Best VST Plugins for Music Production in 2025
VST plugins (Virtual Studio Technology) are essential tools for modern music production, allowing producers to expand their sonic palette, manipulate sounds, and streamline their workflow. Whether you’re looking for virtual instruments, effects, or sound design tools, the right VST plugin can enhance your production quality. In this guide, we’ll cover some of the best VST plugins for music production in 2025, including those designed for various genres and budgets.
Platforms like Muibas make it easy to collaborate with other musicians, and having a solid library of VST plugins will ensure you’re able to bring high-quality sounds to your projects when working with others. Here are the top VST plugins that will elevate your music production game.
- Serum by Xfer Records (Synth Plugin)
Serum remains a favorite for music producers in 2025. Known for its wavetable synthesis and intuitive interface, Serum is a powerful tool for creating everything from lush pads to aggressive basses. Its visual feedback makes it easy to understand how your sounds are being manipulated, making it perfect for beginners and advanced producers alike.
Key Features:
- Wavetable Synthesis: Create and modify complex waveforms for rich, dynamic sounds.
- Intuitive Interface: Visual feedback for sound manipulation, making it easy to design sounds from scratch.
- Extensive Modulation Options: Offers detailed control over modulation, allowing you to create evolving and unique sounds.
Why It’s Great for Muibas: When collaborating with others on Muibas, Serum allows you to create unique, customizable sounds that stand out in collaborative projects. You can send Serum presets to collaborators, making it easier to share the exact sound you’re using in a track.
Price: Around $189
- FabFilter Pro-Q 3 (EQ Plugin)
FabFilter Pro-Q 3 is considered one of the best EQ plugins available. It offers precise control over your frequency spectrum and comes with many advanced features, such as dynamic EQ, which allows you to adjust specific frequencies based on the incoming signal. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy for both beginners and pros to clean up their mixes.
Key Features:
- Dynamic EQ: Adjust specific frequencies in real time, making it great for responsive sound control.
- Surgical Precision: Perfect for fine-tuning your mix and eliminating unwanted frequencies.
- Mid/Side Processing: Allows you to process the middle and sides of your mix independently, giving you more flexibility.
Why It’s Great for Muibas: When collaborating on Muibas, using FabFilter Pro-Q 3 ensures that your mix is clean and balanced before sharing it with other musicians. Having precise control over your EQ means that collaborators will receive a high-quality, polished track to build on.
Price: Around $179
- Valhalla VintageVerb (Reverb Plugin)
Valhalla VintageVerb is a staple for producers looking to add spaciousness and character to their tracks. Whether you’re working on lush vocals, atmospheric pads, or cinematic soundscapes, this plugin provides a wide range of reverb options to enhance your productions.
Key Features:
- Classic Reverb Algorithms: Offers a range of vintage-style reverb algorithms, perfect for adding warmth and depth to your tracks.
- Simple Interface: Easy to navigate, with a focus on sound rather than overwhelming features.
- Affordable: High-quality reverb without the high price tag.
Why It’s Great for Muibas: Collaborators on Muibas can hear your creative reverb choices as intended, whether you’re working on vocals, drums, or synths. With Valhalla VintageVerb, you can craft ambient, dreamy textures that will enhance your collaborative projects and inspire new ideas.
Price: Around $50
- Kontakt by Native Instruments (Sampler Plugin)
Kontakt is the go-to sampler plugin for producers working with sampled instruments, from orchestral sounds to custom-made libraries. Its vast collection of available libraries makes it an essential tool for cinematic scoring, sound design, and even pop production.
Key Features:
- Vast Library Collection: Access thousands of high-quality sampled instruments.
- Custom Sample Mapping: Create your own sample-based instruments by mapping sounds across the keyboard.
- Third-Party Libraries: Expands its potential by supporting a huge range of third-party sound libraries.
Why It’s Great for Muibas: When collaborating on Muibas, Kontakt allows you to share multi-sampled instruments or detailed soundscapes, giving your collaborators access to highly realistic instrument sounds or custom-designed instruments for unique project development.
Price: Around $399 (often included in Native Instruments’ bundles)
- Ozone 10 by iZotope (Mastering Suite)
Ozone 10 is a comprehensive mastering plugin suite that provides everything you need to give your track the final polish. Whether you’re mastering a track for streaming platforms or physical media, Ozone 10 offers intuitive AI-assisted tools and deep customization options for mastering your music.
Key Features:
- AI-Assisted Mastering: Uses machine learning to suggest optimal settings for your track based on genre and style.
- Multi-Band Dynamics: Control dynamics across different frequency bands to fine-tune the balance of your mix.
- Maximizer: Adds punch and loudness while preventing clipping.
Why It’s Great for Muibas: When finalizing a track for release or sharing a demo on Muibas, Ozone 10 ensures your mix sounds professional and polished, ready for streaming or sharing with collaborators. The suite helps you deliver mixes that are loud, clear, and dynamically balanced.
Price: Around $249
- Spitfire Audio LABS (Free Instrument Library)
For producers on a budget, Spitfire Audio LABS offers a free collection of high-quality virtual instruments that are perfect for adding unique textures and sounds to your productions. LABS covers everything from soft pianos and strings to experimental sound design tools.
Key Features:
- Free and Expanding Library: Continuously updated with new instruments, from orchestral to experimental.
- High-Quality Samples: Each instrument is recorded in top-tier studios, ensuring professional sound quality.
- Easy to Use: A simple interface allows quick access to the sounds without getting bogged down in details.
Why It’s Great for Muibas: Since it’s free and high-quality, LABS is perfect for sharing unique soundscapes or custom-made textures in your Muibas projects. Collaborators can easily download and use the same sounds, streamlining the creative process without additional costs.
Price: Free
- Output Arcade (Loop Synth and Sampler)
Output Arcade is a versatile loop synthesizer and sampler that provides an ever-growing library of royalty-free loops, instruments, and effects. Designed to inspire creativity, it allows producers to manipulate loops and samples in real time, perfect for creating unique soundscapes and rhythms.
Key Features:
- Extensive Loop Library: Access thousands of loops and samples across multiple genres, all of which can be manipulated in real time.
- Customizable Effects: Add reverb, delay, and other effects to tailor loops to your project.
- Subscription-Based: A monthly subscription grants access to a constantly updated library.
Why It’s Great for Muibas: Arcade allows you to quickly experiment with new sounds and loops, which can be shared with collaborators on Muibas. The real-time manipulation tools mean that you and your collaborators can easily reshape loops and sounds to fit the exact vibe of your project.
Price: $10/month
Conclusion: Enhancing Your Productions with the Best VST Plugins
Having the right VST plugins in your toolbox can drastically improve your music production workflow, sound quality, and creativity. Whether you’re creating unique synth sounds with Serum, fine-tuning your mix with FabFilter Pro-Q 3, or mastering your track with Ozone 10, these plugins will help you achieve professional results.
When working with others on Muibas, having high-quality VST plugins ensures that your sound is refined and ready for collaboration. The ability to share presets, loops, and fully mastered tracks helps streamline the creative process and ensures that all collaborators are working with the best possible sound. Whether you’re producing solo or collaborating with others, the right VST plugins will take your music production to the next level.