im hooked on Vadim Taranov amps.
here's the old page, links as of todays date are still good. and many are up to date as of may 2015
https://pvdhp7.wordpress.com/page/3/
his new block doesn't have as many of old ones, but he switched to here
http://pvamps.blogspot.ru/

he compares to ignite and poulin. very good work, all free. check out his demo clips

 

I cant live without my trusty short circuit sampler (2), for fast Fx sounds etc..
http://www.vemberaudio.se/shortcircuit.php

The good thing is, it shows note names in pianoroll and it saves its data with your DAW song project.
Only 32bit and discontinued..

 

fxpansion DCAM freecomp
http://www.fxpansion.com/index.php?page=185

 

Last edited: Sep 22, 2015

You can't talk freeware without mentioning the greatest secret of them all: Sir Elliot's plugins.

http://sirelliot.blog.com/

He gave up compressors to focus on limiters and EQ's but the discontinued Sir Elliot Altered Dynamics Compressor II is one of the best musician's compressors I know. The 35 band EQ is also very, very good.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 18, 2015

*I still got my good old Arnarchy FX which are available for Win&Osx. Old site still running too.
*Airwindows got a good amount of free plugins (only Osx).
*SmartElectronix needs to be checked for sure.(Osx&Win ).
*A VST Preset Generator free, worth to try @ VPG.
*Have you heard about NOVAFLASH vst's ?
*Tweakbench
*Sound Doodle


Well if you're damned rich you can look at Kyma System

 

Last edited: Sep 18, 2015

Boz Digital Labs - Bark of Dog
http://www.bozdigitallabs.com/product/bark-of-dog/

 

Boz Digital Labs - Panipulator
http://www.bozdigitallabs.com/product/panipulator/

 

Strange that nobody mention Dexed (A truly amazing synth)
And also LMMS (DAW)

 

Plugin Alliance Free Bundle
- Brainworx - bx_cleansweep v2
- Brainworx - bx_solo
- Elysia - niveau filter
- SPL - Free Ranger
https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/pa_free_bundle_v1.html

 

Audio Damage - FuzzPlus3
http://www.audiodamage.com/downloads/product.php?pid=ADF02

 

Last edited: Sep 22, 2015

First and foremost I would be considering what free DAW to use.
If I were to do this, I would say it is hard to pass up Reaper.
The licensing arrangement is perfect for the free user.
Once this DAW is installed, my next suggestion is buy {or find free elsewhere, someones sister may have them,} and download the latest Computer Music magazine, online, for less that $5, and then visit their vault, and go to town downloading all the effects and instruments you need.
95% of these are brilliant, often cut down version of rather expensive and commercially successful plug-ins from well known companies.
eg, Zebra CM is incredibly good. Then there is Cableguys Curve 2 CM and Synthmaster CM that are wicked. Oh and the Madrona Labs Aalto CM is fantastic. AND then there are the samplers, the effects, and utilities that are all top notch.

I realise I may be jumping to a conclusion here, by assuming that if one as after a purely free studio, it is because they are just starting out on this journey. If this is the case, CM magazine, and its sister publication, Future Music, will be an irrefutable resource that cannot be passed up.
Even to the experienced it is a wealth of resources.

p.s. I do not work for, or are affiliated with, in any way shape or fashion, Future Publishings!!!

KVR, is a great site to visit for information on all things related to this topic.

Visiting any reputable vst companies website, and checking out their free page is a;lso worth a shot.

 

If this keeps up we might put warez out of business!

 

Sinevibes - Atom
http://www.sinevib.es/atom/
Mac AU only

 

Last edited: Sep 22, 2015

Sinevibes - Zap
http://www.sinevib.es/zap/
Mac AU only

 

Last edited: Sep 22, 2015

Kazootronica by Nusoft takes any sound, best from a microphone sung into, and turns it into something akin to a Tazmanian Devil on meth.
http://nusofting.liqihsynth.com/NUSofting_Kazootronica.zip
There is the sensitivity thing to adjust the...sensitivity, and then there is the buzz adjustment, but NEVER NEVER NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCEs TURN THAT KNOB!!!

 

Stillwell Audio / Schwa Plugins
http://www.stillwellaudio.com
These will give you nag messages to buy a license, but they will function 100% for free forever.

 

Last edited: Sep 22, 2015

AudioSpillage - MiniSpillage
http://www.audiospillage.com/minispillage.html
Mac AU only

 

Toneboosters - TB MidSideTransformer
http://www.toneboosters.com/tb-midsidetransformer/