Music production software

Here it is folks, one of those coveted lists of goodies for producers, mixing engineers, and indie bedroom artists.

We’ve got the sauce for your studio in the form of all the free plugins you could ask for, so strap in for this rapid-fire rundown of the best free plugins you can get in 2025.

When it comes to drum machines, none were more groundbreaking than Roger Linn’s Linn 1980 LM-1. Everyone from Prince to Phil Collins used an LM-1 in the 80s; everyone since has been looking for ways to recreate that iconic sound.

If you’re reading this, you probably don’t fully understand compressors, and you need to know that it’s ok; most people don’t!

To work with compressors, all you need is a basic understanding of what they do, but if you really want to know what happens under the hood, keep reading!

Vocals can really make or break a song. There’s nothing like having a great singer on your track lending it the final sparkle it needs to become a hit, but it’s all too easy to overdo things and ruin a good take with effects.

VST, or Virtual Studio Technology, is a file format that came out in 1996 as a way to digitally emulate various pieces of hardware, like compressors, EQs, and synthesizers.

It quickly became the standard for various software developers, and there have been a number of improvements to the code, resulting in VST 1.0, 2.0, 2.4, and now VST3.