Download the best free saxophone VST plugins for Windows and Mac. These are the best saxophone plugins to use with FL Studio, Ableton Live, and other VST-supported DAWs.
In this article, I have included a round-up of the best saxophone plugins, a list of their features, and YouTube videos to view and hear how the plugins work.
What Is A Saxophone VST Plugin? A Saxophone plugin is an audio plugin designed to imitate the sound of a saxophone. These plugins often come with a library of sounds that you can use to create realistic single-note or ensemble sections for your compositions.
Best Saxophone VST Plugins
- Iowa Alto Sax
- DSK Brass
- DVS Saxophone
- DSK Saxophones
- Versilian Studios Chamber Orchestra
- Saxi Player
- DSK SaxophoneZ
- Saxophia
- Iowa Soprano Sax
- Sax for Live
- Saxophone SoundFonts
- Bigcat Saxophone Collection
- Karoryfer Alto Sax
- Free Saxophone Samples
Many producers use saxophone VSTs for film scores, Lo-Fi music, Pop, Jazz, and more. These free VSTs offer tons of great sounds and free options comparable to paid plugins.
I have downloaded and tested hundreds of free VST plugins, and these are some of the best free saxophone VST plugins available.
I’ve also included links to download hundreds of free saxophone samples and sound fonts. I have downloaded and tested several of these free sax sounds.
Tutorial: How to Install Plugins
Instructions: Click the links below to visit each Saxophone VST plugin. Look around each website for the download link or button. Do not install any suspicious software.
1. Iowa Alto Sax Saxophone VST
Iowa Alto Sax is a free plugin that can be downloaded and used with any DAW. It is a virtual saxophone instrument that simulates the sound of a saxophone.
The Iowa Alto is a sampled alto saxophone from the University of Iowa Electronic Music.
The controls allow you to adjust the attack, decay, sustain, release, and panning.
Features:
- Simple Interface
- Mimics the sound of a real saxophone.
- Controls: Attack, decay, sustain, release, and panning.
Pros:
- Has adjustable controls for sound.
- Created with samples from an actual alto saxophone.
- Free to use.
Cons:
- Some users get a message saying, “Cannot find any instruments.”
- It might only work on some computer systems (like some Mac OS versions).
Plugin | PC & Mac
2. DSK Brass
The DSK Brass VST plugin is a virtual instrument used to simulate the sound of a brass instrument. It is available for free download and can be used with any DAW.
This plugin includes a variety of brass instruments such as Sax Soprano, Sax Tenor, Sax Alto, Harmon Mute, Trumpet Cup Mute, Trumpet H Mute, Trumpet Staccato, Trumpet Swell, Piccolo Trumpet, Trombone, Trombone Cup Mute, Tuba, Flugel Horn, French Horn, Brass Ensemble, Brass Orchestra, Brass Shot, and more.
With this virtual saxophone instrument, you can layer two brass instruments together to create a unique sound.
I think this is one of the top picks for most producers because of its many sounds and options. It is a great plugin with many options, and the best part is that it’s free.
Features:
- 2 Layers, 23 Waveforms
- Octave Select & Micro-Detuner
- Effects Include Delay & Flanger
- Assignable Automation Capability
- MIDI Controller Support
Pros:
- Variety of instruments to choose from.
- Ability to layer sounds for more complex music.
- Built-in effects add to the variety of sounds you can create.
Cons:
- Some users have issues with it crashing in certain DAWs.
- It may work better with 64-bit versions of some software.
- There is no modulation wheel compatibility.
- No Mac support.
- Some users feel that it sounds more like a synthesizer than a real brass instrument.
Plugin | Windows
3. DVS Saxophone VST
The DVS Saxophone plugin was designed for expressive playing, so attention was paid to how the velocity and pitch bend affect the filters.
The reverb has been configured to compliment the saxophone sound.
Features:
- Velocity
- Pitch Bend
- Filter Effects
Plugin | PC
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4. DSK Saxophones
DSK Saxophones is a Soprano and Tenor sax rompler. DSK Saxophone is a virtual saxophone instrument plugin for Windows and Mac.
It can be used to play the sax in any music production software, such as Cubase, Logic, FL Studio, and more.
Features:
- 2 Saxophone Types: Soprano & Tenor
- ADSR Envelope Control
- Velocity Curve Selector
- Reverb Effects
DSK Plugin | PC / Mac / AU
5. Versilian Studios Chamber Orchestra
The Versilian Studios Chamber Orchestra is an attempt to help others who decide to teach themselves how to compose gain responsive, practical tools.
- Concert flute, clarinet, bassoon, F horn, trumpet, tenor bone, bass bone, tubular bells, xylophone, glockenspiel, timpani, large percussion section, harp, piano, solo violin, and violin section, all using accurate ranges.
- Percussion mapped close to MIDI standards to help ease compatibility
- Each instrument is automatically mapped to a MIDI channel- switch what channel the track is to switch instruments!
- MIDI CC: Control All the Parameters
Versilian Studios | PC & Mac
6. Saxi Player Free Saxophone VST
The Saxi Player plugin offers three saxophone sounds: Soprano, Alto, and Tenor.
- Reverb effect
- Attack/Release control
- Tanging control
- Expression CC
- Vibrato Depth
- Vibrato Rate
- Simple User Interface
Saxi Player | PC
7. DSK SaxophoneZ
The DSK SaxophoneZ plugin is a free saxophone VST plugin that allows you to recreate the saxophone sound easily and interactively.
The plugin offers three saxophone types, which include a Soprano, Alto Saxophone, and Tenor Saxophone.
- 3 Saxophone Types: Soprano, Alto, Tenor
- Velocity Response
- Amp. Envelope and Micro-Detuner
- High Pass & Low Pass Filter
- 2 Fx (Reverb & Chorus)
Plugin | PC
8. Saxophia Saxophone Plugin
Saxophia generates four independent waveforms for each of the four saxophones it emulates.
There are four types of saxophone: alto, baritone, soprano, and tenor.
Saxophia features built-in effects, two MIDI velocity options, a user-friendly interface, and a full synthesis section.
Audio effects include saturation, chorus, reverb, phaser, tremolo, and delay.
Plugin | PC
9. Iowa Soprano Sax
The Iowa Soprano Sax plugin is a sampled soprano saxophone VST instrument from the University of Iowa Electronic Music Studio.
It includes a simple interface to control the decay, attack, sustain, and release.
Plugin | PC
10. Sax for Live
Sax for Live is a free saxophone instrument for Ableton Live that offers both a Tenor and Alto Saxophone.
Plugin | App: Ableton Live
11. Saxophone SoundFonts
Since there is a limited supply of saxophone VSTs, another possible option is to use Saxophone Soundfonts.
You can install a free SoundFont player and load the saxophone Soundfonts into the player.
Free Saxophone SoundFonts:
- Producer Feed – 29 Free samples of trombones, sax, and flute Soundfonts.
- Zanderjaz – 20 Free brass sound fonts to use in FL Studio and other .sf2-supported apps. There are sound fonts for tenor, alto sax, oboe, brass trombone, brass ensemble, and more.
- Forum – This comment includes a link to download 15 free saxophone SoundFont files.
- Musical Artifacts – Ten downloads for saxophone SoundFonts.
- DarkesWord – Several free SoundFonts, but it looks like you may need to use a program to decompress the .sfpack file format.
12. Bigcat Saxophone Collection ( Kontakt )
The Bigcat Saxophone Collection is a collection of saxophone samples recorded at the University of Iowa Electronic Music Studios for Native Instruments Kontakt. The saxophones were sampled in 3 velocity layers, with a total of 375 saxophone samples.
There are various saxophone types available to download: Alto Sax, Iowa Sax Duet, Iowa Soprano Sax, and Iowa Solo Sax.
The duet feature includes an Alto Saxophone and Soprano Saxophone playing together simultaneously.
There are also Jazz-related Kontakt files, including Cool Jazz Alto Sax, Club Alto Sax, Club Tenor Sax, and Club Baritone Sax.
When it comes to Kontakt sample libraries, this is a great free alternative to paid sample libraries such as Session Horns Pro, and Horn Section by Vir2 Instruments.
- Instruments included: Alto Sax, Iowa Soprano Sax, Iowa Sax Duet, Iowa Solo Sax
- EQ Controls
- Reverb Effects
- Tune
- ADSR Controls
Plugin | PC & Mac / Kontakt / SampleTank
13. Karoryfer Alto Sax
This is a free saxophone Kontakt download by Bigcat Instruments of an alto saxophone. Works with the Kontakt Player by Native Instruments
Plugin | App: Kontakt
Free Saxophone Samples
- Looperman – A wide selection of royalty-free saxophone loops and samples for your music projects.
- Sample Focus – Sample Focus has over 100 saxophone-related samples to download.
- Beat Production – Free Saxophone Sound Kit that contains close to 1GB of saxophone samples, saxophone loops, and saxophone licks, which are great for Jazz and Hip Hop.
- Free Sound – 100 Free saxophone samples, woodwind instruments, and lead instruments to download.
- Sample Swap – Ten horn samples to download.
- Karoryfer – Free samples from a Conn baritone saxophone from 1926. It includes crossfaded dynamic layers, staccato, and growl articulations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Best Saxophone VST Plugins?
The best free saxophone VST plugins are DSK Brass, Iowa Alto Sax, DVS Saxophone, Iowa Soprano Sax, and DSK Saxophones. These plugins not only offer a wide selection of sounds and effects, but they are also free.
What Is A Saxophone Plugin?
A Saxophone VST plugin is a virtual instrument that lets you play the sound of a saxophone that can be used in any VST-supported program. To get a more realistic sound with these saxophone plugins, you can layer multiple brass instruments and apply audio effects to blend the sounds.
These plugins and samples are all great free alternatives to paid plugins and sound libraries like the Saxophone 2 by Big Fish Audio, SWAM Saxophones by Audio Modeling, MOJO Horn Section by Vir2 Instruments, Vintage Big Band by Big Fish Audio, and paid libraries by Native Instruments.
I hope you enjoy these free Saxophone VST plugins.
DSK Brass might not be perfect, but it’s been a great addition to my low-budget projects. I wish there was more control over the expression, but with a bit of creativity, you can get some good results. It’s about working with what you have!