Steinberg has re-released five of its classic VST plugins in the free Steinberg Classic Collection, available now at Plugin Boutique.
The bundle includes Neon, CS-40, Karlette, VB-1, and LM7. These are some of the plugins that helped define the early days of computer-based music production, going back to the time after Steinberg introduced VST in 1996.
We covered some of these plugins on BPB a long time ago, including VB-1 and Neon and Karlette, when Steinberg made older VST Classics releases available as freeware. This new collection brings several of those early instruments and effects together as modern VST3 plugins.
I started making music on a computer around 20 years ago, so some of these plugins were already old by then. To be honest, I didn’t get much mileage out of them.
But VB-1 was indeed on some of my first tracks, and I also used LM7 for some of the early drum sounds in my tunes.
I had Neon installed too, although I didn’t use it nearly as much. By the time I started making music, Synth1 was already the freeware synth I reached for most often.
Still, this collection is definitely worth checking out, whether you want to revisit plugins you used years ago or simply want to see where the VST plugin world started.
Neon is one of the first polyphonic software synthesizers, originally delivered with Cubase 3.7 in 1999. It is a super simple subtractive synth, complete with the classic mock-wood interface panels that make it look every bit like a late-’90s plugin.
VB-1 is Steinberg’s early virtual bass instrument, with quick controls for pickup and pick position. It is very old-school, but that gives the sound a quirky character that might even make it cool nowadays. I’m sure someone will drop this on a track and make something awesome with it.
CS-40 is another synth from the early 2000s, aimed at warm pads, leads, and other vintage-style sounds. LM7 is a simple sample-based drum unit, and Karlette is a tape delay with four replay heads, separate pan and high-frequency roll-off controls, and host tempo sync.
The collection is a small 40 MB download and requires a VST3-compatible host. It supports macOS Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia, and Tahoe, plus 64-bit Windows 10/11 version 21H2 or higher.
An internet connection is required for activation, download, account setup, and product registration.
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Download: Steinberg Classic Collection (FREE)
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Last Updated on August 4, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
