There are a bunch of free killer VSTS here at VOS.

I have used the "Ferric" tape simulator (which won a first place award at KVR) for some time and love it, then I noticed the whole bundle is free. Is this guy independently wealthy or something???

https://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/

Anyway, engineers rave on and on about his stuff, and many of the plugins are modeled on what used to be the Abbey Road rack.

The BOOTEQ is phenomenal. And....free.

Much of these are better than expensive stuff I own. Go figure.