Sure! Here’s an expanded blog post on some of the best free sampler VST instruments and their pros and cons:

A sampler is a virtual instrument that allows you to upload a sound file (i.e., a sample) and play MIDI notes using it as a patch. When you upload a sample into a sampler, it will create a series of other samples pitched according to a pre-established tonal center ². Sampler VSTs are a must in electronic music production, and there’s no shortage of good samplers out there ².

Here are some of the best free sampler VSTs:

  1. TX16Wx Software Sampler – As far as free sampler VSTs go, the TX16Wx Software Sampler makes for the most complete option. More than a simple drag-and-drop sample player, TX16Wx allows you to upload a wide array of sounds and associate them to each note on the keyboard ². It is inspired and modeled after the best hardware samplers with all the ease and new exiting features of modern software ¹. You can check it out here: https://www.tx16wx.com/
  2. Grace – Produced by One Small Clue, Grace is a free VST sampler that’s designed for creating and tweaking original patches and that includes two filters per voice, two ADSR editors, two LFOs, two sequencers, and two mappable XY control pads ². You can check it out here: https://www.onesmallclue.com/plugin/grace/
  3. Sforzando – Sforzando is another great free sampler VST developed by Plogue ². You can check it out here: https://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando.html
  4. Kontakt Player is a free sample player that can play libraries in the Kontakt format. However, a common complaint amongst music makers is that too many libraries require the full version of Kontakt, which is far from cheap. Sure, there are many free Kontakt libraries, but most of them aren’t compatible with the free Kontakt Player plugin ¹. Developing libraries for the free Kontakt Player will incur license fees, which aren’t feasible for smaller developers ¹.
  5. Decent Sampler is another free sampler that plays libraries in the DecentSampler format (dspreset or dslibrary). You can grab the plugin for free from the Decent Samples website, where you can also get a bunch of free libraries and some paid, too ¹. Decent Sampler isn’t a Kontakt replacement, nor does it claim to be the most advanced sample player on the market. It offers a free alternative that’s easy to use and has an ever-growing collection of libraries ¹. You can check it out here: https://www.decentsamples.com/product/decent-sampler-plugin/