VST Instrument: DSK Brass

Most programmers and engineers will shy away from any product that combines the words "free," "plugin," and "brass." And this is quite understandable. These days, you have to shell out thousands to get top of the line brass sounds. Though DSK is not top of the line in anyway, it may just surprise you by how much it can do.

Features:
-2 layer sampler
-23 waveforms/layer
-Tuning and octave controls
-Delay, flanger, and portamento effects

Sound:
As I said, these are not top of the line brass sounds. They are, however, a huge step above general MIDI sounds. So if you are an arranger for marching band, this plugin may be perfect for you. Overall, I'd say the sound is good, but not great. All the presets are fairly convincing. The presets capture the essence of each instrument. Yet, they are "cheap" enough that you wouldn't consider firing your trumpet or sax player. I enjoyed some of the ensemble brass presets. I wouldn't shy away from using one of those in some capacity in a future project. The layer effect is nice, and can produce some "synthier" sounds. If that is the kind of sound you are looking for, you can also play with the "DSK" slider. Oh, one other thing: check out the "Trombone wah mute," it's pretty cool!

Ease of Use:
This plugin is not terribly difficult to use. It took me a while to realize that you can't turn one level off. You can, however, pull the level slider the whole way down. Beyond that, everything else is pretty self explanatory.

Overall:
This plugin puts out some serious brass sound. It's not perfect, but it is probably the best you are going to get for the price. I definitely recommend it, and I'm sure you'll have some fun playing around with it.

Download DSK Brass