Best VST and Kontakt Plugins For Rock Music
How to choose the best VST plugins and loops which are most suitable for your rock music track? In this scenario, we need to consider about 2 types of VST plugins. They are loops and instruments. In this article, I am listing some marvelous VST loops and VST drum instruments that can push your rock music track to the next level. I will try my best to update this article every month when the arrival of competitive new products.
I do not discuss details about VST drum instruments because I already discussed some of them in the article under the best VST instruments category. So, let’s consider the loops. Loops are live recorded instrument parts or arpeggios which can adjust according to the tempo of your music track. By using quality and suitable loops, you can increase the quality of your music track or song up to a professional level.
Please refer to the following table which contains important things that we should consider about rock VST loops. I explained each character one by one after the table. I am a sound engineer and please note that all of these rankings, scoring and reviewing are done according to my own 10 year working experiences in the music composing field.
| Number | Name | Sound Naturality (%) | Blend/Mix Quality (%) | File Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Fish Audio Pure Rock Hits 2 | 100 | 100 | 13.76GB | $49.95 |
| 2 | EastWest Ministry Of Rock 2 | 100 | 100 | 57GB | $19.99/m |
| 3 | Big Fish Audio Modern Rock | 93 | 98 | 7.59GB | $99.95 |
| 4 | Big Fish Audio The Rock Collective | 94 | 98 | 2GB | $49.95 |
| 5 | Big Fish Audio Crunch Rock Guitar Loops | 94 | 97 | 611MB | $14.98 |
| 6 | Big Fish Audio Heavy Rock Guitars | 92 | 92 | 841MB | $32.27 |
| 7 | Big Fish Audio Rock Cinema 2: Reloaded | 88 | 80 | 1.6GB | $49.95 |
What is Sound naturality of Loops?
In this character, I measure how much the instruments of the loops can come close to the real sound of real instruments. This can measure by comparing the loop sound with real instruments.
What is Blend / Mix quality of Loops?
By looking at this measurement, you can choose the best VST loop which can blend with other instruments. It means that how much the sound of the loop can hear separately and clearly when it playing with other instruments especially in songs. This is a very important character because mix quality is a major factor that affects the quality of a music track.
Let's take the best Rock VST and Kontakt plugins one by one in to action ...
1. Big Fish Audio Pure Rock Hits 2
This is rank number one which brings driving guitars, punchy drums, and hit-making melodies. This is the best rock VST loop which I found at the moment when I am writing this article. This plugin included 1184 Kontakt patches with twenty packed construction kits covering the musical styles of Gavin Degraw, Train, Coldplay, U2, the fray, matchbox 20, and the like. You can run these plugins by using the Kontakt player or Momentum plugin. Here I add an official soundtrack of Pure Rock Hits 2 from Soundcloud by Big Fish Audio channel. Take your time to listen to it.
2. EastWest Ministry Of Rock 2
This is rank number two which is a huge rock instrument library. This is the second-best rock VST plugin which I found at the moment when I am writing this article. The file size is 57 GB and you have to get the license on a monthly bases. Click here for more details. Here I add an official introduction video of Ministry Of Rock 2 from YouTube by EastWest Sounds channel. Take your time to watch it.
3. Big Fish Audio Modern Rock
This is rank number three which delivers the explosive power of modern rock guitar and bass loops. This plugin holds the third position in the list of best rock VST loops at the moment when I am writing this article. The file size is 8 GB. This library contains 27 Kits including the styles of groups like Paramore, 30 Seconds to Mars, Death Cab for Cutie, Fall Out Boy, The Black Keys, Muse, and My Chemical Romance. You need the full version of Kontakt 4.2 or higher to use the KLI version of this product. Here I add an official introduction video of Modern Rock from YouTube by Big Fish Audio channel. Take your time to watch it.
4. Big Fish Audio The Rock Collective
This is rank number four which delivers the loops of hard rock, pop-rock, and country-rock. This plugin holds the fourth position in the list of best rock VST loops at the moment when I am writing this article. The file size is 2 GB. This plugin includes 10 kits of finely crafted guitars, basses, drums, and pianos. You can run these plugins by using the Kontakt player or Momentum plugin. Here I add an official soundtrack of The Rock Collective from Soundcloud by Big Fish Audio channel. Take your time to listen to it.
5. Big Fish Audio Crunch Rock Guitar Loops
This is rank number five which delivers the loops of modern and adrenaline filled rock guitars. This is the fifth-best rock VST loops at the moment when I am writing this article. According to the feeling of the sound, my opinion is that these loops are more suitable for pop rock and classic rock. The file size is 611 MB. If you are looking for modern electric rock guitar parts for your music track, then this library is ideal for you because Crunch rock guitar includes leads, rhythm parts, picked parts, and double-tracked guitars. You can run these loops by Kontakt player. Here I add a walkthrough video of Crunch Rock Guitar Loops from YouTube by SoundsAndGear channel. Take your time to watch it.
6. Big Fish Audio Heavy Rock Guitars
This is rank number six which featuring the styles of Electronica / EDM and Dubstep. This plugin holds the sixth position in the list of best rock VST loops at the moment when I am writing this article. The file size is 841 MB. Heavy Rock Guitars library has over 300 distorted guitar loops with a range of sounds with rock riffs, supreme shreds, and anthemic power chords. This plugin is ideal for metal music and hard rock music. Here I add an official soundtrack of Heavy Rock Guitars from Soundcloud by Loopmasters channel. Take your time to listen to it.
7. Big Fish Audio Rock Cinema 2: Reloaded
This is rank number seven which provides 15 high-quality construction kits of cinematic rock. This plugin holds the seventh position in the list of best rock VST loops at the moment when I am writing this article. According to the feeling of the sound, my opinion is that these loops are most suitable for classical rock music. The downloadable file size is 1.6 GB. You can run these plugins by using the Kontakt player or Momentum plugin. Here I add an official soundtrack of Rock Cinema 2: Reloaded from Soundcloud by Big Fish Audio channel. Take your time to listen to it.
Let's Look At Some Drum Libraries To Enhance Your Rock Track...
There are hundreds of VST drum plugins in today’s market. Their sound color, feel and characteristics are different from each other. Due to that, we have to choose the drum library very carefully to our rock music track because the beat is the major factor to shape the color of your music track. Here I added some VST drum libraries which are specifically designed for rock music.
| Number | Name | File Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | XLN Audio Studio Rock ADpak | - | $79.95 |
| 2 | XLN Audio Rock & Metal Edition | - | $149.95 |
| 3 | Toontrack Rock EZX Library | 1.14GB | $79 |
| 4 | BFD Black Album Drums | 15GB | $125 |
| 5 | Toontrack Post Rock EZX Library | 2.64GB | €75 |
| 6 | NI Abbey Road Modern Drummer | 7.2GB | $99 |
| 7 | Toontrack Rock Solid EZX Library | 540MB | €75 |
| 8 | Toontrack Metal EZX Library | 1.10GB | €75 |
| 9 | Toontrack Hard Rock EZX Library | 2GB | €75 |
| 10 | Toontrack Vintage Rock EZX | 1GB | €75 |
| 11 | Toontrack Alt-Rock EZX Library | 3GB | €75 |
Rock Music Albums Recommended by Amazon US
