Use Vinyl musically or as an effect. To get the full vinyl experience, add a little bit of each of the artifacts that give vinyl its characteristic sound. With Vinyl’s digital emulation of the real thing, you can dial in as much or as little as you want for a level of flexibility that’s impossible with hardware. Explore & download the best free Vinyl Emulator plugins (VST, AU, RTAS, AAX). Visit and discover thousands of pro audio and music freewares!

Info from Trebor, triaged by Gale, that can be incorporated into this page (add those plugins not already listed).Free

VST 4 FREE - Free Audio Plug-ins and Archives Free audio plugins archive - Instruments and effects for audio software. Plugins for Cubase, FL studio, Reaper, Ableton and other VST/AU platforms.

  • The JS series & MDA series of VST plugins, (which are old) , wouldn't work properly with Audacity 2.1.0 , see https://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1083 for status, it is DEVEL-FIX MADE now.
  • The “Antress modern” series of plugins, http://antress.blogspot.co.uk/ do work , but since implementation of real-time-adjustment , you have to stop then start playback for any adjustments to the controls to take effect. This is not on Bugzilla, so needs testing but it could have already been fixed by the fix for https://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1084 .
  • Free VST effects I have on my machine right now, which I use regularly, so I know are working OK on Audacity 2.1.0:
    • Marvel GEQ.dll http://www.voxengo.com/product/marvelgeq/https://forum.audacityteam.org/download/file.php?id=13343]A graphic equalizer
    • ANWIDA Soft DX Reverb Light.dll http://www.anwida.com/product.asp?pid=7, http://www.anwida.com/dc.asp?file=http://www.anwida.com/progs/asdxrl20.zip&pid=7
    • BC Chorus 4 VST(Stereo).dll http://www.bluecataudio.com/Products/Product_Chorus/
    • Gmulti.dll , Ggate.dll , Gsnap.dll http://www.gvst.co.uk/downloads.htm [ compressor, gate, autotune ].
    • SPITFISH.dll http://www.digitalfishphones.com/main.php?item=2&subItem=5 [ a basic de-esser ].
    • TB_Sibalance_v3.dll http://www.toneboosters.com/tb-sibalance/ [ a sophisticated de-esser ].
    • DtBlkFx.dll http://rekkerd.org/dtblkfx/ A spectral-processor [ capable of weirdness like nothing else ].
    • 'Acon Multiply' https://acondigital.com/products/multiply/ It does chorus & stereo effects . It has presets, so is simple to operate : ideal for newbies who wants to add effects to vocal / guitar recordings.


This page describes support for VST (Virtual Studio Technology) effect plug-ins in Audacity; VST instrument plug-ins that generate audio are not supported. A list of VST effects known to process correctly in Audacity on Windows is given here.
VST effects are supported by Audacity on OS X and GNU/Linux, but relatively few are available on Mac (due to Apple's competing Audio Units technology) and even fewer on Linux. If a specific VST effect is required on Linux, it may be necessary to employ workarounds such as running Audacity for Windows in a virtual machine.
Related article(s):
  • Other pages in our Plug-ins category
  • 3List of functional VST Plug-ins

VST support in Audacity

  • On Windows and Mac OS X, Audacity is a 32-bit application so won't see 64-bit versions of VST plug-ins, even on 64-bit operating systems.
  • On GNU/Linux, 32-bit systems will have 32-bit versions of Audacity which won't see 64-bit VST plug-ins. 64-bit systems will have 64-bit versions of Audacity which will see 64-bit VST plug-ins but won't see 32-bit plug-ins.
  • VST instruments (VSTi) (such as synths) and real-time VST effects (that change the audio data while playing or recording) are not yet supported.
  • VST 3 plug-ins are not supported.

VST effects are displayed with full GUI interface (where provided by the plug-in), and without need of the VST Enabler. This has been made possible by use of an open source VST header.

For instructions on how to load new VST effects into Audacity please see this page in the Manual.

The overwhelming majority of VST effect plug-ins should display and process correctly. If an incompatible VST plug-in does cause a problem, click the Manage button in the effect's dialog then choose 'Options..'. In the dialog that appears, try reducing Buffer Size, disabling Latency Compensation or disabling graphical display. See VST Effect Options in the Manual for more information on these choices.
  • To report a plug-in that is problematic in current Audacity, please report it on the Audacity Forum.


Installing VST plug-ins in Audacity

The process and file location is different for each operating system. See the following pages in the Audacity Manual:


List of functional VST Plug-ins

Instructions for adding plug-ins to the list:
  1. Please insert new plug-ins that work in Audacity in the correct place so as to keep the list sorted in alphabetical order.
  2. Please give a download link to the plug-in if possible, enclosing the link inside single square brackets - for example:
    [http://www.linktoplugin.com]
  3. If plug-ins are not free, please note this.


  • The majority of plug-ins will be for Windows only unless OS 9 or OS X is stated.
  • Classic Mac OS plug-ins will only work under OS 9 and previous. Mac OS X plug-ins with a .component file marked as 'PowerPC' will only work on PPC Macs (they might work on Intel Macs with slow performance under Rosetta but Rosetta cannot be used on OS X 10.7 or later).

List of Plug-ins with download links

  • Antares AutoTune Evo - Mostly works with current Audacity. Automatic pitch correction works, but to be able to draw pitch curves clock must be set to 'internal' and not 'host'. (commercial)
  • Antress Modern Plug-ins including a number of compressors, a limiter, an expander, an exciter and a 'spacer' which could be used for creating 'fake stereo'
  • ANWIDA Soft DX Reverb Light.dll for Windows and Mac (PowerPC only)
  • Bo Johansen Plug-ins
  • Bluecat Plug-ins
  • bs2b.dll stereo to binaural
  • Buzzroom CL 201 (Vintage Maximiser) - now shareware
Peter 16Nov15: I'm not sure I want us to continue linking to the Brothersoft site (or its plug-ins) the very first ad I got served on that page was for a porn site - sure the adds cycled round with normal sensible ads but they were on a cycle and the porn ad kept returning. And It carries a misleading big green 'Download' button !
  • Gale 18Nov15: The Classic plugins below are discontinued. The links were pointing to Brothersoft which is a dubious site and now point to VST4free which is much less bad. Also you can get the complete bundle from http://acoustica1.cachefly.net/other/Classic-Effects-Installer.exe. The installer puts the plugins in %PROGRAMFILES%VST where (according to the Manual and VSTEffect.cpp) Audacity should not see them unless a registry key or VST_PATH environment variable points there. But Audacity does see them (on Win 10).
Classic plug-ins
  • Classic Chorus.dll
  • Classic Compressor.dll
  • Classic Delay.dll
  • Classic EQ.dll
  • Classic Flanger.dll
  • Classic Master Limiter.dll
  • Classic Phaser.dll
  • Classic Reverb.dll
Peter 16Nov15: Rather than linking direct to the downloads for these digitalfishphones plug-ins, might it not be better to link to the site's download page for them as it tells the user, in some detail, just what each one is for: THD, dominion and normalizer?
  • Gale 17Nov15: Any other plugins are not listed because presumably no-one tested them. Yes, show a landing page with detail for the plugin if there is one. But if we have a table like I suggest we can link to the publisher and the plugin in a less confusing way.
  • digitalfishphones plug-ins
    • dominion v1.2.dll - a tool to shape the envelope of a signal, giving you total control of the signal's attack & sustain phase
    • endorphin - dual-band stereo compressor
    • BLOCKFISH - compressor for Windows and OS X (PPC only)
    • FLOORFISH.dll - expander/noise gate for Windows and OS X (PPC only)
    • SPITFISH.dll - de-esser for Windows and OS X (PPC only)
    • normalizer.dll - a denormalization tool
    • THD.dll - analog-style saturator
  • DtBlkFx (FFT-based frequency and harmonics manipulation). Also supports OS X (Universal binary) but only Windows version tested.
  • Extra Boy Pro removal and isolation of audio components (commercial, paid for)
  • EZmix (commercial, time limited demo available). Also supports OS X but only Windows version tested.
  • Freeverb Plug-ins
    • Freeverb for OS X
    • Freeverb2.dll for Windows
    • FreeverbToo.dll for Windows
  • GMulti Multi-band compressor
  • iZotope vinyl for Windows and OS X
  • JS plug-in pack - contains plug-ins listed below.
    • JS 6 equalizer V1.0.dll
    • JS Band Cut V1.0.dll
    • JS Compresseur V1.1.dll
    • JS Disto V1.0.dll
    • JS equalizer V1.0.dll
    • Humanizer v1.0.dll
    • JS Limiteur V1.0.dll
    • JS Magneto V1.1.dll
    • JS Mini-sample V1.0.dll
    • JS Noise Attenu V1.0 .dll
    • JS Noise Filtre V1.0.dll
    • JS Oscil resonne V2.0 .dll
    • JS Oscil resonne V3.0.dll
    • JS PanDelay .dll
    • JS Resonnateur V1.0.dll
    • JS Vibrato V1.0.dll
  • jVSTwRapper-based plug-ins (on Windows, Mac OSX PPC/Intel and Linux).
jVSTwRapper is a way of writing Java plug-ins using VST-based technology, enclosed in a wrapper that makes them compatible for use in VST, Audio Units and LADSPA hosts. Thus jVSTwRapper plug-ins can be run on all three platforms.
  • Lisp level-independent sibilance processor
  • Smartelectronix Plug-ins
    • Ambience - reverb plug-in for Windows, OS 9/X (PPC only)
    • MjCompressor.dll for Windows and OS XWindows version only has a tabular interface even in Audacity 1.3.8+
  • REFLEX free - a regenerating delay plug-in, a mixture of stereo delays followed by a dense
  • Robotizer for Windows and Mac OS X (PPC only)
  • TAL-Reverb-2 - popular GPL licensed plate reverb
  • TB Compressor (working demo) in Tone Boosters plug-in bundle - supports 'New York' or 'parallel' compression
  • UpStereo.dll - stereo widener
  • UpStereo for OS X(not tested)
  • VOX_DoctorDemo.dll - De-Esser
  • Voxengo - free VST plug-ins from Voxengo

Add Vst Plugins To Audacity

Vinyl

Free Vinyl Vst Plugin



List of Plug-ins with known problems

Instructions for adding VST effect plug-ins to the list:
  1. Please do not add VST instrument plug-ins to the list, because Audacity won't work with any of those.
  2. List effect plug-ins that do not work properly in Audacity, giving a short note of the problem, such as 'Audacity won't launch', 'plug-in does not appear in Effect Menu', 'not all controls available', 'audio not processed'.
  3. Please give a download link to the plug-in if possible, enclosing the link inside single square brackets - for example:
    [http://www.linktoplugin.com]
  4. Please also give your operating system such as Windows 10 or Mac OS X 10.9.4, the date of your report, and the version of Audacity used.
  5. Feel free to use current Audacity to retest any plug-ins that did not work with legacy VST Enabler or legacy 1.x versions of Audacity. If plug-ins now work, please move them up into the 'working' list.
    • Audacity 2.0.6 onwards supports buffer delay compensation. Most plug-ins previously listed below that suffered from inserted silence due to Audacity's lack of compensation are no longer listed.
In addition to the below list, the following plug-ins do not have functioning sliders in Audacity 2.1.0 or later and so will only apply at default settings. See Bug 1083.
  • JS plug-ins
  • MDA VST's
  • stereoizer.dll
Plug-inOSDateAudacity versionSymptoms
Auto-TuneWindowsDec.2012Audacity 2.0.1Tuning by MIDI input is not supported.
BlueCatOS XSep.2014Audacity 2.0.5, 2.0.6In 2.0.5, the plug-in interface does not work, so you can only use default settings. The interface works in 2.0.6, but in both versions, saving a preset will lock out the main Audacity window, requiring to close Audacity from the Dock.
CM VocoderWindows/OS XSep.08Audacity 1.3.8+Does not appear
Effect Chainer DX and VST wrapperWindowsJan.08Allcan't host any plug-ins
FFX-4 DX and VST WrapperWindowsJan.08Allcan't host any plug-ins
Freeverb2Windows 7Oct.11Audacity 1.3.13Only tabular interface, no preset support
GRM ToolsOS XMay 2014Audacity 2.0.6-alphaInterface cannot be used (so the effects can only be used at default settings) or interface disappears completely when loading preset. The interface is likely to be available in 2.0.6 release, but attempting to save a preset in any Audacity version could lock out the main Audacity window.
GRM ToolsWindowsSep.08Audacity 1.3.8+unspecified
GSnapWindowsJan.2014Audacity 2.0.6Tuning by MIDI input is not supported.
keFIRWindowsApr.08VST-Bridge 1.1has no effect on audio
kn0ck0utWindowsSep.2014Audacity 2.0.6-alphaDespite Audacity 2.0.6 or later supporting buffer delay compensation, the start of the processed audio has silence inserted and a corresponding length is removed from the end of the processed audio. This also occurs in Goldwave and Wavosaur so is probably a bug in Kn0ck0ut, but the VST version is no longer being developed, only an LV2 version.
Sonic MaximizerWindowsSep.2007VST-Bridge 1.1not in Effect menu
SoundSoap2 (discontinued) (see also SoundSoap3)Windows, OS X2007 (various)AllAudacity won't launch
SpectroWindowsNov.20142.0.7-alphaNo spectrum visible in plug-in window
String StudioWindows2007 (various)VST-Bridge 1.1Audacity won't launch
T RackS 3OS XDec.2009AllAudacity won't launch
VisualVOX VSTWindowsJan.2008VST-Bridge 1.1No interface, just silences audio
Waves V5WindowsDec.2012Audacity 2.0.2Hangs Audacity on launch
Waves V8OS XFeb.2013Audacity 2.0.3Only tabular interface. Two entries (m) and (s) for each effect. GarageBand does not have either problem.(1)
(1) Audio Unit versions of Waves may cause Audacity 2.0.4 or earlier to freeze or crash on launch. In 2.0.5 or later, Waves Audio Units may cause a freeze or crash when the effect is chosen from the Effect Menu.
Retrieved from 'https://wiki.audacityteam.org/w/index.php?title=VST_Plug-ins&oldid=42156'

Jul 09,2019 • Filed to: Record Audio • Proven solutions

Audacity Vst Enabler

What is the best Audacity plugin? Are there any better alternative for Audacity ?

Audacity is open source software that is absolutely free to download and install. This software is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux and several other platforms. This is not only a great sound editor, but a audio recorder as well. This software is sometimes limited in certain cases, but they can be overcome with the help of a lot of Audacity plugins that are available for download absolutely free. Several Audacity plugins, like LADSPA Plugin, LV2 Plugin, Nyquist Plugin, VST Plugin, Audio Unit Plugin, and Module Plugin are available to amplify the performance of Audacity. The above mentioned Audacity plugins have been used by several people and are very popular.

Part 1. Best Audacity Alternative to Record Music from Any Sites

iMusic is a recommended music downloader, recorder and powerful tool to manage music. With iMusic, you can easily record music or any playing audio in your Mac or Windows PC with its well-balanced audio recorder. Further more, you can directly download hot music tracks from 3000+ sites like YouTube, Pandora, Spotify, etc. Let's have a quick glance at iMusic's outstanding features.

iMusic - Best Alternative for Audacity You Deserve to Own

  • Built-in music library to discover hot music track, artist, or playlist.
  • Download music tracks from 3000+ music sites like Pandora, YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud, etc.
  • Record music or any audio played on your Windows PC or Mac with a well balanced recorder.
  • Transfer music between iDevices and Android, from PC to mobile devices or vice versa.
  • Help rebuild, repair or backup iTunes Library on Mac, even in a PC Windows computer.
  • Powerful music toolbox which helps to transfer music to usb, burn cd, etc.

Why Choose This Audacity Alternative

  • The most important feature is its ability to play as well as record songs automatically. Whenever a person is viewing a YouTube video or listening to some music of choice, the only thing the person needs to do to get the song is just press the 'Download' or 'Record' button. There can be nothing more easily done than this. The files will get saved in either the MP3 or M4A format. It automatically gets rid of the advertisements in between the tracks. The recording is a continuous procedure unless it is stopped. The settings can be adjusted in such a manner that the advertisements get filtered out automatically and the tracks are also split in an automatic fashion.
  • Original sound quality is maintained by the use of a virtual sound card that captures the recorded audio and saves them in either MP3 or M4A format. The quality of the sound is customizable. It can be anything from low to high quality. This software helps to record anything that plays on Mac and save them for hearing later.
  • The third feature is something of a specialty. It helps to identify the artist, title of the song, albums etc. with ease. This is done with the help of ID3 tag identification technology. This is really a ground breaking technology that gives user an unforgettable experience. This technology helps to fetch information about the music being played, from the internet.
  • This software allows a person to download and store unlimited amount of music. If a person is interested in hearing music from several radio stations around the globe, then this is the best software. More than 500 radio stations are present for the person to select his or her favorite music.

Steps to Record Music by Audacity Alternative

Step 1: Download iMusic on your desktop, navigate to 'Download' interface, then find the 'Record' button.

Step 2: Go to a streaming music site to choose your favorite songs and play it . At the same time, click the 'Record 'button to start the recording process.

Step 3: After the recording process finished, you could find your recorded songs on iTunes library.

LADSPA Plugin

This is one plug-in that is mostly in use for Linux based machines. The full form of LADSPA is Linux Audio Developer's Simple Plug-in API. Audacity has got in built support for all the LADSPA Plugin. This is an API that is used for audio filtering and audio signal processing purpose. Although this API was initially developed to work on Linux platform only, but later on, it was adjusted to work on several other platforms as well. Numerous audio LADSPA Plugin are available for free to download and use as per the requirement of the user. ladspa-sdk-1.12-1.i386.rpm [7.3 8.0 9], ladspa-sdk-example-plugins-1.12-1.i386.rpm [7.3 8.0 9], ladspa-sdk-1.12-1.src.rpm [all], ladspa-sdk-1.12-1 [fc1], ladspa-sdk-example-plugins-1.12-1 [fc1], ladspa-sdk-1.12-1 source [all], are some of the LADSPA Plugin available for use to increase the RPM.

LV2 Plugin

This is actually an upgraded version of LADSPA. Audacity has in-built support for the LV2 Plugin as well. This plug-in is mostly built for Linux based machines, but Audacity is open ended software that supports LV2 for all kinds of operating platform. This is a great option for all Audacity users. For installing the plugin of LV2, a person needs to place the plugin in the system LV2 locator and then restart Audacity. The plugin actually support the generation and processing of all audio files that are run through Audacity. LV2 is actually replacing the older LADSPA plug-in which is a bit limited performance wise. LV2 has got MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) facility and that is missing in LADSPA plug-in. LV2 Plugin can almost behave like instruments, and this is missing in LADSPA. The most common LV2 Plugin include a delay, an equalizer, a compressor and a reverb. These are just some of the basic LV2 Plugin.

Nyquist Plugin

Free 64 bit vst sampler. Audacity does have built-in support for Nyquist Plugin as well. It is always possible for a user to download more Nyquist Plugin or program more Nyquist Plugin as per the need of the user by using Nyquist programming language. Audacity does not limit the use of this plug-in to a specific platform, but it can be used in any platform that is running Audacity. For the Audacity audio editor, the Nyquist Plugin actually fulfill the purpose of analyzing the job.

VST Plugin

Audacity can load VST effects on all the operating systems like Windows, Linux and Mac, but it cannot load the VST instruments. In this case, there is no need for the VST enabler at all. The plugin of VST effects are found in several websites like Hitsquad: Windows, Mac, KVR Audio: Windows, Mac, Open Directory (Windows, Mac). VST Plugin while working in tandem with Audacity makes editing and mixing of sounds very easy and the final output is really awesome. This plug-in is very high quality sound effecting modules, and they are far better than those that come inbuilt with Audacity. So people that need very high sound mixing quality or need the editing of sounds to be perfect favor the VST Plugin. The plug-in includes noise reducers, sound compressors, sound enhancers and several other important sound editing options.

Audio Unit Plugin

This is another great set of plug-in that goes well with Audacity and it only works on Mac platform. A system plug-in directory is the place from where Audacity loads this plug-in. Each time a new Audacity is installed in a machine, it will not automatically recognize the already existing audio units within the system. It has to be enabled from the plug-in manager of Audacity. Similar to the VST Plugin, the Audio Units display their full range of GUI interface. There are some limitations of this Plug-in as far as display is concerned. It does not always display the full range of bands selected, as it cannot resize itself automatically. The go around strategy involves selecting the number of bands and then closing it. After closing as soon as it is re opened, all bands fit in smoothly.

Module Plugin

Some new features can be added to Audacity using experimental modules. To load modules into Audacity requires a person to follow certain steps. The first requirement is to add the 'Modules' folder within the installation folder of Audacity. The second step involves adding the files like mod-nyq-bench.dll (Windows) or mod-nyq-bench.so (Mac OS X) in the folder 'Modules'. Then, the person must resort to restarting Audacity and opening the 'Modules preferences'. It can be seen that the file is showing as new, and this means that no choice or preference has been made yet. Now the person has to click the drop down and shift it to 'Enabled'. After changing, the person needs to pres 'OK' and then restart Audacity. As soon as Audacity restarts, a person can see the different modules to work on as per his or her preference.