Looking for a top metal guitar plugin? Well you’re in the right place. Today I’ll be looking at some of the best metal specific VSTs on the market, all of which will help you achieve those dark or grungy sounds you’re after.
Many of the top metal producers use some of these for their guitar riffs, so I’m sure you’ll find something helpful for you. Be sure to share this article if you do.
Amplitube Joe Satriani
Leveraging his remarkable guitar playing skills and lightning fingers, Joe Satriani has positioned himself as the most skilled and successful solo guitar performer in the world. His style is exceptional and his sounds can be integrated into any excellent tone.
The Amplitube Joe Satriani comes with five stompboxes, three cabinets, three amplifiers, and four rack FX. It’s meant for metal producers, engineers, and musicians. It supports all popular DAWs but works well with Reaper. Adding these superb sounds to your own performance will certainly make you feel like a rockstar yourself.
Amplitube MESA Boogie
The MESA Boogies from IK Multimedia is one of the most popular plugins in the metal scene. This plugin has been used on so many songs and for countless remarkable recordings, meaning it has a huge collection of sounds and recordings that you can use in your home studio at a budget-friendly cost.
It suits metal producers and musicians. It’s compatible with all popular DAWs and many of the best free DAW software, but works extremely well with Logic. Great for creating electric guitar songs.
Guitar Rig 5 – Native Instruments
Update: Now available, Guitar Rig 6.
Guitar Rig 5 comes with 50 ready-to-use presets, three effects, and amp simulation with a corresponding cabinet. It also comes with a free KOMPLETE start package that features 2000 sounds, which you can download and install via Native Access. It gives you a broad selection of high-quality components, effects, and routing tools that allow you to tune guitar sounds accurately.
Guitar Rig 5 features one amp, 17 cabinet emulations and 13 effects and sound modifiers. Being so, there’s a variety of classical tones at your fingertips, allowing you to drag and drop effects to create custom effect changes. You can find it available for both Windows and Mac.
What’s more, its features and effects are user-friendly and easy to find. If you’re a metal musician or producer who wants to produce glam or heavy metal sounds, then Guitar Rig 5 (or Guitar Rig 6) VST Plugins will work wonders for you. It works well with all popular DAWs.
Toneforge By JST
Toneforge by JST is a perfect choice for producers, engineers, and musicians who want to create guitar sounds fast. The Toneforge suite has four amps: Ben Bruce, Jason Richardson, Menace, and Guilty Pleasure. These amps are simplified guitar sounds with an easy-to-use Graphical User Interface (GUI) that offer you affordable mix-ready tones.
The four amps function almost the same way, with unique and straightforward features. They all feature a front board for setting, cabinet, equalizer, impulse response loader, compressor, and microphone. Toneforge Guilty Pleasure was the third to be released in the line and covers a wide array of tones, including active rock and full metal.
PRS SuperModels
Capable of conquering a wide array of sounds, including head banging chugs and cleans, the PRS SuperModels are excellent metal guitar VST plugins from PRS. The package comes with presets created by renowned producers like Chris Rakestraw and David Townsend.
This VST is built with metal producers and musicians in mind. It supports all popular digital audio workstations (DAWs) but works seamlessly with FL studio.
Softube Metal Amp Room
Are you looking for a plugin with simple features yet capable of giving you high-quality metal sound? If so, then Softube Metal Amp Room would be a great choice for you. It has three bass knobs as well as two shaping buttons. You need to understand how these knobs work, so you can create a great setup. You will sound like a musical genius by just following some simple steps.
Top Metal Guitar VST Plugins, Final Thoughts
So there you have it, 6 of the best metal guitar VSTs on the market.
I’ve covered other guitar VSTs in the past, you can see that list here. In it I mainly focus on free plugins, and they’re not all metal specific. That said you may still find it useful, so check it out and see if there are any others you’d like to try out.
Even if they’re not free, most plugins, including the six discussed in this article, offer a free trial. This makes it super easy to try out and decide after you’ve some hands-on experience. Only you’ll know what works best with your setup, so give them a try.
P.S. Final pro tip: When looking for a metal VST plugin, it’s important to buy it from a company that has a great track record of manufacturing software and hardware for computer-based audio production and DJing.
The company will give you a quality plugin that suits your needs at a competitive price. Make sure to check all the options available in order to find out which suits your needs better. With online marketing, it is easier than ever to find all the information that you need regarding Vst plugins with a click of a button.
Side note, do you want to learn to play guitar songs the easy way? Learn how here – results are guaranteed!