Top 10 VST Plugins & VST Effects Used by Real Music Producers in November 2023

December 3, 2023 by NeoFox

November has been the first month that Dawstats has been live! In this time, we have been able to gather usage statistics through real data obtained from FL Studio Projects. With this we were able to identify what VST plugins and effects were popular with FL Studio users. In this article I will cover the top 10 most used VST Instruments and VST effects on Dawstats for the month of November.

Alright let's get started.

VST Instrument Plugins

1. Serum

The most used VST instrument plugin is Serum, possibly the most legendary VST synth over the past 10 years. Serum is mostly used by EDM producers and Trap producers for its unlimited sound design possibilities and community presets.

2. Vital

Known by producers as the “Free Serum” Vital is much more than just a Serum competitor. Vital is the one of the few free instrument plugins that made this list likely due to its quality and amazing interface. Vital is mainly used by EDM producers for its in-depth sound design and built-in effects.

3. Kontakt

One of the oldest plugins on this list is Kontakt. From its release back in 2002, Kontakt has evolved to be the best place for high quality sampled instruments such as violins and pianos. Used by all types of producers from film composers to pop and trap producers, Kontakt has something for every producer with its near unlimited supply of libraries.

4. Purity

Purity is a staple of the plugg trap subgenre and the underground rap scene with its library of sounds. Mainly used by trap producers and beatmakers, Purity provides all the essential sounds for airy cloud rap and plugg beats.

5. Labs

The second free instrument plugin on this list is Spitfire Labs, the best free plugin for realistic pianos, violins and more. Over the years since its release Labs has received many extra instruments to bring its instrument count to 60 at the time of writing. Labs is used by all types of producers from EDM to orchestral music.

VST Effect Plugins

1. OTT

If you've been around in the EDM scene you know OTT; possibly the most popular free VST effect used by EDM producers. OTT is a multiband compressor that is actually identical to the one found in Serum and its perfect for making any sound or vocal pop out in a mix.

2. Fabfilter Pro Q 3

Pro Q 3 is THE premium equalizer, with its in-depth parameters and amazing interface. Pro Q 3 also allows producers to use dynamic EQ bands to automatically control and modify frequencies based on the input. Pro Q 3 is used by all producers and professional engineers.

3. Valhalla VintageVerb

Valhalla are the leader when it comes to reverb plugins and VintageVerb is no different. It is a powerful reverb plugin based on hardware reverbs from the 1970s and 80s. Since this is a Valhalla plugin it also provides a simple but easy to use interface.

4. CamelCrusher

CamelCrusher is one of the best free distortion plugins on the market. Though it can be hard to track down as it has been discontinued, it's worth it as CamelCrusher can destroy and manipulate sounds to perfection. CamelCrusher is mainly used by EDM producers for its sound design capabilities.

5. Raum

Created by Native Instruments, Raum is a newer free reverb plugin with three different reverb types. Raum is one of the best free reverb plugins available right now for vocals, pads, and more experimental sounds.

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