyour mix.
Temper also features a simple resonant lowpass filter and afeedback path to drive the intensity of the tone.
This is by far one of the best distortion plugins available,even when compared to premium ones.
You can download it here.
Related: Here's a list of the best free Arpeggiator Plugins.
SGA1566 by Shattered Glass Audio (Windows, Mac)SGA1566 brings the authentic tone of a single channelvintage all tube mic preamplifier.
The whole circuit is simulated in real time using the highperformance circuit simulator to recreate every nuance of the preamp circuit,from subtle coloration to overdrive and distortion.
Use SGA1566 to add warmth to a track, as a saturationcompressor, or to add 'dirt' with tube overdrive.
You can download it here.
Interested in free compression VST plugins? Here's a post about the 12 best ones.
Tube Saturator Vintage by Wave Arts (Windows, Mac)Tube Saturator Vintage uses circuit simulation technology tofaithfully reproduce the sound of a dual triode preamp.
While it sounds great, the circuit simulation technology isvery CPU intensive…
That's why they released the Tube Saturator 2, which sadlyisn't free but it goes much easier on the CPU.
The reason it uses so much of your CPU's power is becauseTube Saturator uses state of the art circuit simulation technology to captureevery nuance of an analog circuit.
Basically, it sounds fantastic… at the expense of using moreof your CPU's resources than other Saturators.
You can download it here.
Related: Here's a list of the best free Delay VST Plugins.
Saturation Knob by Softube (Windows, Mac)The saturation knob is literally one knob that allows you toadd some warmth and shimmer to the vocals, guitar, and any other track you'dlike…
Basically, it just adds volume and warmth.
Just don't go overboard with the saturation, if it startssounding distorted, dial it back down a bit… unless that's what you're goingfor.
One huge issue I have with this plugin is not the pluginitself, but all the hoops they make you jump through to be able to use it.

You can download it here.
Related: Here's a huge list of the Best Free VST Plugins ever.
Krush by Tritik (Windows, Mac)Krush combines the crispy taste of the digital realm withthe warmth of its drive stage and analog modeled resonant filters.
A modulation section allows you to quickly add extra life tothe sound by modulating any parameter.
The range of sounds you can achieve with this plugin go allthe way from extremely dirty signals to crunchy and warm ones.
You can download it here.
Interested in free Synth vst plugins? Here's an entire post on that topic.
Temper Distortion by Creative Intent (Windows, Mac)Temper is a modern digital distortion plugin featuring arich saturation stage and a unique phase distortion.
Use the variable saturation curve to add warmth and edge toyour sound, and let the phase distortion bring character and clarity throughyour mix.
Temper also features a simple resonant lowpass filter and afeedback path to drive the intensity of the tone.
This is by far one of the best distortion plugins available,even when compared to premium ones.
You can download it here.
Related: Here's a list of the best free Arpeggiator Plugins.
SGA1566 by Shattered Glass Audio (Windows, Mac)SGA1566 brings the authentic tone of a single channelvintage all tube mic preamplifier.
The whole circuit is simulated in real time using the highperformance circuit simulator to recreate every nuance of the preamp circuit,from subtle coloration to overdrive and distortion.
Use SGA1566 to add warmth to a track, as a saturationcompressor, or to add 'dirt' with tube overdrive.
You can download it here.
Interested in free compression VST plugins? Here's a post about the 12 best ones.
Tube Saturator Vintage by Wave Arts (Windows, Mac)Tube Saturator Vintage uses circuit simulation technology tofaithfully reproduce the sound of a dual triode preamp.
While it sounds great, the circuit simulation technology isvery CPU intensive…
That's why they released the Tube Saturator 2, which sadlyisn't free but it goes much easier on the CPU.
The reason it uses so much of your CPU's power is becauseTube Saturator uses state of the art circuit simulation technology to captureevery nuance of an analog circuit.
Basically, it sounds fantastic… at the expense of using moreof your CPU's resources than other Saturators.
You can download it here.
Related: Here's a list of the best free Delay VST Plugins.
Saturation Knob by Softube (Windows, Mac)The saturation knob is literally one knob that allows you toadd some warmth and shimmer to the vocals, guitar, and any other track you'dlike…
Basically, it just adds volume and warmth.
Just don't go overboard with the saturation, if it startssounding distorted, dial it back down a bit… unless that's what you're goingfor.
One huge issue I have with this plugin is not the pluginitself, but all the hoops they make you jump through to be able to use it.
You have to register with them, also register with ilok.comand then link those accounts…
AFTER that, I know… super annoying, you download the gobblerapp and install the plugin, now you can finally use it!
I have to say though, it's worth the trouble!
You can download it here.
Looking for free guitar VST plugins? Here are the 15 best ones.
Metal Area mt-a by Mercuriall (Windows, Mac)The Mercuriall Metal Area mt-a is based on the Boss MT-2,which is a super popular distortion pedal.
The funny thing is that most people think that it doesn'treally sound all that great…
However, in the right hands, some pretty cool tones can beachieved.
This just means that some tweaking is required in order toget a good sound out of the pedal, and this is also the case with this plugin.
It comes with controls for Level, Dist, High, Low,Middle, MidFreq, Input Gain, Mono/Stereo, Quality switch andan On/Off knob.
If you're in need of a distortion plugin that will allow youto create some cool metal tones, then by all means check this one out.
You can download it here.
Related: Here's a list of the best Guitar amp sims.
Greed Smasher by Mercuriall (Windows, Mac)Fallout 4 pc mods. Greed Smasher is based on the Mesa/Boogie GridSlammer overdrive guitar pedal.
Being a virtual overdrive pedal, the plugin is aimed mainlyat guitar players and music producers who use distorted guitars in their music…
However, effects like this one can work equally well onvirtual instruments and even hardware synthesizers.
Some users reported that this plugin would crash sometimes,but it definitely sounds great and I didn't have that issue.
You can download it here.
Marauder by AudioParlour (Windows Only)Marauder is an interesting free dynamic distortioneffect which sounds absolutely phenomenal.
It is based on a network of four gain stages which worktogether to create a superb organic distortion effect.
It can be used as a subtle saturation tool that can add somewarmth to you mix, as well as to create some cool distorted sounds.
Best Free Plugins For Pro Tools Metal DetectorThe truth is that you will need to tweak- and fiddle aroundwith the controls a bit in order to get a great sound…
However, once you get the hang of it, you will be able tocreate some great sounds!
You can download it here.
Looking for free Drum VST plugins? Here are the best ones.
808 Tube Screamer by TSE Audio (Windows, Mac)This is an emulation of the Infamous Ibanez TS-808 TubeScreamer pedal and man is it great!
It sounds great, you can use it for all kinds of music, toget a blues tone, to make those rock sounds have that little extra bite tothem.
I absolutely recommend this one since it's just fantasticplugin!
You can download it here.
Tubes Creamer 808 by Mercuriall (Windows, Mac)Mercuriall Audio Software's Tubes Creamer 808 Core is a freevirtual Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer pedal emulation.
The Ibanez TS-808 was used by artists such as Stevie RayVaughan which was, in a way, how he got such an amazing tone.
The Tubes Creamer is an emulated version of this pedal andit sounds absolutely fantastic, and best of all… it's free!
Just add it to the chain in your DAW and you're ready to go!
If you're looking for an awesome blues or rock tone, thenabsolutely give Tubes Creamer a chance!
You can download it here.
Looking for free Modulation VSTs? Here's a post I wrote about the best ones.
TNT by Ourafilmes (Windows Only)TNT is a Distortion/Saturation plugin which wasoriginally created for audio processing on drums, as well as FX and basssounds.
It comes in Multi-band and single-band both with mono andstereo components.
Both share the same saturation/distortion algorithms but thesingle band features a Tone knob that is not present in the multi-band version.
This Tone knob features a transparent 6dB crossover filterthat separates the low and high bands where you can use differentsaturation/distortion algorithms on each band.
There is also a balance knob that helps to level both bandsbefore final output.
You can download it here.
Plusdistortion by Distorque (Windows Only)The Plusdistortion plug-in is an emulation of an MXRDistortion+.
It has a wide range of distortion sounds from a little bitof dirt to a giant fuzz/crunch tone.
It emulates the germanium diode clipping used in theDistortion+, as well as the lo-fi op amp and just about every other aspect ofthe circuit.
Many parts of the effect are also tweakable, so you cancraft your own D+ based distortion.
In addition to the normal distortion and output controls, a couple extra ones have been added, such as Input Level, Oversampling, Input Type (Pickups & Buffered), High-Cut and Low-Cut, and more.
You can download it here.
Face Bender by Distorque (Windows Only)This is an emulation of a Fuzz Face and a Tone Bender MKIIwith added controls for tweaking.
It runs in mono or stereo, and has selectable 2xoversampling.
The Fuzz Face was first made by Arbiter Electronics in 1966.
It had a thick, fuzzy distortion and was made famous byartists like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and David Gilmour.
The Tone Bender MKII was also released in 1966, by SolaSound.
Compared to the Fuzz Face, it has a brighter, more distortedsound.
This plugins sounds pretty damn good and is really easy toset up, so what's not to like?
You can download it here.
Buz by Buzzroom (Windows Only)This is an old sounding distortion/fuzz pedal effect.
There are loads of VST distortion effects out there (sometop ones too -JCM 900, green machine etc), but only a few have a bigmuff soundlike this.
Buz has a nice wide tonal range, and the ‘edge' controlreally adds some 'sleaze' to the sound.
It allows you to get that authentic 60s garage band soundwithout much effort.
You can download it here.
Ouradrive by Ourafilmes (Windows Only)This is a basic valve overdrive vst effect.
It uses almost no cpu resources and it's very simple to use:
Free Pro Tools Plugin DownloadsIt only has two knobs and an on/off switch.
Simply apply the desired amount of valve overdrive to thesound using the DRIVE knob and then adjust the OUT gain knob tothe desired output level.
You can also use use the automation feature if you so desire.
This effect works best with sounds that have lots of low –low/mid frequencies.
Use it on synths, basses, guitars, leads, lo-fi sounds,voices or any sound that you want to slightly push harder, warm, overdrive oreven distort.
You can download it here.
ConclusionBest Plugins For Pro ToolsThe one I like the most of all the plugins on this list isdefinitely Temper.
However, all of them sound great and will surely help yougive your mixes more personality.
I hope you found this information useful…
Pro Tools First Free PluginsHave a wonderful day!