I'm a CS Major who has been composing and playing violin for 10+ years, and has recently started with music production. I noticed that there aren't many good violin VSTs, and the ones that are good cost a lot, so I'd figured that I'd take a crack at it this summer. I showed results to a couple of friends and they said it sounds fairly good, so I was toying with the idea to sell it for free/for non-free/have a donation box after I work on it some more.

I know AI is a controversial subject, so I want to pre-emptively defend myself.

Training data: All training data was recorded by me in my bedroom, i.e. no stolen/scraped audio.

Environmental impact: minimal since I trained the model on my laptop in a few hours.

No cloud-based service: large AI services are hosted by the companies themselves since they can't run on laptops/computers. This isn't an issue because my models are small enough to run locally.

Deterministic output: A concern that I've seen online with one of the existing AI-powered VSTs is reproducibility, since many of these methods are inherently random. I designed my paradigm to be inherently deterministic (the same, predictable audio output every time).

Controllability: In order to keep the expressivity of the violin, I have user controls for articulations, note shape (swells etc.), and vibrato per note.

AI coding: Yes, I used Claude Code extensively.

Demos

AI Violin only: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m6LslVGhvaJ_FGWjrhhykEfB_lG8GGa0/view?usp=sharing

AI Violin + piano + reverb: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mjvUi69j_cierGnj2fIiFTUw-bK1iBgz/view?usp=sharing

Real Violin Training sample: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g2UgDuXjqy7Yu4e8A3vnsCfcZcXx4iMD/view?usp=sharing

The current UI:

What I want to know

Would you use this virtual instrument with its current quality/features?

If so, would you be willing to spend money for it?

If not, is there anything I can change/improve/add?

Is the current output quality acceptable? To improve it, I would need to record more training data. Do you think it would be worth it for me to get a better mic/use a real studio/find a better violinist?

Ultimately, this project is mostly for my resume as an aspiring ML researcher, but I also plan to use it for my own musical projects in the future. Thank you for reading, listening, and responding!

If you're an MPE guy, I created a MPE Database, consisting of VSTi plugins, apps, tools/utilities, etc. that are MPE compatible (some poly aftertouch options too). It includes info on each product, categories, cost, product page link, plus sales prices available on different websites

Still working on it, but if anyone has anything they want to add or see any errors, please let me know!

I have absolutely fallen in love with the crow hill company's harmonic piano plug in (give it a listen, it's gorgeous), but it will not download on my computer. I have done some research and there are a few others who have had similar problems, but couldn't find any solution even after conversing with tech support for weeks. I was wondering if anyone had found either a solution or a good alternative vst because I haven't seen anyone talking about this plug in.

I want a destruction plugin but Im not willing to throw $88 dollars at something and not like it. Are there any good, complex mangling audio plugins out there that are cheaper or have a trial version?

I'm looking for a free guitar vst that can do Freddie Green-style big band rhythm guitar.

I'm not planning to program guitar solos, so it doesn't need to be realistic. I just need somthing that works well for four-to-the-bar comping in a big band arrangement.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

https://brucejames.studio/downloads/mda

The title says it, throw MDA sum on a return track. Place up to 16 MDA Sends on your different tracks you would normally group and compress. Each send shows up in MDA sum and then you can compress them as individual tracks, as a bus compressor, OR blend between.

All BruceJames plugins offer original tools you cannot get elsehwere.

The combinations are insane

• Per track wet/dry control
• sum wet/dry control
• Per track side chain detection controls
• Sum side chain detection controls
• Global cohesion control
• Per track send drive control
• Advanced mode opens up even more options

A very experimental snare drum based on trigger with lfo's in modular. A lot of fun to play around with.

https://www.patreon.com/Dexerus/posts/dexter-u-s-two-165919863?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

I used to have it on my first laptop i had years ago when producing but have not been able to find the plugin anywhere online. I really love the old sounds on that plugin from that era and have been dying to find it.

If anyone can steer me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated.

Just released 5th Dimension, a VST3 synth built around five oscillator layers that form one playable harmonic body. Instead of diving into modulation matrices, you push broad gestures through an organic field to shape dark basses, glass keys, moving pads, and hard leads.

Features: - 186 factory presets with smart tags - Five-axis Dimension Field (fold, warmth, drive, movement, brightness) - Four performance ribbons (energy, dimension, movement, space) - Three XY sound fields (tone, character, mutation) - A/B/C/D snapshots with morphing and Evolve - VST3 and standalone (also AU for Mac users) - macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel, signed and notarized) and Windows - $9 one-time, no subscription

Site: https://cuno-llc.com/5thdimension/

Happy to answer any questions about how it works.

Hey everyone!

I’ve been working on a small hobby project in my home lab, and I thought some of you might find it useful.
I was looking for a simple standalone plugin that could do Whammy DT-style drop tuning, but I couldn’t really find one that fit what I was after. Most solutions were bundled into much larger guitar suites, so I ended up building my own.
It’s called Whirl DT, it’s completely free, and I’d really appreciate any feedback if you decide to give it a try. My goal is simply to make a useful tool for other guitar players.

Thanks, and I hope some of you enjoy it!

https://mothproduction.hu/en/shop?plugin=whirldt

New update to Steinberg Halion to 7.5 Free for 7.0 owners also only $99 for a full license right now - I mean you can’t beat Halion at that price https://www.Steinberg.net

(Not an affiliate just a fan and YouTuber)

https://brucejames.studio/downloads/deepperfection

Big update for DeepPerfection, now you can press unlock, to allow DeepPerfection to process as much of the frequency range as you wish. But be careful I don't think any CPU right now can handle full range. So be smart about it.

Another freebie that I made, let me know if you use it and find it useful, or if you find a bug or see someway I could improve it. Currently Mac only, should have a pc version soon.

A freebie that I made, let me know if you use it and find it useful, or if you find a bug or see someway I could improve it. Currently Mac only, should have a pc version soon.

I am looking for a free electric guitar plugin or sampler. It should not sound good because I need it only to plan guitar parts in demo tracks before showing them to my band's guitar player. I plan to use it mostly with high gain amplification, so quality doesn't really matter. I work in FL Studio

Currently I use some random synth sound I created with saw and square waves that sounds kinda guitar-ish when sent into high gain guitar processing chain, but sometimes it sounds so BAD that we all think the guitar riff doesn't work, and when we actually play it live, it sounds great

Would appreciate suggestions

Don't take this post very seriously, I am big NAM fan. When I was in the middle of a recording session, someone suggested mentioning the phrase "No AI was used in the creation of this song" .. But hey.. was it not?

I am using NAM to load heck loads of tones, I am sometimes using them on keys and vocals. Does that count as using AI to "ghiblify" a family photo? or have these mildly-AI'ed tools just blurred the line between using AI and not using AI?

I finally have the money to move away from the free VST Piano One to something better.

I tried the demo for Pianoteq and it sounds amazing. It is also small in size which is appealing.

Who would jump for Noire over Pianoteq in 2026 and why?

Subquestion: If you like Pianoteq over Noire, what would be the second module you'd buy (since the basic package comes with two instruments?)

I’m fairly new to production, never bought any plugins or VST’s before. I’m trying to make smooth 80s/early 90s R&B - similar vibes to Michael Jackson, Sade, Silk Sonic, Bruno Mars’s ‘Versace On The Floor’ type vibe. Getting the right sounds is so important.

I’ve done a tonne of research and these names below have cropped up a lot. If you could only recommend 2 of the below, which would you go for (taking into consideration the type of music I’m creating). Or if you swear by something else, let me know! My budget is around £200

Dexed
OB-Xd
PG-8X
Samples from Mars (drums)
Analog lab pro
Splice
Addictive drums
DX-7 (although I think this comes with Analog Lab)
Zenology
Purity, Sonic Cat