There’s a lot of people making music on Pro Tools and a lot of them are looking for some great guitar sounds. You may be limited by both space and cash and so the chance of being able to throw a Marshall stack up and mic it with vintage microphones is about as likely as the Pope being in a Beatles reunion line-up.

However, don’t let a lack of cash or space stop you from getting some great guitar sounds, here are Free Pro Tools plug-ins that every guitarist should try.

Sansamp PSA-1

One of the gems of the FREE plug-ins that come with Pro Tools, Sansamp PSA-1 is used by some of the top names in the industry including Daniel Lanois and Mark ‘Spike’ Stent and it has been used on countless tracks. It features an excellent set of controls as well as some very cool presets, check it out for both clean and dirty tones, it works on other material too, ace on bass. RTAS and AAX. Check out our video on how to use Sansamp

IK Multimedia Amplitube Custom Shop

A FREE version of AmpliTube 3 with 24 models including a digital chromatic tuner, 9 stomps, 4 amps, 5 cabs, 3 mics, 2 rack effects, even better you can use their cool try before you buy store to check out an almost limitless supply of guitar amps and effects. RTAS and AAX

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 5 Player

Guitar Rig 5 Player is the free guitar amp and effects processor from Native Instruments, combining creative effects routing possibilities with ease-of-use and pristine sound quality. The included FACTORY SELECTION library provides one amp with 17 cabinet emulations, plus 13 effects and sound modifiers to shape and enhance any audio signal. RTAS and AAX.

Eleven Rack Free

The FREE baby brother of the Eleven plug-in, Eleven Free is often overlooked, but it is still a useful plug-in to pull up and try when looking for guitar sounds. Eleven Free gives you two custom guitar amplifiers and two cabinet models, selected from the full version of Eleven, one is cleana and the other dirty. There’s a surprising amount of variety possible with this free Pro Tools plug-in.

Brainworx BX Solo

Offering M/S processing the Brainworx BX Solo gives you to chance to create huge guitar parts, be they clean, dirty or full on shredding. Download it, send two guitars to a sub mix and put this baby across the mix and then listen to them as you push the sound wider. It shouldn’t be free… but it is! RTAS and AAX.

Softube Saturation Knob

Not strictly a guitar plug-in, but the Free Softube Saturation Knob is one to have in your audio toolbox. It helps bring life and colour to what can often be sterile tracks, push it nice and hard on a guitar and you can get some sweet break-up, just enough to take it from being meh to yeh! RTAS and AAX. Watch a video on how to use Softube Saturation Knob

Blue Cat Chorus, Blue Cat Flanger and Blue Cat Phaser

Part of the entire Blue Cat Freeware collection these 3 modulation effects are full of great features and a cool sound, perfect for creating everything from an Andy Summer’s Police guitar right through to soaring dirty phasers on lead breaks. RTAS and AAX.

Audiffex AmpLion Free

AmpLion is not the best-known amp simulator, but it does offer some great features that include 5 channels covering a wide range of genres, two independent speaker positions, adjustable pickup microphone, noise-gate with soft knee, automatic output volume setting, switchable simulation quality and presets storage. AAX Mac and PC.

Check out our large collection of some of the best free Pro Tools plug-ins